Fifteen reasons why Batman v Hulk is the best crossover comic ever

1. The incredible art of José Luis García-López. 

2. The ridiculously good art of José Luis García-López.

3. The wonderful art of José Luis García-López.

4. Look, just about all the reasons why this is the best crossover comic of all time is because Garcia-López's art is so, so good. The artists on all the other Marvel/DC crossovers are obviously talented as hell, but this guy is the literal standard for all the late Bronze Age DC characters, and it's no wonder people are getting excited that they're republishing his style guide from the early 80s, because that stuff is still so tasty.

5. Just look at the way the Batman's cape drapes around the shoulders, an essential part of his physical presence, while always flowing with two-dimensional energy.

6. And on the other side, the Hulk has heft and mass, at his most bulkiest. When the two titans clash, it's obvious by looking at them that Batman doesn't stand a fucking chance, and only wins their initial confrontation by out-thinking the jade giant (and through some genuine luck).

7. And it's the ideal Joker, with the exact right length of chin really pumping up the malevolence of this homicidal maniac.

8. García-López even makes a bloated, clown Dark Knight stuck in goo look dynamic and exciting. Who else could ever do that?

9. And if you need some random classic monsters to creep out some kids in a cinema, let the man go wild.

10. A brief diversion on this artistic love fest: Len Wein's story is super streamlined, not overburdened with side characters, not drowning in heroes and villains like the team books always do. It gets right to the freaking point, and doesn't skimp on the fights and thrills and dumb jokes like the one above, which I thought was the funniest thing ever when I was 9.

11. It also has a dead-set classic 'Joker kills a henchman for saying something dumb'.

12. And the Shaper of Worlds - I love that guy! He can warp reality to do anything, but still can't conjure up some fucking legs.

13. The first time I saw Dali's melting clocks as a kid, I thought he was ripping off García-López.

14. The inside cover's breakdowns of how to put a comic cover together still informs how I think abut the process of creating a dynamic comic image. 

15. Fun fact: I have never actually read this comic in colour, until I looked for scans to go with this post. My copy was a black and white Australian reprint comic. And even then, in the cheapest of formats, on the cheapest of paper, without the hues of an American comic, it's still the best crossover comic ever.