Warning: contains spoilers for “The Cosmic Kiss Caper,” appearing in DC/Marve: Batman/Deadpool!
DC quietly nerfed one of its most powerful weapons without anyone noticing. Over the years, DC fans have seen weapons of devastating power, but very few can rewrite the rules of reality itself. Now, in DC/Marvel: Batman/Deadpool, one such weapon is severely kneecapped, and it may have flown completely under fans’ radars.
In the story “The Cosmic Kiss Caper,” appearing in DC/Marvel:Batman/Deadpool, written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Dan Mora, Batman and Deadpool are searching for a powerful weapon, revealed to be the word processor Grant Morrison used to change canon during their Animal Man run.
However, the typewriter has lost its power, and is useless.
Grant Morrison’s Return to DC Comics Also Takes a Look Back at Their Career
Grant Morrison Also Created One of Comics’ Most Powerful Weapons: the Cosmic Keyboard
“The Cosmic Kiss Caper” draws heavily on Morrison’s tenure writing Animal Man in the late 1980s. The book began as an exploration of animal rights, but quickly evolved into a philosophical treatise on the “mechanics” of comic book continuity. The fourth-wall breaking continued until the end of Morrison’s run, when the writer put themselves into the story.
Morrison’s appearance in Animal Man’s finale was ground-breaking. Comic book creators appearing in stories and even interacting with their creations is nothing new, but Morrison took it a new level. Thanks to their thoughtful guidance of the character, their time on Animal Man is regarded as a modern classic, and was a foundational book for DC’s Vertigo imprint.
However, after Morrison wrote themself into Animal Man, they too became just another comic book character. Now called “the Writer,” they appeared in John Ostrander’s revolutionary Suicide Squad. Joining the Squad, they were quickly killed and their weapon of choice, “the Cosmic Keyboard,” was seemingly lost to history. That is, until “The Cosmic Kiss Caper.”
The Cosmic Keyboard Is No More, and the DC Universe is Probably Better For It
The Idea of a DC Villain Accessing the Keyboard’s Powers is Scary
It is fitting that Morrison is the one to dust off the weapon that they created. “The Cosmic Kiss Caper” climaxes with Batman and Deadpool confronting “the Writer.” They still have the keyboard, but reveal that its power is now largely gone. Whereas it could once rewrite reality, it is just another keyboard.
With the Cosmic Keyboard now useless, DC has effectively neutered one of its most powerful weapons. The DC Universe is full of such weapons. Some of them can destroy planets and entire star systems, while others can shred a soul, yet they all pale compared to the canon-busting powers of the Keyboard.
And DC nerfed the Cosmic Keyboard without anyone noticing. It is one of DC’s most obscure weapons, having only made a handful of appearances over 30 years ago. A villain such as Vandal Savage having possession of the Cosmic Keyboard is a terrifying idea, making it perhaps a good idea DC cuts its power levels.
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