Let’s just start this article off with a spoiler warning. If you do not want anything spoiled about upcoming issues of Dark Crisis or the tie-in issues then turn back now! Okay, everyone else? Let’s proceed forward.
Maybe this was truly planned from the start. Maybe it is just a lame sales gimmick. Maybe it is just a panic move made in the middle of a big event not performing up to expectations. Either way, DC Comics keeps presenting itself as a comic publisher that lacks vision and good judgment.
At San Diego Comics Con, DC Comics pulled a fast one and announced that the name Dark Crisis for their new big event was nothing more than a head fake! In actuality, the real name for this big event is Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Dark Crisis will officially be renamed Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths with issue #4.
DC Comics also announced that Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths is now a direct sequel to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. The supposed reason for keeping the “real” name of this big event a secret was because DC Comics did not want to spoil the ending. DC Comics will now re-release the first three issues as Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.
There is a lot to unpack here with what DC Comics presented us in connection to their latest big event. DC Comics wants us to believe that this was their plan all along and that the reason for changing the name of the tile was so they did not spoil the return of the Infinite Earths.
I find this hard to believe. So, DC Comics did not want to spoil the return of the Infinite Earths prior to the release of the first issue, but it is okay to spoil its return after the second issue? This makes no sense. Further, DC Comics then proceeded to go about spoiling numerous aspects of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths during the San Diego Comic-Con.
Maybe DC Comics had this planned from the very start. But, DC Comics’ reasoning that it did not want to spoil the return of the Infinite Earths is probably untrue. If this was the plan all along then DC Comics purposely planned to reveal the “real” title in this manner in order to try and juice sales numbers. It is quite possible that DC Comics was concerned about the sales performance of Dark Crisis even before the big event started. Also, DC Comics’ willingness to spoil all sorts of things about Dark Crisis at every possible moment shows that their professed reasoning for withholding the real name cannot possibly be true.
I simply have a hard time believing that DC Comics hid the “real” title to this big event until their panel at SDCC and just prior to Dark Crisis #3 being released. Instead, this seems to me that DC Comics is not happy with the performance of Dark Crisis up to this point. Revealing a title name change at SDCC is one way to gin up interest and possibly sales. Further, using the title name to connect Dark Crisis to DC Comics’ most famous big event story of all time in Crisis on Infinite Earths also feels like a sales stunt to try and from up increased interest in Dark Crisis.
Revealing that Dark Crisis is a direct sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths just makes Dark Crisis feel even more uncreative. It seems that DC Comics is doomed to just rearrange the chairs on the Titanic. Such is the reality of embracing remix culture.
The big real of the Infinite Earths does not change my opinion about Dark Crisis. This big event has been poorly conceived and poorly executed from the start. Now, yes, I am a massive fan of DC’s Infinite Earths. I always thought it was a terrible mistake by DC Comics to get rid of their multiverse during Crisis on Infinite Earths. I was thrilled when DC Comics returned the limited multiverse composed of 52 Earths with the ending of 52.
However, DC Comics is run by such an incompetent crew of editors that I have no faith in them doing anything remotely interesting with the return of the Infinite Earths. Further, DC Comics has a dearth of talented writers at the moment. Joshua Williamson is great. But, beyond Williamson, the writing cupboard is rather bare.
At this point, I will remain skeptical that the DC Comics editorial staff knows what to do with the Infinite Earths. I have a feeling we are going to get numerous titles written by low-level writers and starring uninteresting 5G/Future State-type characters. But, I could always be wrong!
After DC Comics said they wanted to hide the “real” name of Dark Crisis so as to not spoil the return of the Infinite Earths, DC Comics then proceeded to spoil future events in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.
We learn in Dark Crisis #3, that Black Adam will want to kill Count Vertigo and display his body as a warning to other villains. We learn that there will be a massive fight between the Legion of Doom and the Secret Society.
We learn that Wally West finds Barry Allen. That in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #4, Barry will reunite with Hal Jordan and will work together to find the Justice League. We also earn that Pariah will win in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #4.
We learned that Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 will give us the return of the real Justice league with the exception of one Justice Leaguer who will remain lost forever. Obviously, this is going to be Barry Allen. Maybe DC Comics is going to swerve me with something more original, but I doubt it.
We also learn that the Justice Society of America will soon be a part of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Also that the Green Lantern Corps investigating Neuron in Sector 666 will reveal how he might be released to what is going on with Pariah.
The attack of the variant covers will continue as DC Comics is going to engage in every sales stunt and gimmick possible in order to increase sales. We already know that DC Comics is offering generous returns to local comic shops. Now, we get to see all of the variant covers headed our way. Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 will have a whopping six covers. Dark Crisis: The Deadly Green will have three different covers. Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1 will have three different covers. Dark Crisis: War Zone will have two covers. Dark Crisis: Young Justice #5 will have two covers.
We got some information about Dark Crisis: Young Justice #5 which will give us Young Justice has to fight Mickey Mxyzptlk (The son of Mr. Mxyzptlk). You can enjoy reading how awful our male heroes are as they have to overcome their shortcomings and defeat Mickey in order to return home. This title has been a dreadfully cringe read so I doubt that Meghan Fitzmartin will have anything of real substance in store for us.
We also learned about several Dark Crisis one-shot issues headed our way. First, Dark Crisis: The Deadly Green #1 by Joshua Williamson, Dan Waters, Ram V, and Alex Oaknadel with art by Daniel Bayliss. This one-shot will deal with Superman having to combine his powers with Swamp Thing to investigate how the Great Darkness is spreading across the Multiverse.
Williamson and Ram V are talented writers. But, this one-shot seems like a standard issue mash-up of two heroes that we have seen before. There is no way I am paying the heavy price of admission of $6 to read this issue.
Another Dark Crisis one-shot headed our way is Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1. This will star Robin (Damien Wayne), Red Canary, Dr. Light, Sideways, and Power Girl. This issue is written by Mark Waid, Dennis Culver, and Deliah Dawson. Our heroes will attempt to steal control of the Dark Army from Pariah. This story will also uncover a secret about Dr. Light’s place in Crisis on Infinite Earths that rocks the future of the DCU.
I guess DC Comics is relying on Damien Wayne to sell issues of this one-shot because the rest of the line-up is a collection of characters that are not going to interest a large cross-section of readers. Well, with the exception of Power Girl who is an excellent character. Kara and her boob window are usually good enough for me to buy the comic book. I won’t lie.
The third one-shot mentioned was Dark Crisis: War Zone #1. This issue is brought to us by Jeremy Adams and Stephanie Williams and “more talent announced later.” This one-shot will feature five different stories. The focus will be on Linda Park and Iris West’s points of view of what is happening around them. I am not sure about the necessity of this one-shot since we already have these two characters over on Flash. Dark Crisis: War Zone #1 sounds like a dull read and will be a hard pass from me.
All right, that is all we have about DC Comics’ Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Let’s see what other information comes out of San Diego Comic-Con over the next few days!