Amalgam Comics - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Amalgam Comics was a publishing imprint shared by DC Comics

DC Comics

DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

and Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters into new ones (e.g., DC Comics' Batman

Batman

Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

and Marvel's Wolverine

Wolverine (comics)

Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...

became the Amalgam character Dark Claw). These characters first appeared in a series of twelve comic books which were published in 1996, between issues 3 and 4 of the Marvel vs. DC miniseries

Miniseries

A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...

. A second set (of another twelve comic books) followed a year later.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 designated the Amalgam Universe as Earth-9602.

Publication history

On two separate occasions, Marvel and DC co-published titles from Amalgam Comics. During the publication of Amalgam Comics, the companies treated it as if it had existed for decades, giving it a fictional history stretching back to the Golden Age of Comics, as well as retcon

Retcon

Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...

s and reboots

Reboot (continuity)

The verb reboot, in media dealing with serial fiction, means to discard much or even all previous continuity in the series and start anew with fresh ideas...

, such as the Secret Crisis of the Infinity Hour (an amalgam of Secret Wars

Secret Wars

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton...

, Crisis on Infinite Earths

Crisis on Infinite Earths

Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...

, Infinity Gauntlet and Zero Hour

Zero Hour (comics)

Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...

), including an Amalgam version of the cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, with Super-Soldier holding his sidekick's body.

The books even went so far as to have letter pages with readers talking about stories they had read for years from the company line. In the 24 Amalgam Comics printed, one-third of those printed included letter-columns

Comic book letter column

A comic book letter column is a section of a comic book where readers' letters to the publisher appear. Comic book letter columns are also commonly referred to as letter columns , letter pages, letters of comment , or simply letters to the editor...

by fictitious fans to give a larger background to the stories and to help give hints of what might happen in the next issue. The "fans'" hometowns were usually fusions of existing American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

cities.

The first Amalgam event occurred near the end of the Marvel vs. DC crossover event in 1996. The first twelve Amalgam titles were released in a single week, temporarily replacing both publishers' regular releases. Half the comics in the event were published by Marvel and half by DC. A year later, the stunt was repeated, but without the crossover as background. Later, both publishers collected their issues into trade paperback collections.

Between the two rounds of Amalgam Comics, the two publishers released a second crossover, DC/Marvel: All Access. A third mini-series, Unlimited Access, followed the second round. Both crossovers featured additional Amalgam characters.

Fictional origin of the Amalgam Universe

The two comic universes came together when the two physical incarnations of their respective universes (referred to as "the Brothers") became aware of each other after eons of slumber. To prevent the Brothers from destroying each other, characters from each universe battled to determine which universe would survive; several of the matches were determined through fan voting. Access

Access (comics)

Access is a fictional character owned by both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He made his first appearance in DC vs. Marvel #1 , a special crossover between the two companies. He was created as both a way to explain the events of the story as well as a means to enable future intercompany...

, a character created for the event and co-owned by Marvel and DC, served as a gate keeper who became stuck while traveling between the two universes.

When the fighting concluded, neither universe was willing to go. To prevent total destruction, the Spectre

Spectre (comics)

The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...

and the Living Tribunal

Living Tribunal

The Living Tribunal is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #157 June 1967 and was created by Stan Lee, Marie Severin and Herb Trimpe.-Publication history:The Living Tribunal debuted in a storyline called "The...

created an amalgamated universe

Shared universe

A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....

, in which only Access and Dr. Strangefate knew the truth about the merge. The two characters fought against each other to reverse or preserve the change.

Access managed to separate the Brothers with the help of Amalgam's heroes; before the merge had taken place, he had planted 'shards' of the universe in Batman

Batman

and Captain America

Captain America

Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...

. Once he discovered Dark Claw and Super-Soldier, he used those shards to give the Spectre and the Tribunal the power to restore the universes. Batman, Captain America and Access were thus able to make the Brothers realize that their conflict was pointless, and the universes were separated once again.

Amalgam characters

During the event, pairs of Marvel and DC characters were merged into single characters. The same process was used for the teams and the fictional locations. Usually they had something in common to start with (for example, the Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....

creations the Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...

and Challengers of the Unknown

Challengers of the Unknown

The Challengers of the Unknown is a group of fictional characters in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, or co-created with Dave Wood , this quartet of adventurers explored science fictional and apparent paranormal occurrences and faced fantastic menaces.Scripts for the first...

, or water-themed heroes Namor the Sub-Mariner

Namor the Sub-Mariner

Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, and one of the first superheroes, debuting in Spring 1939. The character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for Funnies Inc., one of the first "packagers" in the early days of comic books that supplied...

and Aquaman

Aquaman

Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...

), or their names or themes allowed for clever combinations (such as Superman and Captain America's amalgamation, Super-Soldier, a reference to the Super Soldier serum

Weapon Plus

Weapon Plus is a fictional clandestine program that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. It was created by Grant Morrison during his run in New X-Men. The program's purpose is the creation of supersoldiers intended to fight the wars of the future, especially a Mutant-Human war...

that created Captain America; Bat-Thing, an amalgamation of Man-Bat

Man-Bat

Man-Bat is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually as a supervillain and adversary of Batman, though occasionally depicted as a heroic character. He first appeared in Detective Comics #400 and was created by Frank Robbins and Neal Adams...

and Man-Thing

Man-Thing

The Man-Thing is a fictional character, a monster in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 , and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including...

; or Shatterstarfire, the amalgamation of Shatterstar

Shatterstar

Shatterstar is a fictional character, a mutant superhero in the .-Publication history:Shatterstar first appeared in The New Mutants vol. 1 #99 , and was created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld. Since his debut Shatterstar has mainly appeared in the original X-Force title, with some issues...

and Starfire

Starfire (comics)

Starfire is the name of several fictional comic book characters published by DC Comics. The most prominent Starfire is Koriand'r, the fourth character to use that name...

).

Some minor characters are only an Amalgam version of a Marvel or DC character. For example, in Iron Lantern # 1, Senator Harrington's personal assistants Garner and Gyrich are Amalgam Universe versions of respectively Guy Gardner

Guy Gardner (comics)

Guy Gardner is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He is a core member of the Green Lantern family of characters, and for a time was also a significant member of the Justice League family of characters.He was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in Green Lantern...

of the DC Universe and Henry Peter Gyrich

Henry Peter Gyrich

Henry Peter Gyrich is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers Vol. 1 #165 and was created by Jim Shooter and George Pérez.-Fictional character biography:...

of the Marvel Universe.

Amalgam comic books

The 24 comics have been reprinted in 4 collected edition

Amalgam Age of Comics (DC Comics collection):
- Amazon
- Assassins
- Doctor StrangeFate
- JLX
- Legends of the Dark Claw
- Super Soldier

Amalgam Age of Comics (Marvel Comics collection):
- Bruce Wayne Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Bullets and Bracelets
- Magneto and the Magnetic Men
- Speed Demon
- Spider-Boy
- X-Patrol

Return to Amalgam (DC Comics collection):
- Bat-Thing
- Dark Claw Adventures
- Generation Hex
- JLX Unleashed
- Lobo the Duck
- Super-Soldier: Man of War

Return to Amalgam (Marvel Comics collection):
- Challengers of the Fantastic
- Exciting X-Patrol
- Iron Lantern
- The Magnetic Men featuring Magneto
- Spider-Boy Team-Up
- Thorion of the New Asgods

Metafictional stories

During the Amalgam Comics run, several metafictional comics and storylines were mentioned in relation to the Amalgam Comics characters, though they were never published as actual comics, they helped to give background knowledge of existing characters. All historical information below (e.g., publication dates) is untrue, part of the metafictional history.

Action and Suspense Comics:
The first of the metafictional Amalgam Comics beginning in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

with Sgt. Rock, and was later integrated into the All-Star Winners Comics at the outbreak of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The series lasted until 1917 with 50 comics being produced before they were recycled for the war effort. An amalgamation of Action Comics

Action Comics

Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...

and Tales of Suspense

Tales of Suspense

Tales of Suspense is the name of an American comic book series and two one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1968, began as a science-fiction anthology that served as a showcase for such artists as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck, then featured...

.

All-Star Winners Comics:
The Golden Age

Golden Age

The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...

comic-books of the All-Star Winners Squadron and, presumably, the Young Commandos. The series lasted between 1941 and 1942, ending with Super Soldier Action. It was in these comics that American Belle, The Whiz and Human Lantern debuted along with Brooklyn Barnes. It is an amalgmation of All Star Comics

All Star Comics

All Star Comics is a 1940s comic book series from All-American Publications, one of the early companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. With the exception of the first two issues, All Star Comics primarily told stories about the adventures of the...

(A DC imprint) and All Winners Comics

All Winners Comics

All Winners Comics was the name of two American comic book series of the 1940s, both published by Marvel Comics' predecessor, Timely Comics, during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. A superhero anthology comic in both cases, they variously featured such star...

(a Marvel imprint).

Amalgam 2099:
Mentioned in Spider-Boy Team Up #1, and an Amalgam Comics equivalent of Marvel 2099

Marvel 2099

Marvel 2099 is a Marvel Comics imprint, started in 1992, that explores one possible future of the Marvel Universe. It was originally announced by Stan Lee in his "Stan's Soapbox" column as a single series entitled The Marvel World of Tomorrow, which was being developed by Lee and John Byrne...

, featuring the Legion of Galactic Guardians and briefly Spider-Boy.

Bonghunters Special:
A Lobo the Duck special featuring Doctor Bongface.

Dare the Terminator:
The series featured Dare The Terminator and Catsai before their adventure in Assassins #1, as well as The Big Question. The series ran for under 200 issues before it was integrated into the Assassins series. Outstanding events include the teaming-up of Catsai and Dare in Issue #168 against Tombstone the Ravager, Dare losing her eye in a fight against Deadeye in Issue #13 and her experimentation by The Big Question in Issue #3.

Dark Claw: The Murder Gag:
The only known Graphic Novel

Graphic novel

A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...

to exist in Amalgam Comics continuity. It featured Bruce Wayne (Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....

) travelling to New Gotham City and teaming up with Dark Claw to stop Hyena. It also saw the end of Jason Todd

Jason Todd

Jason Peter Todd is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Jason first appeared in Batman #357 and became the second Robin, sidekick to the superhero Batman, when the previous Robin went on to star in The New Teen Titans under the moniker of Nightwing.Though...

as Moonwing. The Amalgam equivalent of The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke is an influential one-shot superhero graphic novel written by Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bolland. First published by DC Comics in 1988, it has remained in print since then, and has also been reprinted as part of the trade paperback DC Universe: The Stories of Alan...

, with elements of A Death In The Family

Batman: A Death in the Family

"A Death in the Family" is a Batman comic book story arc first published in the late 1980s which gave fans the ability to influence the story through voting with a 900 number. "A Death in the Family" ran in Batman #426-429, published in 1988-1989...

.

Whatelse:
An alternate-reality storyline that looked at different ways that Amalgam Comics characters may have changed, including Dark Claw. This combines elements of Elseworlds

Elseworlds

Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...

of DC Comics

DC Comics

and What If? of Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

.

Giant-Sized Bat-Thing:
Bat-Thing continues his tales in this series, with Lobo the Duck as a backup feature. (Named for the infamous double entendre title Giant-Sized Man-Thing.)

The Negative-Phantom Zone
It's a place in the Amalgam Universe that has never been shown but has been mentioned in Spider-Boy and Challengers of the Fantastic. An amalgamation of The Negative Zone

Negative Zone

The Negative Zone is a fictional setting, an antimatter universe depicted in publications from Marvel Comics, most frequently in Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it first appeared in Fantastic Four #51 .-Fictional description:The Negative Zone in the Marvel...

from Marvel and DC's Phantom Zone

Phantom Zone

The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...

Marine Mystery:
The Golden Age

Golden Age

comic featuring the debut of Aqua Mariner.

Mighty Amazons:
Featuring the Amalgam Comics equivalent of Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....

, Shatterstarfire briefly appeared in this series in Issue #34 before moving onto the X-Patrol in X-Patrol #1.

New Titans:
A crossover between New Mutants

New Mutants

The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....

of Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

and Teen Titans of DC Comics

DC Comics

. It is mentioned in Assassins #1 that Jericha, a daughter of Dare The Terminator, had died in Issue #83 of this comic.

Tales of My Great Astonishment:
One of the Silver Age

Silver age

A silver age is a name often given to a particular period within a history, typically as a lesser and later successor to a golden age, the metal silver generally being valuable, but less so than gold.-Greek myth:...

series featuring the Challengers of the Fantastic. It was in this series that Tino Lumpkin became a Challenger. The name combines My Greatest Adventure

My Greatest Adventure

My Greatest Adventure was a DC Comics comic book that began in 1955 and is best known as the original title for the superhero team, the Doom Patrol.-Publication history:...

with Tales to Astonish

Tales to Astonish

Tales to Astonish is the name of two American comic book series and a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics.The primary title bearing that name was published from 1959-1968...

.

Showcase of Suspense:
A series featuring Iron Lantern. Issues included:

Issue #1 - The death of Rhomann Sur and the emergence of Iron Lantern
Issue #29 - The Coming of 5700, featuring Iron Lantern 5700
Issue #77 - A battle with Madame Sapphire
Issue #84 - The Other Iron Lantern, debut of Green Guardsman.

Other unnumbered issues that involved a fight with Great White and a team-up with Aqua Mariner against .H.E.C.T.O.R.. It is an amalgamation of the DC imprint Showcase

Showcase (comics)

Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing...

and the Marvel one Tales of Suspense

Tales of Suspense

.

Sleuth Comics:
The debut of Dark Claw in Issue #27. This is an Amalgam Comics equivalent of Detective Comics

Detective Comics

Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...

, where Batman

Batman

first appeared.

Tales of the Strange and Unexpected:
The Silver Age

Silver age

imprint that featured the debut of Challengers of the Fantastic and the Un-People, whose member Dream Crystal fell in love with Johnny "Red" Storm. Sections of these tales were reprinted in Challengers of the Fantastic #1. An amalgam of Marvel's Strange Tales

Strange Tales

Strange Tales is the name of several comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics. It introduced the features "Doctor Strange" and "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.", and was a showcase for the science fiction/suspense stories of artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and for the...

and DC's Tales of the Unexpected

Tales of the Unexpected (comics)

Tales of the Unexpected was a science fiction comic book published by DC Comics from 1956 to 1968 for 104 issues. It was later renamed The Unexpected although the numbering continued and it ended at issue 222, in 1982...

Strange Tales of War:
A spy-thriller series introducing Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

in the Amalgam Comics world. An amalgam of Strange Tales and DC's Weird War Tales

Weird War Tales

Weird War Tales was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics which ran from September 1971 to June 1983.-Background:...

.

Tales to Astonish:
Some of the earlier comics featuring Thorion and the New Asgods. Borrows the title from the Marvel series of the same name

Tales to Astonish

Tales to Astonish is the name of two American comic book series and a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics.The primary title bearing that name was published from 1959-1968...

.

Radiotower Comics:
An imprint with ties to the Challengers of the Fantastic. The main heroes in the imprint were the Thunder Crusaders, whose membership included the superhero

Superhero

A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

es No-Fly, Black Dynamo, and Mancomet. The imprint is named after Tower Comics

Tower Comics

Tower Comics was an American comic book publishing company best known for Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, a strange combination of secret agents and superheroes; and Samm Schwartz's Tippy Teen, an Archie Andrews clone...

; the characters are amalgams of Tower's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a fictional team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics in the 1960s. They were an arm of the United Nations and were notable for their depiction of the heroes as everyday people whose heroic careers were merely their day jobs...

and the Mighty Crusaders

Mighty Crusaders

The Mighty Crusaders is a fictional superhero team published by Archie Comics. The team originally appeared in Fly-Man #31, #32 and #33 before being launched in its own title, Mighty Crusaders. Written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, the series lasted seven issues before being cancelled. The...

, at the time being published under the DC imprint !mpact.

Tales of Strangefate:
The debuts of Dr. Strangefate, Jade Nova, White Witch, and Skulk. Villains in the series included Mephistanus and Baron Wotan (combining Baron Mordo

Baron Mordo

Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by Marvel Comics and appearing as an enemy of Doctor Strange...

with Wotan

Wotan (comics)

Wotan was a fictional DC Comics supervillain and the archenemy of Doctor Fate until his recent reformation at the hand of Yahweh himself.-Fictional character biography:...

), who were later mentioned in Dr. Strangefate #1. The title is another play on Strange Tales.

External links

Jonathan Woodward's Who's Who: Handbook of the Amalgam Universe
Amalgam Universe Chronology

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Publication history

Fictional origin of the Amalgam Universe

Amalgam characters

Amalgam comic books

Metafictional stories

See also

External links