Tales from Dark Crisis

Dark Crisis

by Joshua Williamson, Dan Jurgens (Penciller), Norm Rapmund (Inker)

The Justice League are dead. Can a new generation of heroes save the Multiverse?

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?

Collects JUSTICE LEAGUE: ROAD TO DARK CRISIS #1, DARK CRISIS: THE DEADLY GREEN #1, DARK CRISIS: THE DARK ARMY #1, DARK CRISIS: WAR ZONE #1, and DARK CRISIS: BIG BANG #1.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Batman, Superheroes

199 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 20, 2023

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It fills in the gaps of the Dark Crisis main story quite nicely. It also gives a couple more characters a chance to shine. However, my personal rant us aimed at the two characters most prominently displayed on the cover are Batman/Jace and Wonder Girl/Yara. Jace is not in the book at all. Yara is in a couple of panels but does not contribute to the story at all.

The book contains two stories, Road to Dark Crisis and War Zone, that are split into a number of short stories. These are my favourites of the book. Then three stories The Deadly Green, The Dark Army, and the Big Bang that follow splinter teams on their own death-defying missions. I think Power Girl should get a medal for not killing Damian. Wow, that child is insufferable.

All in all, a good companion to the main story. The book finishes with Barry's map of the Multiverse so far and a varient cover gallery.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tales From Dark Crisis collects DC Comics issues Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1, Dark Crisis: The Deadly Green #1, Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1, Dark Crisis: War Zone #1, and Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1.

This title includes the one-shot issues that help flesh out the Dark Crisis event with the legacy heroes coming to terms with the the Justice League’s deaths; Superman, Raven, Swamp Thing, and Constantine investigating the Darkness; Robin leading a team in search the for The Justice League Incarnate who can help swing the battle in the heroes favor; heroes battling The Darkness’s forces across the Earth and multiverse, and The Flash traveling the Infinite Universe looking to see if the Anti-Monitor is still out there somewhere.

There were some good moments in these tie-ins with the best issue being Big Bang and focusing on The Flash. I believe these comics should have been collected in the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths collection for a better reading experience. Or even cutting out the filler and having them appear in the actual event issues instead of one-shot tie ins. I liked the introduction to Red Canary. She is a fun character who I hope to see pop-up in other titles. Strange choice for a cover with Jace Fox not even appearing in the book and Yara only appearing in a handful of panels.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
An assortment of stories that help clarify the main title, but not always well executed.
1) Road to Dark Crisis
- Sets the stage for where everyone is and what is happening with certain characters.
2) The Deadly Green
- Most of Justice League Dark holds a séance where darkness is channeled into Alan Scott to see how the Great Darkness is approaching Earth. Superman and Swamp Thing must blend together with each other to survive dying when they get pulled into his ring.
3) The Dark Army
- Robin (Damien) forms a team to go fight the Dark Army directly.
4) War Zone
- Details how certain heroes were found and returned to the main fight.
5) Big Bang
- The best of the collection! Flash uses his speed to make a guide to the multiverse, including acknowledging Earth-33 (OURS!), and teams up with others to temporarily shut down the Anti-Monitor.

Overall, It was fine, but after finishing it, it wasn't really worth as much time as I gave it.

[James Bowman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of side-stories to the Dark Crisis storyline. The best are the stories from Road to Dark Crisis, which feed into the excellent setup for the storyline. The Deadly Green and The Dark Army, which ostensibly set up major plot twists in the main storyline, are ultimately unsatisfying filler. War Zone is a series of vignettes during the big battle at the end of Dark Crisis, which are mostly forgettable - although Red Canary's story is a bit better. Big Bang, an epilogue to the storyline, explores the expanded multiverse through the contrived return of a major villain from the original Crisis, but beyond said exploration there's just not much there. All in all, a pretty disappointing collection. (B-)

[Dallas Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent time overall, fun little multiversal team stories.
Nothing necessary for Dark Crisis.
Lots of love for Batman's biggest two sons, Jonathan Kent, Red Canaries, Swamp Things, Flashes, and Green Lanterns in here!

The coolest surprise addition here would be the updated listing of what each Earth's number is and what that Earth is about in the back!

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

File this under not necessary, but it had its moments. I’m liking Red Canary and it was fun to get some more of her.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for essential Dark Crisis reading, Tales From is where you should start. Most of the one-shots here feed directly into the main series in both big and little ways, and will definitely enhance your experience of the story as a whole.

Deadly Green and Big Bang check in on some of the characters between issues, showing where they get some of the information and equipment that they use in the finale. Deadly Green's a favourite of mine, mostly because it's Swamp Thing, and that's always a good time.

Dark Army and War Zone meanwhile are anthology stories about various characters - Dark Army focuses on the villains and what they're getting up to, while War Zone gives us a street view of some of the big Dark Crisis battles from the POV of some characters we don't get to see much of in the main story.

And of course, Road To Dark Crisis is a prologue story that I thought would have been collected with the main book, but that'd be too easy.

Almost essential, I'd say, but you can get by without it if you must.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

When your story is too big for one graphic novel, (and you can make more money breaking it up into multiple books) you at least collect your 'one-shots' into their own volume.

Lots of these one-shots are just bookmarks for future ideas or placeholders to keep your favorite characters in mind when the main story gets too convoluted. Hope and faith are the biggest themes that ring out in this collection with characters like Nightwing and Jon Kent coping with the initial loss of the Justice League. It also has a great story with Wallace West and Barry Allen running through the multiverse to check in on the Anti-Monitor. (Multiverse of Madness much?)

It's a great companion piece to an otherwise ENORMOUS storyline.

------
Bonus: Red Canary? Looks like Green Arrow needing another sidekick character...
Bonus Bonus: Sideways shoehorned into yet ANOTHER story. Heh...

[Alek Hill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Road to Dark Crisis- other than the Jon and Dick story, this issue really doesnt contribute to the overall event.
Deadly Green- this is just a convoluted premise to reveal a ridiculous plot point. Aside from the Constantine angle, where we got a communion with the Great Darkness just like Alan Moore, everything else was over dramatic and pointless.
Dark Army- continuity wise this story does not fit into the Dark Crisis event. Aside from Sideways it's againt a convoluted way to reveal a simple plot point.
War Zone- like "Road to Dark Crisis" is just a collection of stories to provide irrelevant side character background info. Not really important to the overall event.
Big Bang- is a pointless Flash story set randomly near the end of this event. And its only purpose is to highlight the multiverse and the history of the Amti-Monitor.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collects all of the one-shots from Dark Crisis. The stories do help flesh out the regular story found in Dark Crisis. In the regular issues, you'll find references to go check out these books to see that part of the story. I'd suggest reading this with the main book and then flip back and forth as they are called out. My favorite one of these was Big Bang, of course, since Mark Waid wrote it. It has Barry Allen bouncing through all of these other Earths and there's a little glossary in the back telling each Earth's deal and tells what comic book the more obscure ones can be found in.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somehow, I thought it would be necessary or relevant to read these side stories from the Dark Crisis event several months after I read the event.

Reader: it was not necessary or relevant.

I guess it was nice to have an adventure with Justice League Dark, though it made no sense. And Robin's team-up with Red Canary was...fine. Everything else (and even those two tales, honestly) was deeply forgettable.

My favorite part was the little glossary in the back detailing every alternate Earth in the DCU. Neat stuff. A star for that.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most collections of the event books now have companion collections like this, a few issues about what's happening in the margins. The main title flagged several panels of key characters leaving the story and asking us to follow them in special one-shots, so I thought these would feel like they mattered more, but they come off as harmless but inconsequential. Not a bad read, but not adding much to the story, and I read The Deadly Green twice and still can't understand what was supposed to be happening or why they all had British accents.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of these stories felt like they'd be important when they were cross-referenced in the Dark Crisis series. But published standalone like this, they're just a sequence of fragmentary, somewhat incoherent shards of storylines. Except the ones that are just vapid, like the issue that leads things off about the sads over the Justice League being dead.

Maybe these will work better in the inevitable omnibus.

[Adam Barrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so tired of DCs humanistic religion "evil darkness demons are only vanquished by our own inner light" crap. Also, Delilah Dawson's writing in 2 sections are a major liability. Writers and the sophomoric swill they produce are currently destroying Star Wars (her novels are the worst) and doing untold damage to DC as well. I've read better writing in Jr High writing class.
The very last section with all of the Earth variants was the only saving grace.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

COLLECTS JUSTICE LEAGUE: ROAD TO DARK CRISIS #1, DARK CRISIS: THE DEADLY GREEN #1, DARK CRISIS: THE DARK ARMY #1, DARK CRISIS: WAR ZONE #1, and DARK CRISIS: BIG BANG #1

I was surprised by the quality of these issues as tie-in story can often be a waste of time. The best issue of the collection was "Big Bang," but "Road to Dark Crisis" and "The Dark Army" were also favorites.

Final rating = 3.5 stars

[Langston Lardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another spin off book from the main Crisis event that fills in even more gaps. This book I feel covers some more important stories than the book that covers the JL, for example we see how Damian and Superman (Jon) get to the last big battle and how they have the knowledge they have, while still not great, overall a much more enjoyable read.

[Jos Trinidad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was really cool, I just wish that I knew it was a volume comprising all of the tie-ins so that I could've read them all together. Something on my part since I didn't do any research. But i think that it is a great volume just some aspects of the story telling didnt feel like they were just there when it came to the level that the first volume sets.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are the various one shots that tie into Dark Crisis. Nothing horrible here, but I think DC could have extended the Dark Crisis series by an issue or two and condensed all of this into the main series.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bunch of side stories that wouldn't really fit in any other collection, so they all get lumped together here. Not necessary, to say the least.

[Jason Rico · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Tahsin Hasan · Rating 2 out of 5]

ডিসি'র ইতিহাসে সবচেয়ে বাজে ক্রাইসিস স্টোরি।

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales from Dark Crisis

Another great book, enjoyable read. Just catching up on all the Superman and DC comics related books and storyline I miss out on.

[Kris Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weaves in and out of the main series of Dark Crisis.

[Kurt Lorenz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Road to Dark Crisis, ☆☆☆
The Deadly Green, ☆☆☆
The Dark Army, ☆☆☆☆
War Zone, ☆☆☆☆
Big Bang, ☆☆☆

[Mariano · Rating 2 out of 5]

You don't need none of this to read the main event. So please don't waste your money.