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Wow.
Talk about a nostalgia buzz.
This mini-series, a precursor to the Amalgam books that came out later, gave comic fans the chance to get their geek on an see the characters from DC and Marvel beat each other up.
That said, the series kind of sucked because they relied on fan votes to decide the outcome, which has Marvel winning the conflict. Basically, instead of looking at the characters and judging them on their inherant strengths and weaknesses, the whole thing boiled down to a popularity contest.
So, almost 17 years later, I took a look at the match-ups and the outcomes and decided to give my own spin on who should have won.
Match 1: Aquaman vs. Namor
Cannon Victor: Aquaman
My Victor: Aquaman
A lot of people think Namor should have won this fight, because he's strong enough to go toe-to-toe with the Hulk. But a lot of folks tend to forget Aquaman, at this time, had held his own against White Martians, who are as strong as Superman. That said, how Aquaman won this fight wrankles me more than the fact that he won. He had a whale flatten Namor. A whale. How ridiculous is that? No, Aquaman should have proven his bad-assitude by telepathically scrambling the aquatic sections of Namor's brain, inducing convulsions. Then, while Namor is helpless, Aquaman walks up and delivered the coup-de-grace with his hook-hand. Voila!
Match 2: Elektra vs. Catwoman
Cannon Victor: Elektra
My Victor: Elektra
Yeah, I had no problem with Elektra beating Catwoman. Sure, Catwoman may be a world-class gymnast and one of Batman's rogues who always gives him the slip, but mainly because he lets her get away. In a no-holds barred fight with a ninja-trained assassin like Elektra, Catwoman is going to get her claws cleaned.
Match 3: Flash vs. Quicksilver
Cannon Victor: Flash
My Victor: Flash
This was always a foregone conclusion. Although in recent years Quicksilver's superspeed has been kicked up a notch, so that he can run across water, in '95 he wasn't that quick. The Flash, able to reach faster-than-light speeds, would beat the crap out of Pietro in the blink of an eye.
Match 4: Robin vs. Jubilee
Cannon Victor: Robin
My Victor: Robin
The whole Robin/Jubilee faux romance thing was irritating and out of place in this book. Also, the only reason these two fought was because of similarities in their costumes. That said, Robin would win hands down.
Match 5: Silver Surfer vs. Green Lantern
Cannon Victor: Silver Surfer
My Victor: Silver Surfer
A fight between Green Lantern and Silver Surfer wouldn't be as close as some people think. Although the GL at the time - Kyle Rayner - was creative as hell, the Silver Surfer could tap into a power that would make him, in my opinion, more on the level with a Guardian of the Universe, not one of their agents. So I had no problem with the Surfer defeated GL.
Match 6: Thor vs. Captain Marvel
Cannon Victor: Thor
My Victor: Thor
You'd think with the wide range of powers at his command, Captain Marvel would have the edge on Thor, but I don't think so. Not in a straight out slugfest. Not when he's armed with Mjolnir. My biggest complaint about this fight was how Thor won; Captain Marvel was pinned by a ferris wheel and turned back into Billy Batson. What? Cap couldn't break free of the ferris wheel? Was it made of adamantium or inertron or something? No, it should have been a knock-down drag out battle across states resulting in Thor finally defeating the Big Red Cheese.
Match 7: Batman vs. Captain America
Cannon Victor: Unclear
My Victor: Captain America
I'll admit that I'm not a Bat-fan, so I may be biased, but I sincerely think that Captain America would win this conflict for two reasons:(1)he's a better straight-out fighter than Batman and (2)people tend to forget that the super-soldier formula enhanced him. So he's stronger than Batman, faster and possesses greater stamina. Batman would simply be outclassed and would eventually succumb.
Match 8: Spiderman vs. Superboy
Cannon Victor: Spiderman
My Victor: Spiderman
This was, IMHO, the best fight of the lot. Mainly because it was believable. I could totally see Spiderman defeating Superboy using his brains, which is exactly what happened here. 'Nuff said.
Match 9: Lobo vs. Wolverine
Cannon Victor: Wolverine
My Victor: Lobo
The only reason Wolverine won this bout was because of his enormous fanbase. Without the fanbase support, Lobo would have easily defeated Wolverine. He could have picked him up and thrown him into orbit. Poof! No more Wolverine.
Match 10: Storm vs. Wonder Woman
Cannon Victor: Storm
My Victor: Wonder Woman
On the one hand, you've got Storm, a mutant with total command of the weather in her vicinity. On the other, is Wonder Woman, second only in terms of power to Superman himself. And yet, somehow, Storm defeated her. I don't think so. Wonder Woman should have dispatched Storm with a single blow, even if Storm was throwing hurricanes and lightening at her.
Match 11: Hulk vs. Superman
Cannon Victor: Superman
My Victor: Superman
Although the Hulk's upper strength levels are unknown, he has to work himself up to reach those levels. Superman would totally defeat him before he could get to that point. And, given the Hulk's hardiness, Superman wouldn't feel much inclination to hold back. So I totally support this victory.
Final Tally:
Cannon Victor: Marvel won the bout with 6 out of 5 victories. And I could live with their victories, if they didn't include Wolverine somehow managing to trounce Lobo.
My Victor: DC won the bout with 6 out of 5. I think Wonder Woman should have defeated Storm and Lobo should have easily overcome Wolverine.
It would have been interesting to see how a DC-dominant Amalgam Comics looked in comparison to the Marvel-dominated one we got.
Actually, it would have been interesting to see an Amalgam Comics with better fusions of DC/Marvel characters. I mean, Apocalypso. Really, guys? Really?
Talk about a nostalgia buzz.
This mini-series, a precursor to the Amalgam books that came out later, gave comic fans the chance to get their geek on an see the characters from DC and Marvel beat each other up.
That said, the series kind of sucked because they relied on fan votes to decide the outcome, which has Marvel winning the conflict. Basically, instead of looking at the characters and judging them on their inherant strengths and weaknesses, the whole thing boiled down to a popularity contest.
So, almost 17 years later, I took a look at the match-ups and the outcomes and decided to give my own spin on who should have won.
Match 1: Aquaman vs. Namor
Cannon Victor: Aquaman
My Victor: Aquaman
A lot of people think Namor should have won this fight, because he's strong enough to go toe-to-toe with the Hulk. But a lot of folks tend to forget Aquaman, at this time, had held his own against White Martians, who are as strong as Superman. That said, how Aquaman won this fight wrankles me more than the fact that he won. He had a whale flatten Namor. A whale. How ridiculous is that? No, Aquaman should have proven his bad-assitude by telepathically scrambling the aquatic sections of Namor's brain, inducing convulsions. Then, while Namor is helpless, Aquaman walks up and delivered the coup-de-grace with his hook-hand. Voila!
Match 2: Elektra vs. Catwoman
Cannon Victor: Elektra
My Victor: Elektra
Yeah, I had no problem with Elektra beating Catwoman. Sure, Catwoman may be a world-class gymnast and one of Batman's rogues who always gives him the slip, but mainly because he lets her get away. In a no-holds barred fight with a ninja-trained assassin like Elektra, Catwoman is going to get her claws cleaned.
Match 3: Flash vs. Quicksilver
Cannon Victor: Flash
My Victor: Flash
This was always a foregone conclusion. Although in recent years Quicksilver's superspeed has been kicked up a notch, so that he can run across water, in '95 he wasn't that quick. The Flash, able to reach faster-than-light speeds, would beat the crap out of Pietro in the blink of an eye.
Match 4: Robin vs. Jubilee
Cannon Victor: Robin
My Victor: Robin
The whole Robin/Jubilee faux romance thing was irritating and out of place in this book. Also, the only reason these two fought was because of similarities in their costumes. That said, Robin would win hands down.
Match 5: Silver Surfer vs. Green Lantern
Cannon Victor: Silver Surfer
My Victor: Silver Surfer
A fight between Green Lantern and Silver Surfer wouldn't be as close as some people think. Although the GL at the time - Kyle Rayner - was creative as hell, the Silver Surfer could tap into a power that would make him, in my opinion, more on the level with a Guardian of the Universe, not one of their agents. So I had no problem with the Surfer defeated GL.
Match 6: Thor vs. Captain Marvel
Cannon Victor: Thor
My Victor: Thor
You'd think with the wide range of powers at his command, Captain Marvel would have the edge on Thor, but I don't think so. Not in a straight out slugfest. Not when he's armed with Mjolnir. My biggest complaint about this fight was how Thor won; Captain Marvel was pinned by a ferris wheel and turned back into Billy Batson. What? Cap couldn't break free of the ferris wheel? Was it made of adamantium or inertron or something? No, it should have been a knock-down drag out battle across states resulting in Thor finally defeating the Big Red Cheese.
Match 7: Batman vs. Captain America
Cannon Victor: Unclear
My Victor: Captain America
I'll admit that I'm not a Bat-fan, so I may be biased, but I sincerely think that Captain America would win this conflict for two reasons:(1)he's a better straight-out fighter than Batman and (2)people tend to forget that the super-soldier formula enhanced him. So he's stronger than Batman, faster and possesses greater stamina. Batman would simply be outclassed and would eventually succumb.
Match 8: Spiderman vs. Superboy
Cannon Victor: Spiderman
My Victor: Spiderman
This was, IMHO, the best fight of the lot. Mainly because it was believable. I could totally see Spiderman defeating Superboy using his brains, which is exactly what happened here. 'Nuff said.
Match 9: Lobo vs. Wolverine
Cannon Victor: Wolverine
My Victor: Lobo
The only reason Wolverine won this bout was because of his enormous fanbase. Without the fanbase support, Lobo would have easily defeated Wolverine. He could have picked him up and thrown him into orbit. Poof! No more Wolverine.
Match 10: Storm vs. Wonder Woman
Cannon Victor: Storm
My Victor: Wonder Woman
On the one hand, you've got Storm, a mutant with total command of the weather in her vicinity. On the other, is Wonder Woman, second only in terms of power to Superman himself. And yet, somehow, Storm defeated her. I don't think so. Wonder Woman should have dispatched Storm with a single blow, even if Storm was throwing hurricanes and lightening at her.
Match 11: Hulk vs. Superman
Cannon Victor: Superman
My Victor: Superman
Although the Hulk's upper strength levels are unknown, he has to work himself up to reach those levels. Superman would totally defeat him before he could get to that point. And, given the Hulk's hardiness, Superman wouldn't feel much inclination to hold back. So I totally support this victory.
Final Tally:
Cannon Victor: Marvel won the bout with 6 out of 5 victories. And I could live with their victories, if they didn't include Wolverine somehow managing to trounce Lobo.
My Victor: DC won the bout with 6 out of 5. I think Wonder Woman should have defeated Storm and Lobo should have easily overcome Wolverine.
It would have been interesting to see how a DC-dominant Amalgam Comics looked in comparison to the Marvel-dominated one we got.
Actually, it would have been interesting to see an Amalgam Comics with better fusions of DC/Marvel characters. I mean, Apocalypso. Really, guys? Really?
