Batmanand theX-Menhave both been depicted by many of comics’ greatest artists, and two modern masters have just joined forces for a crossover between the two that’s absolutely stunning. It’s proof positive that mainstream comics art has so much more to offer than it often gets to display, and that mainstream comics art can, in fact, be left of center.
OnInstagram, artist Peach Momoko (@peachmomoko60) has posteda rare art collaboration between her and Dustin Nguyen, combiningMomoko’s distinct take on X-Menand other Marvel characters with Nguyen’s iconicLi’l GothamBat-Family.
Created live at Lucca Comics & Games convention in Lucca, Italy, the two make a killer team, withNguyen painting Batman, Robin and some bats, and Momoko adding in Wasp, Squirrel Girl, Jubilee and Storm. It’s the crossover that readers never knew they needed between two of the most distinctive watercolor artists working in comics today.
Peach Momoko and Dustin Nguyen Combine the X-Men and Batman in a Spectacular Collaboration
Comics' Watercolor Masters Unite
Beginning in 2013,Batman:Li’l Gothamwas a breakout book for Nguyen, offering a distinct all-ages look at the Batman mythos entirely illustrated by Nguyen and co-written with Derek Fridolfs. With their pint-sized figures and messy shocks of hair, there’sno mistaking Nguyen’s characters, even if they weren’t all stunningly depicted in his distinct watercolors, painted over his original pencil sketches.Li’l Gothamhas persisted as part of the DC multiverse, and Nguyen has turned his brushes to countless DC heroes and villains since.
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Momoko, meanwhile, is a Marvel superstar. Originally known for her stunning variant covers,Momoko’s breakout was the seriesX-Men: Demon Days,which also proved her writing bona fides. Momoko’s star has only risen since, with her latest work beingUltimate X-Men,one of the best comics of 2024. Like Nguyen, Momoko’s worlds are captured in beautiful watercolor, and her distinctive playfulness is on full display in this crossover art, combining more “traditional” depictions of characters like Jubilee and Storm with a “chibified” Squirrel Girl, showing just how good Momoko is at proportions.
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What’s also terrific about this piece is how it demonstrates how much variety there really is, and could be, in comics art. It’s easy to feel sometimes that Marvel and DC, and some fans, just aren’t willing to look outside “traditional” comics art except for the occasional variant cover. What both Momoko and Nguyen’s success proves is that there’s a legitimate appetite for something different in North American comics. TheirBatmanandX-Mencrossover is just another reminder that it’s the artists who are willing and allowed to try new things who represent the comics industry at its best.
