Marvel And DC Won’t Do It, So Here’s Every Variant Cover For ‘Batman/Deadpool’ And ‘Deadpool/Batman’
Truth be told, this article really isn’t anything substantial in the way of information, debunkings, or hot takes – rather, what follows is the result of my own livestream discovery that, at present there exists no complete collection of the numerous variant covers being released across DC’s Batman/Deadpool Vol. 1 #1 and Marvel Comics’ Deadpool/Batman Vol. 1 #1.
So, whether you’re looking to build your own shopping list ahead of their respective releases, need to grab one of the images for a video thumbnail, or just want to peruse a few fun pieces from some of the industry’s top artists, please enjoy what is, essentially, a one-stop guide to Marvel and DC’s next big event.
Deadpool/Batman
The first crossover between the Big Two since 2003’s JLA/Avengers Vol. 1, The Merc With A Mouth’s upcoming meeting with The Dark Knight, as well as a number of other intracompany tales, is set to play out in the two aforementioned issues, as respectively produced by each publisher’s roster of talent.
First up is Marvel, whose Deadpool/Batman Vol. 1 #1, featuring a main story written by former Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 lead writer Zeb Wells and and illustrated by Wolverines: Revenge Vol. 1 artist Greg Capullo, drops first on September 17th:
“The crossover you’ve pined for but never thought possible: DEADPOOL and BATMAN cross swords and batarangs as MARVEL and DC unite for the first time in decades! WADE WILSON has been hired for a job in GOTHAM CITY, but will the WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE help him or destroy him?”
In addition to its title bout, “the one-shot will also feature additional backup stories spotlighting other exciting Marvel and DC team-ups from a lineup of all-star talent, including Daredevil and GREEN ARROW by Kevin Smith and Adam Kubert, Jeff the Land Shark and Krypto by Kelly Thompson and Gurihiru, CAPTAIN AMERICA and WONDER WOMAN by Chip Zdarsky and Terry Dodson, ROCKET RACCOON and GREEN LANTERN by Al Ewing and Dike Ruan, and WOLVERINE (Old Man Logan) and BATMAN (The Dark Knight Returns) by Frank Miller.”
“We’re going to all corners of the Marvel and DC Universes, and the creators are having an absolute blast finding the unexpected and unexplored connections between these characters,” Editor Mark Basso shared. “We can’t wait for the fans to experience the same jaw-dropping moments we are! And we’ve got some more secret stories in the works, so keep your eyes peeled for more to be revealed!”
“This has been surreal to say the least!” Zdarsky said. “Captain America and Wonder Woman are the best their worlds have to offer, both warriors for peace. Getting to explore a dynamic and history between them has been genuinely exciting.”
“Two ICONS meeting for the first time!” Thompson said. “It’s such an honor for Jeff to get to be Marvel’s ambassador in this crossover story with Krypto. Anyone who loves comics knows how rare it is for DC and Marvel to crossover, so Jeff getting to be part of this historic moment with Krypto, and Gurihiru and I getting to bring that tale to readers… well, sometimes this job is very cool.”
“The pairing of Rocket Raccoon and Green Lantern felt very random when I was assigned it, but you can chart a line between any two characters that’ll take you through a kaleidoscope of connections between one universe and the other – and that’s what we’ve done,” said Ewing.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in promotion of the one-shot, Wells asserted, “After writing Amazing Spider-Man for 60 issues, I told Marvel I needed a break. Marvel told me I could do that or I could write a comic starring Deadpool and Batman with the best Batman artist of our generation. I no longer needed a break.”
“In Batman we’ve found someone who has even less time for Deadpool’s antics than Wolverine, but a city-wide threat from the Joker makes strange bedfellows (literally, if Deadpool had his way). It’s been a blast letting Deadpool loose in Gotham City and watching what happens.”
Adding his thoughts, Capullo likewise beamed, “Am I dreaming? This crossover is likely to be the high point of my career…and, I’ve had a great career.”
“Some of my earliest work (many years ago) was on X-Force, so Deadpool and I go way back. More recently, I spent 10-plus years drawing Batman at DC. The idea that I get to do a crossover event with Deadpool and Batman…If I am dreaming, please don’t wake me!”
Further, Marvel Comics President Dan Buckley affirmed, “A lot of things have to align” for the crossover to get off the ground.
“Mostly we plan our editorial schedule pretty far out. DC does their schedule pretty far out. You want to have the right talent involved because with this type of thing, you want to elevate it as much as you can to get people excited.”
“That’s how I feel about what [Wells] is putting together now. And I know Mr. Capullo will deliver in spades on the emotional storytelling and all the action, because that’s what he does every time he does his story.
“It just felt like a fun combo. I’ll be quite frank. It was nothing more complicated than that. Like, Deadpool hanging out with Batman. There’s a lot of levity to be had in there, a lot of fun. And it would also be a little bit uber violent at the same time…. Our big thing is we want to do something that is a lot of fun, showcase comics, generate excitement, and bring new readers or lapsed readers back into the industry.”
Batman/Deadpool
Next up comes DC’s Batman/Deadpool #1, which follows on November 19th and will see all-star Final Crisis Vol. 1 scribe Grant Morrison and the publisher’s current artistic workhorse Dan Mora team-up for a more ‘meta’ take on the entire situation:
“What happens when the World’s Greatest Detective meets the Merc with a Mouth? Reality folds in on itself. Archetypes collide. Darkseid is. And, somewhere between Apokolips and Earth-TRN666, a sentient street named Danny hums show tunes about a crusading cape!
“But DC’s Batman/Deadpool #1 isn’t just a comic book crossover between iconic publishers, it’s a metaphysical car crash between two storytelling philosophies. One character broods in the shadows of trauma and justice. The other cartwheels through chaos, breaking the fourth wall and occasionally the laws of physics.
“Together, they’re forced to confront a threat that doesn’t just endanger their worlds—it questions their very existence as fictional constructs.
“With a main story by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora, Batman/Deadpool #1 launches a reality-bending saga that’s equal parts cosmic horror, slapstick noir, and metafictional therapy session. It’s the kind of comic book that knows it’s a comic book, revels in being a comic book, weaponizes its comic bookiness—and dares you to keep reading anyway!
“Buckled into the backseat of Morrison and Mora’s Batmobile, four all-star bonus stories come roaring in, each crafted by a bona fide who’s who of comic book creators:
“Comic legends collide as Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson join forces with Hayden Sherman to conjure a spellbinding Constantine meets Doctor Strange saga.
“Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo deliver a kinetic, emotionally-charged encounter between Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Wolverine (Laura Kinney), where acrobatics meet adamantium in a story that cuts deep.
“Mariko Tamaki and Amanda Conner unleash chaos and charisma in a riotous Harley Quinn vs. Hulk showdown, while G. Willow Wilson and Denys Cowan electrify the page with a high-voltage tale starring Static and Ms. Marvel.”
Offering a statement to the aforementioned EW, Morrison beamed, “I don’t do many comics these days but there was no way I could turn down the chance to work with Dan Mora again, one of my all-time favorite artistic collaborators — and definitely no way I could turn down Batman and Deadpool!”
“Expect 4th wall-busting mayhem, owls, blood, blades, and at least one giant typewriter!”
For Mora’s part, he likewise told the outlet, “This is more than I ever imagined I could do in my career, and it is a huge honor to be part of this crossover: it doesn’t happen too often, and I am a huge Deadpool fan!”
“When I first worked with Grant, I didn’t know what to expect, but it was an incredible team-up. I always hoped to work with Grant again, and working on Batman/Deadpool is like a dream come true. Grant and I working together on this once-in-a-lifetime project is going to be such a fun experience.”
Adding his thoughts to the mix, current DC Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee admitted that such a team-up “happens kind of once every generation of readers.”
“I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions as to why. The timing has to be right in that you don’t want to do these too often. You want them to feel special. It is sort of finding that right moment for both companies to come together because it is complex.
“There’s a lot more coordination, collaboration, approvals that have to be done. And, obviously, from the business side, you’re sharing revenue, but it’s going to be a big deal. So you want the story, creatively, to warrant the hype of it all.”
“Anyone that’s working in comics today grew up with a Marvel, DC crossover at some moment in their reading timeline history. I think once you become a creator, you want to work on the biggest characters for both companies, but then to be able to do something that only happens every 15, 20 years, it is something you don’t want to pass up.
“So I think fans are going to see a lot of interesting projects from their favorite creators. That’s all I can say.”
And as is standard nowadays, each issue will be getting their own respective blank covers:
While Deadpool/Batman Vol. 1 #1 will also be getting a mash-up logo variant:
[Update: August 20th] It looks like fans will also be getting a variant, as illustrated by penciller Alessandro Cappucio and colorist Matta Iacono, depicting The Main Man hanging out with one of the Baddest Bastiches of the Marvel Universe:
