Comic Book Title

Company-wide crossovers are scary. If done right, they are amazing stories that generate an enormous amount of interest. If done wrong, sales are flat and fans are severely disappointed. DC Comics has recently had a history of creating flops in terms of company-wide crossovers. From Zero Hour to Judgment Day, these crossovers fell short of fulfilling the hype generated by marketing. The last good crossover was "Crisis of the Infinite Earths" which was created to solve many of DC's multiverse issues. Could DC repeat it's success with Crisis of the Infinite Earths once again? Enter Infinite Crisis.

According to DC, a comic book universe should have a shake-up of its foundations every 20 or so years. Rebooting its core characters and setting new directions. Infinite Crisis is just what the doctor ordered. DC planned this crossover two years in advance. They planted various seeds in various titles prior to Infinite Crisis and then released 5 mini-series encompassing the majority of the DC universe. By doing this, DC managed to slowly build the hype around Infinite Crisis to the point where the suspense was killing fans. It didn't hurt either that DC gathered its best writers and had them all collaborate to make sure continuity was achieved. DC even tied Infinite Crisis back directly to Crisis of the Infinite Earths which pleased a lot of the older fans.

The result of this is one of the best crossovers I've ever read. I get anxious waiting for each issue and I know that, unlike many other crossovers, the events will definitely have a significant impact for years to come.

Another negative about crossovers is that it requires knowledge of existing comic book universe to fully enjoy them. Who are all these characters? What are they doing? Geoff Johns, the writer of Infinite Crisis knew this and managed to get readers caught up by issue #2. To me, this is key as most people will give an comic book title 2-3 issues before dropping it.

I'm not going to get into the actual plotlines for Infinite Crisis because I would be ruining it for many people. This mini-series is best appreciated if you discover it on your own. I will give you the reasons why I think this is one of the best crossovers ever.

The first reason is that Infinite Crisis has gotten me excited about comic books. Before the mini-series that lead into Infinite Crisis, I was never really a DC fan. I never really cared for Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, the Justice League and the hundreds of other rich characters that DC had. I was predominantly a Marvel Comics fan. This crossover has gotten me interested in DC's entire universe. I read Infinite Crisis and did a little research regarding the multiverse. I started to pick up several DC titles and started to get interested in their characters. To me, this is exactly what a crossover is supposed to do. It should generate new interest for the company's products and at the same time, please existing fans. Now, not all fans are going to be satisfied but Infinite Crisis is a great succes to most fans.

The second reason I love this mini-series is that for it's $3.99 US cover price, you get more than you paid for. Geoff Johns has written a great story that puts together all the elements that have been developing in the DC universe for the past 2 years. There are shocking events and plot twists galore in the book and there is always something happening on every page. You can go to comic forums and see all the conversations that are generated by the release of each issue. It's remarkable.

The third reason is the art. Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Ivan Reis and Jim Lee. The art is gorgeous and the detail is amazing. Each page is packed with visuals and little details and it never looks like a rushed job. Too many times, crossovers have lost its impact with horrid art. The last thing I want to read is a crossover with crappy art.

The last reason is that this crossover is exactly what a crossover should be. It is all encompassing and involves the entire DC universe. The impact is severe and the ramifications will be felt for years in DC's titles. This is the first crossover in recent years that is living up to the hype that has been generated.

As I said before, crossovers are tricky but DC has managed to pull this one off. I recommend it to comic book fans. Enjoy the hard work that Geoff Johns et al. have put into this mini-series. I definitely believe you won't see another crossover like this for another 20 or so years.

DRAGONCRYPT 2/25/2006