iReadIT | SUPERMAN/SPIDER-MAN #1

Out Now DC COMICS and MARVEL COMICS Proudly Present…

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the first-ever landmark crossover team-up between Marvel Comics and DC, the publishing giants reunite their top-tier headliners in not one super team-up event, but two!

When Superman first met Spider-Man (sounds like the title of a summer romcom in the making), the Man of Steel and his Friendly Neighborhood contemporary were on very different footing! Billed as the “Battle of the Century,” the powerful pair crossed paths 40 years ago in the first superhero intercompany crossover event, Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man, published in March of 1976. In 1981, a sequel, reuniting DC and Marvel’s title characters, had them go toe-to-toe against arch villains Doctor Doom and Parasite.

For comic book readers back then, the idea of seeing these two titans of the biz uniting under one banner and sharing an adventure was mind-blowing!

Eventually, this led to more collaborative efforts between the publishing giants, including an unlikely confrontation between Batman and the Incredible Hulk (October, 1981), and perhaps the most popular pairing between the rivals’ biggest-selling titles, the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans (August, 1982). The team-ups then became somewhat intermittent for the next decade, as fans held out relentlessly for the much-promised and ultimate heavyweight match-up that would bring all of comics’ greatest heroes together in 2003’s JLA/Avengers prestige limited series.

The recent DC Versus Marvel Omnibus collected those greatest hits superhero team-ups (with the exception of the aforementioned JLA/Avengers crossover), and it was believed that DC and Marvel had all but given up hope of ever bridging their two universes, that is, until Batman/Deadpool #1 was released in November of 2025. The success of that most madcap move brought to light by the legendary creative team of Grant Morrison and Dan Mora ripped the proverbial band-aid off of any wound that had prevented the healing between the two iconic publishing, and just like that…

On the heels of the widely popular Deadpool/Batman #1, this latest publishing team-up signals a refreshingly collaborative approach to these two publishing imprints, bringing their multiverses together. Superman/Spider-Man #1 has arrived! The long-awaited reteaming is brought to us by Mark Waid and Jorge Jiménez and is only the first issue of a two-part epic celebrating DC and Marvel team-ups for the ages! The story itself is a nostalgic throwback, not to mention a proper sequel to the previous two team-ups between the Man of Tomorrow and the Web-Headed Wonder.

The two icons are captured for the ages by artist Jorge Jiménez in a story by Mark Waid.

A Shared Byline…

In a story designed to heavily capitalize on the nostalgia of classic comic storytelling, Waid pits two of the heroes’ most notorious enemies, Doctor Octopus and Brainiac, in a plot to plunge the planet into a mad crisis. In their capacities as journalists, Clark Kent and Peter Parker follow a lead to STAR Labs and uncover the theft of scientific research that could lead to the weaponization of kryptonite. Spidey attempts to distract Brainiac, who is systematically mind-controlling the city’s population, while Superman must deal with a kryponized eight-armed menace.

It’s not a spoiler to reveal that in the adventure’s epic climax, our duo is successful, each working to support the other, encouraging one another to be their best selves. The pair even delivers the goods, a front-page story that the Daily Planet editor Perry White can’t resist, including exclusive pics the envy of one Daily Bugle publisher. Superman and Spider-Man save the day, but neither could have done it without the will of the other, and their mutual respect is evident. In a winning tribute to the hope and joy of the imagination, the pair have inspired for decades. Jiménez recreates the classic Ross Andru pin-up page.

The Main Cover Art option...

...the Jim Lee Alt.

Like its predecessor, which brought the Dark Knight and the Merc with a Mouth together for a multiversal meeting of mayhem, the initial one-shot storyline also included short stories featuring other DC and Marvel heroes. Jim Lee pencils a story by Tom King that brings together Lois Lane and Mary Jane Watson, with other team-ups crossing the boroughs between Metropolis and Manhattan. The 40th Anniversary celebration will continue in epic tradition, as Marvel and DC promise the All-New, All-Spectacular Spider-Man/Superman #1 set to release in April.

Stay tuned, true believer!

DC and Marvel SUPERMAN/SPIDER-MAN #1 | by Mark Waid with art by Jorge Jiménez is available at Midtown Comics.

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