| "Worlds Collide" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Worlds Collide #1 (July 1994), art byMark D. Bright. | |||
| Publisher | DC Comics | ||
| Publication date | July – August1994 | ||
| Genre | |||
| |||
| Main character(s) | (DC Comics): Superman Superboy (Conner Kent) Steel (John Henry Irons) (Milestone Comics): Icon Rocket Static Hardware Blood Syndicate | ||
| Creative team | |||
| Writer(s) | Dwayne McDuffie Ivan Velez Jr. Robert L. Washington III | ||
| Penciller(s) | John Paul Leon Chris Batista Tom Grummett Mark D. Bright Denys Cowan Christopher Williams | ||
| Inker(s) | Rober Quijano Bobby Rae Art Nichols Romeo Tanghal Prentice Rollins | ||
| Colorist(s) | Noelle Giddings Andrew Burrell Micheline Hess Jason Scott Jones | ||
"Worlds Collide" is anintercompany crossover event presented in July1994 in theMilestone Comics titles and theSuperman-related titles published byDC Comics. Aone-shot comic title of the same name was written byDwayne McDuffie,Ivan Velez Jr. andRobert L. Washington III.
In the summer of 1994,DC Comics andMilestone Media published anintercompany crossover calledWorlds Collide. It featured a meeting between Metropolis-based superheroes from theDC Universe and Dakota-based superheroes from the Dakotaverse. Unlike many intercompany crossovers, it was intended to be part of the regular continuity and took place in the monthly issues of the involved series.
The situation was somewhat complicated by the fact that in the Dakotaverse, DC superheroes such asSuperman were known as fictional characters from comic books. Although the crossover initially had no lasting consequences in DC continuity (DC'sZero Hour event cancelled out everything before), it was remembered by Milestone's superheroes.
A postal worker named Fred Bentson unwittingly becomes a portal between two worlds and two cities, between Dakota, home city of the Milestone heroes, andMetropolis, home ofSuperman. Eventually Bentson loses control of his powers and transforms into Rift, a cosmic being capable of manipulating and reconfiguring matter on asubatomic scale. The heroes of the two universes come together to stop him and seal the dangerous crack in reality between their worlds.
In 2008, the continuity of the Milestone characters was modified.Dakota City and the Dakotaverse characters were placed within the mainstreamDC Universe.Static encounters theTerror Titans, which leads to his eventual membership with their heroic counterparts, theTeen Titans. TheShadow Cabinet—along withHardware,Icon andRocket—clashes with theJustice League of America. It is revealed that Icon andSuperman are acquainted and have tremendous respect for each other. Additionally, it becomes apparent that the Cooperative (from which Icon hails) is known to theGreen Lantern Corps and theGuardians of the Universe, but is exempt from their jurisdiction.
Eventually, the being known asDharma explains the origin of the revised continuity to Icon and Superman. Following the death ofDarkseid inFinal Crisis, the space-time continuum is torn asunder, threatening the existence of both the Dakotaverse and the mainstream DC Universe. Dharma was able to use energies that he harnessed from Rift upon his defeat to merge the two universes, creating an entirely new continuity. Only Dharma, Icon and Superman are aware that Dakota and its inhabitants ever existed in a parallel universe.[1]