# How did Joker recognize Spider-man in the Marvel vs DC #1? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2002, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364 "2002-08-17T18:05:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/1 "2002-08-17T18:05:44Z")
In the beginning of that Marvel vs DC crossover, Spider-man is transported to Gotham and meets the Joker. The Joker recognizes Spidey, but not vice-versa. Was there a previous crossover where Joker met Spider-Man? If so, then why isn’t included the in the one of two"Crossover Classics" collections? And why didn’t Spider-man recognize Joker? Something to do with that Spider-man clone confusion I never followed? ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/2 "2002-08-17T18:51:07Z")
There was a Spider-Man/Batman crossover published by Marvel shortly before, in which the Joker teamed up with Carnage. The Spidey who appeared in Marvel/DC was the (yech) Spider-Clone, not Peter Parker; hence, he didn’t recognize the Joker. Oddly, the first crossover was written as though Batman and Spidey were in the same universe all along. They hinted in a later Marvel/DC crossover that there had been some “blurring” going on that none of the characters realized. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/3 "2002-08-17T19:09:07Z")
Thanks Res. Which later crossover hinted at the “blurring”? ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/4 "2002-08-17T19:34:32Z")
Well, **Res** ’s explanation is probably more accurate, but I just figured he watched _The Electric Company_\*. ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/5 "2002-08-17T20:03:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ResIpsaLoquitor \* > **Oddly, the first crossover was written as though Batman and Spidey were in the same universe all along.** Which is exactly how the very first DC-Marvel crossover was written, about thirty years ago, when Superman and Spider-Man first met. Clark Kent and Co. from the _Daily Planet_ simply flew from Metropolis to NYC and Spidey and Supes met shortly thereafter to fight Lex Luthor and Dr. Octopus. Subsequent team-ups (Supes and Spidey again, against Dr. Doom, with cameos by The Hulk and Wonder Woman; X-Men and Teen Titans against Darkseid and Phoenix; the aborted Justice League and Avengers book) were all written the same way. Fans decided that this was simply a universe separate from the “normal” DC and Marvel continuities, a universe where the various characters had always lived together, but we just hadn’t heard about it before. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/6 "2002-08-17T20:58:27Z")
How the heck do you _not_ recognize the Joker? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/7 "2002-08-17T22:44:43Z")
> [@](#): > > the aborted Justice League and Avengers book) were all written the same way. Nitpick: no it wasn’t. The premise of JLA/Avengers was that both universes hatched from different “eggs.” The entire DC multiverse came from its own egg, which explained why the Marvel Earth wasn’t affected by the Crisis. I don’t make this stuff up, folks. ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/8 "2002-08-17T23:09:57Z")
Yes, but don’t you wish you could get paid to do exactly that? ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/9 "2002-08-19T21:26:28Z")
The first DC/Marvel crossover was Superman and Spider-Man in 1975, though they also co-published a _Wizard of Oz_ book earlier that year, based on the MGM movie. Written by Roy Thomas and drawn by the late John Buscema (all songs deleted, though some are referred to in the dialogue), Roy and John both swore that Buscema drew the entire issue from memory, that he had no need to see the movie again to refresh his evidently remarkable memory. There was a team-up I forgot: Batman and the Incredible Hulk against the Joker and the Shaper of worlds. Well-drawn by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, it also takes place in a combined DC/Marvel universe. ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/10 "2002-08-20T03:54:17Z")
Hmmmm…I wonder what the definitive crossover list is…let’s see… _Superman/Spider-Man_: combined universe _Spider-Man/Superman_: combined universe _Batman/Hulk_: combined universe _X-Men/Titans_: combined universe _JLA/Avengers_ (stillborn): separate universes _Batman/Punisher_ & _Punisher/Batman_: combined _Spider-Man/Batman_ & _Batman/Spider-Man_: combined universe _Superman/Silver Surfer_: separate universes _Green Lantern/Silver Surfer_: separate universes _Daredevil/Batman_: combined universe, considered a DC Elseworld _Batman/Captain America_: combined universe, considered a DC Elseworld, set in John Byrne’s “Generations” universe _Superman/Fantastic Four_: separate universes _Fantastic Four/Gen13_: same universe (it’s a Wildstorm book, but DC owns 'em now) And of course, _DC vs. Marvel/Marvel vs. DC_ and its two sequels were based on the premise of separate universes. I’m probably missing a few, so…any others? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/11 "2002-08-20T05:01:23Z")
Also… Hulk/Superman (1999): combined Generation X/Gen13: combined Spider-Man/Gen13: combined (and atrocious) Team X/Team 7: combined Fantastic Four/Superman (treasury size): combined Darkseid/Galactus: combined And soon to be…JLA/Avengers (2003): combined (I think) Although I never heard of Fantastic Four/GenX, but I’m sure I missed a couple too. Personally I prefer the combined universe more than them not knowing each other. They’ve referred to the competitors characters as movie/comic characters too many times to NOT be amazed when they actually run into them (remember in one of the early issues of McSpider-Man, he held up a crook at whispered “I’m Bat-…er…I’m Spider-man.” Also Damage Control mentioned DC bought their building after making a bundle of money from a movie in 1989.) ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/12 "2002-08-20T06:47:56Z")
Oh, if we want to get _really_ sneaky, there’s a bajillion times where writers and artists sneak characters into another company’s book. Peter Parker makes an appearance in _Crisis on Infinite Earths_ #8, and George Perez made it a point to include him on the cover of the _Crisis_ hardcover collection. I can recall seeing Clark Kent and Lois Lane show up in an issue of _Web of Spider-Man_ and _Ghost Rider_. Hal Jordan showed up in an insane asylum in _Incredible Hulk_ #426. I also remember someone meeting Jubilee at a concert, back when she was wearing a color scheme similar to Robin’s, and commenting “Hey, aren’t you dead?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/13 "2002-08-20T15:17:30Z")
Let’s not forget the X-Men/Star Trek crossover! ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/14 "2002-08-20T15:19:09Z")
_Let’s not forget the X-Men/Star Trek crossover!_ Mmmmmm…doesn’t really count, since Marvel had the Star Trek license at the time it was published. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/15 "2002-08-20T15:35:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lawoot \* > \*\*Let’s not forget the X-Men/Star Trek crossover! \*\* Are you sure about that? I mean, sure the “Dr. McCoy” line was pretty funny, but come on…X-Men…Star Trek…I think it’s best forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/16 "2002-08-20T20:35:12Z")
Along those same lines, **ResIpsaLoquitor** , J. Jonah Jameson can be seen in the adaptation of the Batman movie, apparently moonlighting at the Gotham _Globe_. Maybe the long commute is why he’s so cranky all the time. There have been other crossovers with other comic book companies, such as Batman meeting Spawn, Judge Dredd and the Predator (not all at once!), and I think there was a Superman vs. Aliens (without Sigourney Weaver). ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/17 "2002-08-21T09:51:28Z")
Christ, is there a comic out there that **HASN’T** had a crossover with **Aliens** , or is it just the DC Universe? Let’s see, Superman’s fought them twice, Batman’s fought them, Green Lantern’s faught them, and whole fucking JLA has faught them as well, I believe. They used the Aliens to kill off **Stormwatch** in a fucking **WildCATS vs Aliens** comic. That, in my mind, was a really shitty thing to do. Just out of curiosity, did DC buy the rights to **Aliens** , or is Dark Horse hurting real bad? Then again, the Predator has faught Batman, what? Three times now? He’s also faught Magus, Robot Fighter to my knowledge, and I’m sure they’ve crossed Superman’s past at some point in time as well. Who else has met up with the Predators? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/18 "2002-08-21T11:01:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ResIpsaLoquitor \* > \*\*Oh, if we want to get _really_ sneaky, there’s a bajillion times where writers and artists sneak characters into another company’s book. Peter Parker makes an appearance in _Crisis on Infinite Earths_ #8, and George Perez made it a point to include him on the cover of the _Crisis_ hardcover collection. I can recall seeing Clark Kent and Lois Lane show up in an issue of _Web of Spider-Man_ and _Ghost Rider_. Hal Jordan showed up in an insane asylum in _Incredible Hulk_ #426. > > I also remember someone meeting Jubilee at a concert, back when she was wearing a color scheme similar to Robin’s, and commenting “Hey, aren’t you dead?” 😃 \*\* In the 70s, there was a (apparently real) town called Rutland Vermont that (apparently) had a Super-Hero themed Halloween parade. Bunches of '70s books (esp. ones written by Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Steve Gerber, Steve Englehart) had unofficial Halloween crossovers where some (invariably supernatural) menace would turn the innocent parade-goers dressed up as the other company’s heroes into demonic menaces. This was big from about '72-'77. Mark Gruenwald also had fun with the Crisis. I believe there was a Squadron Supreme graphic novel involving Arcana’s baby stopping the anti-matter wall. Also, in Quasar (another Gruenwald book) Barry Allen guest-starred for a full issue. (there was a race to see who the fastest character ever was and a blonde guy with a crew-cut shows up suffering from amnesia saying his name was something like “Buried Alien”. Of course Barry leaves everyone else in the dust. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/19 "2002-08-21T15:31:39Z")
Crud, how could I forget the “Buried Alien” incident? I guess we shouldn’t forget the Authority fighting a team that had a strong resemblance to the Avengers a few years ago…and the Squadron Supreme was meant to be based on the JLA Archtypes. If I recall correctly… Hyperion = Superman Power Princess = Wonder Woman Nighthawk = Batman Whizzer = Flash Dr Spectrum = Green Lantern Amphibian = Aquaman Skrull = Martian Manhunter Arcana = Zatanna Tom Thumb = the Atom Goldren Archer = Green Arrow whatsername = Black Canary I also always figured Master Menace was a Lex Luthor archtype, given the alliteration in their names and the parody of MM having too much hair, whereas Lex was completely bald. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364/20 "2002-08-21T20:39:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ResIpsaLoquitor \* > \*\*Crud, how could I forget the “Buried Alien” incident? > > I guess we shouldn’t forget the Authority fighting a team that had a strong resemblance to the Avengers a few years ago…and the Squadron Supreme was meant to be based on the JLA Archtypes. If I recall correctly… > \*\* Don’t forget that at roughly the same time as the Squadron _Sinister_’s (or Supreme’s) first or second appearance (Avengers #71ish or #85 ish) there was a wink-wink/nudge-nudge crossover. While the Avengers were dealing with Hyperion and The Wizzer, JLA was fighting Blue Jay, The Silver Sorceress, Jack B. Quick (the Sorceress’s brother), Wakajinda(sp) (who was a doofy looking Thunder-God), etc.). This was in roughly JLA #86. From what I’ve read, it was planned that the two books’d come out the same month, but scheduling issues prevented it. Fenris [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-joker-recognize-spider-man-in-the-marvel-vs-dc-1/124364.md?page=2)