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Dark Crisis
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths. Infinite Crisis. Final Crisis. And now…Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths! The epic event years in the making is finally here. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League are dead. The remaining heroes are left to protect the world from an onslaught of violent attacks by DC’s greatest villains! Can the legacy heroes step out of the shadows of the classic heroes to form a new Justice League? And will that be enough to stop a darkness greater than anything they’ve ever faced from destroying everything? Don’t miss out on the blockbuster event of the year, now collected in a hardcover edition! Collects Justice League #75 and Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #0-7.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2023
318 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
December 24, 2022
THIS WAS EPIC!
I kinda binge read all the issues together and I love the pace of it like how it starts with the death of JL, the heroes suddenly pushed even further when Deathstroke and his army attack and there is no moment for rest feels like, Flash family on the lookout for Barry and Hal and GLC on their way to find the JLA and then Nightwing and the remaining heroes here to defend against the Super-villains attacks meanwhile "PARIAH" causing his own crisis and his big plans, will the heroes be able to come together and save the multiverse again is the main premise and its epic.
Events have a tendency to get a bit boring but this one keeps the action going in every issue and is filled with great moments like for Jon, a lot for Hal as he reunites with his team or in the end with Dick and that was so good, like in many ways the author saying "Legacy" is what defines DC and he is not wrong and it just makes you love it even more and shows the great thig about dcu, it was super dark in the start but by the end you see a lot of optimism too maybe and its a good feeling lets say by the end and teases some great things to come! ;)
So yeah a pretty solid read with some great moments and AMAZING artwork like some panels would have taken days to draw but its visible here how hard they worked on this book so just for that read it! One of my most memorable reads of the year!
I kinda binge read all the issues together and I love the pace of it like how it starts with the death of JL, the heroes suddenly pushed even further when Deathstroke and his army attack and there is no moment for rest feels like, Flash family on the lookout for Barry and Hal and GLC on their way to find the JLA and then Nightwing and the remaining heroes here to defend against the Super-villains attacks meanwhile "PARIAH" causing his own crisis and his big plans, will the heroes be able to come together and save the multiverse again is the main premise and its epic.
Events have a tendency to get a bit boring but this one keeps the action going in every issue and is filled with great moments like for Jon, a lot for Hal as he reunites with his team or in the end with Dick and that was so good, like in many ways the author saying "Legacy" is what defines DC and he is not wrong and it just makes you love it even more and shows the great thig about dcu, it was super dark in the start but by the end you see a lot of optimism too maybe and its a good feeling lets say by the end and teases some great things to come! ;)
So yeah a pretty solid read with some great moments and AMAZING artwork like some panels would have taken days to draw but its visible here how hard they worked on this book so just for that read it! One of my most memorable reads of the year!
July 23, 2024
Here's my feeling about event comics: how much I enjoy them depends on a number of factors. Let's go through it.
1) Are You Reading the Lead-Up?
For me, in this context, not really! I just jumped into Dark Crisis and it actually worked out quite well. Most of the lead-in to the story is standard fare multiple reality, DC shenanigans and you don't have to know more than that. By contrast, I do wish I'd read a bit more of the Nightwing and Teen Titans comics before this event to give me some familiarity with these legacy characters I'd never seen before. I mean, is there a Batman of New York now?
2) Are You Reading the Tie-Ins?
So, again, it's a nope. This is an event where large bits of lore and explanation are given in single speech bubbles with an asterix pointing you to the tie-in where that revelation happened. Is that the book's fault, not really...
3) What collection are you reading?
Herein lies the rub for me: if you are going to do a big event collection, just throw in the essential tie-ins. I don't mind the art style switching up so I can get Jon Kent Superman and the (?new) Swamp Thing going on a side quest. It's a shame, but sometimes you have to wait for the collected edition to get the whole story.
4) Is the art banging?
You bet it is! Daniel Sampere is new to me, but captures some truly cool super heroic moments alongside well established hero shots. The action isn't just people smoking each other with super fists, there's some impressive choreography to the fights.
5) Is the story any good?
You know, I thought so. With the aforementioned caveats, the event manages to have a smaller, more personal feeling with the legacy characters stepping into the Justice League's shoes against the backdrop of reality-warping wildness. Jon Kent, Dick Grayson, and Black Adam are the characters who had the biggest parts to play in all of this.
Would I recommend it?
Yeah, for sure I'd say this is worth a read for the art alone. As a collection, I'd suggest waiting for the eventual omnibus that will collect this along with the necessary tie-ins.
1) Are You Reading the Lead-Up?
For me, in this context, not really! I just jumped into Dark Crisis and it actually worked out quite well. Most of the lead-in to the story is standard fare multiple reality, DC shenanigans and you don't have to know more than that. By contrast, I do wish I'd read a bit more of the Nightwing and Teen Titans comics before this event to give me some familiarity with these legacy characters I'd never seen before. I mean, is there a Batman of New York now?
2) Are You Reading the Tie-Ins?
So, again, it's a nope. This is an event where large bits of lore and explanation are given in single speech bubbles with an asterix pointing you to the tie-in where that revelation happened. Is that the book's fault, not really...
3) What collection are you reading?
Herein lies the rub for me: if you are going to do a big event collection, just throw in the essential tie-ins. I don't mind the art style switching up so I can get Jon Kent Superman and the (?new) Swamp Thing going on a side quest. It's a shame, but sometimes you have to wait for the collected edition to get the whole story.
4) Is the art banging?
You bet it is! Daniel Sampere is new to me, but captures some truly cool super heroic moments alongside well established hero shots. The action isn't just people smoking each other with super fists, there's some impressive choreography to the fights.
5) Is the story any good?
You know, I thought so. With the aforementioned caveats, the event manages to have a smaller, more personal feeling with the legacy characters stepping into the Justice League's shoes against the backdrop of reality-warping wildness. Jon Kent, Dick Grayson, and Black Adam are the characters who had the biggest parts to play in all of this.
Would I recommend it?
Yeah, for sure I'd say this is worth a read for the art alone. As a collection, I'd suggest waiting for the eventual omnibus that will collect this along with the necessary tie-ins.
February 23, 2025
A good Crisis book. I think the book started stronger than it finished, but I do like the idea of the next generation stepping up. I do also like they did not rely on the big Three other characters in the Justice League stepped up as well. Though books can always use more Batman.
The Justice League has vanished fighting "the great Darkness." Now, it is up to the next generation to step up. However, with the big guns gone, the criminals are really stepping up to push their limits, and Deathstroke/Slade Wilson has declared war on any hero who dares to stand against him.
A huge premise, like all the Crisis books. Lots of action and some truly great moments. Bonus materials include a bit of histories of the Multiverse and the other Crisis. The book finishes with a huge varient covers gallery.
The Justice League has vanished fighting "the great Darkness." Now, it is up to the next generation to step up. However, with the big guns gone, the criminals are really stepping up to push their limits, and Deathstroke/Slade Wilson has declared war on any hero who dares to stand against him.
A huge premise, like all the Crisis books. Lots of action and some truly great moments. Bonus materials include a bit of histories of the Multiverse and the other Crisis. The book finishes with a huge varient covers gallery.
September 4, 2023
What a bloated fucking mess.
The big DC Crisis events are inherently a big risk story-wise and they’re always in danger of being repetitive. So you would think that any creator to tackle one would bring their A-game to really make it work. If this is Williamson’s A-game, then there’s no hope.
This is what all this build-up has been leading up to? Really?? Starting with the most unengaging and untrustworthy concept: the “Death of the Justice League” (come on, did you really think that anyone would be emotionally affected by something we know is never going to really happen?), the story expands into something nonsensical, but even worse, totally unoriginal and unimaginative. This pales in comparison to the work of better writers like Geoff Johns and his amazing Absolute Infinite Crisis that is filled with an emotional core and great ideas, or Scott Snyder, who’s insane Dark Nights: Metal event is totally grounded in the fears and insecurities of its heroes.
Williamson brings back Pariah, one of the characters from the first Crisis on Infinite Earths, and gives him the weakest of motivations and vaguest of plans in a story that’s just recycled ideas from other events. I swear, I’ve seen most of these ideas before, and very recently. It also takes all of the cool DC villains like Darkseid, the Upside Down Man, and Deathstroke, and either turns them into mindless automatons that are just there to have bodies to fight against, or in the case of Deathstroke, actively taking away everything that makes them great as a character.
Now I do think there are a few good moments, like the triumphant return of Superman (what a great scene), or giving Nightwing all his deserved flowers. I read the entire event with all the tie-ins (Which are going collected all over the damn place. Yes, a mess), so this review is for all that.
Here are where the tie-in issues for the whole event are included:
I would attempt to list a reading order here as a guide for others, but I stopped caring.
This might read better on Wikipedia.
The big DC Crisis events are inherently a big risk story-wise and they’re always in danger of being repetitive. So you would think that any creator to tackle one would bring their A-game to really make it work. If this is Williamson’s A-game, then there’s no hope.
This is what all this build-up has been leading up to? Really?? Starting with the most unengaging and untrustworthy concept: the “Death of the Justice League” (come on, did you really think that anyone would be emotionally affected by something we know is never going to really happen?), the story expands into something nonsensical, but even worse, totally unoriginal and unimaginative. This pales in comparison to the work of better writers like Geoff Johns and his amazing Absolute Infinite Crisis that is filled with an emotional core and great ideas, or Scott Snyder, who’s insane Dark Nights: Metal event is totally grounded in the fears and insecurities of its heroes.
Williamson brings back Pariah, one of the characters from the first Crisis on Infinite Earths, and gives him the weakest of motivations and vaguest of plans in a story that’s just recycled ideas from other events. I swear, I’ve seen most of these ideas before, and very recently. It also takes all of the cool DC villains like Darkseid, the Upside Down Man, and Deathstroke, and either turns them into mindless automatons that are just there to have bodies to fight against, or in the case of Deathstroke, actively taking away everything that makes them great as a character.
Now I do think there are a few good moments, like the triumphant return of Superman (what a great scene), or giving Nightwing all his deserved flowers. I read the entire event with all the tie-ins (Which are going collected all over the damn place. Yes, a mess), so this review is for all that.
Here are where the tie-in issues for the whole event are included:
I would attempt to list a reading order here as a guide for others, but I stopped caring.
This might read better on Wikipedia.
March 21, 2024
Dark Crisis in Infinite Earths was pretty good. The story brings back Pariah from the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. But this time Pariah is the villain. He has allied with an entity known as the Darkness and is trying to usher in a rebirth of the multiverse . How to do this? First, destroy the Justice League. Second use a bevy of villains to attack the remaining heroes. Black Adam must work with Nightwing to get the "2nd team" able to match the abilities of the Justice League.
A fun and interesting story. I liked Daniel Sampere's artwork. Some of the panels are really well done. My HC version also came with many alternate covers and some of them are superb.
All in all? This is a fun comic with good artwork.
A fun and interesting story. I liked Daniel Sampere's artwork. Some of the panels are really well done. My HC version also came with many alternate covers and some of them are superb.
All in all? This is a fun comic with good artwork.
Read
June 16, 2024DC’s event books mostly exist to shift the status quo of the entire universe for one reason or another (usually to streamline things when they get to confusing or to expand things for the fun of it). This one—the first “crisis” story in about 15 years—does the latter, and it does it well.
Calling back to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths from the ‘80s, our villain is that story’s Pariah, a man who once started a chain reaction that destroyed the entire multiverse. After years lost in darkness, he has returned and has brought that darkness with him. The first thing he does? Fight and kill the Justice League.
This story, kind of like 52 from back in the day, focuses on the sidekicks and B-list heroes of the DC universe. Jon Kent, Dick Grayson, and many other heroes are tasked with getting revenge and protecting the entire multiverse from complete collapse.
For a story that exists to change up the status quo, it’s a really fun read. It won’t change the shape of the universe (get it?) but it’s a great time nonetheless.
Calling back to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths from the ‘80s, our villain is that story’s Pariah, a man who once started a chain reaction that destroyed the entire multiverse. After years lost in darkness, he has returned and has brought that darkness with him. The first thing he does? Fight and kill the Justice League.
This story, kind of like 52 from back in the day, focuses on the sidekicks and B-list heroes of the DC universe. Jon Kent, Dick Grayson, and many other heroes are tasked with getting revenge and protecting the entire multiverse from complete collapse.
For a story that exists to change up the status quo, it’s a really fun read. It won’t change the shape of the universe (get it?) but it’s a great time nonetheless.
September 4, 2023
“Hawkwoman: What do we tell people happened here?
Flash: Nothing. They can believe it was the Great Darkness if that will help ease their worries.”
I love the big three initial crisis events. I even loved Metal and Death Metal. I can normally follow the convoluted comic logic and get immense joy out it all. This was hard to follow, and while it had its moments, it’s forgettable.
The art—which is fantastic—had me fooled for a bit. But ultimately Williamsons writing bled through.
If I squint, I can see a story about the heroes stopping the Great Darkness. That’s simple enough, right?
But then I’m left with questions:
What was Pariahs goal again?
Is this the Darkness?
How is locking core heroes in imaginary worlds power anything?
How is this creating infinite earths?
Wasn’t there already infinite earths and a multiverse?
Why is the multiverse separate from the infinite earths?
How can flashes repair connecting points between multiverse and infinite earths?
Is Slade really a practical crisis creator for this stories purpose?
What is dr Light doing to help the flashes?
Wasn’t the goal of pariah to create infinite earths (separate from multiverse), and that’s bad?
Now we’re saving the infinite earths and that’s good?
Isn’t the darkness spreading through connections? Why does it now seems like it’s breaking it up?
But wasn’t this not the great darkness? But it is too?
Nothing is explained clearly and the writing is muddled. There may be answers to all these questions but I really can’t be bothered to care.
Very disappointed in this event. Don’t think I’ll check out Williamsons writing anymore, been burnt enough times.
Flash: Nothing. They can believe it was the Great Darkness if that will help ease their worries.”
I love the big three initial crisis events. I even loved Metal and Death Metal. I can normally follow the convoluted comic logic and get immense joy out it all. This was hard to follow, and while it had its moments, it’s forgettable.
The art—which is fantastic—had me fooled for a bit. But ultimately Williamsons writing bled through.
If I squint, I can see a story about the heroes stopping the Great Darkness. That’s simple enough, right?
But then I’m left with questions:
What was Pariahs goal again?
Is this the Darkness?
How is locking core heroes in imaginary worlds power anything?
How is this creating infinite earths?
Wasn’t there already infinite earths and a multiverse?
Why is the multiverse separate from the infinite earths?
How can flashes repair connecting points between multiverse and infinite earths?
Is Slade really a practical crisis creator for this stories purpose?
What is dr Light doing to help the flashes?
Wasn’t the goal of pariah to create infinite earths (separate from multiverse), and that’s bad?
Now we’re saving the infinite earths and that’s good?
Isn’t the darkness spreading through connections? Why does it now seems like it’s breaking it up?
But wasn’t this not the great darkness? But it is too?
Nothing is explained clearly and the writing is muddled. There may be answers to all these questions but I really can’t be bothered to care.
Very disappointed in this event. Don’t think I’ll check out Williamsons writing anymore, been burnt enough times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2023
Ever since 1985, DC Comics has been enacting crisis-level events to shake things up and rebrand their entire line. 2022's Dark Crisis series follows in that tradition. This time, they took the biggest hitters off the playing field so that they could focus on the next tier - the younger generation of characters - to address what it means to be a hero and to step up when the crunch comes. It is a test to be sure, and not everyone is up to task.
I liked that this main mini-series tightly focused on certain aspects of the hero community as it fought back the tide of evil that rises in the void of the League's absence. While I have not been a steady DC reader in recent years, many of the characters and their situations felt "right" and "familiar". With a large cast, it is important to hit those touchstones. The themes about legacy resonate strongly - something that the DC line books have had going for them the last eight decades. It is the foundation that the line has been built, and it is nice to see it again being given a strong focus.
The artwork is equally very strong. The whole book felt like an event and worthy of standing next to other classic Crisis events from the line.
I liked that this main mini-series tightly focused on certain aspects of the hero community as it fought back the tide of evil that rises in the void of the League's absence. While I have not been a steady DC reader in recent years, many of the characters and their situations felt "right" and "familiar". With a large cast, it is important to hit those touchstones. The themes about legacy resonate strongly - something that the DC line books have had going for them the last eight decades. It is the foundation that the line has been built, and it is nice to see it again being given a strong focus.
The artwork is equally very strong. The whole book felt like an event and worthy of standing next to other classic Crisis events from the line.
January 17, 2023
Whether is is coming from editorial, or writers looking to try and make sense out of DC Comics continuity, this is an ongoing theme at the company. Trying to fix its convoluted going on 100 years of continuity.
The only pop culture project that I think would be more daunting is trying to straighten out Dr. Who's continuity between television, comics, books, audio dramas and movies (the Peter Cushing ones).
Yes, Williamson went more for the direct sequel route, something no one has really tried before (be it Dan Jurgens or Grant Morrison) and at the same time go further than Morrison does with the Multiverse concept.
Spoiler
Yep, EVERYTHING is back into continuity. I have mixed feelings about this. I think Wolfman with both the original Crisis (which I'm a fan of) and his History of the DC Universe did an excellent job of streamlining things. On the other hand it can be argued, effectively I think, that Morrison and Williamson's opening things back up with the everything counts Multiverse can give creators more freedom to tell good stories.
Really, not a whole lot of in depth story telling going on. But, in the end it all goes to a core concept from Crisis and Kingdom Come.
Heroes matter. Hope matters.
That should mean something even in 2023.
The only pop culture project that I think would be more daunting is trying to straighten out Dr. Who's continuity between television, comics, books, audio dramas and movies (the Peter Cushing ones).
Yes, Williamson went more for the direct sequel route, something no one has really tried before (be it Dan Jurgens or Grant Morrison) and at the same time go further than Morrison does with the Multiverse concept.
Spoiler
Yep, EVERYTHING is back into continuity. I have mixed feelings about this. I think Wolfman with both the original Crisis (which I'm a fan of) and his History of the DC Universe did an excellent job of streamlining things. On the other hand it can be argued, effectively I think, that Morrison and Williamson's opening things back up with the everything counts Multiverse can give creators more freedom to tell good stories.
Really, not a whole lot of in depth story telling going on. But, in the end it all goes to a core concept from Crisis and Kingdom Come.
Heroes matter. Hope matters.
That should mean something even in 2023.
January 23, 2025
Oh my sweet, sweet DC event comics. Why do you suck so much as stories? It’s kind of charming in this one.
It’s helpful for me to view this as an art book instead of a cohesive story because a) the artwork is STUNNING, b) there are so many characters in this that it’s a great reference guide for the DC universe and c) the writing’s atrocious so forgetting about it makes things easier.
One thing I can’t overlook is the Black Adam corporate synergy here. Ew!
It’s helpful for me to view this as an art book instead of a cohesive story because a) the artwork is STUNNING, b) there are so many characters in this that it’s a great reference guide for the DC universe and c) the writing’s atrocious so forgetting about it makes things easier.
One thing I can’t overlook is the Black Adam corporate synergy here. Ew!
April 10, 2025
I'm not usually a fan of events but this one has the merit of being readable without requiring you to be a DC continuity historian and to know all the characters involved.
There's nothing really game-changing about it, and no over-the-top tension either, but maybe I'm just too jaded to let myself get sucked in.
Good drawing by Sampere, conventional but with enough grace to be enjoyable.
Just one question: what's with Deathstroke's mohawk?
There's nothing really game-changing about it, and no over-the-top tension either, but maybe I'm just too jaded to let myself get sucked in.
Good drawing by Sampere, conventional but with enough grace to be enjoyable.
Just one question: what's with Deathstroke's mohawk?
November 1, 2025
On the surface it appeared to be a traditional DC Crisis crossover….. but I don’t think one, single character in this story knew what the heck was going on. Every time someone spoke it was to explain the plot away and take the action in a totally different direction.
Confusing and lacking in plot.
2/5 (I feel this is generous).
Confusing and lacking in plot.
2/5 (I feel this is generous).
January 25, 2023
Daniel Sampere's art was mostly really strong and was the highlight of the series for me. In typical DC fashion, the event mini-series is super dependent on the reader reading all the periphery tie-in issues and can barely stand on its own during the course of its seven issues run. The only good thing that came out of the story was the return of the multiverse to its (2008) pre-final crisis status of infinite worlds.
This is another hard continuity reboot from DC, who seem to be doing it every three to five years now.
Their rival Marvel hasn't had to do a hard reboot in its entire history. At some point, DC needs to leave well enough alone.
This is another hard continuity reboot from DC, who seem to be doing it every three to five years now.
Their rival Marvel hasn't had to do a hard reboot in its entire history. At some point, DC needs to leave well enough alone.
January 4, 2023
The lack of original ideas was all over the place, and it gets way worse when they stretch it so much.
I read the event and its tie-ins in individual issues, and I have to say that it had its moments, but overall, this one will be an event that will be entirely forgotten, since it didn’t bring anything new to the table.
The tie-ins were mostly skippable. If anything, I’d give an honorific mention to the Flash issues, that at least showed some development. Young Justice had a nice introduction, but then, it dwelled too much in unnecessary teen angst, to finally bring so little to the main event. I think they forgot that Young Justice was supposed to be fun.
The art was very good for the most part, that’s why I’m not rating this with one star only.
I read the event and its tie-ins in individual issues, and I have to say that it had its moments, but overall, this one will be an event that will be entirely forgotten, since it didn’t bring anything new to the table.
The tie-ins were mostly skippable. If anything, I’d give an honorific mention to the Flash issues, that at least showed some development. Young Justice had a nice introduction, but then, it dwelled too much in unnecessary teen angst, to finally bring so little to the main event. I think they forgot that Young Justice was supposed to be fun.
The art was very good for the most part, that’s why I’m not rating this with one star only.
March 15, 2023
5! 5! 5!
Don’t believe the negative reviews powered by the Marvel soldiers. This was absolutely incredible and one of the best series in the franchise. Although it does serve as another sort of reboot, it is arguably as good as Flashpoint and finally instead of “restoring” the DCU, it does something difference for once and introduces an entirely new era of DCU.
Don’t believe the negative reviews powered by the Marvel soldiers. This was absolutely incredible and one of the best series in the franchise. Although it does serve as another sort of reboot, it is arguably as good as Flashpoint and finally instead of “restoring” the DCU, it does something difference for once and introduces an entirely new era of DCU.
August 15, 2023
Dark Crisis offers a slightly more coherent "crisis" event than some of its predecessors (looking at you, Dark Nights: Death Metal), but it still runs far too fast and furious to really be enjoyable. All depth is lost when the world has to end multiple times over the course of seven issues AND you need to see at least one shot of every character in the DC universe, past and present.
And I mean every character! Justice League Incarnate and the old Justice Society of America both show up, plus the Titans (all seven million of them) and Deathstroke's secrety society (all seventy million of them). I feel bad for Daniel Sampere, who had to draw several scenes with at least 100 warring characters. I mean, the book looks great! But that man's poor hand must be mangled.
Anyway, the plot: it's decent. Justice League ventures to the end of the multiverse, only to find Pariah there, working with the Great Darkness to reconstruct the multiverse that was lost in the Crisis on Infinite Earths (< you don't necessarily have to read that for Dark Crisis to make sense). That reconstruction is reliant on the Justice League being dead so... they die!
This all serves as prelude to the Dark Crisis mini-series, in which Earth's remaining heroes must band together to defeat Deathstroke's Great Darkness-addled villains, not to mention Pariah and his heavy hitters. There are numerous twists and even more battle scenes, but very few quiet moments were characters can, y'know, shoot the shit. I always miss that in these event series - it makes me wonder what Tom King would do with an event like this. Certainly there'd be less on-screen punching and more obtuse narration. Could be good, tho!
Ultimately, the table is reset after several false starts, readying the way for another crisis, I'm sure (). I enjoyed my time with Dark Crisis, even if it was too fast and barely explained. May this serve as a baseline for all future crises.
And I mean every character! Justice League Incarnate and the old Justice Society of America both show up, plus the Titans (all seven million of them) and Deathstroke's secrety society (all seventy million of them). I feel bad for Daniel Sampere, who had to draw several scenes with at least 100 warring characters. I mean, the book looks great! But that man's poor hand must be mangled.
Anyway, the plot: it's decent. Justice League ventures to the end of the multiverse, only to find Pariah there, working with the Great Darkness to reconstruct the multiverse that was lost in the Crisis on Infinite Earths (< you don't necessarily have to read that for Dark Crisis to make sense). That reconstruction is reliant on the Justice League being dead so... they die!
This all serves as prelude to the Dark Crisis mini-series, in which Earth's remaining heroes must band together to defeat Deathstroke's Great Darkness-addled villains, not to mention Pariah and his heavy hitters. There are numerous twists and even more battle scenes, but very few quiet moments were characters can, y'know, shoot the shit. I always miss that in these event series - it makes me wonder what Tom King would do with an event like this. Certainly there'd be less on-screen punching and more obtuse narration. Could be good, tho!
Ultimately, the table is reset after several false starts, readying the way for another crisis, I'm sure (). I enjoyed my time with Dark Crisis, even if it was too fast and barely explained. May this serve as a baseline for all future crises.
January 24, 2025
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths collects Justice League #75 and Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths 0-7 written by Joshua Williamson with art by Daniel Sampere, Jim Cheung, Jack Herbert, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith, Rafa Sandoval, Chris Burnham, Jordi Tarragona, Daniel Henriques, and Danny Milo.
Pariah has returned to reverse his fate of being forced to watch the Multiverse die and is using the power of The Darkness to reinstate the Infinite Universe. In order for him to be successful, he seduces Deathstroke to his Dark Army and kills the Justice League leaving the Earth to rally behind legacy superheroes.
Like most of DC’s mega events, this is a beautiful mess. No crisis will ever be able to compare to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths or even Infinite Crisis. So many DC’s mega events are pointless, only changing comics for 1-2 years before the next major event changes everything once again. It’s repetitive and stale. I have been saying it for years, there needs to be an event break. Don’t hold an event for 4-5 years and build up some powerful standalone stories.
Dark Crisis is more of the same: Bring in some characters from the original crisis and put them on the opposite side of the battle this go around, talk a lot of superhero mumbo jumbo, have some type of cosmic force that has the power to destroy everything, giant splash pages filled with as many heroes as you can think, have heroes seemingly die only to return to save the day is the final battle, have a hero go missing at the end where a new aftermath series will be created to search for them, tease that the next generation of heroes will come into their own bust still have 95% of books be about Bruce, Diana, Clark, Hal, and Barry. The list can go on.
DC also continues its trend of events being spread over dozens of titles to make it near impossible to get a coherent narrative structure. By just reading the main series, there were so many random moments of character returns or dramatic plot developments that happen off page, it never feels like stakes are real because things just happen. I guess I just have a very love/hate relationship to comic events.
Pariah has returned to reverse his fate of being forced to watch the Multiverse die and is using the power of The Darkness to reinstate the Infinite Universe. In order for him to be successful, he seduces Deathstroke to his Dark Army and kills the Justice League leaving the Earth to rally behind legacy superheroes.
Like most of DC’s mega events, this is a beautiful mess. No crisis will ever be able to compare to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths or even Infinite Crisis. So many DC’s mega events are pointless, only changing comics for 1-2 years before the next major event changes everything once again. It’s repetitive and stale. I have been saying it for years, there needs to be an event break. Don’t hold an event for 4-5 years and build up some powerful standalone stories.
Dark Crisis is more of the same: Bring in some characters from the original crisis and put them on the opposite side of the battle this go around, talk a lot of superhero mumbo jumbo, have some type of cosmic force that has the power to destroy everything, giant splash pages filled with as many heroes as you can think, have heroes seemingly die only to return to save the day is the final battle, have a hero go missing at the end where a new aftermath series will be created to search for them, tease that the next generation of heroes will come into their own bust still have 95% of books be about Bruce, Diana, Clark, Hal, and Barry. The list can go on.
DC also continues its trend of events being spread over dozens of titles to make it near impossible to get a coherent narrative structure. By just reading the main series, there were so many random moments of character returns or dramatic plot developments that happen off page, it never feels like stakes are real because things just happen. I guess I just have a very love/hate relationship to comic events.
January 26, 2023
The Justice League has fallen leaving the rest of the Earth's heroes to pick up the pieces. Meanwhile, an old character from Crisis has returned, controlled by the Great Darkness. He's also corrupted Deathstroke who is bringing villains into his Dark Army. DC has gotten really bad about having events happen outside of the core miniseries in the last few years and that is a problem here. There's a gazillion other books to read the get the whole story and they aren't all part of this collection. I think that's a big problem and a big reason why this only gets 3 stars. I don't want to have to pick up 10 other one-shots to get the entire story. Still it's a decent story and it does open the future up for creators to tell whatever stories they want. Daniel Sampere is a capable artist in DC's House style these days.
July 17, 2023
An event with a true epic feel. This DC event is well worth reading. Story starts off good, but ramps up fairly quick and then puts the foot all the way on the gas. Really does a great job embracing the next generation of heroes.
Don't trust the ratings on here, this is gold. Pick it up, read it, then start on the Dawn of DC, especially Superboy and Green Arrow.
Also the art in this collection is 10/10. Absolutely stunning. Hats off to all, easy 5 stars.
Don't trust the ratings on here, this is gold. Pick it up, read it, then start on the Dawn of DC, especially Superboy and Green Arrow.
Also the art in this collection is 10/10. Absolutely stunning. Hats off to all, easy 5 stars.
December 20, 2023
another crisis? no way (Read digitally)
December 21, 2025
First physical comic and I loved it. The art style was so beautiful the details were wonderful abd the story was immaculate like literally the best one ever
August 19, 2025
6.5/10
July 29, 2024
Confusing trade with too many references to other story lines and books
July 14, 2023
Outstanding! Must read. Should read all sets before reading this book! Love the setup ending. DC is finally putting out some good stuff for their flagship characters and comics
April 8, 2025
I don't know why I even waste time with these events. This is one of the worst ones. Pointless. Not only doesn't make sense, it contradicts itself. Because now everything is an event, in order to have an "event" like this it has to feel "complex". Convoluted. With a lot of big words and concepts. And the multi ultra demi super universe has to change without really changing and blah blah just don't waste your time. The whole series could have been one 24 pages issue. I give it two stars because the art is good and you can tell Sampere gave everything. Also, I love Williamson's work but this clearly was editorial mandate. Go read his independent stuff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2024
Another DC Crisis, another shift of the state of the multiverse. I don't think I get the point of fully restoring the multiverse, but that's whatever. The alleged death of the Justice League is an even less compelling thread to hang the story on, because we know they'll be back by the end of the book. Just too many major characters to sideline them all for more than a couple of issues. That's not to say that this can't be a fun read. There are some good set pieces, and I think I like the continued focus on Nightwing as heart of the DCU. A few good character moments outside of Nightwing, too. Very few Crisis events are going to be great art, and this isn't one of them, but at least it's more entertaining than not.
March 27, 2024
This was pretty, but dumb and boring as hell. I don't know who DC thinks keeps asking for all these crisises (?), but if you exist and you're out there, please stop. Nightwing was a shining light in a sea of dreck.
Edit 3-26-24: I just went to look this up and already forgot I read it.
Edit 3-26-24: I just went to look this up and already forgot I read it.
November 2, 2023
JL#75- it's honestly not good. It severely lacks gravitas and pacing. The dialog is campy and the continuity is confusing. At the end of "JL Incarnate", the Thunderer sacrificed himself to destroy his earth and the Oblivion Machine that created the gateway to Multiverse-2. So why is he still present and how do they just teleport to Pariah in the ruins beyond our multiverse?! All in all for an issue that supposedly kills the Justice Leage it really dropped the ball.
Dark Crisis#1- to me a drastic improvement of dialog driven storytelling. I enjoyed it thoroughly until the final pages of Pariah. Mainly because the biggest issue with the overall story is we dont understand how his plan works.
Dark Crisis#2- not as strong as the previous issue. The campiness was creeping back in which again undercuts the seriousness of the plot.
Dark Crisis#3- this issue is mainly weakend by the poor quality of JL#75. It hinges on the seriousness of their deaths but unfortunately it was such a lackluster moment that you're not emotionally invested with the fear and despair the characters display.
Dark Crisis#4- I'm confused as to what is going on for the overall evil plan. Slade, who has communed with Pariah and the Great Darkness, can suddenly corrupt people with the darkness. While this darkness is spreading through the Bleed of the multiverse. While Pariah is waiting in the ruins of Multiverse-2 for a machine to power up and to be summoned to Earth-0. Now suddenly a new worlds are just being created?
Dark Crisis#5&6- the campy dialog and confusing plot escalate. But most of all the pour quality of storytelling is severely highlighted by Jon Kent's arc. In issue #1 the foundation for him stepping up as Superman is laid out. And you can tell he's trying to be that symbol of hope and bring the heroes together, but everyone keeps reminding him who he's not or the story shifts to Nightwing being the symbol instead. So when he goes up against the Dark Army alone, it doesn't really have the gravitas it should because the story is just not there.
Dark Crisis#7- the event ends on a flat note, with lots of corny dialog and a still confusing premise. Black Adams wishy-washy behavior of going from all is lost why fight, to I will sacrifice myself for the greater good. Was geeting really old by this issue and served no purpose when compared to his final page.
All in all I think the plot of this event suffers from DC changing directions on things. At the end of "Death Metal" we suddenly had an omniverse with new multiverses being built around ours. But it is a confusing premise so I guess they abandoned it after "Infinite Frontier" when Darkseid tried to harnass the Great Darkness and break beyond the barrier to the omniverse. Because several times in the Event it was mentioned how the omniverse was a lie, which to me is just a lazy retcon. The next thing DC abandoned was making the Great Darkness the villain. "Multiversity" and "JL Incarnate" both set up that the Great Darkness was done playing around and was gearing up to wipe out all of existence. But I guess DC realized that they were OP'd and it sort of went against their portrayal by Moore. So instead they neuter Williamson's story by giving him a pantheon of DC's greatest villains possessed by the greatest evil, and decided to make them mindless drones controlled by a crybaby instead. This could have been an epic event with incredible character moments but instead it seems it was gutted of its core tool and ended up being nothing.
Dark Crisis#1- to me a drastic improvement of dialog driven storytelling. I enjoyed it thoroughly until the final pages of Pariah. Mainly because the biggest issue with the overall story is we dont understand how his plan works.
Dark Crisis#2- not as strong as the previous issue. The campiness was creeping back in which again undercuts the seriousness of the plot.
Dark Crisis#3- this issue is mainly weakend by the poor quality of JL#75. It hinges on the seriousness of their deaths but unfortunately it was such a lackluster moment that you're not emotionally invested with the fear and despair the characters display.
Dark Crisis#4- I'm confused as to what is going on for the overall evil plan. Slade, who has communed with Pariah and the Great Darkness, can suddenly corrupt people with the darkness. While this darkness is spreading through the Bleed of the multiverse. While Pariah is waiting in the ruins of Multiverse-2 for a machine to power up and to be summoned to Earth-0. Now suddenly a new worlds are just being created?
Dark Crisis#5&6- the campy dialog and confusing plot escalate. But most of all the pour quality of storytelling is severely highlighted by Jon Kent's arc. In issue #1 the foundation for him stepping up as Superman is laid out. And you can tell he's trying to be that symbol of hope and bring the heroes together, but everyone keeps reminding him who he's not or the story shifts to Nightwing being the symbol instead. So when he goes up against the Dark Army alone, it doesn't really have the gravitas it should because the story is just not there.
Dark Crisis#7- the event ends on a flat note, with lots of corny dialog and a still confusing premise. Black Adams wishy-washy behavior of going from all is lost why fight, to I will sacrifice myself for the greater good. Was geeting really old by this issue and served no purpose when compared to his final page.
All in all I think the plot of this event suffers from DC changing directions on things. At the end of "Death Metal" we suddenly had an omniverse with new multiverses being built around ours. But it is a confusing premise so I guess they abandoned it after "Infinite Frontier" when Darkseid tried to harnass the Great Darkness and break beyond the barrier to the omniverse. Because several times in the Event it was mentioned how the omniverse was a lie, which to me is just a lazy retcon. The next thing DC abandoned was making the Great Darkness the villain. "Multiversity" and "JL Incarnate" both set up that the Great Darkness was done playing around and was gearing up to wipe out all of existence. But I guess DC realized that they were OP'd and it sort of went against their portrayal by Moore. So instead they neuter Williamson's story by giving him a pantheon of DC's greatest villains possessed by the greatest evil, and decided to make them mindless drones controlled by a crybaby instead. This could have been an epic event with incredible character moments but instead it seems it was gutted of its core tool and ended up being nothing.
September 2, 2023
Confesión. Desde Crisis en Tierras Infinitas, y de eso hace ya muchos años, cualquier cosa que lleve "Crisis" en el nombre, consigue generarme muchas expectativas, y cuando además empiezan los guiños hacia la historia original, la aparición de personajes de aquella serie, etc, pues me emociono mucho más. Y sin embargo, Crisis Oscura me ha parecido una historia muuuuy pasable, por no decir directamente mala y que voy a rescatar de la única estrella por el dibujo de Daniel Sempére, que tiene bastante gracia. Pero es que además incluso en su estructura me ha recordado tanto a Crisis Infinita que me parece más un plagio dentro de la propia compañía que un "está inspirado en..."
Siguiendo los eventos de Frontera Infinita, la JLA acude a Tierra Omega, el punto del Multiverso en el que habíamos descubierto que se encontraba el renacido Darkseid, y junto al que se encuentran otros muchos villanos que han sido villanos principales de otros encuentros: Nerón, Nekron, el propio Darkseid, Doomsday... y al frente de todos ellos, Pariah, aquel personaje que aparecía en Crisis en Tierras Infinitas y que aparecía siempre instantes antes de la destrucción de una de las tierras. Convertido en una especie de heraldo de algo llamado "La Gran Oscuridad", que además esclaviza a estos villanos, Pariah va a destruir a la Liga de la Justicia, siendo el único superviviente Black Adam, quien lleva la noticia de la muerte a la Tierra. Así que ya tenemos un mundo sin Liga de la Justicia, exáctamente como al principio de Crisis Infinita (donde los villanos eran también personajes de Crisis en Tierras Infinitas, recordemos, Superboy Prime y Alexander Luthor). El plan de Pariah es utilizar a los héroes de Tierra Cero para crear nuevos mundos que, potenciados por una máquina de su creación y los poderes de Flash, devuelvan a la existencia las tierras que fueron destruidas, incluyendo su propia Tierra, y para ello, va a permitir que la Oscuridad infecte a Deathstroke, que va a reunir a un amplio grupo de villanos para atacar a los Titanes e impedir que se forme una nueva Liga de la Justicia, algo en lo que tomarán posiciones aventajadas Nightwing y Jon Kent (en Crisis Infinitas, los propios Nightwing y Superboy también tenían un gran protagonismo). Y por cierto, también como en Crisis Infinita, vamos a tener a los villanos divididos, pues la Doom Legión dirigida por Lex Luthor, va a alinearse con Jon Kent y Nightwing frente a los villanos presa de la Oscuridad de Deathstroke. En fin...
Incluso incluyendo momentos muy chulos, como el ataque de la Liga de la Injusticia de Deathstroke a la Torre de los Titanes, la historia no aporta mucho y se hace previsible incluso para los propios personajes (Nightwing se pasa la miniserie afirmando que los miembros de la Liga no están muertos y que no tardarán mucho en volver... como efectivamente ocurre), y la Gran Oscuridad es un enemigo mucho menos temible de lo que se plantea en principio, así que... Bueno, nada del otro jueves en el Universo DC a día de hoy.
Siguiendo los eventos de Frontera Infinita, la JLA acude a Tierra Omega, el punto del Multiverso en el que habíamos descubierto que se encontraba el renacido Darkseid, y junto al que se encuentran otros muchos villanos que han sido villanos principales de otros encuentros: Nerón, Nekron, el propio Darkseid, Doomsday... y al frente de todos ellos, Pariah, aquel personaje que aparecía en Crisis en Tierras Infinitas y que aparecía siempre instantes antes de la destrucción de una de las tierras. Convertido en una especie de heraldo de algo llamado "La Gran Oscuridad", que además esclaviza a estos villanos, Pariah va a destruir a la Liga de la Justicia, siendo el único superviviente Black Adam, quien lleva la noticia de la muerte a la Tierra. Así que ya tenemos un mundo sin Liga de la Justicia, exáctamente como al principio de Crisis Infinita (donde los villanos eran también personajes de Crisis en Tierras Infinitas, recordemos, Superboy Prime y Alexander Luthor). El plan de Pariah es utilizar a los héroes de Tierra Cero para crear nuevos mundos que, potenciados por una máquina de su creación y los poderes de Flash, devuelvan a la existencia las tierras que fueron destruidas, incluyendo su propia Tierra, y para ello, va a permitir que la Oscuridad infecte a Deathstroke, que va a reunir a un amplio grupo de villanos para atacar a los Titanes e impedir que se forme una nueva Liga de la Justicia, algo en lo que tomarán posiciones aventajadas Nightwing y Jon Kent (en Crisis Infinitas, los propios Nightwing y Superboy también tenían un gran protagonismo). Y por cierto, también como en Crisis Infinita, vamos a tener a los villanos divididos, pues la Doom Legión dirigida por Lex Luthor, va a alinearse con Jon Kent y Nightwing frente a los villanos presa de la Oscuridad de Deathstroke. En fin...
Incluso incluyendo momentos muy chulos, como el ataque de la Liga de la Injusticia de Deathstroke a la Torre de los Titanes, la historia no aporta mucho y se hace previsible incluso para los propios personajes (Nightwing se pasa la miniserie afirmando que los miembros de la Liga no están muertos y que no tardarán mucho en volver... como efectivamente ocurre), y la Gran Oscuridad es un enemigo mucho menos temible de lo que se plantea en principio, así que... Bueno, nada del otro jueves en el Universo DC a día de hoy.
October 7, 2023
Seit Jahrzehnten schon findet bei DC im etwa 2-jährlichen Rhythmus eine “Crisis” statt. Immer. Da steht dann noch ein Adjektiv davor und fertig. Letztens habe ich einem Freund geschrieben, dass ICH mittlerweile ne Krise kriege, wenn ich einen solchen Namen in irgendeiner redaktionellen Ankündigung nur lese.
Nun denn, in diesem Jahr war es die Dark Crisis und ich fühlte mich zugleich prächtig unterhalten und andererseits auch megamäßig überfordert. Letzteres nicht etwa, weil die Story zu komplex ist, sondern weil es manchmal einfach an einer guten redaktionellen Leitung fehlte. Während die Hauptstory nämlich sehr gut von Joshua Williamson erzählt und Daniel Sampere (in wirklich!) schönen Bildern festgehalten wurde, durften in zahlreichen Sidestorys wieder allerlei andere Autoren und Zeichner (zum Teil auch Newcomer) mal zeigen, was die Haupthandlung hier und da noch für Auswirkungen hat. Ich bin mittlerweile alt genug, um den wirtschaftlichen Grund hinter dem Ausweiten eines Vorhabens zu kapieren ($$$!!!), aber ich frage mich immer: Wenn es die eigentliche Geschichte verwässert und kaputt macht, ist das dann für die Gewinne letztlich doch egal. Killt die Gier hier die Kreativität?
Ich mag an Dark Crisis, dass eine “normale” Helden-Figur ohne Kräfte im Fokus steht. Ich mag das erzählerische Spiel mit Licht und Finsternis und die Poesie dahinter. Aber ich finde den Antrieb von einem der Bösen (die Welt vernichten, weil er ein schlechter Vater war und nicht will, das zukünftigen Generationen evtl. ähnliches widerfahren soll) unfassbar hanebüchen. Man erklärt das zwar damit, dass dieser Böse wirklich ein psychisches Problem hat, aber der Plot ist mir dann auch irgendwie zu simpel. Ich mag hingegen, die Erzählung von Hoffnung, die zwar alt ist wie Heldengeschichten selbst - aber Williamson findet neben den bekannten, auch schöne untypische Dialoge und Monologe, die mich berührt haben. Und nun reicht’s aber auch mit den Krisen.
Nun denn, in diesem Jahr war es die Dark Crisis und ich fühlte mich zugleich prächtig unterhalten und andererseits auch megamäßig überfordert. Letzteres nicht etwa, weil die Story zu komplex ist, sondern weil es manchmal einfach an einer guten redaktionellen Leitung fehlte. Während die Hauptstory nämlich sehr gut von Joshua Williamson erzählt und Daniel Sampere (in wirklich!) schönen Bildern festgehalten wurde, durften in zahlreichen Sidestorys wieder allerlei andere Autoren und Zeichner (zum Teil auch Newcomer) mal zeigen, was die Haupthandlung hier und da noch für Auswirkungen hat. Ich bin mittlerweile alt genug, um den wirtschaftlichen Grund hinter dem Ausweiten eines Vorhabens zu kapieren ($$$!!!), aber ich frage mich immer: Wenn es die eigentliche Geschichte verwässert und kaputt macht, ist das dann für die Gewinne letztlich doch egal. Killt die Gier hier die Kreativität?
Ich mag an Dark Crisis, dass eine “normale” Helden-Figur ohne Kräfte im Fokus steht. Ich mag das erzählerische Spiel mit Licht und Finsternis und die Poesie dahinter. Aber ich finde den Antrieb von einem der Bösen (die Welt vernichten, weil er ein schlechter Vater war und nicht will, das zukünftigen Generationen evtl. ähnliches widerfahren soll) unfassbar hanebüchen. Man erklärt das zwar damit, dass dieser Böse wirklich ein psychisches Problem hat, aber der Plot ist mir dann auch irgendwie zu simpel. Ich mag hingegen, die Erzählung von Hoffnung, die zwar alt ist wie Heldengeschichten selbst - aber Williamson findet neben den bekannten, auch schöne untypische Dialoge und Monologe, die mich berührt haben. Und nun reicht’s aber auch mit den Krisen.
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