Jason Voorhees‘ most epic battle in Friday the 13th history saw him fighting himself, and I loved every minute of it. There have been a surprising number of crossovers featuring the iconic hockey mask killer over the years. From The Texas Chain Saw Massacre‘s Leatherface or A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Freddy Krueger, Jason has made his mark in horror history as one of the deadliest brutes in the genre. However, the battle that I never expected to see features Jason fighting himself, and it’s now one of my favorite Friday the 13th stories.
Jason vs. Jason X is a limited comic duology from 2006 that takes place in the far future in a non-canon separate timeline from the events of 2001’s Jason X. It features a group of people on an interstellar pleasure cruise exploring the remains of the Grendel. However, they quickly discover that they’re not alone when they accidentally activate the nanotech droids that created Uber Jason. This revives Jason once again, but he soon finds himself coming face-to-face with Uber Jason, who’s still onboard the ship, for a massive battle to see which Jason will live, and which will die.
This is a story that kept me gripped for countless pages as these two variations of the Crystal Lake slasher came together, and the way the two duke it out makes it a must-read for any fan of the Friday the 13th franchise.
Jason vs. Jason X Maintains the Campiness That Made Jason X a Guilty Pleasure for Me
Written by Mike Wolfer; Artwork by Mike Wolfer and Andrew Dalhouse
I’m well aware how divisive Jason X is among the fanbase. However, given that it’s literally a story where Jason gets blasted into space, I always dug the cheesy lines and ridiculous premise because it knew exactly what it was and rolled with it. This is what ultimately grabbed me with Jason vs. Jason X. Just like the film it stems from, it’s incredibly self-aware of how silly it is. The mere idea of one half of Jason’s head being reborn as an entirely new version of Jason that suspiciously looks like his appearance from Freddy vs. Jason is hilarious, and it works. He’s just as vicious and violent as the body he comes from, and it only gets better when Uber Jason enters the mix.
Once the two variants of the slasher collide, all Hell breaks loose in the best way. They manage to get on the pleasure cruise and fight each other while raising the body count in a bloody and outrageous fiasco. The story plays this premise up by making the amount of gore and nudity get higher and higher the more the two fight. It feels like a complete parody of itself, and it’s a good one at that. I couldn’t stop laughing at how ridiculous things got as the story went on, and the amount of fan service on display made this an incredible experience.
Jason vs. Jason X Features a Conclusion that Retcons the Movie for the Best
This Comic Brings Jason’s Space Story Full-Circle
While I do admire Jason X for its outlandish sci-fi premise, I always felt the film’s conclusion didn’t go quite far enough with the concept. Once Jason is reborn as Uber Jason, he essentially acts the same as he previously did, only with a metal makeover. They do dispose of him in a cool way by having him plummet to Earth from the atmosphere, but before then, everything featuring Uber Jason is pretty standard Friday the 13th fare. Jason vs. Jason X, however, takes things much further than the movie ever could.
The idea alone of Jason fighting a reincarnated version of half is brain is outrageous enough. However, the fact that Uber Jason wins and pulls the missing half of his brain out of his foe to shove back into his own head is the gnarliest outcome any Friday the 13th story has ever created. It’s a cool way for the series to play with the concept that Jason was lacking the one part about himself that was missing when he got his futuristic redesign: his memories. By reuniting his brain with the other half, he’s become whole once again, and it’s a stellar way to bring this sci-fi concept for the iconic slasher to a close.
Jason vs. Jason X is Everything I Could Have Wanted for a Friday the 13th Story
The Comic Hits All the Right Marks for Who Jason Has Become
While I’m a fan of the earlier Friday the 13th films, I feel Jason really came into his own once he was revived for the first time in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. That film took a far less serious approach to the character, and the rest is history. The franchise benefits from having Jason be an overpowered, unstoppable killing machine that can be absolutely ruthless while having some self-awareness. Jason vs. Jason X captures this perfectly throughout its pages as it recreates the later films Jason has appeared in. It’s violent, bloody, action-packed, and, best of all, funny.
This is the quintessential comic featuring the hockey mask slasher that any fan of the franchise needs to read. I’ve been a fan of the franchise since the late 2000s, and I’ve honestly never seen anything like this until now. Yes, Jason X was a shark-jumping moment for the series, but this comic is a perfect way to pay homage to why I love the character while also giving me a fun Friday the 13th story to boot. Jason Voorhees will always been my favorite horror villain, and I can’t help but love this outrageous take on the franchise that pits Jason against himself.
Friday the 13th
The Friday the 13th film franchise is a chilling saga centered around the cursed Camp Crystal Lake and the supernatural serial killer Jason Voorhees. Known for his iconic hockey mask and relentless brutality, Jason is a nigh-indestructible force driven by vengeance. The series follows different groups of teenagers who encounter Jason, leading to gruesome fates. Spanning several decades and various settings, from Camp Crystal Lake to the bustling streets of Manhattan, the franchise combines supernatural elements with slasher horror.
