It feels like a long time since I've been able to say this. A writer from Marvel Comics is coming to DC Comics. That's right. This is happening. After a few years of writers jumping ship for Marvel -- or sometimes just for the open ocean -- the reverse is now true. Greg Pak, critically acclaimed writer of Planet Hulk and Incredible Hercules and current writer of X-Treme X-Men, will soon be writing an ongoing series for DC.
In the spring, Greg Pak will team with Jae Lee for a new DC series titled Batman/Superman. This is presumably one of the new titles coming along to fill in the gap left by the latest batch of cancellations. And once again, DC is launching another Batman-related series to take the place of one of its cancelled books. I think at this point we've crossed over Batman making up a quarter of the New 52 and moving toward him eating up a third of it.
What little we know of Batman/Superman says it will at least begin as a prequel series, telling the story of Batman and Superman's first meeting. This will take place earlier in their respective careers, even earlier than we have already seen in Justice League. This is probably a good thing. Because if their meeting in the pages of Justice League was supposed to be the iconic first meeting of these two character, that was pretty weak.
Pak's departure from Marvel doesn't come as much of a surprise. He's been badly underutilized there since finishing his work on Hercules and Hulk. When Marvel NOW! began coming into effect and Pak's only series was X-Treme X-Men, I figured he was a prime target for DC.
And Greg Pak is a great catch for DC Comics, especially for the New 52. This is one of the guys who revitalized Hercules as a character int he Marvel Universe. Hopefully, Batman/Superman won't be the extent of his work for DC, because those are hardly two characters who need his talent.
