Batman + Wolverine = Legends of the Dark Claw

Legends of the Dark Claw #1
“Through a Glass Darkly”
Writer: Larry Hama
Penciler: Jim Balent
Inker: Ray McCarthy
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Cover: Balent and McCarthy
Associate Editor: Jordan B. Gorfinkel
Editor: Denny O'Neill
Published by: DC
Released: Feb. 29, 1996

Batman and Wolverine might not have been the most obvious choices for one of the flagship Amalgam characters, but when you consider their sheer popularity, it's kind of a no-brainer. And from that somewhat unlikely combination spring several more mixes that intriguingly entwine elements of each character's mythos.

From one striking pose on the cover to another on the inside page, we find Dark Claw charging through gunfire at the reader and deploying his claws with a signature “snikt!”* Fortunately, he's not out to get us but the Hyena, a mash-up of the Joker and Sabretooth and therefore the most natural arch-foe of a Batman/Wolverine hybrid. He also seems to have a dash of the Riddler thrown in, since it was a clue from him that led to this showdown at the Gotham Gazette.

Their combat sends them trough a window and into a dramatic two-page title splash. But a finale is prevented when the Hyena's henchmen open fire, forcing Dark Claw to retreat to a helicopter piloted by his teen sidekick Sparrow, a mix of Robin and Jubilee.

This is as logical a combo as Hyena except... in the Marvel vs. DC/DC vs. Marvel limited series that birthed the Amalgam books and which I avoided going through because I'm still missing the first issue, a Romance on Multiple Earths bloomed between Robin and Jubilee. So, this is weird. It also seems worth noting that, although Tim Drake was the Robin in question, Sparrow** sports the pants – or lack thereof – more associated with Dick Grayson or Jason Todd.

As the Claw-Copter dodges missiles fired by Hyena's thugs, Dark Claw and Sparrow catch a glimpse of the Helicarrier leaving the city, bound for its face-off with Hydra in“Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” #1, I presume.

The scene shifts to an upside-down blond who gives off Catwoman vibes, but wears a purple costume reminiscent of the Huntress. She's breaking into the penthouse of Logan, who she describes as a “techno-wizard, painter, sportsman and walking enigma.” It's clear Dark Claw has a wealthy, publicly visible alter ego like DC's Bruce Wayne, but he seems to lack the dedication to secrecy and security, since the intruder finds his stash of Dark Claw costumes in less than two pages.

Just then, Dark Claw bursts in and identifies the woman as the Huntress, aka Carol Danvers. Remember, at this time, Carol was the once and future Ms. Marvel, more of a trivia answer and occasional associate of Wolverine and the X-Men than a movie star who represents the closest thing Marvel has to a Wonder Woman.

Danvers was tracking the Hyena rather than Dark Claw. Her search revealed that Logan and the man who would become Hyena – Creed H. Quinn – knew each other and were involved in a top-secret experiment to create a living weapon. Logan was deemed the failure, though, because he had a conscience.

Treating Danvers like she's Vicki Vale on a second date, Dark Claw goes ahead and lets her right into the Barrow, the Amalgam version of the Batcave, much to the consternation of Sparrow. She's hacked into the Gazette's computer to get a look at the front page of the next day's paper. The top headline was altered by the Hyena to read “AF1+NACN=” which, you guessed it, is the secret formula for turning Grape Nuts into platinum.***

No, it's another riddle, which Huntress and Dark Claw deduce means Hyena plans to poison Air Force One, which just so happens to be flying out of Gotham and back to Washington, D.C., in 20 minutes. Since the president in this reality is apparently not an amalgam involving Harrison Ford, they rush to intercept the plane.

Dark Claw makes his way on board, past multiple gun-wielding Secret Service agents. Their bullets don't slow him down much since, as he mentioned earlier but I forgot to reference, he has a mutant healing factor. We don't really get an idea of the status quo of mutants in this mashed-up world, but I have a feeling that will be addresssed in a book with an X in the title.

Hyena attacks from the lavatory and releases the gas, but Dark Claw vents the plane quickly with his claws. Hyena opens his parachute, an accessory Dark Claw doesn't have, leading me to think we were headed for another cliffhanger unlikely to be resolved due to the absence of a next issue. But we have one more page left, in which Dark Claw once again snags a wheel of the Claw-Copter. Then we get our next issue blurb, with the classic-sounding title of “This Claw, This Crossbow.”

This was a fun issue with the most consistent array of amalgams of the three I've read so far. But the story isn't quite on the level of the classic-feeling Super-Soldier or the more-suspenseful-than-I-expected Bruce Wayne. I'm harrumphing a little here about how simplistic Hyena's “riddles” are, although maybe he only got 1/3 of Riddler Prime's abilities. Then again, I clearly don't understand Amalgam math because how did Batman get split into two different characters headlining their own books? Then again, given how many books Batman starred in then, let alone now, maybe it does make sense.

Although melding Wolverine with Batman is a good choice, I'm not sure the costume was the best way to go. It does convey both characters pretty quickly but it also feels a bit overdone. The mask has more curves and points than both of their originals combined, and the boots and belt seem excessively ornate. And I get the desire to distinguish the claws from Wolverine's but are they supposed to look like batarangs?

None of this, of course, should take away from the fact that Jim Balent can design circles around me in terms of superhero costumes. My only note here really would be a respectful “sometimes less is more?”

Sparrow makes for a slightly different dynamic in this duo. Is she resentful of Huntress just because Dark Claw brings her into the circle so quickly? Despite my Kim Basinger-referencing jab, there isn't much time to build up here. Does she just not want to share her mentor and partner regardless of the speed at which it happens? Or is there a bit of an unrequited crush at play? That might explain Sparrow's outburst of “Tell the slut to take her shot!” as Huntress tries to fire a line allowing Dark Claw to board Air Force One.

I'll get another shot at trying to figure out Amalgamath next time, when we take a look at our first Wonder Woman amalgam... but not the last.

Best Amalgam: Hyena. I remember seeing him briefly in Marvel vs. DC #4 and thinking what a fitting combination that was, though it would never have occurred to me in the absence of Dark Claw. Both Joker and Sabretooth are intimidating, unsettling foes that in some ways serve as dark reflections or opposite numbers of their arch-nemeses and truly push them to their limits.

Most Confusing Amalgam: Huntress. I didn't recognize the Marvel component, but, as mentioned before, Carol Danvers' level of exposure has changed dramatically since then.

* - To this day, I cannot read that sound effect without recalling a childhood friend's older brother sarcastically demonstrating the graphic quality of the NES X-Men game by holding up a tube of chapstick, twisting it to extend it every so slightly, then saying that as a two-syllable “snick-et.”

** - who wanted her codename to be Death Urge Overdrive, so maybe she's got a pinch of the as-then-un-introduced
Negasonic Teenage Warhead in her recipe?

*** - Salute to Dave Barry!