Wolverine + Batman Adventures = Dark Claw Adventures

Dark Claw Adventures #1
“Face to Face”
Writer/Breakdowns: Ty Templeton
Finishes: Rick Burchett
Colorist: Linda Medley
Letters: Tim Harkins
Associate Editor: Darren Vincenzo
Editor: Scott Peterson
Special thanks to Dan Slott
Cover: Templeton
Published by: DC
Released: April 2, 1997

The Amalgam experiment gets more meta – or at least meta in a different way – with “Dark Claw Adventures.”

This amalgam of Batman and Wolverine was already featured in “Legends of the Dark Claw” in the original wave, but multiple titles featuring either character is standard operating procedure for DC and Marvel. And this came out shortly after the initial run of “Batman: The Animated Series,” which was the definitive portrayal of the Dark Knight for more casual fans like me, not to mention as the animated “X-Men” series was coming to an end.

It opens with Logan in a flannel shirt, cowboy hat and eyepatch, playing at a poker game in a dive bar where, in perhaps the most noir thing I've ever read in a comic book, he's “waiting for the man who shot my parents.” Instead, he's interrupted by two men looking for “Patch Malone,” an amalgam name so perfect I was tempted to set the issue down and applaud. In case you didn't know, Patch is Logan's secret identity that seemed to be his “hold-my-beer” response to someone questioning how a pair of glasses can hide that Clark Kent is Superman and Matches Malone is Batman's criminal alias, a concept I first learned about on the aforementioned animated series.

The fellows inquiring about him are “cyber-ninja assassins,” which allows Logan to relax his rules on lethal force since they can take a lot of punishment and remain more or less among the living. After taking them down, he hops in a car he refuses to call the Clawmobile, driven by his sidekick Sparrow.* He informs her that the attack means Lady Talia is back.

On the next page, we meet Lady Talia with the face and demeanor of Talia al-Ghul and the cybernetic claws and shirt cut to the waist of Lady Deathstrike. She considers Dark Claw her “beloved,” but they had a falling out over the fact that he killed her father … wait for it … Ras-A-Pocalypse.

A sepia-toned flashback to the TV episode “Legacy of Apocalypse” shows Dark Claw dueling with the man who would be his father-in-law in the desert, shirtless, as Batman and the original Ra's have been known to do. This Ra's takes off with his servant, Ubuwong, in a plane to spread a virus that would eliminate mutants. Seeing no other choice, Dark Claw grabs a nearby rocket launcher and shoots down the plane, meaning we never get to actually see Ubuwong.

Oh, and his beloved's father is apparently dead** and she rushes into the flaming wreckage, which burns off 90% of her skin.

And you thought your breakup was messy.

She's pledged to use her new adamantium limbs and claws to kill Dark Claw, and he's headed to the Danger Cave to train for her impending attack. Sparrow warns him that he always falls to pieces whenever that girl's around, although I wonder if that's an accurate assessment or born out of the jealousy exhibited in the previous story when Carol Danvers showed up.

One of the cyber-ninja dudes tagged Logan with a tracker that Talia's agent, THX 1138, used to find his skyscraper hideout. After a montage of Dark Claw taking on life-model decoy versions of amalgamated villains the Two-Faced Goblin (Two-Face and Green Goblin, who we saw in “Speed Demon”), Bloodcrow (Bloodscream and Scarecrow, I presume), Hyena (Joker and Sabretooth, who we saw in Legends), Spiral Harley (Harley Quinn and Spiral, deep cut) and the Omega Beast (Omega Red and KGBeast), the lights go out and Lady Talia attacks.

Their fight takes them through the cave as the bound and gagged Sparrow watches. Dark Claw tries to explain he had no choice but to use lethal force against Ras, but Talia's not buying the virus story. Dark Claw gets philosophical, telling Talia she's not fighting him but herself, and what she does when he lowers his defenses will determine whether what's inside her is darkness or light.

So... darkness?

With her father avenged, Talia removes her claws and prepares to end her own life. But to her and Sparrow's surprise, Dark Claw is still alive. I figured he would be, having read comics featuring Wolverine before. Anyway, he says now she knows what she would do, something he had to work out with regard to what he would do if he ever found the man who killed his parents. As they share a tender moment with the question of what's next still hanging over their heads, Sparrow breaks the mood and the issue ends.

Like many animated Batman episodes, this story takes a whole lot of information and backstory and presents it, like the art, in a streamlined but in no way simplistic fashion. It combines familiar elements of both mythologies (I have learned more about Batman since the early 90s) and tells a story that feels true to both. Sure, there are some clunky moments here or there, but overall this is a winner.

Doing it in the animated style makes this an interesting entry in the overall Amalgam collection, and not just because the simplified art style provides an upgrade over the original Dark Claw costume. In yet another world-building letters page, it's explained that “Dark Claw Adventures” functions in a separate continuity from the other comics – which perhaps explains the lack of those excessive notches on his claws. Letter pages and editorial notes have long suggested the Amalgam world isn't just limited to the pages of the comics, but this seems to take it to another level.

Best Amalgam: I mean, Patch Malone is epic, but it's more an offshoot of the title character than its own separate amalgam. So the edge goes to Ras-A-Pocalypse, a mouthful that seems to belie the idea that these comics and characters exist on their own but is also somehow perfect for exactly what Amalgam should be. This is a Shatterstarfire level of naming. We don't get to know much about the character himself, but it's easy to assume his background is dark, epic and complementary.

Most Confusing Amalgam: THX 1138. I thought we only saw him when he was communicating with Talia, but I believe he was one of the cyber-ninja guys from the beginning. The name,*** combined with his half-cyborg face makes me think he's an amalgam of Cyborg and … Marvel's licensed “Star Wars” comics? No, probably Templeton just wanted a tech-sounding. Easter egg-y name, but darn it, this is an Amalgam book and I'm going to overthink details!

* - Robin plus Jubilee, if you recall.

** - Both the originals are known for not staying dead. I'm supposed to buy that their amalgam is gone for good?

** - George Lucas' directing debut, the three-letter portion of which is part of a company he co-founded that produces audio and visual quality optimizing technology or something.