Dynamite Entertainment has been a home for some of the most enjoyable comic book series in the Modern Age of the industry, especially thanks to their treatment of popular franchises. Like any great indie publisher, the company has made great use of some incredibly fun crossover series, teaming up with Marvel, IDW, DC and more to deliver great tales. The company has enlisted some of the best creators in comics to craft a library of brilliant stories.
Dynamite Entertainment has taken on a range of iconic properties, such as classic Golden Age caped heroes and beloved movie franchises. The company has been one of the most important publishers of the 2000s, especially thanks to its long-term retention of these properties. From the company’s pulp universe to intercompany crossovers, Dynamite has some of the richest and most entertaining crossovers in print.
10 Army Of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep
Scott Duvall & Vincenzo Federici
Ash Williams has been a recurring fixture of Dynamite since the mid-2000s, with a multitude of successful and entertaining crossovers with the likes of President Obama and Xena. In 2019, the chainsaw-wielding hero met up with fellow Bruce Campbell character Sebastian Haff, better known as (possibly) Elvis Presley.
Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep followed the two B-movie heroes as they pursued the cowboy mummy, Bubba Ho-Tep, in his quest for his Necronomicon. Taking the two heroes around the world to Egypt, the miniseries is an excellent read for Campbell fans, and delivers a great combination of comedy, banter and horror.
9 Elvira Meets Vincent Price
David Avallone & Juan Samu
Cassandra Preston, better known as Elvira, established herself as one of the most beloved icons of horror cinema, thanks to her work on television and her own movies. She also has a thriving history in comics, where she recently met fellow horror icon, Vincent Price.
Elvira Meets Vincent Price followed the two horror icons on a road trip to save the world from the apocalypse, with plenty of homage to their respective heydays along the way. As the might of a newly-awakened Egyptian god was bearing down upon them, the two heroes’ journey was a never-ending love letter to B-movies, mythology and horror.
8 Die!Namite Lives
Fred Van Lente & Vincenzo Carratu
As is common in indie publishers with a wide breadth of IP, Dynamite had a series of their horror-themed heroes meet up in the pages of Die!Namite and its sequel, Die!Namite Lives. These series are centered around the union of Vampirella, Ash Williams, Red Sonja, Jennifer Blood and more.
Die!Namite Lives followed these unlikely horror allies in the middle of the zombie apocalypse as they fight to undo the zombie apocalypse. These heroes battle villains like evil alternates of characters like Peter Cannon and Red Sonja, slowly fighting for control of the Necronomicon against all manner of evil.
7 Darkman Vs Army Of Darkness
Kurt Busiek, James Fry & Roger Stern
Uniting two of Sam Raimi’s biggest creations, Darkman vs Army of Darkness told the story of Ash Williams meeting the bandaged vigilante, Darkman (Peyton Westlake). Their crossover series followed the two antiheroes teaming up to prevent an army of Deadites from taking over the world.
The events of Darkman vs Army of Darkness began tragically, when Darkman’s love, Julie, read from the Necronimicon and became a Deadite herself. As the two antiheroes raced to find a way to reverse the Deadite spell, the Queen of Darkness summoned hordes of Deadites, slowly conquering the city. The story is a brilliant entry in the history of both heroes.
6 Batman ’66 Meets Green Hornet
Kevin Smith, Ralph Garman & Ty Templeton
The success of Adam West’s campy Batman TV series ran alongside fellow masked hero Green Hornet, with the two even having a TV crossover. Under writer Kevin Smith, the two campy vigilantes teamed up for a second time, this time against an alliance between Joker and General Gumm.
Batman ’66 Meets Green Hornet was a great crossover to a bygone era of TV and comics, and a great follow-up to their original team-up. Kevin Smith’s writing did a great job of capturing the feel of both original heroes, proving Batman and comedy can go together perfectly.
5 Shadow/Batman
Steve Orlando & Giovanni Timpano
One of the interesting pieces of Batman history is the fact that his first appearance was largely based on a classic Shadow story. It was only natural the two would meet up eventually. Although the two vigilantes had two different crossovers, it was the second that was especially strong.
Shadow/Batman followed the two dark vigilantes as they combated a secret cabal of villains called the Silent Seven, who were plotting a takeover of the world. The series had the heroes go up against the powerful Shiwan Khan, with the heroes fighting a war on two fronts against Khan and Ra’s al Ghul.
4 Shadow/Green Hornet: Dark Nights
Michael Ulsan & Keith Burns
Shadow/Green Hornet combined two classic and similar vigilante heroes in a mission to prevent Shiwan Khan from conquering the world for himself. The story began with Khan forging a dishonest alliance with Green Hornet and Kato, playing them off against Shadow, who was working to find a way to stop him.
Shadow/Green Hornet’s biggest strength is its masterful incorporation of historic figures, such as Howard Hughes and Nikolai Tesla, into the grand conspiracy-themed story. For readers unfamiliar with either hero, this miniseries would be a perfect entry point, as well as a truly brilliant story of saving the world.
3 Django/Zorro
Quentin Tarantino & Matt Wagner
When it released in 2012, Django Unchained became one of Quentin Tarantino’s greatest movies, gaining traction for its iconic dialog, brilliant casting, and riveting story. In 2014, the director teamed up with comics legend Matt Wagner to produce a crossover between Django Freeman and Zorro.
The story followed the two western icons in the aftermath of Django Unchained, with the gunslinger on the road to track down the last of the Barrington Gang. He soon met an aged Zorro, and the two teamed up to save the oppressed people of Arizona from a corrupt, tyrannical archduke, bringing out the best in both heroes.
2 Marvel Zombies Vs Army Of Darkness
John Layman, Fabiano Neves & June Chung
The Marvel multiverse is full of nightmarish alternatives to the mainstream 616 universe, and none were better for an Ash Williams story than the Marvel Zombies. In Marvel Zombies vs Army of Darkness, Ash came crashing into the origins of the horrific universe, chainsaw on arm, and was faced with a number of zombified Marvel characters.
Ash Williams’ arrival in the alternate Earth came with the warning of a pending Deadite invasion. As his warnings came true, each of the alternate heroes slowly succumbed to the undead, with Ash pursuing the Necronomicon in the hopes of saving the world.
1 Kings Watch
Jeff Parker & Marc Laming
The crowning jewel in Dynamite’s brilliant shared pulp universe, Kings Watch united the unlikely trinity of Flash Gordon, Mandrake the Magician and the Phantom. The series gave each of the three heroes their moment in the sun, and felt perfectly true to the era in which they were born.
Kings Watch followed the three pulp heroes in a fantastical world of adventure, where they joined forces to face down the Cult of Cobra. With an alien invasion also threatening the world, the series highlighted the strengths of all three heroes and their pasts, including their supporting characters, in a brilliant science fiction adventure.
