JLA/Avengers is all over comic news this week, but there are other, more street-level DC/Marvel crossovers to be had. Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of Batman/Daredevil #1 awaits!

BATMAN/DAREDEVIL #1

Writer: Alan Grant
Artist: Eduardo Barreto
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Editor: Denny O’Neil/Ralph Macchio
Publisher: DC Comics/Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $5.95
Current Near-Mint Pricing: $12.00

Previously in Batman/Daredevil: It all began in 1976 when Marvel and DC finally broke through the resistance and red tape to produce Superman Vs. The Amazing-Spider-Man, a game-changing tabloid-sized comic experience. They followed up with their respective TV stars in the pages of Batman Vs. The Incredible Hulk a few years later, with the X-Men and Teen Titans wrapping up the first era of intercompany crossovers with aplomb. DC Comic designated the strange world where these events occurred as Crossover Earth, a world where both sets of characters coexisted and had always done so, while Marvel designated it Earth-7642. (The JLA/Avengers crossover, which the publisher recently agreed to reprint to benefit artist George Perez and the Perez family, pointedly does NOT take place on this world, and was in fact canon in both universes at one point.) The second wave of crossovers came a decade later, including 1997’s Daredevil/Batman, which found Two-Face and Mister Hyde teaming up, ending with Bruce Wayne and Matt Murdock realizing the truth of the other’s secret identity. A few years after the Dark Knight came to New York, Earth-7642’s Daredevil finds himself hiding on the rooftops of Gotham City.

His quarry is Catwoman, who broke into the offices of Matt Murdock’s day job to heist files about Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime. Daredevil and Batman literally fall into conflict, with the Dark Knight surprised when Daredevil intercepts him in mid-air. They break up Catwoman’s meet, but Daredevil’s actions let the sneak thief get away.

Eduardo Barreto is an excellent choice for this book, as his art gives us a classic-looking Batman (befitting the story starting on his turf) and a well-rendered Daredevil as well, with each hero having their own style of movement and body language, something a lesser artist couldn’t have pulled up. The heroes agree to pool their resources, using Batman’s detection skills and crime computer, along with DD’s inside knowledge to figure out who Catwoman is working for: The Scarecrow! An attempt to track Scarecrow’s men proves to be a trap, as the esteemed Doctor Crane has already left Gotham, with his sights set on stealing Kingpin’s job as capo de tutti capi of New York City crime. In order to try and unravel the mystery, Daredevil visits the Kingpin himself, introducing Batman to the fat man. Their meeting ends with Kingpin trying to kill them with an attack helicopter, then setting out to confront Scarecrow face-to-burlap face.

A lot of times, crossover stories like these have earth-shattering stakes, but this one is really quite minimal in its effects, with a skinny intellectual trying to steal from a portly mafioso, but the sight of a preening, hooting Scarecrow (whose laugh is rendered as “HROO HRAAAA!”) facing down Blue Thunder (a vehicle whose cabin is in no way capable of hosting 5’7″, 450-pound Mr. Fisk) is ridiculous fun. The gunship explodes at the base of the Statue of Liberty, but Kingpin throws himself onto her headdress to face Scarecrow, but instead ends up facing The Batman. As for Daredevil, a face-full of fear gas has an unusual effect on the Man Without Fear.

That’s… That’s just dumb. Treating “without fear” as an absolute rather than a cool alias is silly enough but seeing Matt Murdock’s belly laugh at being dosed with a hallucinogen is plain old Silver Age goofy. Nearly (but not quite) beaten by The Batman, Kingpin realizes that the jig is up, and exits, stage left, with a jaunty “Toodle pip, old chum!” (I find that hilarious, as well.) The two heroes once portrayed by Ben Affleck boost a speedboat and make their escape…

…but not before Daredevil needles the Caped Crusader one last time. This ends up being the last of the Marvel/DC crossovers (Batman also met The Punisher and Spider-Man, Green Lantern and the Silver Surfer clashed, as did Darkseid and Galactus, while Superman met The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, and the Silver Surfer), save for the Justice League/Avengers team-up. Honestly, it’s easy to see why the frequent crossovers stopped, as Batman/Daredevil #1 feels completely mundane, just another issue that might as well be a Legends of the Dark Knight as an Elseworlds, with a couple of laugh-out-loud ridiculous moments and a well-done art job combining for an okay, but not overly memorable comic, earning 2.5 out of 5 stars overall.

But we’ll always have HROOO HRRAAAAAA!

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