Crisis On Infinite Earths

When writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez initiated DC Comics' grandly entertaining 50th anniversary saga, "Crisis on Infinite Earths," in 1985, I remember being stunned at how exciting each of the dozen installments were, especially the unforgettable finale. As a pre-teen, I certainly never expected to see the Silver Age Flash and Supergirl killed off, or that Wonder Woman would be erased from existence (albeit temporarily). Even more so, the elimination of several Golden Age counterparts of DC's top super heroes seemed utterly amazing at the time. Yet, I very much understood the sheer magnitude of the changes DC Comics unleashed in order to correct itself (for sheer simplicity's sake) for future generations. Before proceeding further, let me say that Silver Age writer Gardner Fox came up with a brilliant concept about fifty years ago in comics: the parallel world. By introducing Earth-2 as the home of the legendary Justice Society of America, and then later crossing worlds by having the original Flash meet his Silver Age counterpart, Fox set into motion a gold mine of nearly thirty years worth of imminently entertaining stories for DC Comics to take advantage of. Of course, DC's mishandling of its own convoluted continuity eventually led to the need of a seemingly final, world-shattering `crisis' to fix all of the self-inflicted headaches once and for all. By doing so, the idea of retroactive continuity (`retcon') first came into play on a grand scale by wiping out all unwanted stories and characters that would not longer fit into DC's revamped game plan. The premise was undeniably simple: where there were once numerous Earths (and various alternate futures) in the DC Universe, there would now only be one by the story's end. In this story, several (mostly B or C-list) characters, both heroes and villains, bit the dust as a result of the villainous Anti-Monitor's monstrous scheme to destroy all the countless positive matter universes to reign omnipotent in his own anti-matter kingdom. Neither Superman nor even the Justice League alone could handle this mega-threat: it really becomes 50 years of the DC Universe vs. the Anti-Monitor. Classic heroes, such as Capt. Marvel and the Marvel Family return here, and more obscure ones like Capt. Atom and Blue Beetle are re-introduced to modern audiences, as they are woven into the cataclysmic storyline. In classic cliffhanger tradition, Wolfman makes you wait through twelve self-contained installments before revealing how the DC Universe would at last survive this cosmic armageddon. By any era's standards, for the most part, Wolfman's poignant handling of `retcon' was simply brilliant. He did a first-class job of what doing needed to be done w/o any illogical missteps (in other words, avoided creating controversy simply for the sake of controversy). By managing to confine all of DC's heroes and villains to one world, he literally accomplished an impossible task. Over time, DC Comics, unfortunately, slowly unraveled all of his hard work by resurrecting deceased characters w/ little or no logical explanation (i.e. re-introducing Supergirl multiple times), and perhaps the worst decisions to undo "Crisis," were 2005's disappointing 20th anniversary sequel: "Infinite Crisis," and the much worse 2008-09 "Final Crisis." Yet, after nearly 25 years, the massive ripple effect from the original "Crisis," still resonates today at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. No subsequent comics mega-event, in my assessment, has equaled or even come close to Wolfman's masterful storytelling or Perez's inspired artwork. Sure, there have been numerous inferior imitations in recent years, in which graphic violence and cheap plot twists are substituted for intelligent, provocative storytelling. However, if you wish to read the granddaddy of all super hero mega-events, w/o having to plow through numerous (and often confusing and/or unnecessary) tie-ins, this one book will hold you simply spellbound for hours. I couldn't recommend it more highly. Rating: 5/5 (for ages 11 and up).

A book has to be pretty outstanding if I bought the same book three times in a row. Well, that's exactly what I've done in this case. This is the third time I've had to replace Crisis On Infinite Earths. I have many other trade paperbacks and I've always considered this book an absolute essential in my collection. I remember when I was a teenager that both this and Marvel's "Secret Wars" came out around the same time as two maxiseries (way back before comics were collected in the trade paperbacks that we all know and love). Back then, I read both but was collecting some of the Secret Wars issues and read Crisis whenever I went to the mall. When both made it to trade paperback a decade or so later, I chose Crisis because it had better plotting, story, and art. Even though I'd always been a bit more biased in favor of Marvel, this was one of those times when DC knocked it out of the park. Where I'm concerned, this is the first and best mega-crossover (even including the Justice League/Avengers crossover, which was also drawn by the superb George Perez). Flash forward three decades later, comics have become oversaturated with so many crossover events, deaths, relaunches, reboots, and reimaginings so as to become virtually meaningless. These aren't the special events they used to be. Now, it can be said that Crisis is the one that started it all. I can't pretend that I'd know what it would be like for a first time reader to pick up this book and try to make sense of it all, because I'm an avid comic book reader from way back (long before all the mega-events & crossovers). I was familiar with a majority of the characters in Crisis, so I had no difficulty keeping up with what was happening in the story. Moreover, I always find something new to be surprised and delighted by with each new reading. Kudos to Marv Wolfman, George Perez, and Jerry Ordway for crafting a magnificent tale that's as enjoyable now as it was three decades ago. This book should be required reading for anyone who enjoys superhero comics. DC has tried going back to the well again, but with disastrous results (Infinite Crisis, among others). Marvel has also "gone beyond the pale" in a lot of their event book,as well. As i said, I'm glad to have Crisis On Infinite Earths in my collection.

The Crisis on Infinite Earths 35th anniversary deluxe edition hardcover is a great way to get into DC comics or if you’ve never read the groundbreaking event that was the start to all the crisis then, you should definitely give it a go! This event completely reworked the DC continuity back in the 80s, but it also changed how comic events were handled in the future leading to even bigger events down the road such as, Infinite Crisis. This deluxe edition also includes some extras such as art sketches of characters and scenes as well as much information about some of the player characters from the event. I love how detailed the slipcase and the hardcover itself are. The Crisis on Infinite Earths event is a super important event and is very well known by comic enthusiasts and pop culture fans alike. While I will say that it is a great and well known event, in this day and age some things about the story are a bit confusing and I think most people would agree with that statement. I get it, it was the 80s and DC was trying out new things but I have to say, there are a lot of different storylines going on around the same time and their are so many characters just like the cover. A lot of important things happen during the event and a lot of characters die as well. Here’s some wise words if you’re a fairly new to DC comics. This event, this book sets a huge foundation for not just the DC universe but also it’s readers so, if you’re just getting started with DC comics, then you should most definitely start right here with Crisis on Infinite Earths! It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand everything because it can be a bit confusing sometimes. Just keep reading until the end and you’ll eventually get it just like I did. The deluxe edition is good but if you want an even better story, I would recommend reading it in Absolute format. It’s bigger and better! I believe there’s an Absolute edition coming out in 2026? Once you’re done with Crisis on Infinite Earths, you should read something a little more modern such as the Flashpoint Omnibus or the Infinite Crisis Omnibus. Both of these massive events kind of piggyback off of the ideas set in Crisis on Infinite Earths. After those, I would recommend the Justice League The New 52 Omnibus vol 1&2 as well as Batman: The court of Owls saga Absolute edition!

An iconic DC event that changed the entire status quo, Crisis of Infinite Earths is a major crossover that intelligently dealt with DC's complicated continuity in an elegant way--by recognizing, rather than ignoring, inconsistencies in DC's comics, treating them as an interconnecting "multiverse" and then cleaning up that continuity in brutal, world-ending fashion. It's really so simple and so brilliant when you think about it, and it would go on to not only shape the DC universe for a generation, but would generate other "crises" and reshapings of the multiverse in events to come. The only reason I mark Crisis On Infinite Earths down slightly is because, while it's a genius concept, the execution is less than stellar, and the multitude of characters and worlds and battles make this a slog to get through in practice. It's also hard for new readers to jump in on; whereas more modern comics are better at seeding refreshers and exposition to get new or foggy readers up to speed, this requires (and presupposes) a lot of background knowledge of a lot of major characters. But, even so, there's no denying that this is an incredibly iconic moment in DC's history, and an absolute must read for any DC fan trying to learn the major moments in the DC continuity. It's definitely worth reading at least once, if just to experience an event of this magnitude.

Excellent volume. arrived in mint condition and carefully packaged and wrapped in plastic. Vibrant colors, great story line, and large pages, in this big volume. Kudos to the authors & all the people who dedicated themselves to the story line, the artistry, and the raw emotion they put into their work. Spine is tight, no loose pages, or defects in printing. carefully packed in a recyclable cardboard container that protected the volume on its way to me.

Item recieved was in good condition

I got a chance to relive the early to mid 80s. I'll never forget buying the first issue of Crisis in Oceanside, California outside of Camp Pendleton. I had always been a big fan of George Pérez. And with Marv Wolfman at the helm writing, I knew the maxi series would be special. I wasn't too successful in keeping up with the full run. I bought issues 6 and 7 while stationed in Okinawa, Japan. I wasn't able to buy the missed issues until I rotated back Stateside. I did manage to find all the issues once back in the United States at a comic book store in Jacksonville, North Carolina while stationed at Camp Lejeune. There were some changes that I liked. Some I didn't. Weakening Superman was one thing I didn't like. Killing off the Flash, Barry Allen and Supergirl, I didn't like. The revamping of the Justice League I liked. The series itself I absolutely loved. The villains war, the introduction of the Charleston characters.Captain Atom, the Blue Beetle and the Question. And the final battle between the golden age Superman and the Anti-Monitor. The series is such a memorable experience for me. Some of the mistakes made by this series were corrected over time. But that doesn't take from this monumental series. I understand that DC had way too many characters leading to way too many earths. A recipe for a series. Growing up during the 60 and the 70s, reading these books, I never had a problem keeping get up with the numerous characters and that is what made comics fun. Who cared if the Elongated Man and Plastic Man had the same powers. It was fun reading the annual JSA/JLA team ups. I guess some fans didn't see things the way that I did. Forging all of those earths was a serious under taking. It took a Marv Wolfman and a George Pérez to pull it off. It was a fun walk down memory lane. The run as a whole. I loved.

When I was in high school I heard about the Crisis on Infinite Earths. I bought this copy for myself. I am very pleased. This is the Crisis put together in 1 book.

This book was a rollercoaster ride from the beginning to the end! If you know nothing about the DC universe except Batman and Superman and green lantern, this is the place for you to get started. This book's full effects have not yet been revealed! It's still going on with the Convergence! That's how impacting this book is to the DC universe. The story is just mind blowing. I don't want to spoil anything for the readers. Just wear your seat belts as you plunge into the most ambitious story ever created by DC.

This crossover includes all the DC characters you are familiar with and hundreds more, either invented for the story or obscure characters no one remember. It set out to reinvent the Dc comic world forever and Marv Wolfman was given the mammoth task of doing that in 12 issues. The Multiverse is no more since 1985 and Crisis. For something that undertook so many goals before it started the plot is very good. many of the minor superheroes do have to keep repeating their names so you know who they are. This comic is definitely worth reading as it is a good plot, the good guys against the ultimate bad guy(s). Works very well as a crossover. it also absolutely radicalised DC history and reinvented (and in some cases got rid of/killed off) many characters. The artwork is very good including some very impressive pages with literally hundreds of superheroes crammed in. Highly recommended.

Attention l'édition précédente était bien plus qualitative. Celle ci est toute fine avec pourtant le même nombre de pages. DC va restaurer les numéros avec de nouveaux scans pour reimprimer l'Absolute Edition (et sortir l'event en DC Finest) donc je pense que le Deluxe pour les 40 ans aura également de meilleurs scans et, espérons le, du meilleur papier.

Ich habe mir dieses inzwischen historische Comic zugelegt, da es mich nach dem letzten Reboot des DC-Universums (Flashpoint) interessiert hat, wie das ERSTE große Welten-Reboot der Comicgeschichte umgesetzt wurde. Man merkt auf jeden Fall, dass die Geschichte schon ein paar Jahre auf dem Buckel hat. ALLES (Dialoge, Anmerkungen, Kommentare, Erzählungen) ist in diesem Band extrem EPISCH beschrieben. Man hat das Gefühl, es ist schon episch wenn ein Charakter einen Kaffee trinkt. Liest sich wie eine griechische Sage. Das mag einigen nicht liegen,ist aber ganz lustig :) Um alle Charaktere in der Geschichte zu kennen, muss man wohl ein extrem großer Experte sein, vor allem, da hier von den meisten Charakteren die Originalversionen von vor irgendwann vorkommen. Aber ich denke, in Anbetracht dessen, dass in dieser Geschichte ca. zwei Millionen verschiedene Superhelden/-Schurken etc. vorkommen, die teilweise nur ein paar Sekunden vorkommen, ist das auch nicht wichtig. (Allein die Hauptcharraktere sind drei verschiedene Versionen von Superman.) Man kann durchaus auch ohne detaillierte Kenntnisse über das vergangene DC-Universum seinen Spaß haben. Die eigentliche Geschichte um das Entstehen und den Tod unzähliger verschiedener Welten ist recht kreativ und genauso episch wie die textlichen Beschreibungen dazu. Die zusaätzlichen Kommentare von den Autoren sind es eigentlich fast für sich wert, dieses Comic zu kaufen. Alles in allem kann ich sagen, dass ich gut unterhalten wurde :) Ich bin zufrieden

Ok