History Comicbook / DeathMate

* DelayedRippleEffect: In the year 3000 AD, the destruction of the universe in the present causes the world to disappear a la Film/BackToTheFuture.

So, having arranged the crossover, called ''Deathmate'', each company gets to work. Designated by color rather than issue numbers (namely Yellow, Blue, Black, and Red) plus two book-end issues, "Deathmate Prologue" and "Deathmate Epilogue", the four main issues were written so they (in theory) could be read in any order. In practice, however, they were a disjointed and [[ContinuitySnarl snarled]] mess, not at all helped by the Valiant side keeping a tight editorial leash, and the Image side letting the writers and artists do whatever they wanted.

By the time the Image half actually came out, interest in it had dried up, but shop owners had pre-ordered massive numbers of issues when the cross-over had started, and were now left with mountains of unsellable comics. This, more than any other single event, contributed to the collapse of the comic industry in the '90s. ''Deathmate'' was also one of the events that lead to the fall of Valiant Comics, as it flooded the company with Image artists, and caused a fundamental shift in the way the company was run.

* ApocalypseHow: The entire plot is to stop a Class X-5 apocalypse that would destroy the Image and Valiant universes.

-->-- ''Deathmate'' advertisement; it proved [[CreatorKiller to be right]] in an [[HilariousInHindsight ironic way]].

However, Valiant's and Image's writers knew nothing about the other company's characters, resulting in a ton of OutOfCharacter. This wasn't the worst problem plaguing the series, either: Valiant (as a byproduct of its unique real-time continuity system) was super serious about shipping schedules and deadlines, and produced all its contributions on time. Image, on the other hand, was notorious for its ScheduleSlip, so, the Valiant half of ''Deathmate'' was produced on time, but the Image half was produced late. Particularly, Creator/RobLiefeld produced his issue, ''Deathmate Red'', a year late, and his contribution to the Valiant-published Prologue issue was completed only after Valiant editor-in-chief Bob Layton came to his house and [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave refused to leave until it was done]], inking it in a hotel room.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: Issue Black has different setting than the other issues, which focus on the Toyo Harada's dystopia. The issue, rather than focusing on previously established characters, focuses on ComicBook/Gen13 and serves as their introductory story,

-->-- ''Deathmate'' advertisement; it proved [[CreatorKiller to be right in an]] [[HilariousInHindsight ironic way]].

The premise behind the crossover was simple: [[ComicBook/DoctorSolar Solar: Man of the Atom]] and ''ComicBook/WildCATSWildStorm''' Void met, had sex, and this "begins to unravel the strands of time, creating an AlternateUniverse where Image and Valiant characters exist side by side".

However, Valiant's and Image's writers knew nothing about the other company's characters, resulting in a ton of OutOfCharacter. This wasn't the worst problem plaguing the series, either: Valiant (as a byproduct of its unique real-time continuity system) was super serious about shipping schedules and deadlines, and produced all its contributions on time. Image, on the other hand, was notorious for its ScheduleSlip, so, the Valiant half of ''Deathmate'' was produced on time, but the Image half was produced late. Particularly, Creator/RobLiefeld produced his issue, ''Deathmate Red'', a year late, and his contribution to the Valiant-published Prologue issue was completed only after Valiant editor-in-chief Bob Layton came to his house, [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave refused to leave until it was done]] and inked it in a hotel room.

The premise behind the crossover was simple: [[ComicBook/DoctorSolar Solar: Man of the Atom]] and ''ComicBook/WildCATS''' Void met, had sex, and this "begins to unravel the strands of time, creating an AlternateUniverse where Image and Valiant characters exist side by side".

In 2016, a new take on the ''[=DeathMate=]'' storyline was confirmed to be in the works - one that should hopefully come out on time and avoid crippling the industry again. This turned out to be a misdirect to a new character named Deathmate in the pages of Valiant comic Bloodshot Reborn, with no relation to the previous storyline.

The premise behind the crossover was simple: ''[[ComicBook/DoctorSolar Solar: Man of the Atom]]'', and ''ComicBook/WildCATS''' Void met, had sex, and this "begins to unravel the strands of time, creating an AlternateUniverse where Image and Valiant characters exist side by side".

In 2016, a new take on the ''[=DeathMate=]'' storyline was confirmed to be in the works - one that should hopefully come out on time and avoid crippling the industry again.

However, Valiant's and Image's writers knew nothing about the other company's characters, resulting in a ton of CharacterDerailment. This wasn't the worst problem plaguing the series, either: Valiant (as a byproduct of its unique real-time continuity system) was super serious about shipping schedules and deadlines, and produced all its contributions on time. Image, on the other hand, was notorious for its ScheduleSlip, so, the Valiant half of ''Deathmate'' was produced on time, but the Image half was produced late. Particularly, Creator/RobLiefeld produced his issue, ''Deathmate Red'', a year late, and his contribution to the Valiant-published Prologue issue was completed only after Valiant editor-in-chief Bob Layton came to his house, [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave refused to leave until it was done]] and inked it in a hotel room.

* {{Dystopia}}: Two of them: one ruled by the genocidal tyrant Toyo Harada and another controlled by Mother May I.
* DeusExMachina / EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler: Union somehow shields the two universes from the effects of Void and Solar kissing]].

* LegacyCharacter: The Geomancers.

* YouKilledMyFather: Magnus wants to kill Battlestone for this reason.

The advertisement for ''Deathmate'' said "Their love will end worlds!" While it was talking about Solar and Void, it could also be said to be true of Valiant and Image. This disastrous "pairing" did indeed destroy worlds: It helped [[UsefulNotes/TheGreatComicsCrashOf1996 destroy the world]] where the comic book industry makes $500 million per year. It [[CreatorKiller destroyed the world where Valiant Comics so much as existed]], much less was the third highest selling comic company. And it destroyed the world of small comic book shops, many of which went out of business.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: Issue Black has different setting than the other issues, which focus on the Toyo Harada's dystopia. The issue, rather than focusing on previously established characters, focuses on Gen13 and serves as their introductory story,

The premise behind the crossover was simple: ''[[ComicBook/DoctorSolar Solar: Man of the Atom]]'', and ''ComicBook/WildCATs''' Void met, had sex, and this "begins to unravel the strands of time, creating an AlternateUniverse where Image and Valiant characters exist side by side".