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168-412: " Justice League: The Darkseid War " is a 2015–2016 superhero comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics , consisting of a central, eponymous miniseries by writer Geoff Johns and artists Gary Frank and Jason Fabok , and numerous tie-in books by various other creative teams. It is the final storyline to feature the Justice League in the 2011 New 52 continuity, before DC transitioned to

336-600: A Tony -nominated musical play produced on Broadway. It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman featured music by Charles Strouse , lyrics by Lee Adams and book by David Newman and Robert Benton . Actor Bob Holiday performed as Clark Kent/Superman and actress Patricia Marand performed as Lois Lane. DC Comics trademarked the Superman chest logo in August 1938. Jack Liebowitz established Superman, Inc. in October 1939 to develop

504-468: A sketch comedy show or as a humorous interlude on an award telecast. Such crossovers may sometimes involve the real actors—for example, a sketch on Royal Canadian Air Farce saw Yasir and Sarah from Little Mosque on the Prairie buying the gas station from Corner Gas , with many of the characters in the sketch being portrayed by the shows' real actors—although they may also feature one genuine star from

672-571: A video game meet and interact with each other. These can range from a character simply appearing as a playable character or boss in the game, as a special guest character, or a major crossover where two or more franchises encounter. Konami made the first crossover video game featuring Simon Belmont from Castlevania , Universal Pictures ' King Kong and Mikey from the Warner Bros. movie The Goonies in Konami Wai Wai World for

840-607: A "Krypto-Raygun", which was a gun-shaped device that could project images on a wall. The majority of Superman merchandise is targeted at children, but since the 1970s, adults have been increasingly targeted because the comic book readership has gotten older. During World War II , Superman was used to support the war effort. Action Comics and Superman carried messages urging readers to buy war bonds and participate in scrap drives . Other superheroes became patriots who went to fight: Batman , Wonder Woman and Captain America . In

1008-399: A January 2014 episode of Republic of Doyle as Bill Murdoch, a 21st-century descendant of his regular character William Murdoch. The earliest example of a crossover in children's television was PBS ' 1971 program The Electric Company . Crossovers can take the form of a promotional cameo appearance , used to draw attention to another work of fiction, with little rational explanation in

1176-488: A billionaire industrialist rather than a mad scientist, and making Supergirl an artificial shapeshifting organism because DC wanted Superman to be the sole surviving Kryptonian . Carlin was promoted to Executive Editor for the DC Universe books in 1996, a position he held until 2002. K.C. Carlson took his place as editor of the Superman comics. In the earlier decades of Superman comics, artists were expected to conform to

1344-447: A cameo to a full comedy sketch or episode—is an extremely popular way of circumventing this problem. By various means, such crossovers typically avoid outcry from fans by being obvious parody or homage . However, on rare occasion, the humor of such crossovers can be used by one show make a narrative point by capitalizing on the audience's experience of the other program. Parodic crossovers can be directly established as being outside

1512-513: A case in the turmoil of the time after the fall of the Berlin Wall . The episode was produced during the short transition period between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany . Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics . The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster , and debuted in

1680-469: A certain "house style". Joe Shuster defined the aesthetic style of Superman in the 1940s. After Shuster left National, Wayne Boring succeeded him as the principal artist on Superman comic books. He redrew Superman taller and more detailed. Around 1955, Curt Swan in turn succeeded Boring. The 1980s saw a boom in the diversity of comic book art and now there is no single "house style" in Superman comics. The first adaptation of Superman beyond comic books

1848-656: A contract at Liebowitz's request in which they gave away the copyright for Superman to Detective Comics, Inc. This was normal practice in the business, and Siegel and Shuster had given away the copyrights to their previous works as well. The duo's revised version of Superman appeared in the first issue of Action Comics , which was published on April 18, 1938. The issue was a huge success thanks to Superman's feature. Siegel and Shuster read pulp science-fiction and adventure magazines , and many stories featured characters with fantastical abilities such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and superhuman strength. One character in particular

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2016-465: A contract dated March 1, 1938, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster gave away the copyright to Superman to their employer, DC Comics (then known as Detective Comics, Inc.) prior to Superman's first publication in April. Contrary to popular perception, the $ 130 that DC Comics paid them was for their first Superman story, not the copyright to the character — that, they gave away for free. This was normal practice in

2184-484: A cost - and Darkseid must die at any price. Scott's insistence that innocent lives are more important than her cause leads Myrina to turn on him. She thrusts her spear into his side. Emitting a bright light from his hand, Scott manages to blind her long enough to order his Mother Box to take him to friends. Recovering, the League finds themselves at the feet of Metron and his Mobius Chair. Shazam recognizes their surroundings as

2352-450: A crossover "event". In one case, a New York City blackout caused by Paul Reiser 's character on Mad About You was experienced by the characters on Friends and Madman of the People . Such "event nights" can also be linked by a single character's quest across multiple shows on the same evening. ABC attempted this kind of "event night" crossover with its Friday night programming during

2520-500: A deal with the heirs of both Siegel and Shuster to help them get the rights to Superman in exchange for signing the rights over to his production company, Pacific Pictures. Both groups accepted. The Siegel heirs called off their deal with DC Comics and in 2004 sued DC for the rights to Superman and Superboy. In 2008, the judge ruled in favor of the Siegels. DC Comics appealed the decision, and the appeals court ruled in favor of DC, arguing that

2688-643: A deal, if the Justice League creates a new body for Grid while letting Power Ring possess Jessica Cruz, they'll help them. Wonder Woman reluctantly agrees, and Mister Miracle gives Ultraman kryptonite so he can regain his strength. Suddenly, they're attacked by the Anti-Monitor (who goes by Mobius), and Hal Jordan sends backup (an army of Green Lanterns that includes John Stewart , Kilowog , Kyle Rayner , and Guy Gardner ) to take down Mobius. Wonder Woman, Superwoman, Ultraman, and Superman fight Mobius while Batman

2856-577: A device in establishing continuity in a shared fictional universe. This crossover is common in the Star Trek universe , where minor guest stars from one series have appeared as featured guest stars later ones. A good example of this crossover is that of the Klingons Kor , Koloth , and Kang . After the passage of about a century of narrative time, the three onetime adversaries of Captain Kirk appeared together in

3024-581: A fan of strongmen such as Siegmund Breitbart and Joseph Greenstein . He collected fitness magazines and manuals and used their photographs as visual references for his art. The visual design of Superman came from multiple influences. The tight-fitting suit and shorts were inspired by the costumes of wrestlers, boxers, and strongmen . In early concept art, Shuster gave Superman laced sandals like those of strongmen and classical heroes, but these were eventually changed to red boots. The costumes of Douglas Fairbanks were also an influence. The emblem on his chest

3192-430: A favorite being Winsor McCay 's fantastical Little Nemo . Shuster remarked on the artists who played an important part in the development of his own style: " Alex Raymond and Burne Hogarth were my idols – also Milt Caniff , Hal Foster , and Roy Crane ." Shuster taught himself to draw by tracing over the art in the strips and magazines they collected. As a boy, Shuster was interested in fitness culture and

3360-493: A living Krypton. Schwartz retired from DC Comics in 1986 and was succeeded by Mike Carlin as an editor on Superman comics. His retirement coincided with DC Comics' decision to reboot the DC Universe with the companywide-crossover storyline " Crisis on Infinite Earths ". In The Man of Steel writer John Byrne rewrote the Superman mythos, again reducing Superman's powers, which writers had slowly re-strengthened, and revised many supporting characters, such as making Lex Luthor

3528-470: A major Valiant hero. Cartoon crossovers are not uncommon, and most of them – like comics or live-action TV shows – will often feature characters owned by the same company or network. One example is Cartoon Network 's The Grim Adventures of the KND . It features five crossovers – Ed, Edd n Eddy , Codename: Kids Next Door , The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy , a reference to The Powerpuff Girls , and

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3696-498: A media sensation over The Death of Superman in that issue. Sales declined from that point on. In March 2018, Action Comics sold just 51,534 copies, although such low figures are normal for superhero comic books in general (for comparison, Amazing Spider-Man #797 sold only 128,189 copies). The comic books have become a niche aspect of the Superman franchise due to low readership, though they remain influential as creative engines for

3864-597: A model called "direct distribution". This made comic books less accessible to children. Beginning in January 1939, a Superman daily comic strip appeared in newspapers, syndicated through the McClure Syndicate . A color Sunday version was added that November. Jerry Siegel wrote most of the strips until he was conscripted into the United States Army in 1943. The Sunday strips had a narrative continuity separate from

4032-570: A more human-looking form, once again Mobius, but still possessing vast power and legions of Shadow Demons. With Darkseid gone, suddenly all the heroes become corrupt. The Flash-Black Racer returns to the team, saying he is the God of Death. Superman nearly beats Lex Luthor to death while proclaiming himself as the God of Strength. Shazam gets corrupted by the New Gods (who are angry at Darkseid's death) and he becomes

4200-460: A natural cataclysm. His ship landed in the American countryside near the fictional town of Smallville , Kansas. He was found and adopted by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent , who named him Clark Kent . Clark began developing superhuman abilities , such as incredible strength and impervious skin. His adoptive parents advised him to use his powers to benefit of humanity, and he decided to fight crime as

4368-420: A newspaper syndicate, but they too were rejected, and he abandoned the project. Siegel and Shuster reconciled and resumed developing Superman together. The character became an alien from the planet Krypton. Shuster designed the now-familiar costume: tights with an "S" on the chest, over-shorts, and a cape. They made Clark Kent a journalist who pretends to be timid, and conceived his colleague Lois Lane , who

4536-619: A number of different works. Illustrator Howard Pyle conceived his work Twilight Land as one such crossover. In it, a nameless narrator is transported to "Twilight Land" and meets famous fairy tale characters for a soirée in an inn: Mother Goose , Cinderella , Fortunatus , Sinbad the Sailor , Aladdin , Boots , the Valiant Little Tailor , and others gather in the framing device and tell each other adventurous tales featuring other literary personages. French author Jules Lemaître wrote

4704-464: A possessed Steve Trevor under the influence of the Anti-Life Equation. Grail orders Steve Trevor to unleash a blast on Mobius, turning him into a skeleton, and telling Steve to attack the rest of the League. Superwoman gives birth to a boy, while Superman and Lex Luthor try to defeat Steve Trevor. Grid tries to convince Superwoman and Owlman to leave, but Superwoman uses her baby's power to absorb

4872-492: A proto-comic book titled Detective Dan: Secret Operative 48 . It contained all-original stories as opposed to reprints of newspaper strips, which was a novelty at the time. Siegel and Shuster put together a comic book in a similar format called The Superman . A delegation from Consolidated visited Cleveland that summer on a business trip and Siegel and Shuster took the opportunity to present their work in person. Although Consolidated expressed interest, they later pulled out of

5040-533: A public campaign for better compensation and treatment of comic creators. Warner Brothers agreed to give Siegel and Shuster a yearly stipend, full medical benefits, and credit their names in all future Superman productions in exchange for never contesting ownership of Superman. Siegel and Shuster upheld this bargain. Shuster died in 1992. DC Comics offered Shuster's heirs a stipend in exchange for never challenging ownership of Superman, which they accepted for some years. Siegel died in 1996. His heirs attempted to take

5208-543: A quote from Scooby-Doo , which are all licensed Cartoon Network series. During the 1970s and 1980s, crossovers were particularly common among the Hanna-Barbera properties. Some of the earliest examples happened on The New Scooby-Doo Movies which featured appearances by characters from Harlem Globetrotters , Josie and the Pussycats , Jeannie , Speed Buggy , Batman and Robin , and The Addams Family . Later,

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5376-655: A rich family history by speculating familial connections between them (such as a blood-relationship between Sherlock Holmes and Tarzan ). Roger Zelazny 's novel A Night in the Lonesome October combines Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Frankenstein, Jack the Ripper, and the Cthulhu Mythos, although he never specifically identifies them as such ("The Count", "The Good Doctor", "Jack", etc.). Occasionally, authors will include into crossovers classic fictional characters whose copyright

5544-413: A single holder, but they can, more rarely, involve properties from different holders, provided that the inherent legal obstacles can be overcome. They may also involve using characters that have passed into the public domain with those concurrently under copyright protection . A crossover story may try to explain its own reason for the crossover, such as characters being neighbors (notable examples being

5712-418: A sort of sequel to Cinderella , named Princess Mimi , where Cinderella's daughter is courted by Polyphemus and Charles Perrault 's Hop-o'-My-Thumb . It is also common for authors to 'crossover' characters who have passed into the public domain, and thus do not require copyright or royalty payments for their use in other works. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill

5880-576: A stellar job at building on this epic story while getting readers ready for the finale. It's exciting, without being a whole issue of people punching each other. Dialogue is the driving force of the book and Johns keeps everything moving through that while developing some newer characters in some key moments. This is one of the best comics this week, and I highly recommend you check this issue out". According to Comic Book Roundup, Justice League #50 received an average score of 8.8 out of 10 based on 23 reviews. Casey Walsh from GWW wrote: " Justice League #50

6048-562: A television anchor, and he retired overused plot elements such as kryptonite and robot doppelgangers. Schwartz also scaled Superman's powers down to a level closer to Siegel's original. These changes would eventually be reversed by later writers. Schwartz allowed stories with serious drama such as " For the Man Who Has Everything " ( Superman Annual #11), in which the villain Mongul torments Superman with an illusion of happy family life on

6216-546: A time-machine to the modern era, whereupon he immediately begins using his superpowers to fight crime. O'Mealia produced a few strips and showed them to his newspaper syndicate, but they were rejected. O'Mealia did not send to Siegel any copies of his strips, and they have been lost. In June 1934, Siegel found another partner, an artist in Chicago named Russell Keaton. Keaton drew the Buck Rogers and Skyroads comic strips. In

6384-568: A vigilante. To protect his personal life, he changes into a colorful costume and uses the alias "Superman" when fighting crime. Clark resides in the fictional American city of Metropolis , where he works as a journalist for the Daily Planet . Superman's supporting characters include his love interest and fellow journalist Lois Lane , Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen , and editor-in-chief Perry White , and his enemies include Brainiac , General Zod , and archenemy Lex Luthor . Superman

6552-407: A weapon against war by giving birth to Darkseid's own daughter. She sent Grail to traverse reality in search of a being with the power to kill Darkseid, and she found the Anti-Monitor. The war against Darkseid will now take place with Earth as its battleground. Incredulously shocked by Myrinda's action, Scott realizes that billions of innocents will die. Unmoved, Myrina responds that war always comes at

6720-433: A whole. It's warm blanket-like goodness is something I only wish to wrap myself in every month". According to Comic Book Roundup, Justice League #48 received an average score of 9.1 out of 10 based on 20 reviews. David Repose from Newsarama wrote: " The Darkseid War , and Justice League #48 in particular, is the best-case scenario for all things DC, and hopefully a great sign of things to come under Johns' stewardship of

6888-433: A writer and Shuster aspired to become an illustrator. Siegel wrote amateur science fiction stories, which he self-published as a magazine called Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization . His friend Shuster often provided illustrations for his work. In January 1933, Siegel published a short story in his magazine titled " The Reign of the Superman ". The titular character is a homeless man named Bill Dunn who

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7056-514: A writer in 1959. In 1965, Siegel and Shuster attempted to regain rights to Superman using the renewal option in the Copyright Act of 1909 , but the court ruled Siegel and Shuster had transferred the renewal rights to DC Comics in 1938. Siegel and Shuster appealed, but the appeals court upheld this decision. DC Comics fired Siegel once again, when he filed this second lawsuit. In 1975, Siegel and several other comic book writers and artists launched

7224-474: Is Superman , which began in June 1939. Action Comics and Superman have been published without interruption (ignoring changes to the title and numbering scheme). Several other shorter-lived Superman periodicals have been published over the years. Superman is part of the DC Universe , which is a shared setting of superhero characters owned by DC Comics, and consequently he frequently appears in stories alongside

7392-570: Is Mobius, the one who created the Mobius Chair. The Anti-Monitor uses the Anti-Life Equation to force the Flash to fuse with the Black Racer, and the fused Flash-Black Racer kills Darkseid. Having killed Darkseid, the Anti-Monitor cocoons himself in a shell of energy, and separates himself from the Anti-Life Equation, which is then obtained by Grail. Shortly afterward, he emerges from his shell changed into

7560-472: Is Myrina Black, and she has spent decades planning a war to kill Darkseid. She offers him the opportunity to join her in that war while revealing the mystery woman that attacked the Justice League is her daughter Grail. The League, meanwhile, has been defeated by Grail, who claims to be of Amazon blood. Having stolen the Ring of Volthoom from Power Ring, she called the Anti-Monitor to this world, and now Wonder Woman -

7728-493: Is another example of this, as all of the main characters and most of the secondary / background characters are fictional characters whose copyright has expired, and all are characters of different authors and creators brought together within one massive extended universe. Many of the works of Philip José Farmer 's Wold Newton family sequences (which has also been explored and developed by other authors) also utilize and interweave numerous otherwise unrelated fictional characters into

7896-583: Is attracted to the bold and mighty Superman but does not realize that he and Kent are the same person. In June 1935 Siegel and Shuster finally found work with National Allied Publications, a comic magazine publishing company in New York owned by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson . Wheeler-Nicholson published two of their strips in New Fun Comics #6 (1935): "Henri Duval" and " Doctor Occult ". Siegel and Shuster also showed him Superman and asked him to market Superman to

8064-767: Is called a team-up . A crossover in comic book terms only occurs when a story spans more than one title. This has led to "crossover events" in which major occurrences are shown as affecting most or all of the stories in the shared universe; see Category:Crossover comics . The earliest such crossover event was Gardner Fox 's Zatanna's Search which took place in Hawkman #4 (October/November 1964), Detective Comics #336 (February 1965), The Atom #19 (June/July 1965), Green Lantern #42 (January 1966), Detective Comics #355 (September 1966), and Justice League of America #51 (February 1967). This story dealt with Zatanna attempting to reconnect with her father, Zatara , and seeking

8232-474: Is clearly intended in appearance and description by other characters to be Dr. Fu Manchu appears as a significant villain; however, as this character was not in the public domain at the time of writing and the rights still held by the estate of his creator Sax Rohmer , he is not directly named as such in the work and is only referred to as 'the Devil Doctor'. Crossovers involving principals can also occur when

8400-530: Is concerned, this is a cycle that must end. Metron was a being that observed the events depicted in the " Crisis on Infinite Earths ", " Infinite Crisis ", and " Flashpoint ", storylines. Metron is observing the DC Universe when he meets the Anti-Monitor . The Anti-Monitor states that he is not going to destroy reality. Metron reminds that he has already begun, weakening reality to the point that even now, Brainiac

8568-745: Is especially true of comic book publishers , as different characters in various Marvel , DC , or Valiant comic books frequently interact with one another since they live in a " shared universe ". For example, in the Marvel Comics universe, Spider-Man has frequent dealings with another Marvel hero, Daredevil , just as in the DC Comics Universe, the Flash and Green Lantern often collaborate. In comic book terminology, these "guest star" roles are common enough that they are generally not considered crossovers; rather, this short-term collaboration to fight crime

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8736-686: Is fine. While fighting against Parademons in Apokolips, Lex Luthor realizes that the air is killing Superman, which is causing him to bleed. Hal Jordan is uneasy about Batman being in the Mobius Chair, but Batman assures him he's okay. Mister Miracle arrives in front of the heroes and tells them that he needs their help. The heroes (with the exception of Batman) confront Anti-Monitor and Grail once more when suddenly Darkseid and his army of Parademons as well as DaSaad, Kalibak, and Steppenwolf appear. Superman and Lex Luthor are confronted by Parademons, and Lex realizes that Superman needs to have his body recharged, and

8904-468: Is holding a Mother Box, and orders it to send Superman and Lex to their ends, in the name of Darkseid , the pair is sent to Apokolips. Unable to withstand both Lashina and Kanto at once, Scott asks his own Mother Box to steal their coordinates, and evade them. He is surprised when it drops him at the feet of a huge griffin. Fortunately, its owner reminds it that Scott is not an enemy. Despite her knowing this, Scott does not recognize her. She reveals that she

9072-562: Is humanity's savior. She had once been the Amazons' chosen assassin until they abandoned the great mission they were given by the old gods. They were meant to save the world from war, and she has been doing so for a long time. While Queen Hippolyta had chosen to hide the Amazons away on Paradise Island, Myrina had refused to hide, knowing that the dark god would one day come to enslave all of the Earth's inhabitants. In preparation for this day, she created

9240-471: Is knocked out of the Mobius Chair. During the chaos, Grail kidnaps Steve Trevor, and Mobius kills Ultraman. Superwoman says the baby is coming. Lex Luthor arrives to help turn the tide in the battle. Batman, sitting in the Mobius Chair, tells Superman and Wonder Woman how to take down Mobius, and Superman releases the apokoliptian energy on Mobius to wound him. Mobius gets back up, and attacks Lex Luthor, but before killing him Grail arrives with Myrinda Black and

9408-402: Is looking a bit uncomfortable, and wonders if she's alright when suddenly a woman with gray skin emerges from Barry's body, and lightly grazes his chest with a scythe, just enough to draw first blood. Following the Flash, she turns her attention to Batman where she cuts into his shoulder with her scythe, and again in his back, pinning him to the ground before spotting Cyborg, in whom she recognizes

9576-444: Is more common on animated programs, such as when Bender found and ate Bart Simpson 's shorts on Futurama , or Milhouse had a talking Bender doll on The Simpsons . This would seem to be another case when a popular franchise is acknowledged as fiction and not a crossover of the stories. Perhaps the most obvious parodic crossover is found when characters from two series interact outside either series. This occurs most commonly on

9744-416: Is set on the path of causing a convergence of timelines. Metron offers a pact between the two of them. He promises that if the Anti-Monitor ceases his attempts to destroy reality, he will give up observing, and put every effort into restoring the Anti-Monitor to what he once was. Coldly, the Anti-Monitor responds that Metron does not have the power to do that, but he already knows who does. He intends to break

9912-458: Is still held by the original authors (or at least their estates), but who are nevertheless considered iconic or 'mythic' enough to be recognised from a few character traits or descriptions without being directly named (thus not requiring royalties payments to be made to the copyright holder). A prominent example occurs within The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume One , wherein a character who

10080-483: Is that of Mad About You and Friends , which share the character of Ursula Buffay . Neither show shares any production or distribution commonality, but rather an actress ( Lisa Kudrow ), a setting ( New York City ) and a schedule ( Friends initially followed Mad About You on NBC 's Thursday night schedule ). Mad About You and Friends share another type of "network crossover". On rare occasions, networks have chosen to theme an entire night's programming around

10248-616: Is the archetypal superhero: he wears an outlandish costume, uses a codename , is unfailingly good and honest, and fights evil with the aid of extraordinary abilities. Although there are earlier characters who arguably fit this definition, Superman popularized the superhero genre and established its conventions. He was the best-selling superhero in American comic books up until the 1980s. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster met in 1932 while attending Glenville High School in Cleveland and bonded over their admiration of fiction. Siegel aspired to become

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10416-447: Is the perfect end to what in my opinion was the best comic book series of the New 52. Johns simply understands the comic book medium and what makes it special and every ounce of his knowledge and fandom spews from the pages of Darkseid War Part 10. It's a must read issue that will only further your excitement for the future of DC comics and its universe". The storyline was loosely adapted into

10584-437: Is top notch, allowing you to sit back, strap in, and let Johns' story take you on a whirlwind of a ride. Especially after that last page (THAT LAST PAGE!), I cannot wait until next month". According to Comic Book Roundup, Justice League #43 received an average score of 8.6 out of 10 based on 31 reviews. Matt Santori from Comicosity wrote: "Another awesome chapter in the evolving event, Justice League #43 feels very much like

10752-555: Is tricked by an evil scientist into consuming an experimental drug. The drug gives Dunn the powers of mind-reading, mind-control, and clairvoyance. He uses these powers maliciously for profit and amusement, but then the drug wears off, leaving him a powerless vagrant again. Shuster provided illustrations, depicting Dunn as a bald man. Siegel and Shuster shifted to making comic strips , with a focus on adventure and comedy. They wanted to become syndicated newspaper strip authors, so they showed their ideas to various newspaper editors. However,

10920-476: Is unclear whether Siegel and Shuster were influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche 's concept of the Übermensch ; they never acknowledged as much. Since 1938, Superman stories have been regularly published in periodical comic books published by DC Comics . The first and oldest of these is Action Comics , which began in April 1938. Action Comics was initially an anthology magazine, but it eventually became dedicated to Superman stories. The second oldest periodical

11088-482: Is weakened because he needs kryptonite, and Anti-monitor is planning to kill everyone. Jessica Cruz 's power ring finally corrupts her and she turns into Power Ring. Wonder Woman calms Superman by reminding him who he is; Batman and Hal Jordan appear in front of them. Batman explains to Superman, that the Apokolips energy Superman absorbed is killing him by breaking down his cellular structure. Mister Miracle's wife Big Barda arrives and tells him that Power Ring just freed

11256-566: Is when the characters from all three shows split into groups, where the members all share the same clichéd character archetypes, such the main characters Goku, Luffy, and Toriko falling into the dumb, good-natured, strong character archetype. Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto has been known to cross over the characters of his various stories and characters such as Captain Harlock , Galaxy Express 999 , and Queen Millennia , all of which were originally written as separate, self-contained stories. In

11424-903: The Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 set of movies involved several crossovers, including such combinations as The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones . This was taken to an extreme in the 1977–79 series Laff-A-Lympics , which was essentially a gathering of the Hanna-Barbera characters for a regular series. Crossovers are not necessarily composed of characters under common ownership. Two of the most notable cartoon crossovers consisted of characters from different companies. Disney's movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit had characters from various companies, most notably Disney and Warner Bros. The film also includes cameos of characters from MGM . Another cartoon crossover would occur in 1990, Cartoon All-Stars to

11592-519: The Maetel Legend , Queen Promethium is revealed to be having been Yukino Yaoi, the protagonist from Queen Millennia . Matsumoto has also created various crossovers with Space Battleship Yamato , an anime on which he served as director, although the rights to Yamato are actually owned by Yoshinobu Nishizaki. The first film crossover in a series of Universal Studios monster films was Frankenstein Meets

11760-538: The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, " Blood Oath " – as the Klingons and Federation had become allies in the century between, the former villains are now portrayed as heroes. The distinction between "spin-off" and "crossover" is sometimes narrow. The two terms can become especially conflated if two shows are linked by a guest star with a single appearance. There is debate, for instance over whether Out of

11928-547: The DC Universe Animated Original Movies film Justice League Dark: Apokolips War , the final installment of the DC Animated Movie Universe . Fictional crossover This is different from a spoof , where one discrete character, setting, or universe, copies another character, setting, or universe, often in a comedic manner. Crossovers often occur in an official capacity in order for

12096-492: The Rock of Eternity , and Metron explains that he brought them to it because it is hidden from the view of the New Gods. Green Lantern claims that Metron cannot be trusted, having dealt with him once in the past. Metron insists that he was only observing the attack on Oa, as he has observed the League save the world many times. This time, though, he states, there is no saving it. He warns the League to go to their loved ones, and then leave

12264-402: The intellectual property rights holders to reap the financial reward of combining two or more popular, established properties. In other cases, the crossover can serve to introduce a new concept derivative of an older one. Another intention is to give fictional characters more emotional credibility and thus increase immersion for the fans. Crossovers generally occur between properties owned by

12432-612: The "Rebirth" era. This issue has high stakes, awesome action, a great balance of characters, spectacular art and all-round perfect execution - this is the kind of comic that excites people, the kind of comic you hope to find when you go to your comic shop every Wednesday. This is Johns and Fabok and ultimately DC at some of its best. They say war is hell, but whoever said that has never read Justice League". According to Comic Book Roundup, Justice League #49 received an average score of 8.7 out of 10 based on 18 reviews. Mat 'Inferiorego' Elfring from Comic Vine wrote: " JUSTICE LEAGUE #49 does

12600-521: The 1997 season. There, they proposed that the title character of Sabrina the Teenage Witch should chase her cat, Salem , through Boy Meets World , You Wish and Teen Angel because it had run away with a "time ball" that was displacing each show through time. In 2013, the Canadian crime drama series Republic of Doyle and Murdoch Mysteries produced a crossover, which was complicated by

12768-539: The Apokoliptian energy of Superman and Lex Luthor. Superwoman plans to absorb everyone's powers so she can conquer the world, but Grail kills her and takes the baby. Grail uses the baby's power to absorb Shazam's apokoliptian powers and split the Flash and Black Racer. It is revealed that Cyborg and Jessica Cruz are stuck in the realm of the Power Ring (due to Power Ring tricking Cyborg to turn him into Grid), and Cyborg hacks

12936-467: The Blue is a spin-off of Happy Days , or whether the star of Out of the Blue merely crossed over into Happy Days . Often, the problems of bringing together two shows with different narrative ambitions make the writing of a crossover burdensome. Such difficulties are encountered by situation comedies that wish to crossover with dramatic television programs. The satirical crossover—ranging in length from

13104-645: The Chipmunks , the Smurfs , ALF (from his short-lived cartoon spinoff ), Garfield , and the trio of Baby Kermit , Baby Piggy , and Baby Gonzo (from Jim Henson's Muppet Babies ). Animation companies granted unlimited, royalty-free use of their cartoon characters for this project, a feat that has been unequalled before or since. This cartoon was also introduced by then- President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush , and would be distributed to schools and video stores free of charge nationwide. Webtoons (animated shows from

13272-424: The Earth if they wish to survive. Wonder Woman reminds Metron that he should already know by observing them that they will not do that, she demands to know who the monster she saw was. Casually, Metron responds that this was the Anti-Monitor, but his story is forbidden to them. Frustratedly, she wraps her Lasso around him and asks to know how she can get the information she needs to stop the Anti-Monitor. Metron resists

13440-569: The Famicom in 1988. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games , released in Japan two months before Super Smash Bros. Brawl , was the first time that Mario and Sonic (as well as their associated characters) appeared in a game together. In literature , some authors also engage in crossovers by including characters from different novels they have written in one. The first popular crossover in literature

13608-747: The God of Gods, and leaves. Lex Luthor wanders around Apokolips , and falls in the fiery pits, becoming the God of Apokolips. Wonder Woman seeks the Crime Syndicate's help, as they have dealt with the Anti-Monitor before, while Myrinda Black meets up with Grail. Grail tells her mother that she was after the Anti-Life Equation , and becomes the Goddess of the Anti-Life. A corrupted Superman tries fighting Wonder Woman, while Mister Miracle finds an imprisoned Ultraman for his advice and help. Ultraman reveals he

13776-472: The Lasso's power, but her force of will causes him to let slip that the only way to get the answers to her questions is to take the Mobius Chair from him. With that knowledge, Diana yanks Metron from his seat, and the unstable chair begins preparing to Boom away. Without hesitation, Batman sits on the chair to stop it from doing so, but the power that surges through him, as a result, is greater than expected. Finally,

13944-525: The Mobius Chair told him that there were three Jokers . Before dying, Myrinda Black tells Wonder Woman that she has a secret twin brother named Jason, and Cyborg is freed. Superman learns from doctors that he is dying and has only a few months left. Owlman transports the Mobius Chair to the moon (with the Grid installed in the Mobius Chair). Metron appears in front of Owlman and wants the chair, but Owlman says with

14112-439: The Mobius Chair. Owlman and Grid take the Mobius Chair and disappear. Big Barda and Mister Miracle join the fight against Grail, and Myrinda Black sides with the Justice League after realizing that Grail is corrupt just like Darkseid. Myrinda Black explains that Grail is her and Darkseid's daughter, and Grail was supposed to kill Darkseid, not bring him back. Myrinda Black and Wonder Woman fight Grail and Batman tells Wonder Woman

14280-579: The North American market). For comparison, in the same year, Spider-Man merchandise made $ 1.075 billion and Star Wars merchandise made $ 1.923 billion globally. The earliest paraphernalia appeared in 1939: a button proclaiming membership in the Supermen of America club. The first toy was a wooden doll in 1939 made by the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company. Superman #5 (May 1940) carried an advertisement for

14448-570: The October 2001 letter was binding. In 2003, the Shuster heirs served a termination notice for Shuster's grant of his half of the copyright to Superman. DC Comics sued the Shuster heirs in 2010, and the court ruled in DC's favor on the grounds that the 1992 agreement with the Shuster heirs barred them from terminating the grant. Under current US copyright law, Superman is due to enter the public domain on January 1, 2034. However, this will only apply (at first) to

14616-617: The Rescue . This cartoon featured popular characters from children's Saturday morning cartoons, banding together to promote an anti-drug message. ABC , CBS , Fox , and NBC aired this half-hour special one Saturday morning with characters from all their networks, including Huey, Dewey, and Louie (from Disney's DuckTales ), Winnie the Pooh , Tigger , Slimer (from The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters ), Michelangelo (from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ), Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Alvin and

14784-558: The Wolf Man , in 1943. After the comics publishing house Marvel Comics ventured into movie production , they set off to produce solitary films with popular superheroes from the Avengers team, with characters from upcoming films making cameo appearances in films starring another superhero, leading up to the crossover film The Avengers (2012). Inspired by Marvel's success, Warner Bros. , who hold movie rights for DC Comics ' heroes, announced

14952-683: The aid of Hawkman, Batman, Robin , the Atom, Green Lantern, and the Elongated Man along the way. The first major crossover event was spearheaded by the Marvel Editor-in-Chief at the time, Jim Shooter . As a way to further toy sales he devised the Secret Wars crossover which brought all the major Marvel heroes into a 12-issue miniseries to battle a common threat. After the threat was dealt with, they all returned to their regular titles. Secret Wars

15120-414: The arm with a pistol, causing him to pass out. As Superman looks on with surprise, she responds that everyone hates Lex, even her. From above the scene of the attack on the League, Green Lantern assigns Power Ring to do crowd control while he tries to distract the attacker. Green Lantern is beaten, and the mystery woman takes control of Jessica's power ring to summon the Anti-Monitor . Lena reveals that she

15288-604: The big return I was expecting. Still, with the relationship and character development, this issue will hopefully be seen in hindsight as a good point in the arc to slow down a little and expand on those story points. I am excited for the return of the members of the Crime Syndicate. Forever Evil was a fun arc and getting some of those characters back will be a welcomed addition to this story". According to Comic Book Roundup, Justice League #47 received an average score of 8.2 out of 10 based on 29 reviews. Alec Ward from Dark Knight News wrote: "This issue has been one of my favorites of

15456-502: The boy and name him Clark, and teach him that he must use his fantastic natural gifts for the benefit of humanity. In November, Siegel sent Keaton an extension of his script: an adventure where Superman foils a conspiracy to kidnap a star football player. The extended script mentions that Clark puts on a special "uniform" when assuming the identity of Superman, but it is not described. Keaton produced two weeks' worth of strips based on Siegel's script. In November, Keaton showed his strips to

15624-401: The casts from The Golden Girls and Empty Nest ) or meeting via dimensional rift or similar phenomenon (a common explanation for science fiction properties that have different owners). Some crossovers are not explained at all. Others are absurd or simply impossible within the fictional setting, and have to be ignored by the series' respective continuities . Still others intentionally make

15792-572: The chair he can gain more power and learn more secrets of the universe. As Owlman is talking, he and Metron are immediately vaporized in a flash of blue light by the mysterious entity , with only the Mobius Chair left intact and with blood on it. The story received critical acclaim for the art, plot, and action. According to review aggregator Comic Book Roundup, Justice League #40 received an average score of 8.4 out of 10 based on 19 reviews. Erik Gonzalez from All-Comic wrote: "DC has some heavy-hitting issues this week, but Justice League may well be

15960-576: The character as he is depicted in Action Comics #1 , which was published in 1938. Versions of him with later developments, such as his power of "heat vision", may persist under copyright until the works they were introduced in enter the public domain. Lois Lane, who also debuted in Action Comics #1, is expected to enter public domain in 2034, but supporting characters introduced in later publications, such as Jimmy Olsen and Supergirl , will pass into

16128-571: The character. After Siegel's discharge from the Army, he and Shuster sued DC Comics in 1947 for the rights to Superman and Superboy . The judge ruled that Superman belonged to DC Comics, but that Superboy was a separate entity that belonged to Siegel. Siegel and Shuster settled out-of-court with DC Comics, which paid the pair $ 94,013.16 (equivalent to $ 1,192,222 in 2023) in exchange for the full rights to both Superman and Superboy. DC Comics then fired Siegel and Shuster. DC Comics rehired Jerry Siegel as

16296-452: The characters have no prior relationship, but are related by time period, locale or profession. The Law and Order series, for example, afford a commonality of setting and profession which lends itself to crossovers, both within the franchise and in a wider universe. Following the cancellation of the ABC soap opera One Life to Live and its high-rated finale, several characters crossed over into

16464-720: The characters of Douglas Fairbanks , who starred in adventure films such as The Mark of Zorro and Robin Hood . The name of Superman's home city, Metropolis, was taken from the 1927 film of the same name . Popeye cartoons were also an influence. Clark Kent's harmless facade and dual identity were inspired by the protagonists of such movies as Don Diego de la Vega in The Mark of Zorro and Sir Percy Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel . Siegel thought this would make for interesting dramatic contrast and good humor. Another inspiration

16632-626: The characters, unofficial crossovers are unfettered by such concerns, so long as property holders do not exercise their right to enjoin the distribution of such material. A good example would be the unauthorised live action fan film Batman: Dead End which brings together the properties of Batman , Alien and Predator in one setting. Unofficial crossovers can also occur in a "what-if" scenario. Roger makes frequent cameo appearances in Family Guy , while Brian makes cameos on American Dad! . Roger, Rallo Tubbs , and Klaus Heissler were seen in

16800-445: The city. Superman responds that whatever Lex says about it, he is still convinced he is a common criminal and states that he will no longer be having any association with the Justice League. Angrily, Lex blasts him with his suit, responding that Superman is not the leader of the League, so it is not for him to decide. He is also put out that superman would talk to him that way in front of his sister. Unexpectedly, Lena herself shoots Lex in

16968-414: The comic book Action Comics #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and published April 18, 1938). Superman has been adapted to several other media including radio serials, novels, films, television shows, theater, and video games. Superman was born Kal-El , on the fictional planet Krypton . As a baby, his parents Jor-El and Lara sent him to Earth in a small spaceship shortly before Krypton was destroyed in

17136-488: The comic magazine industry and they had done the same with their previous published works ( Slam Bradley , Doctor Occult , etc.), but Superman became far more popular and valuable than they anticipated and they much regretted giving him away. DC Comics retained Siegel and Shuster, and they were paid well because they were popular with the readers. Between 1938 and 1947, DC Comics paid them together at least $ 401,194.85 (equivalent to $ 7,310,000 in 2023). Siegel wrote most of

17304-450: The comics business without ever offering a book deal because the sales of Detective Dan were disappointing. Siegel believed publishers kept rejecting them because he and Shuster were young and unknown, so he looked for an established artist to replace Shuster. When Siegel told Shuster what he was doing, Shuster reacted by burning their rejected Superman comic, sparing only the cover. They continued collaborating on other projects, but for

17472-427: The complex story. Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok are flexing their collaborative muscles and bringing the absolute best out of each other. Can the Justice League (Gods on Earth) hope to contend with actual Gods from the cosmos? We have to keep reading to find out". According to Comic Book Roundup, Justice League #45 received an average score of 7.8 out of 10 based on 27 reviews. Terry Miles Jr from Batman News wrote: "I

17640-435: The context of the hosting show's narrative. When not clearly presented as parody, this is frequently scorned by fans as blatant commercialism. A notable example of this is The Simpsons episode " A Star Is Burns ", in which the character of Jay Sherman (from The Critic ) appeared. It originally aired on March 5, 1995, on FOX right before The Critic began its second season, its first season having aired on ABC. This episode

17808-494: The continuity of DC Rebirth . The plot involves the fulfilment of a prophecy in which the Justice League are embroiled in a war between Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor , and learns that someone else has engineered these events all for their own purposes. The storyline received critical acclaim for the engaging plot, the action, and art of Jason Fabok . The dark secret of existence is that history has been destroyed and reborn over and over, in an endless repetition. As far as Metron

17976-444: The continuity of one or all of the properties being crossed over. A good example is the crossover between The Simpsons and The X-Files , which was largely accepted as being outside standard X-Files continuity. They can occur by virtue of a dream sequence , in which the characters of one show will appear as part of a dream had by a character on another show. This method was perhaps used most famously to explain to audiences that

18144-518: The cycle of destruction on his own. Metron warns that if Mobius/Anti-Monitor seeks this path, he will face the wrath of Darkseid . Unexpectedly, Omega Beams destroy the Mobius chair, and the Anti-Monitor warns that he wants war with Darkseid, as his death is the key, and that Metron will bear witness to the end of the age of the New Gods . The age of the Anti-God will soon begin. Metron looks up, to find that

18312-606: The daily strips, possibly because Siegel had to delegate the Sunday strips to ghostwriters . By 1941, the newspaper strips had an estimated readership of 20 million. Joe Shuster drew the early strips, then passed the job to Wayne Boring . From 1949 to 1956, the newspaper strips were drawn by Win Mortimer . The strip ended in May 1966, but was revived from 1977 to 1983 to coincide with a series of movies released by Warner Bros. Initially, Siegel

18480-501: The end of Act 1, which means things are about to get DARK. And I am so ready for the ride. Johns and Fabok are giving us a ton of excitement and a world of mythology and legend to piece together. Characterization, action, gorgeous art. Darkseid. This one has it all". According to Comic Book Roundup, Justice League #44 received an average score of 9 out of 10 based on 30 reviews. Timdogg from The Kliq Nation wrote: " Darkseid War has not disappointed. Each issue adds an additional layer to

18648-504: The entirety of Newhart had been the dream of Bob Newhart 's character on The Bob Newhart Show . It has more recently been used to demonstrate that cast members of The Young and the Restless appeared in a dream of a character on The King of Queens . Parodic crossovers can take the form of " gag " cameos by characters of one property appearing on another. Crossovers of this type can also be completely wordless. This type of crossover

18816-431: The erratic pay, Siegel and Shuster kept working for Wheeler-Nicholson because he was the only publisher who was buying their work, and over the years they produced other adventure strips for his magazines. Wheeler-Nicholson's financial difficulties continued to mount. In 1936, he formed a joint corporation with Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz called Detective Comics, Inc. in order to release his third magazine, which

18984-432: The fact that Superman had earlier heard him threaten the would-be assassin's life. Lena Luthor reports to Lex and Superman that Wonder Woman's communications have gone down, and Lex insists on going to see what happened, preparing a Kryptonite -fueled Warsuit. He explains that Kryptonite is a valuable energy source that could power all of Metropolis, were it not for the fact that doing so would prevent Superman from being in

19152-533: The fiery pits of Apokolips are the only thing that can recharge Superman, and Lex throws him in the pit. Just before Lex is killed, Superman arrives in a negative form, saying he should have killed him a long time ago. Batman and Green Lantern go to the Crime Syndicate's world (since the villains have encountered Anit-Monitor in the past) to find it burning and destroyed. Green Lantern asks Batman if he's okay; Bruce says he's fine but insults Green Lantern by saying

19320-457: The final Family Guy Star Wars spoof, " It's A Trap! ", as Moff Jerjerrod , Nien Nunb , and Admiral Ackbar , respectively. Stewie also appears as an interactive hallucination of Booth on Bones when the agent has issues over possibly becoming a sperm donor, with David Boreanaz (who plays Booth) repaying the favor in " Road to the North Pole ". An appearance by Elmo , from Sesame Street ,

19488-436: The first part of a big story, there's a lot of set up and the action is often light. That isn't the case here. Geoff Johns has been moving this series towards Darkseid War since the first issue. While we are introduced to some new players, there is plenty of story, character building, and action to keep us glued. Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson's art and colors are phenomenal. There's some big developments and huge twists even though

19656-473: The franchise beyond the comic books. Superman, Inc. merged with DC Comics in October 1946. After DC Comics merged with Warner Communications in 1967, licensing for Superman was handled by the Licensing Corporation of America. The Licensing Letter (an American market research firm) estimated that Superman licensed merchandise made $ 634 million in sales globally in 2018 (43.3% of this revenue came from

19824-411: The game well, he does too. In another instant, he is gone, and he has taken the League with him. Grail insists that she will get the trophies she seeks in killing the League, but the Anti-Monitor reminds her that she will only get them after she delivers her father to him. She assures him that her mother promised that the war they seek would come to pass. Myrina Black explains to Mister Miracle that she

19992-553: The internet) can also have crossovers with different webtoons, franchises, YouTubers and more. Some examples are when Kate from TomSka 's Crash Zoom series makes an appearance in Eddsworld as a trick or treater who possesses Matt and Edd in the episode, "Trick or Threat". In addition to this a couple of characters from Eddsworld make appearances in some Crash Zoom episodes such as "Orcs and Dorks". Anime has also participated in many crossover events featuring characters or shows from

20160-410: The likes of Batman , Wonder Woman , and others. More Superman comic books have been sold in publication history than any other American superhero character. Exact sales figures for the early decades of Superman comic books are hard to find because, like most publishers at the time, DC Comics concealed this data from its competitors and thereby the general public, but given the general market trends at

20328-466: The magazine and daily newspaper stories until he was conscripted into the United States Army in 1943, whereupon the task was passed to ghostwriters. While Siegel was serving in Hawaii, DC Comics published a story featuring a child version of Superman called " Superboy ", which was based on a script Siegel had submitted several years before. Siegel was furious because DC Comics did this without having bought

20496-543: The meantime, they are left to wonder where the non-human killer went. As Cyborg tries to determine that using ashes left behind by the Boom Tube, Shazam is troubled by the fact that, ostensibly being a kid, he has never seen a dead body before. Cyborg soon learns that 44 women named Myrina Black were killed in the United States alone, and the League must protect them until they know what's happening. The Flash notes that Jessica

20664-785: The monsters forming teams in numerous movies, much like the Marvel movie franchise. Godzilla , Mothra and Rodan (Radon) each first appeared in standalone films before being set against each other or even teaming up against stronger enemies. Their first encounter was in 1964, first in Mothra vs. Godzilla and a few months later of all three in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster . In 1962, Toho released King Kong vs. Godzilla . Crossovers in video games occur when otherwise separated fictional characters, stories , settings , universes , or media in

20832-440: The movies and television shows. Comic book stories can be produced quickly and cheaply, and are thus an ideal medium for experimentation. Whereas comic books in the 1950s were read by children, since the 1990s the average reader has been an adult. A major reason for this shift was DC Comics' decision in the 1970s to sell its comic books to specialty stores instead of traditional magazine retailers (supermarkets, newsstands, etc.) —

21000-526: The network's remaining soap opera General Hospital , remaining in the same timeline as their former show. Though most common on shows of the same production company (see, for example, " Hurricane Saturday "), crossovers have also occurred because shows share the same distributor or television network . A notable example of this kind of link is that between Murder, She Wrote and Magnum, P.I. These shows were made by different companies, but owned by Universal Studios and broadcast on CBS . Another case

21168-562: The newspaper editors were not impressed, and told them that if they wanted to make a successful comic strip, it had to be something more sensational than anything else on the market. This prompted Siegel to revisit Superman as a comic strip character. Siegel modified Superman's powers to make him even more sensational. Like Bill Dunn, the second prototype of Superman is given powers against his will by an unscrupulous scientist, but instead of psychic abilities, he acquires superhuman strength and bullet-proof skin . Additionally, this new Superman

21336-434: The newspapers on their behalf. In October, Wheeler-Nicholson offered to publish Superman in one of his own magazines. Siegel and Shuster refused his offer because Wheeler-Nicholson had demonstrated himself to be an irresponsible businessman. He had been slow to respond to their letters and had not paid them for their work in New Fun Comics #6. They chose to keep marketing Superman to newspaper syndicates themselves. Despite

21504-495: The one who destroyed the Mobius chair is in fact Darkseid's daughter, Grail, who seeks to see him dead. In the present day, Scott Free has heard rumors that Darkseid has found the Anti-Life Equation, and he hopes that by infiltrating Apokolips he can learn what his adoptive father plans to do with it. Whatever he learns, he will surely need the Justice League's help again. The Justice League ( Flash , Batman , Shazam , Cyborg , Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman ) are currently on

21672-413: The only among the League who is still fit to fight - steels herself for a war that has already begun. Grail welcomes her attack, but their battle is not to occur, as the Anti-Monitor slams his fist down into the Earth. In wonder, Diana asks just who he is. He responds that he is desperate, reaching out to destroy her. In that instance, a Boom Tube erupts, and Metron appears, admitting that while Grail plays

21840-456: The only way to defeat Grail is to separate the Anti-Life Equation from Darkseid. Grail kills her mother, and accidentally hits Darkseid, separating the Anti-Life Equation from him and defeating Darkseid. Jessica Cruz is chosen to be the new Green Lantern after her sacrifice and is revived. Grail escapes with an infant Darkseid. Green Lantern asks Batman why was he so surprised about the Mobius chair answering his Joker question, and Batman reveals

22008-668: The pool of writers grew, Weisinger demanded a more disciplined approach. Weisinger assigned story ideas, and the logic of Superman's powers, his origin, the locales, and his relationships with his growing cast of supporting characters were carefully planned. Elements such as Bizarro , his cousin Supergirl , the Phantom Zone , the Fortress of Solitude , alternate varieties of kryptonite , robot doppelgangers , and Krypto were introduced during this era. The complicated universe built under Weisinger

22176-472: The power of the Mother Box, and demands that he give it to her. As the woman begins tearing the technology from Cyborg's unconscious body, she is surprised when Shazam grabs her from behind sending electricity coursing through her body and then throws her into a nearby truck. In that moment of reprieve, Shazam is surprised to see that Victor's body appears to have been growing back, but it is a brief reprieve, as

22344-399: The power ring from the inside so the Power Ring steps in front of the Black Racer. The Black Racer kills the Power Ring, and leaves. The Justice League attacks Grail, but Grail uses the baby to take the Anti-Life Equation from Steve Trevor, turning the baby into Darkseid. Grail tells Darkseid to kill the Justice League, and Hal Jordan gives his green lantern ring to Batman, breaking him out of

22512-453: The power ring is the only special thing about him. Superman, corrupted by Apokolips, tells Lex Luthor that all those fights they had were him holding back, and knocks Lex out before leaving Apokolips. Grail blinds Kalibak , and Darkseid summons the Black Racer to heavily injure the Anti-Monitor. Green Lantern and Batman go to the center of the anti-matter universe and realize that Anti-Monitor

22680-518: The production of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and further plans to develop the cinematic DC Extended Universe , while Paramount Pictures and Entertainment One announced plans to create a cinematic universe on the Transformers film series . There have been numerous crossovers in Japanese cinema. The boom of kaiju films saw a lot of crossovers produced at Toho Studios , with some of

22848-579: The relations between two or more fictional universes confusing, as with The Simpsons and Futurama , where each show is fiction in the other. In contrast with legal crossovers, unofficial crossovers are created solely because of the artistic pleasure derived by their creators. Unofficial crossovers often take the form of fan-written fiction and fan art , but the trope is increasingly prevalent in amateur films and audio . Whereas official crossovers are frequently stymied by such concerns as copyright, royalties payments, quality of writing and ownership of

23016-443: The rest of the imprisoned Crime Syndicate, including a pregnant Superwoman . Power Ring corrupts Cyborg, turning him into the Grid (a sentient computer virus in a robot body made from Cyborg 's old prosthetic parts). Owlman arrives and tells everyone they need to work together. The Crime Syndicate and Justice League meet and Owlman explains they're only teaming up with the Justice League to take down Anti-Monitor. Owlman offers them

23184-648: The rights to Superman using the termination provision of the Copyright Act of 1976 . DC Comics negotiated an agreement wherein it would pay the Siegel heirs several million dollars and a yearly stipend of $ 500,000 in exchange for permanently granting DC the rights to Superman. DC Comics also agreed to insert the line "By Special Arrangement with the Jerry Siegel Family" in all future Superman productions. The Siegels accepted DC's offer in an October 2001 letter. Copyright lawyer and movie producer Marc Toberoff then struck

23352-444: The same company or network. One of the biggest projects down would be Dream 9 Toriko x One Piece x Dragon Ball Z Super Special Collaboration as it includes three Shonen Jump franchises, being Dragon Ball Z , One Piece , and Toriko , crossed over into an hour long special-like most crossovers, this special is filler, a fan-service episode that follows the common plot line in most crossovers. What makes this crossover unique

23520-477: The scene of an Boom Tube opening, having been alerted by the tech in Cyborg's body. Tracking it leads to the house of a man and woman, who are now dead. While The Flash and Batman examine the crime scene using their unique investigative skills, Hal Jordan and Jessica Cruz work on isolating evidence on the dead husband upstairs. From DNA on a wine glass, Barry determines that whoever was drinking from it wasn't human. In

23688-496: The script that Siegel sent Keaton in June, Superman's origin story further evolved: In the distant future, when Earth is on the verge of exploding due to "giant cataclysms", the last surviving man sends his three-year-old son back in time to the year 1935. The time-machine appears on a road where it is discovered by motorists Sam and Molly Kent. They leave the boy in an orphanage, but the staff struggle to control him because he has superhuman strength and impenetrable skin. The Kents adopt

23856-430: The series so far, and the return of Jason Fabok only made it that much better. I love Francis Manapul, truly I do. I don't have kids, but if I did, I would gladly allow him to take my kids from me. That being said, it is so fantastic to see the return of Fabok in this issue. His art is like a grilled cheese sandwich for me, and I could eat this comfort food until the cows come home. The same could be said about this series as

24024-510: The show amid a cast comprised otherwise of the sketch show's own stable of actors. Parodic crossovers can be used to lend verisimilitude to the fictional world of a program. Characters from a fictional television series may appear on a stylized version of an established non-fictional television series, such as game shows or reality shows . These crossovers between celebrity hosts and fictional characters are quite common on situation comedies . Mama's Family once appeared on Family Feud and

24192-499: The shows' incompatible historical settings; Murdoch Mysteries is a historical series set in the 1890s, while Republic of Doyle is set in the present day. The problem was solved by having the actors cross over as relatives of their primary characters; Allan Hawco appeared on the November 25, 2013 episode of Murdoch Mysteries as Jacob Doyle, a 19th-century ancestor of his regular character Jake Doyle, while Yannick Bisson appeared on

24360-448: The story is just beginning. Who knows how intense things will get after this? This is like a summer blockbuster movie. Where's my popcorn at? I'll be counting down the days until issue #42". According to Comic Book Roundup, Justice League #42 received an average score of 8.2 out of 10 based on 28 reviews. Danny Rivera from Comicsverse wrote: "I almost wish I had something actually bad to say about this run. Everything about its execution

24528-400: The strips, and they asked Siegel and Shuster to develop the strips into 13 pages for Action Comics . Having grown tired of rejections, Siegel and Shuster accepted the offer. At least now they would see Superman published. Siegel and Shuster submitted their work in late February and were paid US$ 130 (equivalent to $ 2,800 in 2023) for their work ($ 10 per page). In early March they signed

24696-487: The surge calms, and Batman realizes that he can hear the answers to everything. Testing it, he asks who killed his parents. The answer is, as he already knows, Joe Chill. As another test, he asks the Joker's real name - but the answer he receives troubles him. Worriedly, Green Lantern points out that Batman can barely master a power ring, and the chair is surely worse. Diana asks if Batman is alright, and he responds assuredly that he

24864-582: The time being Shuster was through with Superman. Siegel wrote to numerous artists. The first response came in July 1933 from Leo O'Mealia, who drew the Fu Manchu strip for the Bell Syndicate . In the script that Siegel sent to O'Mealia, Superman's origin story changes: He is a "scientist-adventurer" from the far future when humanity has naturally evolved "superpowers". Just before the Earth explodes, he escapes in

25032-527: The time, negotiating a deal with the McClure Newspaper Syndicate for Superman. In early January 1938, Siegel had a three-way telephone conversation with Liebowitz and an employee of McClure named Max Gaines . Gaines informed Siegel that McClure had rejected Superman, and asked if he could forward their Superman strips to Liebowitz so that Liebowitz could consider them for Action Comics . Siegel agreed. Liebowitz and his colleagues were impressed by

25200-415: The time, sales of Action Comics and Superman probably peaked in the mid-1940s and thereafter steadily declined. Sales data first became public in 1960, and showed that Superman was the best-selling comic book character of the 1960s and 1970s. Sales rose again starting in 1987. Superman #75 (Nov 1992) had over 23 million copies sold, making it the best-selling issue of a comic book of all time, due to

25368-604: The top pick (yes, even with the conclusion to "Endgame" in Batman ). It is rare for this reviewer to be so blown away and immersed in a comic such as he was with this book, even rarer is to re-read it three times in two days. Please, do yourself a favor and pick up Justice League #40 and prepare for the Darkseid War!" According to Comic Book Roundup, Justice League #41 received an average score of 9 out of 10 based on 37 reviews. Tony G-Man Guerro from Comicvine wrote: "Often when we read

25536-702: The townsfolk of The Vicar of Dibley have had their heirlooms valuated on Antiques Roadshow , for instance. One of the earlier instances of crossovers in TV productions outside the US is the episode Unter Brüdern  [ de ] (1990), which was produced by WDR and DFF as a crossover between the West German crime series Tatort and the East German crime series Polizeiruf 110 . Their respective popular heroes Horst Schimanski and Peter Fuchs join forces to solve

25704-522: The woman thrusts her scythe through Shazam's gut. As he writhes in the woman's grip, Wonder Woman wraps her Lasso around the woman and demands to know who she is. On her unfortune, her lasso's power of truth doesn't appear to be working and the mystery woman fights back. Meanwhile, Superman warns Lex Luthor that he still doesn't trust him, regardless of whether even Wonder Woman does. Lex has recently moved Neutron from an A.R.G.U.S. facility to LexCorp, claiming that he will receive better care there, despite

25872-423: Was John Carter of Mars from the novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs . John Carter is a human who is transported to Mars, where the lower gravity makes him stronger than the natives and allows him to leap great distances. Another influence was Philip Wylie 's 1930 novel Gladiator , featuring a protagonist named Hugo Danner who had similar powers. Superman's stance and devil-may-care attitude were influenced by

26040-507: Was a crime-fighting hero instead of a villain, because Siegel noted that comic strips with heroic protagonists tended to be more successful. In later years, Siegel once recalled that this Superman wore a "bat-like" cape in some panels, but typically he and Shuster agreed there was no costume yet, and there is none apparent in the surviving artwork. Siegel and Shuster showed this second concept of Superman to Consolidated Book Publishers, based in Chicago. In May 1933, Consolidated had published

26208-491: Was a radio show, The Adventures of Superman , which ran from 1940 to 1951 for 2,088 episodes, most of which were aimed at children. The episodes were initially 15 minutes long, but after 1949 they were lengthened to 30 minutes. Most episodes were done live. Bud Collyer was the voice actor for Superman in most episodes. The show was produced by Robert Maxwell and Allen Ducovny, who were employees of Superman, Inc. and Detective Comics, Inc. respectively. In 1966 Superman had

26376-432: Was allowed to write Superman more or less as he saw fit because nobody had anticipated the success and rapid expansion of the franchise. But soon Siegel and Shuster's work was put under careful oversight for fear of trouble with censors. Siegel was forced to tone down the violence and social crusading that characterized his early stories. Editor Whitney Ellsworth , hired in 1940, dictated that Superman not kill. Sexuality

26544-417: Was banned, and colorfully outlandish villains such as Ultra-Humanite and Toyman were thought to be less nightmarish for young readers. Mort Weisinger was the editor on Superman comics from 1941 to 1970, his tenure briefly interrupted by military service. Siegel and his fellow writers had developed the character with little thought of building a coherent mythology, but as the number of Superman titles and

26712-691: Was beguiling to devoted readers but alienating to casuals. Weisinger favored lighthearted stories over serious drama, and avoided sensitive subjects such as the Vietnam War and the American civil rights movement because he feared his right-wing views would alienate his left-leaning writers and readers. Weisinger also introduced letters columns in 1958 to encourage feedback and build intimacy with readers. Weisinger retired in 1970 and Julius Schwartz took over. By his own admission, Weisinger had grown out of touch with newer readers. Starting with The Sandman Saga , Schwartz updated Superman by making Clark Kent

26880-557: Was hailed as both a critical and commercial success, largely because the events of the crossover had lasting effects on the characters (such as the introduction of Spider-Man 's black suit which would later become the villain Venom ). Jim Shooter later perfected his crossover technique at Valiant Comics with the Unity event. Unity brought all the Valiant characters together to defeat Mothergod , but

27048-486: Was inspired by heraldic crests . Many pulp action heroes such as swashbucklers wore capes. Superman's face was based on Johnny Weissmuller with touches derived from the comic-strip character Dick Tracy and from the work of cartoonist Roy Crane. The word "superman" was commonly used in the 1920s and 1930s to describe men of great ability, most often athletes and politicians. It occasionally appeared in pulp fiction stories as well, such as "The Superman of Dr. Jukes". It

27216-721: Was largely condemned by fans of The Simpsons as existing to promote The Critic , an animated series considered inferior by comparison. Even Simpsons creator Matt Groening objected, preferring to remove his name from the credits of that particular episode in protest. In its simplest and most common form, a television crossover involves a starring character on a parent show appearing on a spin-off or vice versa because of established character relationships. An obvious example of this type of crossover occurred when Cliff Huxtable of The Cosby Show visited his daughter, Denise , on A Different World . More complex multi-production franchises can utilize crossovers of characters to serve as

27384-620: Was made, in a hallucination of Connie Ray 's, on TV sitcom The Torkelsons . Fan fiction fusions between different science fiction movies and series are often created, such as Star Wars and Star Trek or Babylon 5 and Stargate . M.U.G.E.N. is a fighting game engine that features many fan-created and fictional characters and stages from various television series, movies, as well as other video games. Crossovers of multiple characters, owned by one company or published by one publisher , have been used to set an established continuity, where characters can frequently meet within one setting. This

27552-605: Was on the edge of my seat while reading this issue. Mainly because I don't sit properly in my chair, but I was also highly entertained but what unfolded. Essentially the conclusion to something big, and the start of something bigger Justice League #45 is terrific, start to finish. Although the main fight is done Justice League have their hands full with the multiple changes within the team". According to Comic Book Roundup, Justice League #46 received an average score of 7.1 out of 10 based on 24 reviews. Bill Heuer from The Batman Universe wrote: "Overall, another good issue but not quite

27720-450: Was slapstick comedian Harold Lloyd . The archetypal Lloyd character was a mild-mannered man who finds himself abused by bullies but later in the story snaps and fights back furiously. Kent is a journalist because Siegel often imagined himself becoming one after leaving school. The love triangle between Lois Lane , Clark, and Superman was inspired by Siegel's own awkwardness with girls. The pair collected comic strips in their youth, with

27888-1150: Was the 1885 Mark Twain novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , which had an important guest appearance by Tom Sawyer . Similarly, Lady Glencora Palliser from the Pallisers series of Anthony Trollope appears towards the end of Miss Mackenzie , a novel published between the first and second Palliser novels in 1865, a character first introduced in the novel, Can You Forgive Her? (1864). Andrew Lang 's 1890 collection, Old Friends: Essays in Epistolary Parody , contains letters combining characters from different sources, including one based on Jane Austen 's Northanger Abbey and Charlotte Brontë 's Jane Eyre . Kim Newman frequently uses this device, as does Stephen King . The works of James Branch Cabell , J.D. Salinger , William Faulkner , Margaret Laurence , Thomas Pynchon , Kurt Vonnegut , Mordecai Richler , Sir H. Rider Haggard , Edgar Rice Burroughs , Robert Heinlein , and Isaac Asimov also cross over with each other, linking different characters and settings together over

28056-574: Was titled Detective Comics . Siegel and Shuster produced stories for Detective Comics too, such as " Slam Bradley ". Wheeler-Nicholson fell into deep debt to Donenfeld and Liebowitz, and in early January 1938, Donenfeld and Liebowitz petitioned Wheeler-Nicholson's company into bankruptcy and seized it. In early December 1937, Siegel visited Liebowitz in New York, and Liebowitz asked Siegel to produce some comics for an upcoming comic anthology magazine called Action Comics . Siegel proposed some new stories, but not Superman. Siegel and Shuster were, at

28224-458: Was told within the existing Valiant Comics titles (and two bookend special issues). Readers were not obliged to buy all 18 chapters as the story was coherent when reading just one title, but far more layered when all were read. Like Secret Wars , the Unity crossover had lasting effects on the Valiant universe; most notably the introduction of Turok , the birth of Magnus, Robot Fighter and the death of

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