Infinite Crisis Omnibus

Product Information

Recommended if you have a good general familiarity with the DCU and are looking for a really big epic. Let me know if you know any other storylines explained that you found helpful for Infinite Crisis or DC understanding in general.

In its day, that generated very angry responses from fans, in part because it sabotaged the JLI reunion that Keith Giffen was even then writing. This was the first of many event books that have pushed me away from event books entirely (Blackest Night and Final Crisis) being the other. It feels like this finale gives us the full scope of Day of Vengeance, as the end of the Ninth Age of Magic and the beginning of the Tenth comes across as truly epic, full of sacrifices (though the Shadowpact are certainly reduced to supporting roles in this finale) [4+/5]. The ending, when you finally get there, is dramatic and another of the major movements in the Infinite Crisis storyline . For any who may not know, Infinite Crisis was the cumulation of a couple of years of DC stories, all brought to a head.

Superboy Prime was also CRAZY powerful and I'm okay with that, but I HATE HATE HATE the concept of kryptonite not affecting a Kryptonian because they're from an alternate universe. In my quest to further delve into DC lore I have, of late, been attempting to read some of the most iconic and important events from its history. The only thing this volume has going for it is the formation of Shadowpact, one of several Justice League Magic's that DC has attempted, none of which have lasted long. It's also very much a product of the Dan Didio and Bob Harras era of DC, where you needed a mega-event every 5 years to reset the status quo (Dan even says this much in the introduction to the omnibus), and that's a mentality I'd like comics to move away from. I mean, just as you can expect with any DC crisis event, a lot of action, fast paced shit going on, it all seems like doom and gloom however, in the end…everyone walks away unscathed.

After reading this story, with my memory of Crisis on Infinite Earths and why Marv Wolfman wrote in the first place, it's kinda inconceivable of me to believe that while Wolfman wanted to end the concept of the Multiverse entirely, the mere fact that there were survivors from that event from other universes (E2 Superman, Superboy Prime, Luthor, and Lois) placed in a pocket dimension of sorts, it feels like, even if subconsciously, Wolfman left the door cracked to bring the multiverse back. The emotional twist and turns with the nostalgic feel and artwork—cemented this masterpiece as one of the greatest comic book story ever told.The huge hordes of the Society are a lot of fun, but the real joy in this book is obviously the stars, The Secret Six. The core Infinite Crisis series tries to be a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths and it succeeds remarkably well. That said, this is such a product of the mid-2000s, when everyone was keen on deconstructing superheroes and morphing Silver Age comic characters into grim dudes who cut bloody logos into their chests. I haven't read Crisis on Infinite Earth, but I thought that enough background and explanations were given not to be too lost in the main event.

Putting Phil Jimenez on the main title was a good idea; his style is very much like that of George Perez, so there's a feeling of continuity with the first Crisis. Okay yes, this world may be darker than what they knew, but considering they’ve never had to face any of the obstacles the heroes on Earth One did (Superman dying fighting Doomsday or Bruce losing Jason) it's inconceivable to hold the heroes to a standard set by their counterparts when their counterparts never experienced some of the dark shit the Earth One heroes did. Infinite Crisis is a well crafted story where Superboy Prime punches holes in the multiverse, and reading it in this heavy-as-hell omnibus is the best way to experience it. My main review on Infinite Crisis covers that portion well enough but the build up deserves some praise too.

One thing that struck me as I was reading this in 2021: There are all these unrelated threads to start us off. It's also impressive how elegantly this series spins off any number of new series: Checkmate, Secret Six, Shadowpact, and Blue Beetle in particular. It starts like all big stories do, small, with a mystery/espionage story involving Brother I, the spy satellite that Batman creates in his paranoia, as well as the corruption of the Checkmate shadow organization. Some of the best DC antagonists can be found within these pages, and some shining moments for a lot of our favorite heroes. Crisis of Conscience places Hawkman in the JLA moonbase while we just left him 2 pages before on Rann, that can be confusing.

I do think that having read recent comics before the event will make the read much more enjoyable as the trinity's fight will be much more powerful and their point of view much more understandable (especially Batman). It must be pretty frustrating for more casual readers to make heads or tail of Infinite Crisis itself, though, without all these tie-ins, and I can see why some people might be turned off it without those supporting reads. I think my pre-crisis highlight was the Brubaker/Rucka run of Batman or Gotham Central, but I also loved Emerald Twilight and the Death of Superman. But if you can't find it, or dont like omnibus because of their size, I'd really recommend reading Countdown to Final Crisis, The Omac Project, Sacrifice, and Crisis of Conscience, to get the most of it.The trinity are on full display here but the 4 (no spoilers) are wonderfully reintroduced and their characterizations are fun and meaningful. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. Of all the Infinite Crisis series, Villains United has the best through-line back to Identity Crisis.