Batman and FaZe Clan Team Up for Crossover No One Asked For

In a move sure to upset everyone, the esports influencers of FaZe Clan are coming to DC comics to team up with Batman.

According to a DC Comics press release, several members of FaZe clan—a squad of gaming goons best known for crypto scams and internet drama—will team up with the Caped Crusader in a limited edition comic to be released on September 24. “And this is just the beginning,” the press release threatened. “There’s even more FaZe Clan and Batman coming in Batman Month that fans won’t want to miss, including limited-edition Batman and FaZe Clan merchandise like esports jerseys, tees, hoodies and more.”

DC shared images of the comic and its cover in the press release. There’s a spread of Batman, Batwoman, Robin, Nightwing, and Arkham Knight doing superhero poses alongside members of the FaZe Clan. Batman and crew look normal; FaZe members like FaZe banks look as if Greg Land illustrated them by tracing photos from their instagrams while dealing with a wonky internet connection.

FaZe clan is an esports organization with an aggressive marketing arm. It’s one part gaming clan and one part bro-filled influencer house. Over the years it’s repeatedly courted controversy. In July, FaZe suspended three members and kicked out a fourth for their involvement in an alleged pump-and-dump crypto scam.

The four FaZe clan members, none of whom appear in the marketing for the Batman comic, used their platforms to promote a new crypto-coin called Save the Kids in June. They promised to donate 1 percent of each transaction fee to unnamed children’s charities. This was the second alleged crypto scan members of FaZe clan were involved in, and just the latest in a long list of controversies.

Comic book crossovers are de rigueur. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, Marvel’s multiverse shenanigans, and the ongoing meta-versification of Fortnite have proved that fans love it when Superman punches Thanos or Bruce Wayne winds up in Mega City 1. Less beloved are when advertisers worm their way into the pages of comics, a practice lamentably as common as big budget adaptations of comics.

In 2017, Marvel released and then retracted a comic book starring defense contractors from Northrop Grumman as superheroes. This was in a line with other bizarre crossover comics including NFL SuperPro, a Marvel comic starring a football player who became nigh-indestructible after an accident involving flaming NFL memorabilia and a multi-million dollar football uniform, and Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, which featured Superman boxing Muhammad Ali.

According to DC, Batman Day is September 18th.