Comic Info
Comic Name: Infinite Crisis
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Phil Jimenez/George Perez/Jerry Ordway/Ivan Reis
# of Issues: 7
Release Date: 2006
Infinite Crisis #2
Reprints Infinite Crisis #1-7 (December 2005-June 2006). The Earth is under attack and the world no longer trusts its superheroes and they no longer trust each other after Wonder Woman is seen on killing Maxwell Lord. Now a group of forgotten heroes decide they are the only hope for the world. Superman of Earth-2, Superboy-Prime, and Alexander Luthor of Earth-3 have plans for the Earth they left in the wake of the Crisis and the world might never be the same.
Written by Jeoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Jerry Ordway, and Ivan Reis, Infinite Crisis is a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths which was released in ran from 1985-1986. The series features the art of Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Jerry Ordway, and Ivan Reis. The issues were also collected in an absolute collection and omnibus collection
Crisis on Infinite Earths forever changed the DC Universe and had a huge impact. Infinite Crisis, though very similar, doesn’t have the same effect, yet it is still an interesting read if you are a fan of DC.
Geoff Johns does a great job emulating Marv Wolfman’s writing, and Perez’s involvement helps the art look very similar to the original series. The comic is very crammed and very dense. There is a lot going on in every panel and there are so many characters that for a casual reader, it could be very daunting. This means Infinite Crisis shouldn’t be a jumping on point for readers.
Infinite Crisis #6
Another reason that Infinite Crisis is tough is that it had four six-issue mini-series leading up to Infinite Crisis. The OMAC Project, Villains United, The Rann-Thanagar War, and Day of Vengeance all led up to the events in this series, and the first issue doesn’t make much sense unless they have been read. Most of those series are also quite good, so they are recommended for the “full” Infinite Crisis experience (the issues were included in the Infinite Crisis Omnibus).
Infinite Crisis shot Superboy-Prime to prominence and that had a big effect on other series that followed Infinite Crisis. Superboy-Prime wasn’t that whiny of a character in Crisis on Infinite Earths (he only made a few appearances after his first appearance in DC Comics Presents #87). He’s pretty obnoxious and this series (from issue #4 up) really focus on him.
Another big introduction in Infinite Crisis was the creation of the new Blue Beetle after the murder of Ted Kord. Jaime Reyes appeared in Infinite Crisis #3 and soon the scarab latched onto his spine. I much preferred Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle, and Reyes didn’t do much in the series. Attempts to make him into a popular character just haven’t succeeded, and I think it is time for Ted Kord to return.
Infinite Crisis #5
The biggest problem with Infinite Crisis is that it ends and you question what it accomplished. With Crisis on Infinite Earths, the whole DC Universe was recreated. When the story ends the “New Earth” really isn’t too different than the the previous DC Universe Earth but just erased some of the bad changes they had made the few previous years.
After Infinite Crisis, DC jumped all their comics one year later with the weekly series 52 filling in the gaps. 52 did have some changes on the DC Universe and expanded on what actually happened in Infinite Crisis, but that doesn’t make Infinite Crisis’ ending any more satisfying. Infinite Crisis isn’t bad, but it isn’t as great as it was made out to be.
With the “New 52”, the events of this collection might have been erased along with the events of Crisis on Infinite Earth. This is kind of a slap in the face to the readers that invested in it, 52, Countdown to Final Crisis, and Final Crisis itself. This almost makes reading Infinite Crisis worthless now if you are simply trying to understand the complex DC Universe. I therefore can’t recommend Infinite Crisis except for hardcore fans.
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