The Cast: Superman, Hulk, Lois Lane, Rick Jones, General Ross, Betty Ross, Lex Luthor, Perry White

The Catalyst: The Hulk is just looking to get a bite to eat when Superman shows up to have a chat, where instead of a talk they end up getting into a bit of a tussle.

The Convergence: While Superman was just looking to figure things out with the Hulk, things did not go exactly as planned and over the course of the book, they end up fighting a little more, all the while trying to figure out just what it is that Lex Luthor is up to.

The Critique: Roger Stern writes a fun, retro-styled tale taking place early in the Hulk’s formative years and it comes alive courtesy of Steve Rude whose pencils are the stuff dreams are made of. If there was one man born to draw Superman, it is Rude and he is no slouch when it comes to the Hulk either. While it does take place in the past, it also offers up bits of modernity which lets readers know that it is not as far back in the past as they might think despite looking and feeling that way. Stern and Rude work exceptionally well together and the book reads incredibly well, the story flowing seamlessly from page to page as things get ever more complicated for the two heroes. Caught in the middle of all of this is Rick Jones, the eternal sidekick and a guy who is just trying to do right by his friend, that being Dr. Bruce Banner. The supporting cast is a rich one and they come together seamlessly as if they were always one and the same, though it would be unlikely they would have come together if it were not for the Hulk and Superman. The rest of the cast is great and spot-on in terms of characterization and look though this version of Luthor is the red-headed one, clearly the inferior version of the character, yet still provides a good bit of villainy when needed. In the end, Luthor manages to get away, his plans foiled by the two heroes with the Hulk and Superman going their own way, Lois getting the story she was gunning for and readers able to put a check in the win column for being able to read one of the best crossovers ever put out between Marvel and DC by a creative team at the top of their game.

The Credits: Roger Stern – Writer, Steve Rude – Artist, Al Milgrom – Inker, Steve Oliff – Colours, Jim Novak – Letters

Companies Involved: Marvel Comics, DC Comics

Chronology: July 1999