Marvel and DC’s renewed bromance took a new form today, as both publishers debuted a new crossover comic on their respective digital platforms.
Thor/Shazam! by Al Ewing and Jethro Morales can be found on Marvel Unlimited, while The Flash/Fantastic Four by Jeremy Adams and Adrián Gutiérrez arrived on DC Universe Infinite. Both require a subscription, but if you’re subscribed to one of them, Marvel and DC are offering 30-day trials so you can check out the other if you like. Yes, Marvel is promoting DC Universe Infinite and DC is promoting Marvel Unlimited. Up is down, left is right … dogs and cats, living together, and all that. It’s nice to see them working together again, and these stories look like fun
Details on the DC Universe Infinite story, which will involve a trip through the Speed Force:
In The Flash/Fantastic Four, available now, exclusively from DC on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE, Barry Allen and the Fantastic Four tear through the Speed Force, encountering heroes and villains across time in a bid to stop Gorilla Grodd’s quest for mental domination. Written by Jeremy Adams, with art by Adrián Gutiérrez and colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr., this DC GO! webcomic is a high-speed, high-stakes DC/Marvel crossover adventure.
And on Marvel Unlimited, where they’re bringing the thunder and lightning:
The might of Thor! The power of Shazam! Marvel and DC bring the thunder to Infinity Comics in a never-before-seen adventure! When a familiar face threatens to usurp the magic of the Marvel and DC universes, will Donald Blake and Billy Batson recover their powers in time to stop them?
In an interview on Marvel.com, Ewing said the story would be set in the past and involve “classic” version of the characters, rather than the Mortal Thor version he’s currently writing:
“Thor lends himself to great epics, while the Captain feels more whimsical, charming, and poetic, but they can both swap those roles and stray into the other’s territory,” Ewing said. “I really thought Thor would fit right into a classic Shazam story, but also Shazam would work very well in the world of Classic Thor, so a story set in the past for both of them felt like the right move. The big connection between them, of course, is lightning, and magic lightning in particular, so we ended up playing a lot with that.”
For a limited time, anyone can redeem a digital copy of Marvel’s crossover story by using code CROSSOVER25 at Marvel.com/redeem. This free digital comic offer is valid until Dec. 17, and a Marvel user account and internet connection are required.
The publishers also announced that they have more digital crossovers coming next year. Finally, DC confirmed that their print crossover with Marvel, Batman/Deadpool #1, will arrive on DCUI on Dec. 17 — about a month after its print release on Nov. 17.