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“The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe” is a collection of stories contributed by different writers and artists. They vary in length, but the longest one is “The Greatest Show (Not) On Earth,” written by Chip Zdarsky and illustrated by Pete Woods. This is the big team-up, where the Muppets must get the help of the Avengers (and other Marvel heroes) to rescue one of their cast from Mojo and his sinister streaming service, Mojo+.
One of the most important elements of this story is how well the characters from both universes interact, and what elements from Marvel and Muppets mesh. I’m happy to say that “The Greatest Show (Not) On Earth” absolutely nails it. As soon as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew brings his fellow Muppets to “The Interdimensional Council of Bunsens” (a clear reference to Marvel’s Interdimensional Council of Reeds), the crossover elements fall into place perfectly.
Chip Zdarsky finds excellent combinations of Marvel and Muppet characters to meet and interact with to give us the best gags and character moments alike. Howard the Duck creates a smooth transition from the Muppet animals to Marvel heroes, after which everyone finds a good counterpart. We get Fozzie Bear and Spider-Man teaming up for the wisecracks, Deadpool and Gonzo bonding over their shared weirdness, and Emma Frost finding a kindred spirit in Miss Piggy.
All the while, Zdarsky maintains strong voices for all of the characters, Muppet and Marvel alike, making their interactions feel natural and not making one outshine the other. Characters like Statler and Waldorf get to heckle, Sam the Eagle embraces Captain America’s patriotic attire, and even Iron Man and Rowlf get a good little heart-to-heart. The comic even has a good blend of Muppet Show comedy and Marvel Comics action, seamlessly transitioning without making either feel like an afterthought.
So yes, it is quite funny.
Pete Woods does a fantastic job with the artwork as well, making the Muppets fit in with the Marvel Universe without losing their distinct designs. While the Muppet characters maintain their puppet appearances, their body language and the way they’re framed in the panels make them properly emote and mesh with the Marvel superheroes. Of course, Woods also does a great job with the Marvel characters, capturing their iconic designs with a style that has just enough detail and color to make them stand out without contrasting their Muppet counterparts.
One of the best elements of Woods’ art style comes through in how he frames the characters within the panels and the angles he draws them from. Important moments can stand out more with nicely angled shots, like when we see Rowlf expertly play the piano from a slightly tilted view from above. Other moments receive equal thought and care, like the upward angle when we’re introduced to the Council of Bunsens that adds weight to the moment, or the splash panel where the Avengers burst through the Muppet Show banner.
Throughout the story, the colors are bright and clean, which helps bring the disparate character designs together and makes every page visually engaging. The Muppets, in their greens and pinks and blues, fit in naturally with the Avengers and their respective shades. When the colors shift, such as the darker corners in the Mojoverse, it helps subtly shift the mood and control the atmosphere to make key moments stand out all the more.
However, “The Greatest Show (Not) On Earth” is only part of “The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe,” so you might be wondering: do the other parts work just as well?
The other stories in “The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe” are shorter, coming in at five pages each. These provide opportunities to focus on individual characters meeting up, like Rocket and Groot meeting “Pigs in Space,” or Bruce Banner and Hank Pym making an appearance at Muppet Labs with Bunsen and Beaker.
Well, I’m happy to say that each of these stories is just as entertaining. While they’re more bite-sized stories, the writers and artists do a lot with the five pages they have.
“A Terrible Invention” (written by Kyle Starks, illustrated by Mike Henderson, and colored by Yen Nitro) brings the science sides of both worlds together, as doctors Banner and Pym discuss Bunsen’s disregard for both lab safety and Beaker’s personal safety. It’s filled with amusing dialogue from the exasperated scientists and ends with a great gag, including a fantastic full-page panel of… well, I won’t spoil it, but it works wonderfully.
“Pigs of the Galaxy” (written by MacKenzie Cadenhead, illustrated by David Baldeon, and colored by Yen Nitro) has the feel of a classic “Pigs in Space” sketch, complete with dramatic narration, bickering between the characters, and special guest stars Rocket and Groot. It’s pitch-perfect in story, pacing, and voice, making it feel like it was pulled straight from an episode of “The Muppet Show.”
“Bad Man” (written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, illustrated by Athila Fabbio, and colored by Mike Atiyeh) is perhaps the most unique of the stories, featuring a nearly dialogue-free story where Wolverine meets Doctor Teeth and the Electric Mayhem Band. The lack of dialogue means the art has to do a lot to convey the narrative and control the pacing, but Fabbio’s artwork handles it nicely. This also has the most distinct art, leaning a little more to the cartoonish side than the others, but in doing so makes the characters more expressive in their faces and body language, so it sells the story all the better.
“Just What the Chef Ordered” has the largest creative team, with Ashley Allen and Chef Paul Carmichael on the story (but just Ashley credited for the script), Paco Medina as the artist, and Yen Nitro back on colors. This story has Doctor Strange trying to get a soup to help Clea recover from a sickness from the Dark Dimension, but the only person capable of cooking such a soup is the Swedish Chef. This is a comedic story that embraces the wackiness of the Chef and Marvel’s multiverse, filled with bright colors and strong lighting.
Finally, “Muppets Assemble!” (written by Adam F. Goldberg and illustrated by E.J. Su) is a short story with a simple but fun concept: what if the Muppets auditioned to be Avengers? This gives a chance for a few characters who didn’t get a chance to appear in earlier stories to appear, such as Lew Zealand and Pepe the King Prawn, as well as get a few more gags out of popular characters.
“The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe” is fun and full of love for both “The Muppet Show” and the Marvel Universe. The characters work together better than anyone could have expected, thanks to the top-tier work of the writers and art teams. Each story had its fair share of laugh out loud moments, and it’s clear from the detail that went into every element that the comic is a work of love from everyone on it.
Here’s to another 50 years of Muppets and Marvels alike.
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“Deadpool/Batman” #1 is written by Zeb Wells, with art by Greg Capullo, inking by Tim Townsend, and colors by Alex Sinclair. However, that’s just for the main story, as there are several smaller Marvel/DC crossover stories within the comic. These are written by Chip Zdarsky, Kelly Thompson, Kevin Smith, Al Ewing, Frank Miller, and Ryan North, and illustrated by Terry Dodson, Gurihiru, Adam Kubert (with Frank Martin on colors), Dike Ruan (with Moreno Dinisio on colors), Frank Miller again (with Alex Sinclair providing colors), and Ryan Stegman (with Frank Martin as the colorist).
In short: Marvel and DC brought in some of their bests (and also Frank Miller) to make these crossover stories happen.
Which leads to the big question: is “Deadpool/Batman” actually good?
Well, yes, absolutely. Zeb Wells captures both Batman and Deadpool nicely, creating a fun crossover that lets both of them do what they do best. It’s a fun, well-paced story, and while it doesn’t do anything unexpected or provide new insights into either character, it’s still highly entertaining the whole way through.
The story itself is pretty simple. Someone has hired Deadpool to kill Batman, they fight, they team up, there’s a sudden-but-inevitable betrayal or two, Joker’s involved, but Batman (and Deadpool, technically) win in the end. All the while, Deadpool is making snarky remarks while Batman replies in deadpan seriousness.
But with a one-issue crossover story, no one’s expecting anything else. We get exactly what we came for, and it’s a delight the entire time.
While it is amusing to see Deadpool’s commentary on the different aspects of Batman’s story, like the bat-signal, his young sidekicks, etc, it’s the way the characters bounce off each other that makes the comic work so well. Batman and Deadpool are pretty much opposites, so Deadpool’s nonstop banter makes Batman’s seriousness all the funnier, and vice-versa. We get similar effects when Deadpool meets Commissioner Gordon (yes, he’s no longer Commissioner in the comic canon, but this is set in a non-canonical generic point in Batman’s history). Then, when the Joker enters the picture, he and Deadpool get to go back and forth with their own distinct forms of insanity.
In short, the character work makes this comic a blast.
Of course, the artwork does plenty to make “Deadpool/Batman” work as well. Greg Capullo’s illustrations work wonders for both Batman and Deadpool, creating some fantastic scenes and showcasing both characters brilliantly.
Early on, for instance, there’s a moment where Deadpool bursts through the Wayne manor’s windows, mimicking the scene of the bat that inspired Batman. The full moon’s light illuminates the panel while casting Deadpool in shadows, making him all the more impressive while the shards of glass seem to fly off the page. Similarly, when Batman makes his entrance, it’s in a one-panel page that has Batman delivering a dramatic punch to Deadpool’s face.
Throughout the comic, the action is fluid and dynamic, and panels are composed for optimal dramatic effect. The use of lighting and shadows works perfectly for a Batman comic, making use of the darkness without making it hard to see. Similarly, the character designs and set pieces are nicely detailed and brimming with personality, bringing every scene to life.
Alex Sinclair’s color work complements Capullo’s illustrations, adding a vibrancy to every image. Not only do the scenes with Batman make great use of shadows and lighting, but once Deadpool and the Joker get involved, the reds, greens, and purples pop off the page to make every moment easy on the eyes.
In short, this is exactly what you’d hope for from a Deadpool/Batman crossover comic. Both characters get chances to shine, they play off each other nicely, and the artwork is fantastic.
Now let’s look at the other Marvel/DC crossovers in the comic. These are smaller stories, giving us bite-sized crossovers, such as Wonder Woman and Captain America, Daredevil and Green Arrow, and a personal favorite, Krypto the Super-Dog and Jeff the Land Shark. While bite-sized, each story is fun and full of personality, giving each character a moment to shine.
For instance, the Wonder Woman/Captain America crossover gives us a story where the Marvel and DC universes are one, and has the two meet each other in World War 2, taking us on an emotional trip through the bonds the two would build in this what-if world.
For another story, the Green Lantern/Rocket Raccoon story is short and goofy, showing the utter chaos Rocket would get up to with a Green Lantern ring. The Daredevil/Green Arrow story is filled with Kevin Smith’s clever dialogue and plenty of action, showing off the characters in action while letting them banter a bit.
Also, Frank Miller has a section where Batman and Wolverine fight too. It’s mercifully short, and is mostly just the two shouting at each other while very large sound effects cover silhouettes of them fighting, but considering the overly bulky designs we get when they’re not shrouded in darkness, I’ll take the silhouettes. Alex Sinclair’s color work remains solid, at least, adding atmosphere and some nice color effects to Miller’s illustrations, so it’s not all bad.
A personal favorite is simple but adorable: Krypto and Jeff playing ball. While that’s all there is to the story, the bright, colorful, and slightly anime-esque artwork by Gurihiru makes it a visual delight, and Kelly Thompson’s scripting leads to a well-paced story that lets both of the goodest boys in comics have fun and show off what they can do.
The shortest story, at only three pages, is a callback to the days of Amalgam Comics, featuring “Logo,” a combination of Wolverine and Lobo. Ryan North is a personal favorite writer, and Ryan Stegman’s artwork brings the character to life in excellent detail, so the two of them make a short but sweet introduction for a character that I wish we got more time with.
It’s rare for us to get a Marvel/DC crossover comic, so it’s worth noting and celebrating when we do, especially when it’s a great comic. “Deadpool/Batman” and all its backup stories are incredibly fun, with an all-star team of top-tier writers and artists (give or take Frank Miller, and no, I will not cut him some slack just because he wrote “The Dark Knight Returns” nearly 40 years ago). For fans of both comic companies, or even just fans of either character, this is a must-read.
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