Steve Does Comics

The Black Widow has decided to stop plating sidekick and broken up with Daredevil in order to pursue a career teaching Russian at the University of Columbia , Los Angeles ( UCLA ). Iceman and Angel have left the X-Men  (during SECOND GENESIS ) and gone back into full-time education at the UCLA, with their tuition fully covered by Charles Xavier . Hercules has spent a little time in California and liked it so much, he's decided to stick around and give talks about his incredible life.  And Johnny Blaze has been taken under the Stunt-Master 's wing, setting him up as a Hollywood stuntman. Everybody's doing great! However, fate is about to bring these disparate heroes together. Or, more accurately, old foes are about to return to their lives. The Orb recently died in battle with the Ghost Rider , but he's about to start meddling in Johnny Blaze's life from beyond the grave. And Pluto (the ruler of Hades , not the Disney dog) is about to put a plan into action ...

Venom wants Spider-Man dead and he'll also kill anyone who gets in his path to the web-slinger. Even if it's a flame-headed Spirit of Vengeance !  Unfortunately for Venom, Ghost Rider  comes with a reluctant buddy ever since Doctor Strange paired him up with the Spirit of Vengeance's previous host with the most, Johnny Blaze . As if that wasn't enough of a match up, Ghost Rider and Blaze are already hunting Hag and  Troll who are trying to resurrect their master, Deathwatch .  Add the ongoing feud between Hobgoblin and the demon who once shared his body, Demogoblin, to the mix and it's going to get messy! Sprinkle it with Demogoblin's pet Spider-Man Doppelganger and the brand new threat of the Deathspawn and you've got a recipe for a tale that's almost impossible to follow. But at least Wolverine and the Punisher were too busy for this one to make it the ultimate '90s crossover cliche. This one doesn't exactly come recommended, but thos...

Some people consider this tale to be outside of regular continuity, some figure it's all part of the overall story for both universes. Either way, Marvel Comics and DC Comics were on good enough terms in 1996 that they were able to clash in a big way.  The two universes collided and it was announced that only one would survive. Inevitably, it would all be decided by a series of tournaments between the champions of each Earth (as voted for by the comic-buying public). But another, unexpected element entered the mix. These concept of two universes being smooshed together would end up being more literal than we ever thought. In the middle of it all, the Amalgam Universe was introduced, combing characters and teams from both inverses into new concepts for just one issue each. THE AMALGAM AGE OF COMICS issues are technically part of the MARVEL VERSUS DC story, but both stories can be read separately. If you're new to comics, stick to the four issue 'versus' issues, but d...