“Yesterday’s” Comic> DC/Marvel: All Access #3

Batman really does hate doors.

DC/Marvel: All Access #3

DC Comics/Marvel (January, 1997)

Batman arrives to deal with Scorpion and Access gets his help to find the cause of the dimension-hopping. Access takes Jubilee to the X-Mansion and then rejoins Batman (who for a moment mistakes Black Cat for Catwoman) and goes over what he knows. The prompting leads Access to remember Doctor Strange’s window from his brief time in Doctor Strangefate’s tower, and so they go to question him. Jubilee arrives around the same time with X-Men Cyclops, Phoenix (Jean Grey), Bishop, Iceman, Cannonball, and Storm. Strange has no recollection of the Amalgam universe or his ties to Strangefate, which is confirmed on the subconscious level by Jean, but Batman still wants to defer to Access. Bishop objects, leading to a huge fight (of course), but while Batman holds his own, the numbers soon work against him. Access goes to the DC Universe to recruit the rest of the Justice League (Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern Kyle, Martian Manhunter, and Wally Flash). This may prove to have been a mistake.

What they got right: This feels like a proper continuation of the Amalgam story (although we’ll see why I call it the Access trilogy instead of the Amalgam trilogy). As much as I hate seeing heroes fight each other, the battle between Batman and the X-Men was cool, but I like that Access, rookie that he might be, knows enough to get help and who to get.

What they got wrong: I wonder why Batman never seems to make the connection to Doctor Fate, the other half (or third if you read the comic) of Doctor Strangefate? I’m guessing another question I have, why the Marvel villains are being sent to the DC Universe, gets explained next issue.

Recommendation: There’s a good mystery here involving the crossovers that I like to see. I still recommend this miniseries.

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