Review of Infinite Crisis Omnibus from DC Comics. Mike Bise - July 17, 2012 said:. I agree with you that the entire Countdown To Infinite Crisis throughout 2005 was the most exciting time in comics for me since the Early 1990s (“Total Chaos!”, Armageddon 2001, Knightfall, Reign Of The Supermen, Zero Hour).
OMAC robots are rampaging, magic is dying, villains are uniting, and a war is raging in space. And in the middle of it all, a critical moment has divided Earth's three greatest heroes: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. It's the DCU's darkest day, and long-lost heroes from the past have returned to make things right in the universe.at any cost. Heroes will live, heroes OMAC robots are rampaging, magic is dying, villains are uniting, and a war is raging in space. And in the middle of it all, a critical moment has divided Earth's three greatest heroes: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. It's the DCU's darkest day, and long-lost heroes from the past have returned to make things right in the universe.at any cost. Heroes will live, heroes will die, and the DCU will never be the same again!This omnibus colllects: Action Comics 826, 829, Adventures Of Superman 639, 642, Countdown To Infinite Crisis, Day Of Vengeance 1-6, Day Of Vengeance Infinite Crisis Special, JLA 115-119, Infinite Crisis 1-6, Infinite Crisis Secret Files 2006, The OMAC Project 1-6, The OMAC Project Infinite Crisis Special, Rann-Thanagar War 1-6, The Rann-Thanagar Infinite Crisis Special, Superman 216, 219, Villains United 1-6, Villains United Infinite Crisis Special, Wonder Woman 219.
This is truly a fitting omnibus, weaving together the many storylines which all integrated into Infinite Crisis into a coherent whole. Oh, none of the rest is as good as the main event, but having it all in one place (and in order) so that you can choose to read through the whole event is wonderful. (Sadly, The Return of Donna Troy is obviously missing; it's not as major as the other four prequels, but it gets just enough attention in Infinite Crisis that you know there's a storyline that you're This is truly a fitting omnibus, weaving together the many storylines which all integrated into Infinite Crisis into a coherent whole. Oh, none of the rest is as good as the main event, but having it all in one place (and in order) so that you can choose to read through the whole event is wonderful. (Sadly, The Return of Donna Troy is obviously missing; it's not as major as the other four prequels, but it gets just enough attention in Infinite Crisis that you know there's a storyline that you're not seeing.)Countdown to Infinite Crisis. What better way to begin a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths than with a big one-shot that highlights Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, two of the core members of the JLI, one of the most memorable and unique comics to come out of the original Crisis?And, Countdown is very much the intro to that sequel, Infinite Crisis.
It's primarily a lead-in for The OMAC Project and Superman: Sacrifice, but it also touches upon the other two introductory series, Day of Vengeance and The Rann-Thangar War. Honestly, that makes it a lot less of its own book. It's primarily a setup that leads up to a single inciting event. Fortunately, the writing is sharp and interesting enough that it's an intriguing setup, and particularly today when you can read straight on to the rest of the story, you don't mind it's incomplete nature.Of course one can't speak of Countdown without addressing the elephant in the room: the fan favorite character killed within and the other fan favorite character who was darkened irrevocably. 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. I think the uproar hardly matters.
The characters are both back due to the total continuity f. known as the Nu52, and who knows how all this fits any more. And honestly, people remember Infinite Crisis, not Giffen's short-lived JLI reunion.
So, we can now enjoy this particular story without that drama. 4/5The OMAC Project. Of all the Infinite Crisis miniseries, The OMAC Project is the one that most obviously continues on from Countdown to Infinite Crisis. That means it's the continuing story of Max Lord, a regathered JLI, and the OMACs. These are all great elements, with the OMACs and Brother I (Eye) in particular being a strong addition to the modern-day DC universe. There's also some fun mystery and some good interactions between DC heroes.However, The OMAC Project does have two flaws. First, the fact that Superman: Sacrifice goes right in the middle detracted from the classic collections of this book (though they did at least include Wonder Woman #219).
Fortunately, the nice Infinite Crisis Omnibus resolves that. Second, after the cataclysmic events of Sacrifice, the story drags, having lost its human focus. Still, this is an intriguing and ground-breaking story. 4/5Superman: Sacrifice. Neatly sandwiched between The Omac Project #3 and #4, this is a crucial story beat in the Infinite Crisis plotline. Unfortunately, it's also quite dull.The problem? Two issues of imaginary fighting against imaginary foes, followed by a reveal of what really happened and then a fight between Superman and Wonder Woman.
All told, there's about an issue of plotline here, and it can mostly be found in Greg Rucka's Wonder Woman. The rest is boring dreams or pointless repetition.The ending, when you finally get there, is dramatic and another of the major movements in the Infinite Crisis storyline. But it's just too painful getting there! 2/5Villains United. Of all the Infinite Crisis series, Villains United has the best through-line back to.
It's about villains uniting under the threat of 'heroic' mind-wipes. And about those who refuse to join them. It's a nice bit of continuity and a good look at repercussions. 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. Here Simone creates a long-running franchise based on superb characterization, one that doesn't quite reach the heights of the original Suicide Squad, but is nonetheless a worthy successor 4/5.Lightning Strikes Twice. This is the Superman story that serves as the loose connection between Identity Crisis and Day of Vengeance, as Eclipso swears vengeance on Shazam and possesses Jean Loring. It's otherwise not a particularly interesting story: just Eclipso tricking Superman than forcing him to fight Captain Marvel 2+/5.Day of Vengeance.
When two Spirits of Vengeance get together, with Eclipso controlling Spectre, there's all sorts of opportunity for metaphysical wonder. But really, Spectre just kills a bunch of magicians and Shadowpact fights him. Until they're sidelined to let Shazam do the big boss fight. Yeah, terrible plot. 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. Unfortunately author WIllingham would never do much good with them 2+/5.Rann-Thanagar War.
Definitely the weakest of the Infinite Crisis preludes; in short, it's a muddy, momentum-less book. That problem begins with the book's intro, which info-dumps a pile of confusing information from Adam Strange: Planet Heist. From there we get a rather wonderful gathering of DC's cosmic characters, but they all just seem to be fighting endless fights with no feeling of progress. After six issues of this, the story anticlimaxes, sacrificing any conclusion upon the altar of Infinite Crisis. 2/5.Crisis of Conscience.
Of all the Infinite Crisis preludes, this one is the most obvious sequel to. That's because it returns to the central question of stealing away free will from villains in order to protect heroes.
It's rather joyful to see this so clearly a part of modern continuity and also to see the return of the classic, though there's a bit too much repetition of ground already covered by Identity Crisis and a bit too much fighting. This book is also another one that's a very clear prequel to Infinite Crisis as it ends on a cliffhanger (which unfortunately undercuts this story's independence a bit, but so it goes) 3+/5.Infinite Crisis. The core Infinite Crisis series tries to be a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths and it succeeds remarkably well. Part of that is Johns' usage of the survivors of the multiverse (which is rather brilliant) and his careful repetition of elements like the Anti-Monitor and the multiple worlds. However, he also does a great job of repeating the staccato style of the original Crisis' epic storytelling.
This always rides the line of not showing enough, but Johns lands just right and tells a meaningful and memorable story. (It's also impressive how elegantly this series spins off any number of new series: Checkmate, Secret Six, Shadowpact, and Blue Beetle in particular.) Overall, a wonderful event 5/5.The Omnibus also weaves the mini-series finales into the Infinite Crisis series itself (and they come across as coherent, complete parts of the story, albeit not up to the writing of the main storyline.This book was such an awful contrivance, neither placing this stories with the mini-series that they completed, nor with the Infinite Crisis that they interweaved with.
Thank goodness that there's now an Infinite Crisis Omnibus that puts them in their correct places. Still, the stories tend to be overbloated sideshows in the Infinite Crisis story whose best feature is highlighting the miniseries that flowed into the Crisis.Day of Vengeance. 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 Rann/Thangar War.
So we get more of the chaotic fighting that made the Rann/Thangar War so tedious. It's helped by the fact that we get some context, and there's one dramatic status-quo change. But after that we still don't get an ending for this interminable battle!
2/5The OMAC Project. This finale nicely wraps up the current status of Checkmate and gives a great conclusion to Sasha Bordeaux, but is a bit long in its mindless fighting with OMAC 3+/5.Villlains Unite.
A big bash that nicely connects Villains United to Infinite Crisis #7, but neither has enough story nor enough Secret Six. Oh man, what a book.this one took me too long to get through. Being such a behemoth of a book, coupled with the tragically dull Rann/Thanagar 'interlude' I almost gave up.But like most titles (and Earths), there is just enough good to inspire one to finish the job.Being an important story in the DC Universe, I'm quite happy to have finally read this story. Lots of DC-specific knowledge gaps were filled in here.mostly the Superboy Prime stuff and the fates of the other alternate universe Oh man, what a book.this one took me too long to get through.
Being such a behemoth of a book, coupled with the tragically dull Rann/Thanagar 'interlude' I almost gave up.But like most titles (and Earths), there is just enough good to inspire one to finish the job.Being an important story in the DC Universe, I'm quite happy to have finally read this story. Lots of DC-specific knowledge gaps were filled in here.mostly the Superboy Prime stuff and the fates of the other alternate universe heroes left over from Crisis on Infinite Earths.This Omnibus starts out with the OMAC Project mini-series.
Without going into many spoilers, I will say that it was 'OK' in execution and mildly entertaining. It did help setup the Infinite Crisis storyline which you won't get to until reading through some Villians stuff (decent), some magic stuff (ok if only for the interesting characters), suffer through the (awful) Rann Thanagar intergalactic war.
I'm still not sure why they even bothered with that storyline. Perhaps hard core DC fans appreciate it.Am I glad to have read it? Sure, I mean it is important and there are a few hidden gems. But it was definitely 'work' to power through it. I'm excited about not reading it which ultimately is too bad as I was terribly excited sbout starting it last month. 111/115 (2018 Revised Reading Challenge)This was truly epic. At 1400 pages of comic book goodness.
Telling the infinite crisis story with all the tie in & build up issues. The individual arcs were nice enough but the way it all ties together for infinite crisis was great. It was a fantastic read & lovely hardcover to appreciate the art work of so many talented artists, as well as talented authors.
If there are no superheroes about & you need to defend yourself from a mugger this 111/115 (2018 Revised Reading Challenge)This was truly epic. At 1400 pages of comic book goodness. Telling the infinite crisis story with all the tie in & build up issues. The individual arcs were nice enough but the way it all ties together for infinite crisis was great.
It was a fantastic read & lovely hardcover to appreciate the art work of so many talented artists, as well as talented authors. If there are no superheroes about & you need to defend yourself from a mugger this would easily knock them comatose quickly. Then get back to enjoying the action whist the police arrive ?But joking aside a must have for all comic fans, especially DC fans. Just fantastic. Fun but exhausting read that highlights the reason I'm not a big fan of events.This is my second time reading through Infinite Crisis, I liked it a lot when I first read it in 2005, but that was 10 years ago and I think my tastes have changed quite a bit. There are things here that I absolutely love (GL, nods to crisis on infinite earths.) but this event also highlights the reason that I generally don't read event books and their companions anymore:World: I love it, this is DC at it's finest, Fun but exhausting read that highlights the reason I'm not a big fan of events.This is my second time reading through Infinite Crisis, I liked it a lot when I first read it in 2005, but that was 10 years ago and I think my tastes have changed quite a bit.
There are things here that I absolutely love (GL, nods to crisis on infinite earths.) but this event also highlights the reason that I generally don't read event books and their companions anymore:World: I love it, this is DC at it's finest, the depth of characters the number of worlds and the call back to the multiverse is absolutely a DC fans dream. I like how Johns treats the history, instead of someone like Morrison.
Johns accepts that readers have not read all 30 years of comics between crisis' and it's great. The world building is there, but there is a sure hand in letting the readers know enough about the world so that anyone can enjoy. However, having said that, there was a bit too much story and side companions for it's own good. Event books have this problem, while the main 7 issue arc is paced fine and works well alone, the world here is way to big because of the companions. I hate companion books as their rarely truly offer anything other than added spice and background to the tale. The world of DC is awesome and this event puts it on display, but a little bit too much in the end.Story: While a wonderful stand-alone tale that harkens back to Crisis on Infinite Earths and the stories between it, it does not treat it's readers with contempt and snobbery like Grant Morrison books.
Here, Johns takes time explaining the history and past events so that new readers know what is happening. 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). However, much like most events, the story does suffer from 2 main things: 1) Too big of a cast, due to the huge number of companion tales resulting in a loss of momentum of main story to tell these pointless tales and 2) Lack of a true consequence (but most comic are like this.you can't really truly kill anyone big.for long).
It's a fun read, but gets bogged down by the cast and the companion books.Characters: Wonderful, this is one area that Johns excels in. The trinity are on full display here but the 4 (no spoilers) are wonderfully reintroduced and their characterizations are fun and meaningful. I don't want to say anything except that XXXXXXX Prime is fun in the most amazing way. Karen is also a stand-out and having read JSA for a while I love the focus on them.It's a fun event, but like all events suffers from a cast that's too big to manage and an unreasonable amount of filler in order to sell books.
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's fun, and 10 years later it's an enjoyable relaxing read, but nothing to make it super memorable.Onward to the next book! Note: It's best if you read and before this story.These are dark days for the DC universe. The Justice League is splintered by internal conflict. Luthor is forming a new, global Secret Society of Super-Villains. Rann and Thanagar are at war with each other, and the Spectre is waging war on magic itself.There's a lot going on here.almost too much. It's not confusing, but it's a lot to keep in mind as you progress through the book.
At least two of the Note: It's best if you read and before this story.These are dark days for the DC universe. The Justice League is splintered by internal conflict. Luthor is forming a new, global Secret Society of Super-Villains. Rann and Thanagar are at war with each other, and the Spectre is waging war on magic itself.There's a lot going on here.almost too much. It's not confusing, but it's a lot to keep in mind as you progress through the book. At least two of the stories seem tangential until their connections are revealed near the end.But it's also a lot of fun.The writing and art is mostly strong throughout. 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.
Justiniano (on Day of Vengeance) is another favorite.Recommended if you have a good general familiarity with the DCU and are looking for a really big epic. There is only one way to describe this book - and that is EPIC.It is truly worth shelling out the moolah in order to get the omnibus - the Crisis universe is so much richer (and makes so much more sense) when you have all the pieces of the puzzle. All together it is like one gigantic, entertaining movie through 1400 pages. Having only read the prequel and the actual Infinite Crisis miniseries before, I felt the story was served much better through the omnibus.However, be warned - the story is so There is only one way to describe this book - and that is EPIC.It is truly worth shelling out the moolah in order to get the omnibus - the Crisis universe is so much richer (and makes so much more sense) when you have all the pieces of the puzzle. All together it is like one gigantic, entertaining movie through 1400 pages. Having only read the prequel and the actual Infinite Crisis miniseries before, I felt the story was served much better through the omnibus.However, be warned - the story is so plot-driven and relies on a knowledge of DC history that you may want to re-read Crisis on Infinite Earths and Identity Crisis beforehand just to refresh your memory.
Probably the longest book I'll read this year. Read from about 5pm to 1:30am.Interestingly, you actually ought to read Identity Crisis before you read this. Crisis on infinite earth from the 80s will also help set the scene for the big picture story.I have to hand it to DC on this one, they brought in a ton of characters but didn't get to bogged down. Plus they fit this in where story matched into continuity. Marvel should take notice and create an omnibus for their crossovers with a much Probably the longest book I'll read this year. Read from about 5pm to 1:30am.Interestingly, you actually ought to read Identity Crisis before you read this.
Crisis on infinite earth from the 80s will also help set the scene for the big picture story.I have to hand it to DC on this one, they brought in a ton of characters but didn't get to bogged down. Plus they fit this in where story matched into continuity. Marvel should take notice and create an omnibus for their crossovers with a much bigger part of the story.
The artwork was pretty even and clear. Geoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career Geoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan.
He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4.
During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. And JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005.
Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
OMAC robots are rampaging, magic is dying, villains are uniting, and a war is raging in space. And in the middle of it all, a critical moment has divided Earth's three greatest heroes: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. It's the DCU's darkest day, and long-lost heroes from the past have returned to make things right in the universe.at any cost. Heroes will live, heroes will die, and the DCU will never be the same again!This omnibus collects Action Comics #826, #829, Adventures of Superman #639, #642, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Day of Vengeance #1-6, Day of Vengeance Infinite Crisis Special, JLA #115-119, Infinite Crisis #1-6, Infinite Crisis Secret Files 2006, The OMAC Project #1-6, The OMAC Project Infinite Crisis Special, Rann-Thanagar War #1-6, The Rann-Thanagar Infinite Crisis Special, Superman #216, #219, Villains United #1-6, Villains United Infinite Crisis Special and Wonder Woman #219.
OMAC robots are rampaging, magic is dying, villains are uniting, and a war is raging in space. And in the middle of it all, a critical moment has divided Earth's three greatest heroes: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. It's the DCU's darkest day, and long-lost heroes from the past have returned to make things right in the universe.at any cost. Heroes will live, heroes will die, and the DCU will never be the same again! This omnibus collects Action Comics #826, #829, Adventures of Superman #639, #642, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Day of Vengeance #1-6, Day of Vengeance Infinite Crisis Special, JLA #115-119, Infinite Crisis #1-6, Infinite Crisis Secret Files 2006, The OMAC Project #1-6, The OMAC Project Infinite Crisis Special, Rann-Thanagar War #1-6, The Rann-Thanagar Infinite Crisis Special, Superman #216, #219, Villains United #1-6, Villains United Infinite Crisis Special and Wonder Woman #219. Probably the longest book I'll read this year. Read from about 5pm to 1:30am.
Interestingly, you actually ought to read Identity Crisis before you read this. Crisis on infinite earth from the 80s will also help set the scene for the big picture story. I have to hand it to DC on this one, they brought in a ton of characters but didn't get to bogged down. Plus they fit this in where story matched into continuity. Marvel should take notice and create an omnibus for their crossovers with a much bigger part of the story. The artwork was pretty even and clear.