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Infinite Crisis (Collected Editions)
Infinite Crisis
Four heroes trapped in limbo are about to reveal themselves--one is dying, one wants to save her and restore an entire world that vanished, and the other two seek unrivaled power--but when they concoct an earth-shattering plan, even the world's greatest superheroes may not be enough to stop them.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
229 people are currently reading
2353 people want to read
About the author
Geoff Johns
2,716 books2,410 followersGeoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
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June 28, 2017
The sequel to the events on the very first crisis!
I bought this in its single comic book issues, but I chosen this TPB edition to make a better overall review.
This TPB edition collects “Infinite Crisis” #1-7.
Creative Team:
Writer: Geoff Johns
Illustrators: Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Ivan Reis & Joe Bennett
SINS OF THE BRONZE AGE
This crisis is a direct sequel to the events shown on the famous Crisis on Infinite Earths, and while on Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is also mentioned the first crisis, i’s clear that this, Infinite Crisis, is the true sequel to the events on the original crisis.
Twenty years have passed since the original crisis, and many things have happened, the Bronze Age was born, and the stories became more mature, darker and more violent. You could say that it wasn’t a sin of the Bronze Age per se, but a sin of the times that civilization in real life were living.
However, it’s normal to refer to the Bronze Age, as a way to distinct it from other Comic Book Eras with precisely those said characteristics.
Imagine how this evolved storytelling would be seen by characters from the previous eras, Golden & Silver ones?
Characters with moral visions, even impossible to match to real life people, but definitely the ideal portraits of the comic book literature of those more naive times, in the past.
The Joker killed a Robin (Jason Todd), Batman had developed plans to beat fellow superheroes and to control humanity (JLA: Tower of Babel; Brother Eye Satellite & OMAC sleep agents), Green Lantern Hal Jordan killed the entire GL Corps and the Oan Guardians to get enough power and getting back all that he lost; Wonder Woman murdered a man (Maxwell Lord), and it seems that the only way that Superman inspires humankind is when he was dead.
In twenty years, many gritty things have happened, and several of those weren’t commited by villains but by heroes.
Imagine that noble characters sacrificed themselves in the first crisis to save this dark and violent world?
Real heroes and true villains. Something disturbingly in common? Both types think that what they do is a just cause.
Infinite number of Earths, all erased from reality, and the only remnant one is hardly a role model to inspire hope and peace.
In real life, there are many layers of grey, to watch all those dark situations in different angles,…
…but for Golden & Silver Age comic book characters that they were made for only seeing in white and black?
Imagine when some of those Golden & Silver Age characters would start to interact with the Bronze Age characters, standing in the same grounds, breathing the same air,…
…adopting the same dark and violent behavior…
…because after all, the end justifies the means, right?
They are looking to end the dark Earth of now, to shape a perfect world, one where the morals of yesteryear would lead to a brighter future.
Such inspiring ideal can only lead to something good, right?
Wrong.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
A man wants that the woman he loves would live forever.
Other man wants to grasp perfection.
And a young boy with too much power wants to be a hero.
Nothing good would come out of this and precious blood will be spilled.
I bought this in its single comic book issues, but I chosen this TPB edition to make a better overall review.
This TPB edition collects “Infinite Crisis” #1-7.
Creative Team:
Writer: Geoff Johns
Illustrators: Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Ivan Reis & Joe Bennett
SINS OF THE BRONZE AGE
This crisis is a direct sequel to the events shown on the famous Crisis on Infinite Earths, and while on Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is also mentioned the first crisis, i’s clear that this, Infinite Crisis, is the true sequel to the events on the original crisis.
Twenty years have passed since the original crisis, and many things have happened, the Bronze Age was born, and the stories became more mature, darker and more violent. You could say that it wasn’t a sin of the Bronze Age per se, but a sin of the times that civilization in real life were living.
However, it’s normal to refer to the Bronze Age, as a way to distinct it from other Comic Book Eras with precisely those said characteristics.
Imagine how this evolved storytelling would be seen by characters from the previous eras, Golden & Silver ones?
Characters with moral visions, even impossible to match to real life people, but definitely the ideal portraits of the comic book literature of those more naive times, in the past.
The Joker killed a Robin (Jason Todd), Batman had developed plans to beat fellow superheroes and to control humanity (JLA: Tower of Babel; Brother Eye Satellite & OMAC sleep agents), Green Lantern Hal Jordan killed the entire GL Corps and the Oan Guardians to get enough power and getting back all that he lost; Wonder Woman murdered a man (Maxwell Lord), and it seems that the only way that Superman inspires humankind is when he was dead.
In twenty years, many gritty things have happened, and several of those weren’t commited by villains but by heroes.
Imagine that noble characters sacrificed themselves in the first crisis to save this dark and violent world?
Real heroes and true villains. Something disturbingly in common? Both types think that what they do is a just cause.
Infinite number of Earths, all erased from reality, and the only remnant one is hardly a role model to inspire hope and peace.
In real life, there are many layers of grey, to watch all those dark situations in different angles,…
…but for Golden & Silver Age comic book characters that they were made for only seeing in white and black?
Imagine when some of those Golden & Silver Age characters would start to interact with the Bronze Age characters, standing in the same grounds, breathing the same air,…
…adopting the same dark and violent behavior…
…because after all, the end justifies the means, right?
They are looking to end the dark Earth of now, to shape a perfect world, one where the morals of yesteryear would lead to a brighter future.
Such inspiring ideal can only lead to something good, right?
Wrong.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
A man wants that the woman he loves would live forever.
Other man wants to grasp perfection.
And a young boy with too much power wants to be a hero.
Nothing good would come out of this and precious blood will be spilled.
June 30, 2015
Did someone say Sequel To Crisis On Infinite Earths? No? Well, Geoff Johns wrote one anyway - this is Infinite Convolution!
The story is that the Golden Age DC superheroes, who were retired at the end of the original Crisis, have decided to come back, kill everyone, and destroy all worlds, forming a single perfect new world for them alone. Why? Because the current superheroes are just too dark and gritty for their liking. Right. So killing them all, not to mention countless innocents, isn’t at all hypocritical!
I read one Countdown to Infinite Crisis book - The OMAC Project - two years ago and none of the other various titles so a lot of what makes up Infinite Crisis is a total mystery to me. And that’s a problem because the book assumes you’ve read them all, launching straight into the references to them from the beginning. For me, turning the pages revealed one massive, baffling conflict after another - the reading experience of Infinite Crisis is like having a lunatic grab your shirt and scream into your face every few seconds! Why - what does it mean, and could you please stop? The thing is, even if I had read every Countdown book, I doubt I’d enjoy this any better. Comprehension would not make this noise bearable.
I can’t stress how many characters there are in this book - it’s literally everyone in the DC Universe and then some! Nearly every page is stuffed with scores of heroes, all angsty as hell, and intent on fighting one another for seemingly no reason. I got some of the plots - Wonder Woman killed Maxwell Lord and the world has turned against her; Batman built Brother Eye and the OMACs have gone haywire - but everything else? No clue. And there is a metric fucktonne of everything else!
Superboy Prime, the villain of the piece, is an idiotic twit who wants to be the only Superboy ever and then later the only Superman ever. He does this through yelling his motivations every time he appears and then launching into yet another overblown, overlong big dumb action sequence of punching, punching, shirt-ripping, and more punching. He’s such a boring villain.
But wait, there’s more villainy! Alexander Luthor (there’s a few Lexs here, I think Alexander is a different one from the usual Lex) has harnessed the power of a dead Anti-Monitor to somehow crash together all the various Earths?! And if that wasn’t confusing (why aren’t the gravitational fields of the Earths in such close proximity to each other having any effect on anything?), it’s down to Superboy (another one - don’t ask) and Nightwing to save the day!? This was so underdeveloped and yet it was the whole point of the book!
I appreciate the artists’ efforts - the time it must’ve taken to draw so many superheroes on so many pages alone must’ve been sizeable - but it just looks awful. It really does. Cram the pages with 50 characters per page just looks like shit. There’s no quality here, just excess in a George Lucas/Star Wars Prequels way.
I can understand some people saying Infinite Crisis’ worst crime is that it ruined the legacy of the original Crisis - that the Golden Age characters should’ve remained retired peacefully rather than brought back and given the modern day dark and gritty DC treatment thus tarnishing that legacy. But I don’t really care about the Golden or Silver Age comics so I don’t empathise, though I can see why it’d bother some fans.
There’s no main character to follow, no real story - to call Infinite Crisis a mess would be generous. Johns’ writing and the overall art showcases the worst qualities of the superhero genre in a single volume. It is simply just stupidly loud and obnoxious gibberish. If an eggy fart could be a comic, it would be Infinite Crisis.
The story is that the Golden Age DC superheroes, who were retired at the end of the original Crisis, have decided to come back, kill everyone, and destroy all worlds, forming a single perfect new world for them alone. Why? Because the current superheroes are just too dark and gritty for their liking. Right. So killing them all, not to mention countless innocents, isn’t at all hypocritical!
I read one Countdown to Infinite Crisis book - The OMAC Project - two years ago and none of the other various titles so a lot of what makes up Infinite Crisis is a total mystery to me. And that’s a problem because the book assumes you’ve read them all, launching straight into the references to them from the beginning. For me, turning the pages revealed one massive, baffling conflict after another - the reading experience of Infinite Crisis is like having a lunatic grab your shirt and scream into your face every few seconds! Why - what does it mean, and could you please stop? The thing is, even if I had read every Countdown book, I doubt I’d enjoy this any better. Comprehension would not make this noise bearable.
I can’t stress how many characters there are in this book - it’s literally everyone in the DC Universe and then some! Nearly every page is stuffed with scores of heroes, all angsty as hell, and intent on fighting one another for seemingly no reason. I got some of the plots - Wonder Woman killed Maxwell Lord and the world has turned against her; Batman built Brother Eye and the OMACs have gone haywire - but everything else? No clue. And there is a metric fucktonne of everything else!
Superboy Prime, the villain of the piece, is an idiotic twit who wants to be the only Superboy ever and then later the only Superman ever. He does this through yelling his motivations every time he appears and then launching into yet another overblown, overlong big dumb action sequence of punching, punching, shirt-ripping, and more punching. He’s such a boring villain.
But wait, there’s more villainy! Alexander Luthor (there’s a few Lexs here, I think Alexander is a different one from the usual Lex) has harnessed the power of a dead Anti-Monitor to somehow crash together all the various Earths?! And if that wasn’t confusing (why aren’t the gravitational fields of the Earths in such close proximity to each other having any effect on anything?), it’s down to Superboy (another one - don’t ask) and Nightwing to save the day!? This was so underdeveloped and yet it was the whole point of the book!
I appreciate the artists’ efforts - the time it must’ve taken to draw so many superheroes on so many pages alone must’ve been sizeable - but it just looks awful. It really does. Cram the pages with 50 characters per page just looks like shit. There’s no quality here, just excess in a George Lucas/Star Wars Prequels way.
I can understand some people saying Infinite Crisis’ worst crime is that it ruined the legacy of the original Crisis - that the Golden Age characters should’ve remained retired peacefully rather than brought back and given the modern day dark and gritty DC treatment thus tarnishing that legacy. But I don’t really care about the Golden or Silver Age comics so I don’t empathise, though I can see why it’d bother some fans.
There’s no main character to follow, no real story - to call Infinite Crisis a mess would be generous. Johns’ writing and the overall art showcases the worst qualities of the superhero genre in a single volume. It is simply just stupidly loud and obnoxious gibberish. If an eggy fart could be a comic, it would be Infinite Crisis.
December 2, 2019
The series storyline is a sequel to the 1985 “Crisis on Infinite Earths” dealing with the Multiverse (in which the many parallel worlds were threatened by the Anti-Monitor). In this installment the Superman (Kal'L) and Lois of Earth-Two come to Earth-One with SuperBoy Prime and Lex Luthor of Earth-3 (a good Luthor) to try and bring back Earth-Two (because Superman of Earth-Two thinks it will restore Lois' health) which will threaten Earth-One. Did you get all of that? Pay attention. There will be an exam later.
It was mainly created as a 20th anniversary to “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and was apparently over three years in the making. Note that “Crisis on Infinite Earths” sold exceptionally well.
THE VERY BASIC STORY:
On Earth-One the HQ of the JLA has been destroyed and the DC Trinity are at odds. Oh, btw, that would be Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Meanwhile, a number of incidents happen and we get exposed to a ton of various DC superheroes (well known to almost no one but true DC pro readers and I am not one of them). Meanwhile, a group of old superheroes return to Earth-One with critical opinions towards their fellow superheroes. There are arguably no main villains in this tale but more superheroes who do not agree with one another and are fighting over various principles. It's hard to go into more details because if I do so I would likely reveal spoilers. Not good if that happened, right?
I don't want to give the story away too much but it really helps if you read the 1985 crisis graphic novel. You can certainly skip it but certain connections won't mean much for you unless you Wiki it.
When I read this tale a second time I realized it is really the tale of Kal'L, the Superman of Earth-Two, who echoes to the readers a time when the moral compass of graphic novels was very black and white. You either did it the right way or not and there wasn't much room in between. Some might argue those were never true concepts to begin with and were just promoted in comics but there you have it.
Kal-L's story as shown in the narrative box focuses is one coming home. When he finally “achieves” his end goal there is almost a borderline goofy oh so happy countenance that you rarely see on adult superheroes today. And what does that say about who we have become as a society? Too jaded and not open to miracles perhaps?
There's an interesting compare and contrast of the superheroes of old and superheroes of the new in which one could argue the former are the pure moral compass whereas the latter are more about the greater good than what is right. During one moment when Wonder Woman of Earth-One uses her lasso on Kal'L he rightly points out that it isn't necessary as the people of his planet do not lie.
Written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway. Since Jimenez is involved you know there are going to be single pages with a ton of superheroes and/or villains on it so be prepared.
Infinite Crisis #1 was ranked first in the top 300 comics for October 2005 with pre-order sales of 249,265. This was almost double the second ranked comic House of M #7 which had pre-order sales of 134,429. Infinite Crisis #2 was also the top seller in top 300 comics for November 2005 with pre-order sales of 207,564. (Wiki)
ACTION SCENES: A minus to A; DC MYTHOLOGY/FOCUSES: A minus; STORY/PLOTTING/PANELS: A minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus to A minus; HEROIC THEMES DELIVERY: B plus to A minus; OVERALL GRADE: A minus; WHEN READ:December to February 2013.
It was mainly created as a 20th anniversary to “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and was apparently over three years in the making. Note that “Crisis on Infinite Earths” sold exceptionally well.
THE VERY BASIC STORY:
On Earth-One the HQ of the JLA has been destroyed and the DC Trinity are at odds. Oh, btw, that would be Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Meanwhile, a number of incidents happen and we get exposed to a ton of various DC superheroes (well known to almost no one but true DC pro readers and I am not one of them). Meanwhile, a group of old superheroes return to Earth-One with critical opinions towards their fellow superheroes. There are arguably no main villains in this tale but more superheroes who do not agree with one another and are fighting over various principles. It's hard to go into more details because if I do so I would likely reveal spoilers. Not good if that happened, right?
I don't want to give the story away too much but it really helps if you read the 1985 crisis graphic novel. You can certainly skip it but certain connections won't mean much for you unless you Wiki it.
When I read this tale a second time I realized it is really the tale of Kal'L, the Superman of Earth-Two, who echoes to the readers a time when the moral compass of graphic novels was very black and white. You either did it the right way or not and there wasn't much room in between. Some might argue those were never true concepts to begin with and were just promoted in comics but there you have it.
Kal-L's story as shown in the narrative box focuses is one coming home. When he finally “achieves” his end goal there is almost a borderline goofy oh so happy countenance that you rarely see on adult superheroes today. And what does that say about who we have become as a society? Too jaded and not open to miracles perhaps?
There's an interesting compare and contrast of the superheroes of old and superheroes of the new in which one could argue the former are the pure moral compass whereas the latter are more about the greater good than what is right. During one moment when Wonder Woman of Earth-One uses her lasso on Kal'L he rightly points out that it isn't necessary as the people of his planet do not lie.
Written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway. Since Jimenez is involved you know there are going to be single pages with a ton of superheroes and/or villains on it so be prepared.
Infinite Crisis #1 was ranked first in the top 300 comics for October 2005 with pre-order sales of 249,265. This was almost double the second ranked comic House of M #7 which had pre-order sales of 134,429. Infinite Crisis #2 was also the top seller in top 300 comics for November 2005 with pre-order sales of 207,564. (Wiki)
ACTION SCENES: A minus to A; DC MYTHOLOGY/FOCUSES: A minus; STORY/PLOTTING/PANELS: A minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus to A minus; HEROIC THEMES DELIVERY: B plus to A minus; OVERALL GRADE: A minus; WHEN READ:December to February 2013.
April 7, 2021
A DC event made for DC super fans. I'll start in with this, if you just read this and aren't familiar with DC's history, you will probably be lost. This is a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths which occurred 20 years before. In addition, there are 4 Countdown to Infinite Crisis miniseries plus a Superman: Infinite Crisis trade that would all be beneficial to read to get the full impact of what's happening.
The basis of the book itself is that the relationship between DC's big three is fractured. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman no longer trust each other. Meanwhile, some big players we haven't seen since Crisis think the Earth that came out of Crisis is dark and depraved and want to replace it with Earth-2, which had more of a Golden Age comics sensibility to it. I thought the story was great. Geoff Johns excels at epic tales with jaw-dropping moments. I thought this was a worthy successor to Crisis.
If there's anyone that compete with George Perez, it's Phil Jimenez. This book looks gorgeous with all these spreads of hundreds of characters. It's definitely holds its own with Perez's legacy.
The basis of the book itself is that the relationship between DC's big three is fractured. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman no longer trust each other. Meanwhile, some big players we haven't seen since Crisis think the Earth that came out of Crisis is dark and depraved and want to replace it with Earth-2, which had more of a Golden Age comics sensibility to it. I thought the story was great. Geoff Johns excels at epic tales with jaw-dropping moments. I thought this was a worthy successor to Crisis.
If there's anyone that compete with George Perez, it's Phil Jimenez. This book looks gorgeous with all these spreads of hundreds of characters. It's definitely holds its own with Perez's legacy.
June 11, 2021
So I had to reread this gigantic space opera (twice in three months) because I could barely remember what happened, which says two things: a lot happens, and I read those things too quickly to comprehend. I would recommend a slow and thoughtful read.
The reason why this book exists is because of Crisis on Infinite Earths. I know some critics think this sequel is "unnecessary," but how can we say that about art? Isn't all art technically unnecessary? And aren't story arcs magical because they are never fully resolved, left just ambiguously enough that we can interpret their ends however we like, the stories either neatly tucked into the shelves of libraries, or constantly scattered on the desks of feverish comic writers?
Crisis dealt with the creation and destruction of the multiverse. But apparently the efforts of literally countless superheroes defied physics and nature and created some inherent--let's call it the FLAW--which was sown into existence like a shit beanstalk that would eventually break through and a shit giant would climb down and go ape shit on everyone and everything, much like the Anti-Monitor*. (Key detail, file that away for later.) But instead of just a shit giant ripping apart the universe with his bare shitty hands in Infinite Crisis, it is the FLAW that lays in wait in the Earth and the universe and even the heroes themselves, now prone to chaos and darkness, one could even say the spirit of the Anti-Monitor*. (See what I mean?)
Okay, so that's a really grand and pointless metaphor, but what's actually happening? The simplest explanation would be this: Shit has gotten fucked up from Crisis, and survivors from that destruction seek to recreate their worlds at the cost of other worlds. This is where the "selfish vs. selfless" really comes into play, and you can tell the bad guys from the good guys. Again, I'm being intentionally vague to avoid spoilers.
Want specificity? Here's a taste of what happens in the beginning. Scene: the Moon. The Justice League Tower has been nearly destroyed. Our Superman (Kal-El from Earth One) arrives to investigate, joining Batman and Wonder Woman. They are looking for J'onn Jones, Martian Manhunter, who is missing. In their exchange we learn that Batman has become paranoid and untrusting, Wonder Woman a warmonger, and Superman sad and resigned, although he still wants to facilitate change. But little too late, as his two greatest allies have changed for the worse and the world with them.
Already there's a hint of Watchmen's heroes versus society as Wonder Woman's crime is brought to national attention, setting up the "Us vs. Them" theme. I've seen this in classic comics like Watchmen, Marvels, and Kingdom Come so far, and it's no easy subject to write, particularly within an already cosmic-level event. Although this theme seems to fade as the comic goes on, it surprisingly expands into the greater theme of "selfish vs. selfless" and we see the true nature of our heroes come to light.
Meanwhile in Sector 2682 following the Rann-Thanagar War (which I haven't read about), something is splitting the universe, and the Guardians of the Universe try to figure out what it is while the Green Lantern Corps and others are playing damage control on a cosmic scale. What's happening? What's causing the universe to split? Do I have unpaid parking tickets for Sector 2682?
Just in the first issue several different story arcs are set in place (and which most are nicely concluded by the end). As the story continues, each hero travels down a path to enlightenment from darkness, eliminating their FLAW and redeeming themselves (most villains excluded). There are many tragic and gruesome deaths and bloody brawls, but the overwhelming feeling I am left with is optimism, heart, and altruism. Which reminds me that this is ultimately a Superman comic, be it a great one. Batman has a big role here, but even he learns a lesson. This is a fascinating and complex read, with artwork as mind blowing and detailed as the original Crisis. This is an unequivocal five stars.
October 27, 2015
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
Back when I was a kid, I remember being one of the few kids in my junior high who did not like the outcome of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Not that I didn’t enjoy the mini series, because I did, but I hated that all those unique, interesting, and bizarre worlds had been compressed down into just one. I mean, why do that when you can let creators tell all kinds of cool stories about different superheroes on different worlds with no concerns about continuity?
It seemed silly for DC Comics to willingly throw away all that creative flexibility in exchange for a self-inflicted continuity nightmare. But who was I to question the professionals, so I rolled with the punches, learning to love Byrne’s Superman, Perez’s Wonder Woman, Giffen/DeMatteis's Justice League, and all the other post-Crisis titles.
I mention my opinion about long ago Crisis, because when reading Infinite Crisis, I had similar feelings of disappointment. Sure the series was a beautifully drawn collection, breathtaking even, that compares favorably to that original Crisis. And, yes, the story was okay, filled with emotional moments and cool twists that set up some changes in the DCU of that time. But . . . (I mean, you knew the “but” was coming, right?) Infinite suffered from the same problems as the original Crisis in having too much going on, too many characters, sacrificing established capes for shock value, and then failing to reinstate the infinite earths. All of which led me to be pretty “meh” about it after finishing.
Am I sorry I read it? No, I guess not. I don’t really see where this Infinite Crisis was really as big of a deal as Crisis on Infinite Earths, but, at least, I can mark it off my to-be-read pile. So for that reason, I’m glad I read it, but otherwise, I’m not taking much away from this one.
Back when I was a kid, I remember being one of the few kids in my junior high who did not like the outcome of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Not that I didn’t enjoy the mini series, because I did, but I hated that all those unique, interesting, and bizarre worlds had been compressed down into just one. I mean, why do that when you can let creators tell all kinds of cool stories about different superheroes on different worlds with no concerns about continuity?
It seemed silly for DC Comics to willingly throw away all that creative flexibility in exchange for a self-inflicted continuity nightmare. But who was I to question the professionals, so I rolled with the punches, learning to love Byrne’s Superman, Perez’s Wonder Woman, Giffen/DeMatteis's Justice League, and all the other post-Crisis titles.
I mention my opinion about long ago Crisis, because when reading Infinite Crisis, I had similar feelings of disappointment. Sure the series was a beautifully drawn collection, breathtaking even, that compares favorably to that original Crisis. And, yes, the story was okay, filled with emotional moments and cool twists that set up some changes in the DCU of that time. But . . . (I mean, you knew the “but” was coming, right?) Infinite suffered from the same problems as the original Crisis in having too much going on, too many characters, sacrificing established capes for shock value, and then failing to reinstate the infinite earths. All of which led me to be pretty “meh” about it after finishing.
Am I sorry I read it? No, I guess not. I don’t really see where this Infinite Crisis was really as big of a deal as Crisis on Infinite Earths, but, at least, I can mark it off my to-be-read pile. So for that reason, I’m glad I read it, but otherwise, I’m not taking much away from this one.
September 4, 2011
Infinite Crisis has been on my to-read list for a while now, so I figured it was time to man-up (which is hard to do when you're not a man) and plow through it. Honestly, I thought it would suck. And, well...it didn't.
Was I confused?
Yes.
Was it a slice of awesomeness?
No.
But it really wasn't bad, and it explained a few things that I had been wondering about for a while now.
In the end, it's a must-read for anyone who wants to understand a little bit more about how the DC universe is put together.
Hmmm. Or maybe how it can be pulled apart and put back together again?
Was I confused?
Yes.
Was it a slice of awesomeness?
No.
But it really wasn't bad, and it explained a few things that I had been wondering about for a while now.
In the end, it's a must-read for anyone who wants to understand a little bit more about how the DC universe is put together.
Hmmm. Or maybe how it can be pulled apart and put back together again?
April 4, 2020
2019 Absolute Edition Re-read
So I took a moment and re-read this after familiarizing myself a bit more with DC comics lore and I must admit I appreciated it much more a second time around! I actually really like it as a matter of fact! I was more engaged with where we find the characters at the start and what they learned along the way, and how their experience of meeting the pre-Crisis heroes put things into perspective for them.
It seemed like the first time the DC Trinity have had their mistakes shoved into their faces this potently. Wonder Woman has to learn to be more compassionate, Batman has to confront his paranoia and the fact that his distrust can be destructive, and Superman realizes that he isn't inspiring the world the way he used to. I found it very compelling this time around. And then there's Superboy Prime, such a great villain: an immature, insecure kid with unstoppable power and a temper problem. He's basically Kylo Ren with god-powers and one of my favorite things in this book.
I still believe it's WAY too crowded with characters that only serve to make it confusing, and I wish they did a better job at reacquainting new readers. It could've been a lot tighter but there's some really good stuff here and I'm very glad I gave it another chance.
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Original review:
Man, this is why so many people are turned off from reading superhero comics from Marvel and DC. I feel that before I read this, I should've read all of the lead-up books to Infinite Crisis as well as every DC comic book in existence because I understood maybe 7% of this whole story. There are some interesting elements here: whether its every DC hero basically getting their asses kicked by a pretty awesome villain in Superboy Prime, or a story that touches on the difference between the simple heroism of the Golden and Silver Age versus the darker, morally grey heroes of the Modern Age (essentially pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths vs. post-Crisis heroes).
I see what Geoff Johns is trying to say. But damn it, I'm not going to pretend I understand most of what happens in this book or who half the people are. And I'm not going to pretend that I believe that it's necessary to be this dense. I don't know. I've been thinking that I shouldn't rate these comics that I just don't understand, because readers more versed in DEEP DC mythos might really enjoy this. But I struggled with finishing this one.
So I took a moment and re-read this after familiarizing myself a bit more with DC comics lore and I must admit I appreciated it much more a second time around! I actually really like it as a matter of fact! I was more engaged with where we find the characters at the start and what they learned along the way, and how their experience of meeting the pre-Crisis heroes put things into perspective for them.
It seemed like the first time the DC Trinity have had their mistakes shoved into their faces this potently. Wonder Woman has to learn to be more compassionate, Batman has to confront his paranoia and the fact that his distrust can be destructive, and Superman realizes that he isn't inspiring the world the way he used to. I found it very compelling this time around. And then there's Superboy Prime, such a great villain: an immature, insecure kid with unstoppable power and a temper problem. He's basically Kylo Ren with god-powers and one of my favorite things in this book.
I still believe it's WAY too crowded with characters that only serve to make it confusing, and I wish they did a better job at reacquainting new readers. It could've been a lot tighter but there's some really good stuff here and I'm very glad I gave it another chance.
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Original review:
Man, this is why so many people are turned off from reading superhero comics from Marvel and DC. I feel that before I read this, I should've read all of the lead-up books to Infinite Crisis as well as every DC comic book in existence because I understood maybe 7% of this whole story. There are some interesting elements here: whether its every DC hero basically getting their asses kicked by a pretty awesome villain in Superboy Prime, or a story that touches on the difference between the simple heroism of the Golden and Silver Age versus the darker, morally grey heroes of the Modern Age (essentially pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths vs. post-Crisis heroes).
I see what Geoff Johns is trying to say. But damn it, I'm not going to pretend I understand most of what happens in this book or who half the people are. And I'm not going to pretend that I believe that it's necessary to be this dense. I don't know. I've been thinking that I shouldn't rate these comics that I just don't understand, because readers more versed in DEEP DC mythos might really enjoy this. But I struggled with finishing this one.
July 16, 2008
What?
I will give a shiny new penny to anyone who can explain with any level of coherence what's happening here.
It's damn near Dadist.
I will give a shiny new penny to anyone who can explain with any level of coherence what's happening here.
It's damn near Dadist.
August 13, 2010
This is an epic. A classic. This book deals with a lot of the same issues that I have been feeling with comic books lately. The biggest one being the fact that comic books seem to have lots their glory and honor. The superheroes of today are grittier and have lost some of their moral compass.
Geoff Johns (and company) delve deep into the hearts of the heroes of the DC universe, revealing their souls and allowing the characters to get back in touch with their continence. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are really at the center of the story and have to save the world, but first have to save themselves and remember their code of ethics.
This book is a fantastic reboot to the Dc universe and I'm sure it is going to be cherished by comic fans for ages.
Geoff Johns (and company) delve deep into the hearts of the heroes of the DC universe, revealing their souls and allowing the characters to get back in touch with their continence. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are really at the center of the story and have to save the world, but first have to save themselves and remember their code of ethics.
This book is a fantastic reboot to the Dc universe and I'm sure it is going to be cherished by comic fans for ages.
October 21, 2021
THIS WAS EPIC!
It starts with the golden age Superman and Super-boy Prime and Alexander Luthor judging the heroes of this earth unworthy and going darker and wanting to restore Earth 2 and thus begins a war between them and well one thing leads to the other, Alex has other plans while Prime wants to be the real Superboy and we have them fight it out and one will fall and the other will rise, that is the earths. They wanna go back to Earth-2 to save lois and restore the perfect Earth and its a war on both sides, heroes will fall and rise, and its the threat of SUPERBOY-PRIME thats gonna change them all for good or better and the ending with the fight on all sides with GLC, 2 Supermen and Flashes trying to stop him and everything and whatever Batman does1
Its an epic event and is a true sequel to COIE and its perfect and so well written and there is a great subtext that Johns is laying underneath it and he does a good job of showing the contrast and fleshing out Alex and Prime and giving Conner, Bart and Superman of Golden age aka Original Superman a great moment to shine and sacrifice and in the end the multiverse is back and the fallout from this will continue for quite a while!
It starts with the golden age Superman and Super-boy Prime and Alexander Luthor judging the heroes of this earth unworthy and going darker and wanting to restore Earth 2 and thus begins a war between them and well one thing leads to the other, Alex has other plans while Prime wants to be the real Superboy and we have them fight it out and one will fall and the other will rise, that is the earths. They wanna go back to Earth-2 to save lois and restore the perfect Earth and its a war on both sides, heroes will fall and rise, and its the threat of SUPERBOY-PRIME thats gonna change them all for good or better and the ending with the fight on all sides with GLC, 2 Supermen and Flashes trying to stop him and everything and whatever Batman does1
Its an epic event and is a true sequel to COIE and its perfect and so well written and there is a great subtext that Johns is laying underneath it and he does a good job of showing the contrast and fleshing out Alex and Prime and giving Conner, Bart and Superman of Golden age aka Original Superman a great moment to shine and sacrifice and in the end the multiverse is back and the fallout from this will continue for quite a while!
September 26, 2024
I see what Geoff Johns was going for, and this was in his heyday at DC in the 2000s, but Infinite Crisis didn't work for me as much as it should have.
A sequel to the classic Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was more a character-based story than the cosmic scope of the last one. The purpose of bringing back Earth 2 was to get into the motivations of the original Action Comics 1 Superman. Villains like Superboy Prime weren't just evil for no reason like the Anti-Moniter, he represented toxic fandom. And, Alexander Luthor of Earth 3 was just a great evil genius.
Overall, however, this led to Johns being way too occupied with continuity and endlessly retconning the multiverse. Just again and again they went back to that well. This legacy hurt DC a lot more than it helped tell good stories, in the long run.
There were some positive aspects. I actually liked the prelude series more, like Villains United written by Gail Simone and Rann-Thanagar War etc. (Even if they were forced to connect all those to the same narrative as a Crisis after the fact.)
Furthermore the immediate sequel 52 was excellent. But more on that series later.
A sequel to the classic Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was more a character-based story than the cosmic scope of the last one. The purpose of bringing back Earth 2 was to get into the motivations of the original Action Comics 1 Superman. Villains like Superboy Prime weren't just evil for no reason like the Anti-Moniter, he represented toxic fandom. And, Alexander Luthor of Earth 3 was just a great evil genius.
Overall, however, this led to Johns being way too occupied with continuity and endlessly retconning the multiverse. Just again and again they went back to that well. This legacy hurt DC a lot more than it helped tell good stories, in the long run.
There were some positive aspects. I actually liked the prelude series more, like Villains United written by Gail Simone and Rann-Thanagar War etc. (Even if they were forced to connect all those to the same narrative as a Crisis after the fact.)
Furthermore the immediate sequel 52 was excellent. But more on that series later.
April 15, 2023
Re-read 2023: I agree with everything said before. It's BIG but it also flows nicely. Some great character moments, and even more so now that I have a ton of DC history in my head now. Worth it for sure if you love the DC Lore.
Original 2017 Review: Well color me impressed, I had fun with this. I can get that some might find this "too big" or "Too messy" or "Just not for me" and I get that. I do. However, I found the ambitious 200+ page book to be a lot of fun. I didn't read any lead ups to this (which I heard were all good) but I still really enjoyed a lot of this.
Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman are at odds. Then we have Superman from earth 2 upset of how the world has turned out. He also has Lex/Superboy on his side and they decide to change things. Of course you have the main villain, Lex, and a misguided hero Superman earth 2, and a broken one Superboy. Mix them all together and you have a very fun crossover with a ton of shit happening.
What I liked: The art was solid throughout. I felt it mixed old school and new well. The pacing is so fast you might have to re-read pages a few times because you might miss things by blinking! Each page is basically focusing on someone new and I thought that was smart. I was never bored. Confused a bit? Sure. But never bored. I also liked how the world had to work together and some really great team ups. We all had some great moments like Superboy prime vs Superboy or Superboy Prime vs two supermans. Both really fun.
What I didn't like: This is ALOT and some panels I was just like who the fuck is that? And then they never show up again. Also one thing it felt a little TOO gory filled and bloody. I get that's the idea behind the message here but goddamn there was a ton of fucked up deaths.
I really did have a good time reading this. I mean no event is perfect, I never read one I'd give a 5, but this is too fun to give it any less than a 3.5 but my enjoyment with it I'ma round it up to 4. So saying that, checking Infinite Crisis. I recommend having a decent amount of knowledge in the universe before jumping on it though!
Original 2017 Review: Well color me impressed, I had fun with this. I can get that some might find this "too big" or "Too messy" or "Just not for me" and I get that. I do. However, I found the ambitious 200+ page book to be a lot of fun. I didn't read any lead ups to this (which I heard were all good) but I still really enjoyed a lot of this.
Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman are at odds. Then we have Superman from earth 2 upset of how the world has turned out. He also has Lex/Superboy on his side and they decide to change things. Of course you have the main villain, Lex, and a misguided hero Superman earth 2, and a broken one Superboy. Mix them all together and you have a very fun crossover with a ton of shit happening.
What I liked: The art was solid throughout. I felt it mixed old school and new well. The pacing is so fast you might have to re-read pages a few times because you might miss things by blinking! Each page is basically focusing on someone new and I thought that was smart. I was never bored. Confused a bit? Sure. But never bored. I also liked how the world had to work together and some really great team ups. We all had some great moments like Superboy prime vs Superboy or Superboy Prime vs two supermans. Both really fun.
What I didn't like: This is ALOT and some panels I was just like who the fuck is that? And then they never show up again. Also one thing it felt a little TOO gory filled and bloody. I get that's the idea behind the message here but goddamn there was a ton of fucked up deaths.
I really did have a good time reading this. I mean no event is perfect, I never read one I'd give a 5, but this is too fun to give it any less than a 3.5 but my enjoyment with it I'ma round it up to 4. So saying that, checking Infinite Crisis. I recommend having a decent amount of knowledge in the universe before jumping on it though!
August 12, 2017
I am going to a brief review for this one. There are so many conflicting opinions about Infinite Crisis. Some think it's great, and others not so much. After reading it and having some time to let everything sink in, I am falling somewhere in the middle.
The first thing that I have to point out is that this is a HUGE crossover of DC characters. If you are not an avid comic book reader, I doubt that some of this would make sense to you. There is just so much going on and there are so many different characters to keep track of. I mean, you would probably get the gist, but a lot would be lost on you.
The story was good, but it wasn't something that wowed me. I felt like something more could have been brought into the story to give it that extra something. That aside, I don't regret reading it.
The first thing that I have to point out is that this is a HUGE crossover of DC characters. If you are not an avid comic book reader, I doubt that some of this would make sense to you. There is just so much going on and there are so many different characters to keep track of. I mean, you would probably get the gist, but a lot would be lost on you.
The story was good, but it wasn't something that wowed me. I felt like something more could have been brought into the story to give it that extra something. That aside, I don't regret reading it.
March 4, 2016
Infinite Crisis reads as a direct sequel to the Epic Crisis On Infinite Earths. If you haven't read that, I would recommend reading it first!
While this story isn't quite as epic it is still huge and very impressive. We join the story much like the start of COIE. Mysterious figures are watching the developments in earth while vicious storms rage in the skies above. Earth’s heroes seem to have lost their way. The DC trinity are at odds with one another about how to best protect the earth. Wonder Woman has murdered Maxwell Lord and Brother Eye (which/who has gone rogue) has broadcast it for the world to see. The Watchtower has been destroyed. The Villains are working together under the banner The Society, and are systematically murdering and kidnapping heroes all across the globe. The universe seems to be shifting and planets moving. Spectre seems to be possessed/corrupted and shatters Rock of Eternity killing the wizard Shazam and resulting in an explosion which affects all magic. The O.M.A.C.S. arrive to bring in Wonder Woman and a war ensues.
The onlookers are discussing how the Heroes have failed the earth and cannot be trusted to protect it anymore. They feel they cannot let things continue, they must now intervene. They agree that the earth that was saved during events of Crisis On Infinite Earths was the wrong earth. This is a dark, gritty earth (earth 1) in comparison with a better, purer earth (earth 2) that was lost during end of the Multiverse. It's inhabitants, corrupted versions of earth 2 populous. In order to save the earth and someone that they hold very dear, they seek to bring back earth 2. The lines between good and evil are blurred here and it becomes a case of perspective to a certain extent. As the story progresses and thisline does become more defined.
As with and DC major event or crisis, there are some major casualties here. Some very tragic events that have an big emotional impact.
One small criticism I had of COIE was the the tiny role that Batman played in. For such a major DC character he was criminally underused. This is rectified In this book as he has a starring role. Also towards the end of the story (and I am avoiding spoilers here) two incidents take place that, for me, highlight the main fundamental difference between Batman and Joker. I will let you discover that one for yourself.
Another major aspect of this book is the birth of a new Villain, and oh what a villain. I won't say who and I don't know if they have been used since (it is shocking if they haven't!) but to say they is formidable is an understatement. Their progression and character development throughout this book is very impressively written. Again I won't spoil it, but is so good!
So would I recommend this book? Hell yes, it is an amazing and well thought out story. To get the most out of it, I would definitely recommend reading Crisis On a infinite Earths first. Not a necessity though. Is it as good as COIE? not quite. It is a far more accessible read though. It is also one of the most significant and important books in the entire DC universe. Events in this here impact hugely on all the DC titles that follow. Again to say more would spoil the story.
5 stars, read it!
While this story isn't quite as epic it is still huge and very impressive. We join the story much like the start of COIE. Mysterious figures are watching the developments in earth while vicious storms rage in the skies above. Earth’s heroes seem to have lost their way. The DC trinity are at odds with one another about how to best protect the earth. Wonder Woman has murdered Maxwell Lord and Brother Eye (which/who has gone rogue) has broadcast it for the world to see. The Watchtower has been destroyed. The Villains are working together under the banner The Society, and are systematically murdering and kidnapping heroes all across the globe. The universe seems to be shifting and planets moving. Spectre seems to be possessed/corrupted and shatters Rock of Eternity killing the wizard Shazam and resulting in an explosion which affects all magic. The O.M.A.C.S. arrive to bring in Wonder Woman and a war ensues.
The onlookers are discussing how the Heroes have failed the earth and cannot be trusted to protect it anymore. They feel they cannot let things continue, they must now intervene. They agree that the earth that was saved during events of Crisis On Infinite Earths was the wrong earth. This is a dark, gritty earth (earth 1) in comparison with a better, purer earth (earth 2) that was lost during end of the Multiverse. It's inhabitants, corrupted versions of earth 2 populous. In order to save the earth and someone that they hold very dear, they seek to bring back earth 2. The lines between good and evil are blurred here and it becomes a case of perspective to a certain extent. As the story progresses and thisline does become more defined.
As with and DC major event or crisis, there are some major casualties here. Some very tragic events that have an big emotional impact.
One small criticism I had of COIE was the the tiny role that Batman played in. For such a major DC character he was criminally underused. This is rectified In this book as he has a starring role. Also towards the end of the story (and I am avoiding spoilers here) two incidents take place that, for me, highlight the main fundamental difference between Batman and Joker. I will let you discover that one for yourself.
Another major aspect of this book is the birth of a new Villain, and oh what a villain. I won't say who and I don't know if they have been used since (it is shocking if they haven't!) but to say they is formidable is an understatement. Their progression and character development throughout this book is very impressively written. Again I won't spoil it, but is so good!
So would I recommend this book? Hell yes, it is an amazing and well thought out story. To get the most out of it, I would definitely recommend reading Crisis On a infinite Earths first. Not a necessity though. Is it as good as COIE? not quite. It is a far more accessible read though. It is also one of the most significant and important books in the entire DC universe. Events in this here impact hugely on all the DC titles that follow. Again to say more would spoil the story.
5 stars, read it!
November 3, 2017
4 stars for a DC super fan, 3 stars for everyone else.
World: The art is strong, it's very 2000s and the detail on some of the splash pages is insane and really sets the tone and the scope of the event. This is a Crisis event so for DC this is the biggest of the biggest of events and the art informs that, fantastic. The world building here, what can I say, this is so tied into the reader's enjoyment of the book because it pulls at so much of the DC's part and present (at that time) for the scope of the story to play out. Not only do we get so much that ties this to "Crisis on Infinite Earths" but we also get huge ties to the DC Multiverse, DC lore and history, plus all the huge chunks of story and world building that led the story to the tipping point that this story takes place in. To fully appreciate the scope of the story and why the story is amazing a reader would need to know 1) Batman and Brother Eye 2) Diana and Maxwell Lord and the OMAC Project 3) Superman and the Identity Crisis 4) Identity Crisis 5) The Spectre and his war on magic 6) Ted Kord and Maxwell Lord 7) Teen Titans and Donna Troy's return 8) Superboy and his relationship with Lex 9) Rann Thanagar War 10) Green Lantern and the Corps rebuilt 11) The Flash and the Speedforce which is tied into Crisis on Infinite Earth 12) Multiverse knowledge such as Earth X, Earth 3 and so on so forth 13) Earth 2 and the folding of the Multiverse including the JSA and that's all I remember off the top of my head. So yeah this is a story that requires a lot of prior knowledge, but if you know it, if you are an avid DC reader you will love the shit out of this book, and I do.
Story: The scope is huge, it's beyond huge, it's ambitious , it's pacing is great and all the pieces of the machine are handled well if you understand the context. Everyone has a role to play and the outcome has consequence and it's earned. I don't want to say anyting else in terms of story but wow the villains the heroes the character moments, the journey the discussion on Hope and Deserve is amazing. I love this event so much and I normally hate events, I don't see consequence and I don't see growth in the characters and I find characters that don't act like they normally are in their own series but Johns does none of those things here, he knows how to tell an event. At the end when the dust settles the DCU is different, the Trinity is different and the reader is blown away at all the pieces that Johns moved for this worthy sequel to Crisis.
Characters: The Trinity are great and the core of the story, they all make sense and are what they are in their respective book during that time. Diana may seem different from what she is now in the modern era but she is great and her run was so good and it led her and Maxwell setting the last pieces in place for the story. The rest of the cast, the villains were fantastic, the characters like the Titans and just EVERYONE was spot on. I can't seem to express how amazing it is. just read it.
Yes you need to be an avid DC reader to really fully appreciate all the characters and the pieces for this massive story, but if you are...this will blow your brain. Now let's get to 52 (also amazing).
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is strong, it's very 2000s and the detail on some of the splash pages is insane and really sets the tone and the scope of the event. This is a Crisis event so for DC this is the biggest of the biggest of events and the art informs that, fantastic. The world building here, what can I say, this is so tied into the reader's enjoyment of the book because it pulls at so much of the DC's part and present (at that time) for the scope of the story to play out. Not only do we get so much that ties this to "Crisis on Infinite Earths" but we also get huge ties to the DC Multiverse, DC lore and history, plus all the huge chunks of story and world building that led the story to the tipping point that this story takes place in. To fully appreciate the scope of the story and why the story is amazing a reader would need to know 1) Batman and Brother Eye 2) Diana and Maxwell Lord and the OMAC Project 3) Superman and the Identity Crisis 4) Identity Crisis 5) The Spectre and his war on magic 6) Ted Kord and Maxwell Lord 7) Teen Titans and Donna Troy's return 8) Superboy and his relationship with Lex 9) Rann Thanagar War 10) Green Lantern and the Corps rebuilt 11) The Flash and the Speedforce which is tied into Crisis on Infinite Earth 12) Multiverse knowledge such as Earth X, Earth 3 and so on so forth 13) Earth 2 and the folding of the Multiverse including the JSA and that's all I remember off the top of my head. So yeah this is a story that requires a lot of prior knowledge, but if you know it, if you are an avid DC reader you will love the shit out of this book, and I do.
Story: The scope is huge, it's beyond huge, it's ambitious , it's pacing is great and all the pieces of the machine are handled well if you understand the context. Everyone has a role to play and the outcome has consequence and it's earned. I don't want to say anyting else in terms of story but wow the villains the heroes the character moments, the journey the discussion on Hope and Deserve is amazing. I love this event so much and I normally hate events, I don't see consequence and I don't see growth in the characters and I find characters that don't act like they normally are in their own series but Johns does none of those things here, he knows how to tell an event. At the end when the dust settles the DCU is different, the Trinity is different and the reader is blown away at all the pieces that Johns moved for this worthy sequel to Crisis.
Characters: The Trinity are great and the core of the story, they all make sense and are what they are in their respective book during that time. Diana may seem different from what she is now in the modern era but she is great and her run was so good and it led her and Maxwell setting the last pieces in place for the story. The rest of the cast, the villains were fantastic, the characters like the Titans and just EVERYONE was spot on. I can't seem to express how amazing it is. just read it.
Yes you need to be an avid DC reader to really fully appreciate all the characters and the pieces for this massive story, but if you are...this will blow your brain. Now let's get to 52 (also amazing).
Onward to the next book!
August 26, 2018
Infinite Crisis is so much better then I’ve heard.
I’ve read what I think is a significant number of event comics. I’ve read them from different eras, I’ve read some as they’ve come out and I’ve read most of them in collected editions. They are always better in collected editions.
Before Infinite Crisis I read Identity Crisis, the OMAC project, and Crisis on Conscious. And I think that was good in the understanding of this.
Now I enjoyed both OMAC project and Identity Crisis more than this. Part of that is because this event does the classic “it was all a bigger conspiracy” not just once but twice. One in revealing Superman of earth two to be the perpetrator and then another time when it reveals Alexander Luthor to be behind it all. I could argue a third time with Superboy prime but I won’t.
Speaking of Superboy prime this was the event that turned him into the massive force of destruction I had always heard he was.
I read Crisis on Infinite Earths a few weeks ago and liked it, at this time I haven’t detailed my thoughts there because I’m still examining it because it is a giant in the comics industry to pour over and I’m taking my time on it. And I’d say that was smart because the four (Superman of E2, Lois Lane of E2, Alexander Luthor of E3, and Superboy of Earth Prime) come back and are the perps behind the evil in this one. And I like that idea.
I don’t always like the execution because at a certain point Alexander Luthor just becomes Evil and Superboy becomes ridiculous. But something this event like other smart events do is it focuses on a core cast of characters while giving everyone else enough screen time. That core being the four above, Powergirl, Superman, Batman, WonderWoman, And to an extent the New Blue Beetle.
This is smart and something the original Crisis didn’t do very well because it changed hat core a few times, ultimately biting off more then it could chew. Choking itself on the ambition.
Infinite Crisis manages to still feel personal to the core characters while also paying off previous buildup. Some of it comes off as a bit forced like when Batman says the only reason he called Green Arrow was to see if he’d come. But I still smiled at it.
My biggest problem over then the usual an event trying to do too much so it oversimplifies itself until it’s a big slugfest was the art. Sometimes it was clear and consistent panel to panel but other times it becomes way too damn crowded and the tracking my eyes did was lost and would read the scene in the wrong order. And that’s not good.
Now I’ve given this 4 stars because despite my problems I think other events need to look at this and see how it focuses on a core cast, how it’s ambition doesn’t get in the way of its story telling, and how it uses the build up before to build a pretty solid story. And then doesn’t get bogged down by trying to further build or set back to a status quo. Because from my understanding there were changes in the universe after this, even if they didn’t last forever.
4 stars
I’ve read what I think is a significant number of event comics. I’ve read them from different eras, I’ve read some as they’ve come out and I’ve read most of them in collected editions. They are always better in collected editions.
Before Infinite Crisis I read Identity Crisis, the OMAC project, and Crisis on Conscious. And I think that was good in the understanding of this.
Now I enjoyed both OMAC project and Identity Crisis more than this. Part of that is because this event does the classic “it was all a bigger conspiracy” not just once but twice. One in revealing Superman of earth two to be the perpetrator and then another time when it reveals Alexander Luthor to be behind it all. I could argue a third time with Superboy prime but I won’t.
Speaking of Superboy prime this was the event that turned him into the massive force of destruction I had always heard he was.
I read Crisis on Infinite Earths a few weeks ago and liked it, at this time I haven’t detailed my thoughts there because I’m still examining it because it is a giant in the comics industry to pour over and I’m taking my time on it. And I’d say that was smart because the four (Superman of E2, Lois Lane of E2, Alexander Luthor of E3, and Superboy of Earth Prime) come back and are the perps behind the evil in this one. And I like that idea.
I don’t always like the execution because at a certain point Alexander Luthor just becomes Evil and Superboy becomes ridiculous. But something this event like other smart events do is it focuses on a core cast of characters while giving everyone else enough screen time. That core being the four above, Powergirl, Superman, Batman, WonderWoman, And to an extent the New Blue Beetle.
This is smart and something the original Crisis didn’t do very well because it changed hat core a few times, ultimately biting off more then it could chew. Choking itself on the ambition.
Infinite Crisis manages to still feel personal to the core characters while also paying off previous buildup. Some of it comes off as a bit forced like when Batman says the only reason he called Green Arrow was to see if he’d come. But I still smiled at it.
My biggest problem over then the usual an event trying to do too much so it oversimplifies itself until it’s a big slugfest was the art. Sometimes it was clear and consistent panel to panel but other times it becomes way too damn crowded and the tracking my eyes did was lost and would read the scene in the wrong order. And that’s not good.
Now I’ve given this 4 stars because despite my problems I think other events need to look at this and see how it focuses on a core cast, how it’s ambition doesn’t get in the way of its story telling, and how it uses the build up before to build a pretty solid story. And then doesn’t get bogged down by trying to further build or set back to a status quo. Because from my understanding there were changes in the universe after this, even if they didn’t last forever.
4 stars
April 24, 2022
Lord knows why I decided to re-read this - perhaps I imagined the years might have been kind to it? They haven’t. If anything it reads worse now, when the prospect of it making any sense, dangled tantalisingly month by month at the time, has long receded.
At some point DC decided that the lesson of Crisis On Infinite Earths was not “people love an event with huge scale and lasting consequences” but was instead “people love stories which are about changes in the way we structure our internal continuity”. They’ve been telling them ever since.
Infinite Crisis in particular suffers from the fact that the “changes to the continuity” plot has to share space with no less than FIVE other storylines, set up in lead-in miniseries. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are on the outs. An AI built by Batman is turning people into robots. There’s a war in space. The Spectre has gone berserk. And all the villains have teamed up.
You can see how it’s meant to read. Somebody has organised these multiple crises and the heroes must realise the connection and work together again to thwart them. But that’s not really what happens. The crises stubbornly fail to connect: some are resolved in Infinite Crisis, some aren’t. The differences between the heroes just stop getting mentioned. The mastermind turns out to be a survivor of the original Crisis who wants to start over with a different Earth but it’s not really clear why he got up to all this nonsense when his actual plan doesn’t require any of it. The whole comic becomes a tumble of unfocused incident which eventually just kind of stops with the new status quo (if there is one) barely discussed.
Infinite Crisis has one strong idea - the unhinged Superboy-Prime, a metaphor for fan demand and entitlement who gradually becomes the primary antagonist because his scenes are obviously more exciting than ones with Luthor explaining multiversal metaphysics. His bratty charisma provides a centre the main story refuses to, but he can’t impose coherence on the rest of the overstuffed plot or make it feel like it means anything.
At some point DC decided that the lesson of Crisis On Infinite Earths was not “people love an event with huge scale and lasting consequences” but was instead “people love stories which are about changes in the way we structure our internal continuity”. They’ve been telling them ever since.
Infinite Crisis in particular suffers from the fact that the “changes to the continuity” plot has to share space with no less than FIVE other storylines, set up in lead-in miniseries. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are on the outs. An AI built by Batman is turning people into robots. There’s a war in space. The Spectre has gone berserk. And all the villains have teamed up.
You can see how it’s meant to read. Somebody has organised these multiple crises and the heroes must realise the connection and work together again to thwart them. But that’s not really what happens. The crises stubbornly fail to connect: some are resolved in Infinite Crisis, some aren’t. The differences between the heroes just stop getting mentioned. The mastermind turns out to be a survivor of the original Crisis who wants to start over with a different Earth but it’s not really clear why he got up to all this nonsense when his actual plan doesn’t require any of it. The whole comic becomes a tumble of unfocused incident which eventually just kind of stops with the new status quo (if there is one) barely discussed.
Infinite Crisis has one strong idea - the unhinged Superboy-Prime, a metaphor for fan demand and entitlement who gradually becomes the primary antagonist because his scenes are obviously more exciting than ones with Luthor explaining multiversal metaphysics. His bratty charisma provides a centre the main story refuses to, but he can’t impose coherence on the rest of the overstuffed plot or make it feel like it means anything.
April 22, 2019
This is one of the books that got me back into comics, and it's even better than I remember.
And that's mostly because I didn't know all the setup that was involved when this book came out. This book takes pretty much all aspects of the DC universe as a whole and manages to touch, and obviously, affect each one.
I have always been more of a Marvel guy, but I had a passing knowledge of DC "lore". Most of it came from Batman, so there was a lot of gaps in my knowledge. But now that I went back and read Superman, Justice League, and the Flash, I'm hit with layers of plot that weren't apparent to me otherwise.
And that's the great thing about this book. It rewards the DC comics fan. And the more you're a fan, the more you are rewarded. Some people may think this is too big a story and the details are too messy. And for those with only a passing knowledge of DC, they're right. But if you have a solid foundation on what each story thread is, you get the "BIG PICTURE" of it all, and how massive the story is really.
So a non fan would probably find this to be too much. A passing fan would find this cool and entertaining, which is what happened on my first read through. And someone who knows more about the characters and the DC universe will get the most enjoyment out of it.
Fantastic art accompanies the story beat for beat as well. Its amazing the level of skill and craftsmanship that the artists had to pull this off and make it look seamless.
And Johns writing.... there's a reason why he is so popular and well regarded. And this book showcases not only his profound ability as a writer, but his inherent love for the characters as well.
You cant miss this one if you're a DC fan.
And that's mostly because I didn't know all the setup that was involved when this book came out. This book takes pretty much all aspects of the DC universe as a whole and manages to touch, and obviously, affect each one.
I have always been more of a Marvel guy, but I had a passing knowledge of DC "lore". Most of it came from Batman, so there was a lot of gaps in my knowledge. But now that I went back and read Superman, Justice League, and the Flash, I'm hit with layers of plot that weren't apparent to me otherwise.
And that's the great thing about this book. It rewards the DC comics fan. And the more you're a fan, the more you are rewarded. Some people may think this is too big a story and the details are too messy. And for those with only a passing knowledge of DC, they're right. But if you have a solid foundation on what each story thread is, you get the "BIG PICTURE" of it all, and how massive the story is really.
So a non fan would probably find this to be too much. A passing fan would find this cool and entertaining, which is what happened on my first read through. And someone who knows more about the characters and the DC universe will get the most enjoyment out of it.
Fantastic art accompanies the story beat for beat as well. Its amazing the level of skill and craftsmanship that the artists had to pull this off and make it look seamless.
And Johns writing.... there's a reason why he is so popular and well regarded. And this book showcases not only his profound ability as a writer, but his inherent love for the characters as well.
You cant miss this one if you're a DC fan.
December 23, 2011
When I was first considering this "read every crossover event in the history of the DCU" project, I kept seeing variations of "read the Countdown books, they're better". And I did read the Countdown books. And they are better. In fact, they're almost all really good. Which begs the question: would Infinite Crisis have been (kind of) disappointing if I hadn't read the Countdown books? Probably not.
The problem with a traditional crossover event, like the original Crisis and Infinite Crisis, is that they tend to be very ambitious in scope. Huge, cosmic plots, with massive casts of characters. How many established DCU characters showed up in Infinite Crisis? I couldn't even hazard a guess. The huge number of characters in particular crowds out the storyline and muffles the impact. Identity Crisis avoided it by using a much smaller cast.
The writing is, overall, fairly decent. Superboy Prime's character arc is... abrupt, to me. But huge cosmic implications aside, there is a much more intimate heart to the story. Superman and Lois Lane from Earth-2, and their reunion with Power Girl, for example. It keeps it human, and honest. So that is at least a mark above the original Crisis. And I have to say that I liked the ending.
The art is good, but it's often buried under the weight of what it needs to convey. Some incredibly crowded panels here. The best work is, of course, the panels that don't require as much, well, stuff.
Infinite Crisis is not bad. It's probably better than Crisis on Infinite Earths. But it's not as good as the Countdown trades, and I'd honestly rather read most of those again.
The problem with a traditional crossover event, like the original Crisis and Infinite Crisis, is that they tend to be very ambitious in scope. Huge, cosmic plots, with massive casts of characters. How many established DCU characters showed up in Infinite Crisis? I couldn't even hazard a guess. The huge number of characters in particular crowds out the storyline and muffles the impact. Identity Crisis avoided it by using a much smaller cast.
The writing is, overall, fairly decent. Superboy Prime's character arc is... abrupt, to me. But huge cosmic implications aside, there is a much more intimate heart to the story. Superman and Lois Lane from Earth-2, and their reunion with Power Girl, for example. It keeps it human, and honest. So that is at least a mark above the original Crisis. And I have to say that I liked the ending.
The art is good, but it's often buried under the weight of what it needs to convey. Some incredibly crowded panels here. The best work is, of course, the panels that don't require as much, well, stuff.
Infinite Crisis is not bad. It's probably better than Crisis on Infinite Earths. But it's not as good as the Countdown trades, and I'd honestly rather read most of those again.
September 27, 2020
To prep for this, I read Identity Crisis, Superman: Sacrifice, The OMAC Project, The Rann-Thanagar War, Day of Vengeance, Villains United, and JLA: Crisis of Conscience.
While only about half of those were good... I still would say they were necessary to understanding this massive and all encompassing event. If you’re not going to prep, I wouldn’t recommend touching this. It’s just too god damn dense.
I will say that it was pretty cool. There are some pretty big pay offs and climaxes, and the action really never lets up (which is cool and exhausting at the same time.) the art is phenomenal, but that’s to be expected.
It did feel like the story had to jump around to cover it’s bases, and that was annoying at times. JUST STICK WITH A SCENE!!! But whatever... still pretty cool and the scope is undeniably impressive.
This is a good experience, but doing it right may be more time consuming (and annoying) than you’re willing to commit to.
While only about half of those were good... I still would say they were necessary to understanding this massive and all encompassing event. If you’re not going to prep, I wouldn’t recommend touching this. It’s just too god damn dense.
I will say that it was pretty cool. There are some pretty big pay offs and climaxes, and the action really never lets up (which is cool and exhausting at the same time.) the art is phenomenal, but that’s to be expected.
It did feel like the story had to jump around to cover it’s bases, and that was annoying at times. JUST STICK WITH A SCENE!!! But whatever... still pretty cool and the scope is undeniably impressive.
This is a good experience, but doing it right may be more time consuming (and annoying) than you’re willing to commit to.
May 12, 2020
The second Crisis with even more huge upheavals to the DC Universe as the Crisis on Infinite Earths comes back to haunt Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman. I actually preferred this to the much lauded first Crisis. Very good universe building. 8 out of 12.
November 17, 2024
I'm giving this FIVE STARS because I couldn't stop turning the pages. I laughed, I almost cried, I gasped, and I was excited. I was entertained exceptionally well and that is all that I can ask for.
Full review here
Full review here
September 24, 2017
Este es un evento importante en el universo DC, un cómic entretenido, épico, con un gran dibujo, mucha acción, buenos personajes... pero tengo algunos problemas gordos con el guión.
El caso es que es complicado explicar ciertas actitudes sin caer en la justificación de la locura más absoluta... alex, superboy, el mismo superman de tierra 2 están fuera de la caracterización anterior y es difícil un cambio tan brusco... todo parece muy forzado para volver a llegar a la colisión de universos, no me termina de convencer.
El caso es que es complicado explicar ciertas actitudes sin caer en la justificación de la locura más absoluta... alex, superboy, el mismo superman de tierra 2 están fuera de la caracterización anterior y es difícil un cambio tan brusco... todo parece muy forzado para volver a llegar a la colisión de universos, no me termina de convencer.
December 29, 2018
So what is Infinite Crisis all about?
It's a sequel to Crisis On Infinite Earths. I only manage to read half that mess. COIE was so poorly written it's basically unreadable. It as a cool concept and cool story points but the execution is just so bad that at the half way point I gave up.
I eventually watched some summerizations of the plot for COIE on YouTube.
Okay so what about Infinite Crisis. Well it really helped my enjoyment that I'd read at least part of COIE. To get to know Alex and Earth 2 superman and superboy prime from this old book helps.
Can you just jump into infinite crisis? I think my enjoyment would have been higher had I read Omac project or some of the other books that lead up to this IC.
There was a lot I liked but also loads or stuff that I had no idea what was going on... as far as events go I've read the only flashpoint and rebirth but I loved loved loved those events.
I'm a collector of new 52 books and Rebirth books, specifically superman and action comics.
I don't regret reading this book but after having finished it I don't really wanna dive into the books that relate to it... though I may check out 52 and final crisis, but this book didn't make me feel like I had to learn more.
I'm usually a huge fan of geoff John's but I didn't know enough about what was going on I guess to really care... or maybe this book just isnt that well written.
Loved seeing power girl in this book as I collect some of her trades.
I while I only have teen titans book one by geoff I also loved seeing the teen titans in this.
I dunno it's not awful by any stretch and way way way better then crisis on infinite earth's, just doesnt make me wanna learn more.
We shall see if I dive into more of these older events or if I just stick with collecting more new52 and rebirth books.
Fun to look back at older books and events.
It's a sequel to Crisis On Infinite Earths. I only manage to read half that mess. COIE was so poorly written it's basically unreadable. It as a cool concept and cool story points but the execution is just so bad that at the half way point I gave up.
I eventually watched some summerizations of the plot for COIE on YouTube.
Okay so what about Infinite Crisis. Well it really helped my enjoyment that I'd read at least part of COIE. To get to know Alex and Earth 2 superman and superboy prime from this old book helps.
Can you just jump into infinite crisis? I think my enjoyment would have been higher had I read Omac project or some of the other books that lead up to this IC.
There was a lot I liked but also loads or stuff that I had no idea what was going on... as far as events go I've read the only flashpoint and rebirth but I loved loved loved those events.
I'm a collector of new 52 books and Rebirth books, specifically superman and action comics.
I don't regret reading this book but after having finished it I don't really wanna dive into the books that relate to it... though I may check out 52 and final crisis, but this book didn't make me feel like I had to learn more.
I'm usually a huge fan of geoff John's but I didn't know enough about what was going on I guess to really care... or maybe this book just isnt that well written.
Loved seeing power girl in this book as I collect some of her trades.
I while I only have teen titans book one by geoff I also loved seeing the teen titans in this.
I dunno it's not awful by any stretch and way way way better then crisis on infinite earth's, just doesnt make me wanna learn more.
We shall see if I dive into more of these older events or if I just stick with collecting more new52 and rebirth books.
Fun to look back at older books and events.
November 12, 2015
This is temporarily being placed into the abandoned shelf, as I do oneday have the intention to finally finish the crisis series. This edition however is a big stop sign for the series.
Infinite Crisis takes everything the series has developed till this point, balls it up and throws it from the window of a speeding car - This is the nicest way I could put it. When the series opened with Crisis on Infinite Earths, I thought it was a very clever way to link all of the convuluded storyline and far tangents that DC had created since each character had begun. It was well thought out and wrapped itself up neatly to conclude, It also could have been a standalone book to salute to all the characters before creating the New 52. Identity Crisis was a bit different with it's aproach to the crisis series but in my opinion is one of the best comics I have ever read. It was truely harrowing, regardless if it didn't contribute a great deal to Crisis. This however just makes no sense.
So after all the rips between worlds were sealed they're now opening again? Is it just an unecessary sequel to the original? But worst of all, Original Superman has returned with original Lois, Super Boy and Alex Luthor clearly after they sacrifised themselves to close the rips to begin with. I've heard rumours that original Superman is bad but those I'm choosing to ignore until I see the evidence myself. It's just not worth the stress.
Frankly to sum up, this is just reopening old wounds for the sake of a story and I fail to see the point. I will oneday endeavour to conquer it, perhaps. I can say I really do want to read Flashpoint.
Excuse my progress report, I was just learning the folder technique.
Infinite Crisis takes everything the series has developed till this point, balls it up and throws it from the window of a speeding car - This is the nicest way I could put it. When the series opened with Crisis on Infinite Earths, I thought it was a very clever way to link all of the convuluded storyline and far tangents that DC had created since each character had begun. It was well thought out and wrapped itself up neatly to conclude, It also could have been a standalone book to salute to all the characters before creating the New 52. Identity Crisis was a bit different with it's aproach to the crisis series but in my opinion is one of the best comics I have ever read. It was truely harrowing, regardless if it didn't contribute a great deal to Crisis. This however just makes no sense.
So after all the rips between worlds were sealed they're now opening again? Is it just an unecessary sequel to the original? But worst of all, Original Superman has returned with original Lois, Super Boy and Alex Luthor clearly after they sacrifised themselves to close the rips to begin with. I've heard rumours that original Superman is bad but those I'm choosing to ignore until I see the evidence myself. It's just not worth the stress.
Frankly to sum up, this is just reopening old wounds for the sake of a story and I fail to see the point. I will oneday endeavour to conquer it, perhaps. I can say I really do want to read Flashpoint.
Excuse my progress report, I was just learning the folder technique.
April 16, 2012
For some reason, DC comics thinks it needs to reboot its entire continuity every few years with another Crisis. What purpose does this serve? Absolutely none, other than muddying the waters even more than they already are. If DC writers just paid attention to previous stories, to continuity, then they wouldn't have these kinds of problems. Instead, they do these huge crossovers involving every single damn character in all of their universes in one 250 page epic that has absolutely no continuity of its own and scrambles both the brains of the reader and the brains of their characters. Geoff Johns is a master of making things muddled and addled and overblown and completely unrecognizable. Every time they do this, it gets harder and harder to follow. Just leave it alone already and do your jobs from the start. Christ. And here I am getting upset over revisionist history in a fictional multiverse.
November 30, 2015
I really wanted to like this one more. I very much enjoyed the original Crisis on Infinite Earths series. And Countdown to Infinite Crisis gave me high hopes. I was completely surprised when they killed a major character in that one. And with the promise of more Perez art, I knew I was going to buy this one immediately. However I just don't think this series is on par with the original. There's no magic here. Just a rehash, with Superboy in the Anti-Monitor's armor. I was let down, honestly.
August 27, 2015
Great story! So infite crisis, one of the infamous crisis stories which always gave people headaches, but this one was pretty good! Also introduced a new villain Superboy Prime which was pretty good! The only issue is that there is a lot of back log of reading you have to before hand otherwise you wont understand anything!
December 15, 2015
This was much better than Crisis on Infinite Earths. Superboy Prime and all out battles. This ended nicely and makes me want to read more following this story.
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