Uh huh. That's what I thought. Very few of you. My abbrviated dictionary defines "amalgram" as 'a compound' (see, I told you it was an abbreviated dictionary).
Let's face facts. The big TWO comic corporations (DC and Marvel) sell sixty to seventy perecent of all the comics sold. Now, what if they got together....
Back in the 1970's the first cooperation between these companies produced "Superman vs Spider-man". This book was available only in Treasury Edition form. It was big! It was cool! And I had one! (and I'll bet you had to buy the reprint for $4.95 ha ha to you!)
A few other cross-overs followed including Batman and The Hulk, but the idea soon outlived it's usefullness. And let's face it, in the late 1970's and early 1980's DC 's stories really stank. Everyone from Captain Thundar to Captain Carrot appeared (actually, I LIKED Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew). There was no continuity. Stories were contridicting each other, or made no sense at all! It was a mess, in my opinion.
Times changed for Marvel too. Their Monster comics and Conan comics were falling like a rock. Public taste changed and they were not popular anymore. THe introduce new characters in "Marvel Spotlight" and other books. Most aren't worth mentioning, but a suprising number stuck around. Ghost Rider; Devilslayer; Damion Hellstrom, the Son of Saton; Hellcat; Valkerye; and Moon Knight to name a few. These characters were more realistic, and maybe easier to relate to than say Frankenstein's Monster.
So the companies grew apart.
By the early 1990's, it was evident to the seasoned comic buyer that many of the same writers and artists were being used by both DC and Marvel. After all, Karl Kessel started at Marvel and then move to DC. As did Louise Simonson (Power Pack, Superman). Dan Jurgens started at DC(Booster Gold), moved to Acclaim (Doctor Solar), back to DC (Superman titles), and now does work for Marvel!
It was appearing more and more obvious that both companies were drawing from the same pool of talent. Sure, both continued to try out new artists and writers in secondary stories for Annuals and Presents... or Showcase ... type comics. But once an individual got to a certain level in the profession, they could (and their agent) could have a large say in what projects they work on.
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