When DC Comics announced their latest big event in Dark Crisis, I decided to sit out this big event and wait to read it once the entire big event was complete. In general, big event stories often read better in one sitting than when spread out over seven months or so. I also decided that I would pass on reading the various tie-in issues. The only exception that I made was for Dark Crisis – The Dark Army #1. I only decided to include this tie-in issue at the urging of Kevin who also did a great job reviewing Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths here at the Revolution.
Now that I have had a chance to read Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths in one sitting, I have a few general thoughts and observations about DC Comics’ latest big event.
The Story
Joshua Williamson is a fine writer and easily the best writer that DC Comics had prior to Geoff Johns returning to the company. If DC Comics could not convince Johns to write Dark Crisis, then Williamson was the obvious best choice to helm DC Comics’ latest big event. There is no other writer currently at DC Comics who has the writing chops to take on this type of big event story.
Having said all that, it is obvious that Williamson had an idea for an excellent four-issue mini-series. Then, editorial, as they usually do, decided that a four-issue big event is way too short and had Williamson fluff up his story to cover seven issues. Gotta get that money out of the readers.
The lack of substance to the story and the slow pacing and limited plot progression is the dead giveaway that Williamson only had enough story for a smaller mini-series. Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 was largely slow and boring. This was a rather inauspicious start. This debut issue had me genuinely concerned about the quality of the content that we would be getting in this big event. Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 really felt like Williamson was stalling for time. There was very little action. The issue was slow and rather boring. This was a subdued start for a big event.
Now, Williamson was able to finally introduce some action into the story with Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #2. However, the plot progression was still largely missing. The issue still felt like Williamson was stalling for time and assembling all the pieces that he wanted for his story.
Upon finishing Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #2, I felt as if Williamson could have easily combined these first two issues in one issue that offered a more streamlined and interesting read.
Things did not get much better with Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #3. This issue felt like Williamson was just rearranging chairs on the Titanic. Much of the issue felt highly repetitious. Williamson kept recycling the same discussions of trying to replace the iconic heroes and trying to assemble the existing heroes to help. We also get Black Adam and other characters just constantly rehashing how the legacy characters are children and should not try and fill the shoes of the dead Justice Leaguers.
It all becomes way too repetitious and begins to wear the reader down and make them lose interest in the story. The story never actually gets moving until the end of the issue. As I finished Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #3, my expectations for this big event were rather bleak. I began to adjust my expectations way down as it appeared that we were in store for a dull cash grab.
However, Williamson finally came through and the story really sprang to life in an exciting fashion in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #4. This is the issue where Williamson starts to get some good plot progression going and also performs some nice continuity work. The fourth issue is when I really become interested and invested in this big event story.
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 was another good read. This issue delivered a quick-paced read with lots of plot progression. We got plenty of cool action and fantastic character moments with all of the big-name Justice Leaguers that you know and love. Williamson really hits his stride with Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 as the reader is filled full of excitement and anticipation for what is going to happen next with this big event.
Williamson then delivers two fantastic issues in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 and Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. These are easily the two best issues in this big event. Williamson is operating on the top of his game with these two issues. It is amazing how Williamson is able to effortlessly juggle such a massive roster of characters with incredible ease. Williamson delivers an incredible climactic battle and also delivers more strong continuity work. There is no doubt that Dark Crisis on Infinite Earth finishes strong as Williamson absolutely sticks the landing.
Williamson loads up Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths with some excellent character work and well-crafted dialogue. Seriously, I was impressed how Williamson was able to deliver so much character work given the massive roster of characters in just a seven-issue story. It was also a delight how Williamson was able to give most of the characters well-defined external voices. This was most noticeable with characters like Nightwing, Deathstroke, Black Adam, Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, Clark Kent, and Bruce Wayne.
What was also a real blast was the amazing chemistry that Williamson was able to create in between some of the main characters. Williamson totally nails the classic pairing of Hal and Barry. These to guys are hilarious together! Hal and Barry are absolutely like peanut butter and jelly. I love the little friendly digs that Barry and Hal deliver on each other. What makes it even more impressive is that Williamson does it in an organic fashion and it never feels forced. Nightwing and Beast Boy also have good chemistry. And, of course, Barry Allen and Wally West have great chemistry. That should be of no surprise given Williamson’s history of writing the Flash.
It is obvious that Williamson genuinely loves these characters. The love and respect for the DCU are apparent all throughout Williamson’s story. There really is no other writer at DC Comics today, outside of Geoff Johns, who honestly loves and respects the DCU like Williamson.
Having said all of that, the theme of legacy does largely fall flat as it feels artificial and forced. The main reason for this is that actions speak louder than words. Sure, Williamson has the characters yammer on and on to the point of boredom about legacy. However, the theme of legacy is belied by the action of the story. It is the established heroes who are the ones who end up playing the starring roles of the story and saving the day.
In the end, the theme of legacy felt like something that the editors, still stung from their string of failed titles starring 5G heroes, had Williamson force into the story just to save face. Instead, Williamson’s story is one of the DCU’s majestic and glorious history and all of the popular established characters that form the foundation for the DCU.
Continuity Work and The Return of the Multiverse
Obviously, the best part of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths is the return of the Multiverse! I am talking about the real-deal Multiverse from before the original Crisis on Infinite Earths back in 1986. It is about damn time. No more half-measures. We have the full-blown Multiverse comprised of infinite Earths back and better than ever.
While I appreciate the incredible writing and artwork that went into creating Crisis on Infinite Earths, I have always maintained that the classic 1980s big event story was a massive mistake. Trashing the Multiverse set DC Comics down a thirty-year spiral of ever-increasing continuity problems and nightmares. Trashing the Multiverse fundamentally broke the DCU and crippled so many franchises including Superman, Justice Society of America, Justice League of America, Legion of Super-Heroes, and more.
Junking the Multiverse also severely limited the creative options for writers going forward. No longer could writers examine unique and different takes on established characters by visiting multiple Earths. In fact, DC Comics had to resort to creating the Elseworlds line of comics in order to grant their writers the ability to explore new and different themes with DC’s established characters. Elseworlds itself was the first admission that DC Comics had made a mistake.
After Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC Comics spend three decades trying to fix that mistake by incessantly picking at the unhealed scab that was their continuity. Spent the next three decades trying to fix that mistake. First, it was Zero Hour in 1994. Then it was Infinite Crisis in 2005. 52 in 2006. Then came Final Crisis in 2008. Then Flashpoint in 2010. Then Convergence in 2015. Then Rebirth in 2016. And now, finally, Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths in 2022. Literally, a thirty-six-year journey that DC Comics has been on to finally fix the problem they created back in 1986.
Now, I do think that DC Comics started a proper course correct with Infinite Crisis which gave us a new Multiverse that was later revealed at the end of 52. Sure, this new Multiverse was limited to just 52 Earths. But, it was still a step in the right direction.
I loved how Grant Morrison further fleshed out the structure of the new Multiverse. Morrison took aspects of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World mythology along with other Silver Age stories to officially add the structure of the new Multiverse including the Source Wall, the Bleed, and the Orrery. Morrison even further fleshed out in detail the structure of the new Multiverse in the pages of The Multiversity.
However, despite all of Morrison’s incredible work, the new Multiverse still felt limited. It was still not enough. 52 Earths was a far cry from the infinite Earths that we had prior to 1986.
So, here we are with the true Multiverse of Infinite Earths back and better than ever. What is the structure of the newly established Multiverse? The 52 Earth Multiverse still has its same structure and now powers the Infinite Earths that surround it. It is a bit overly convoluted and DC Comics could have simply just gotten rid of the 52 Earth Multiverse and gone back to the original structure of the Infinite Earths Multiverse. But, in the end, it does not really matter. I am fine with this structure.
I firmly believe that if DC Comics had competent editors that the return of the Multiverse of Infinite Earths should be taken as a hugely positive step forward. The Multiverse with its infinite Earths is the best literary tool. Period. The Infinite Earths allows writers to test out new characters and new worlds without ruining established characters that are popular and beloved.
Do you want to have a Superman that is young and bi-sexual? Do you want a Brazilian Wonder Woman? A black gay Aquaman? A black Batman? All of this is possible with the Infinite Earths of the Multiverse. The writers can experiment with these types of characters without having to replace the beloved established characters of the DCU.
Not being forced into replacing popular established characters will enable writers to try new ideas without running into massive fan resistance and outrage which always end in bad sales numbers. The Infinite Earths of the Multiverse allow for everyone to get what they want. Writers and editors can try new and weird takes on established characters while fans do not see their popular and beloved established characters getting retconned or replaced.
I do hope this means that DC Comics will stop trying to bizarrely retcon or replace established characters going forward. This new Multiverse should allow a proper outlet for editors and writers to try test balloons on different takes of the various characters of the DCU.
The Action and The Artwork
Williamson did get Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths off to a slow start. But, once we got past the first issue, Williamson did regularly load the reader up with plenty of fun action scenes. The fight scenes were rather large and boasted a massive number of heroes and villains. These fight scenes certainly conveyed the grand scale of this big event.
Daniel Sampere did a nice job with the artwork in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. The worst-looking issue was Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #3 where we had Daniel Henriques and Danny Miki pitching in to help with the inking. Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 was also a bit uneven due to the fact that we had artwork by committee with Daniel Sampere, Jack Herbert, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith, and Rafa Sandoval all pitching in to handle the art.
The other issues of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths were handled by Daniel Sampere alone. Those issues were far more consistent looking. Overall, Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths was a nice-looking big event. However, the artwork did not rise to the same epic level that prior Crisis events delivered.
Failed 5G Characters Take a Back Seat
Jace Fox
Jace Fox from the epically bad selling I am Batman comic was MIA for almost all of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. This was probably a wise move by Williamson. I am Batman is incredibly unpopular and its sales numbers have been embarrassing.
Jace Fox appears for just two pages in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 and then immediately exits the story. We then do not see Jace again until he shows up for a couple of pages in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6. Jace then disappears and is missing from Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7.
The Batman Family has a massive roster and Williamson was smart to shine the spotlight on Dick Grayson instead of any of the other Batman Family characters. This is not a surprise since Nightwing continues to be the best-selling Batman family title not starring Bruce Wayne.
Jace Fox is a character that desperately needs a refresh for this new DCU going forward. Jace should receive his own unique codename, costume, and gimmick. Maybe at that point, Jace might be able to gain some traction. However, the Batman Family is so massive at this point that Jace Fox even with his own unique name and gimmick will probably just get lost in the shuffle.
I do not think that the Batman Family is the franchise that needs yet another non-super-powered Batman ripoff running around the DCU. It might be time to just move on from Jace Fox’s character because it is obvious that he has no real future in this new DCU. Or maybe just place Jace on a different Earth in the Multiverse.
Yara Flor
Yara Flor gets little panel time in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #1. We then do not see Yara again until she shows up for two pages in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #3 and two pages in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #4. We then do not see Yara again until she reappears in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 in a few pages. Yara then fades into the background of the big fight and has no dialogue in Dark Crisis on Finite Earths #7.
Again, Yara is another failed 5G concept. Yara’s titles have also sold at embarrassingly low levels. Unfortunately, Yara may be a character that has been so badly damaged by her disastrous debut that there is no real way to rehabilitate her character at this point. Once the majority of readers view a character as a dud it is extremely hard to rehabilitate them. DC Comics may be better off simply shifting their focus to the two other far more popular Wonder Girls in Donna Troy and Cassie Landmark.
It seems that DC Comics agrees with me and that Yara does not have much of a place in this new DCU. Again, perhaps Yara’s character can be revisited on a different Earth in the Multiverse.
Jon Kent
Of all the failed 5G characters, Jon Kent was the best-selling. However, that is really not saying much since none of the 5G characters sold well. Jon’s title ended up struggling just to crack the Top 100 which is unacceptable for a Superman title. Jon also became an incredibly divisive character which is never good for a comic book company.
Of the three 5G characters, Jon Kent does get the most panel time in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. However, at no point does Williamson ever position Jon as one of the main heroes of this story. Jon remains a member of the supporting cast throughout this big event. This was a wise move by Williamson given Jon’s lack of popularity with the majority of readers.
Jon does get some attention in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 and then gets a little attention in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #2. Then Jon faded into the background as he only appeared on two pages in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #3 and just two pages in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #4. Then Jon only received a few pages in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5.
Jon gets to play a more active role in the big fight during Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6. The best part of this issue is that you do get to see Jon get the absolute crap kicked out of him. It is pretty enjoyable. Jon then only gets two pages in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 as he is reunited with his dad.
Williamson certainly nails Jon’s annoying and winy personality. Jon mostly serves as a punching bag for the villains before the A-listers show up to join the fight. Jon’s character just lacks the gravitas necessary to carry the mantle of Superman. Jon would be much better served by being de-aged and given the Superboy codename again. Personally, I am not a fan of Superman having a son and would rather see Jon sent back to one of the Infinite Earths of this new Multiverse.
Again, like the other 5G characters, Williamson was wise to shift the spotlight elsewhere. These 56 characters were born from a bad idea and have suffered from that genesis ever since. Jon Kent remains a character that very few fans want to see as Superman.
Now, of the three 5G characters, Jon Kent is the least likely one to be ignored during this new DCU. Mainly, because DC Comics engaged in so much self-congratulatory back-slapping in the mainstream media when they made Jon bi-sexual. I am sure that Jon will get slotted back into the role as a supporting character for Clark Kent going forward.
The Stars of Dark Crisis
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths boasts a massive roster of characters. So, it is hard to pick just a single character who is the main hero of the story. Instead, Williamson went with four main characters who shine as the main heroes of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.
What is interesting is that all four characters are old established heroes. There are no new legacy characters chosen by Williamson. Again, this was a smart move. The fact is that the established heroes are the characters who enjoy the most fan support and it is not even close. So, in order to have a successful big event that sells plenty of issues, Williamson knew he had to lean on four old established characters in order to power his big event’s financial success.
Black Adam
The first star of Dark Crisis is Black Adam. Williamson has Black Adam as a constant presence throughout every issue of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Black Adam is forced to deal with his own failure and his guilt of being the only survivor of the Justice League. It is fascinating to see such an egotistical and proud character like Black Adam so broken and unconfident in himself. Williamson has Black Adam as a shell of the hero that he used to be. However, like all good heroes, Black Adam finally comes to terms with his feelings of regret and guilt by the time we get to the final battle in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. Black Adam serves as the literal engine for our heroes in their battle against the villains. Seeing Black Adam sharing his magical power with all of the DC heroes was an incredible scene. This was one of the biggest “Hell, yeah!” moments in this big event. This is when the reader knew we were about to see our heroes making a furious comeback and beating the snot out of the bad guys.
Williamson had Black Adam show the heart of a true hero as he faced off against Deathstroke. Black Adam remained unbowed and fearless despite being weakened from sharing his powers and bloodied from the fighting. This was such an epic hero moment. Williamson really nailed it with Black Adam in this big fight scene.
Of course, I am glad that Williamson did not get carried away with Black Adam at the end of the big event. Williamson wisely had Black Adam revert back to his usual imperious and prickly self. This made total sense. It was logical that Black Adam would be willing to sacrifice himself to save Earth-Zero. However, once the threat was gone, Black Adam still owes no allegiances to our heroes. Once the enemy of my enemy is defeated then I go back to hating my enemy. We would not want Black Adam to be any other way.
Hal Jordan
The second star of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths is the greatest Green Lantern of all time: Hal Jordan. Williamson obviously loves Hal’s character and it shows in this big event. Williamson absolutely nails what makes Hal’s character so fantastic. Hal is a cocky rule-breaking cowboy who has no fear and complete faith in himself. Basically, Hal is Tom Cruise’s Maverick character from the Top Gun franchise. It needs to be remembered that Hal was a test pilot before he became a Green Lantern. Test pilots definitely have personalities like Maverick from Top Gun. Williamson understands this fact and leans into it.
To be sure, Williamson delivers a cool Hal Jordan who dominates every scene that he is in. Williamson clearly did his research with Hal’s character and it shows. Hal’s dialogue was fantastic and Williamson was able to give Hal a distinctive external voice. Williamson made Hal one of the more fleshed-out characters in this story. After reading Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, I want to get a Williamson-written Hal Jordan title!
Hal gets numerous hero moments in this big event. Hal is an alpha dog who the other heroes naturally fall in line behind. I love how Williamson gives Hal several dramatic entrances during this big event! It is never a dull moment when Hal appears on the scene.
Williamson gives Hal plenty of badass moments in this big event. I loved the fight scene between Hal and Pariah. Having Hal create the entire Justice League with his power ring was a fantastic moment. Williamson is able to give us a fearless Hal Jordan who never shrinks from a fight.
In Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6, Williamson delivers the dramatic return of the iconic Justice Leaguers, along with the Green Lantern Corps. Our returning heroes appear at the climactic fight scene outside of the Hall of Justice. It is definitely no mistake that Williamson has Hal Jordan as the character who is front and center with the rest of the Justice Leaguers and the Green Lantern Corps behind him.
I have been highly critical of the way that DC Comics has completely destroyed the Green Lantern franchise. It is stunning to think how far the Green Lantern franchise has fallen since Geoff Johns’ run on that franchise. Green Lantern used to be a monster seller for DC Comics. Hopefully, the fact that Hal Jordan is one of the main heroes of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths means that DC Comics will be recommitted to rebuilding the franchise around Hal.
Hal Jordan remains the most popular and best-selling Green Lantern. And it is not even close. Hopefully, DC Comics follows Williamson’s lead and gives us a new ongoing Hal Jordan title along with a secondary and a tertiary title focusing on the Green Lantern Corps and some of the other Corps from the emotional spectrum.
Barry Allen
The third star of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths is Barry Allen. There simply is no better Flash. Again, Williamson obviously loves Barry Allen’s character. Williamson did a fantastic job writing the Flash comic, so I was not surprised that Williamson wrote a great Barry Allen in this big event. I was also not at all surprised that Williamson made Barry a central figure in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Williamson gives Barry excellent dialogue and a well-developed personality. I love how Williamson is able to effortlessly and instantaneously create fantastic chemistry between Barry and Hal. The two sound exactly like the old friends that they are in how they joke with each other.
Williamson understands what makes Barry so special. Barry is a highly analytical investigator who never ceases in his quest for an answer. Barry serves as the emotional center and spiritual leader of the Flash family. All of the other Flash family members look directly to Barry for direction and inspiration. I loved the scene where Barry leads the Flash family in an effort to save the Infinite Earths. This was a phenomenal scene. Wally references that they lost the Infinite Earths before. True enough. In fact, Barry Allen died during the events of Crisis On Infinite Earths while destroying the Anti-Monitor’s cannon. Williamson has Barry say that they have been losing every day since the Infinite Earths have been gone. Barry then says No more. It is a powerful moment that gets the reader pumped up.
In this dialogue, Williamson delivers some good metacommentary. Essentially, Williamson is saying that the trashing of the Infinite Earths back in 1986 was a mistake. Williamson is also telling the reader that DC Comics has been losing ever since by having to deal with these endless continuity problems ever since 1986.
I also love the way that Williamson bookends Barry’s role in the Crisis events. While Barry died trying to stop the Anti-Monitor in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Williamson has Barry succeed in leading the Flashes and Dr. Light in being able to defeat the Darkness and save the Infinite Earths. This is the victorious moment for Barry that has been a long time coming.
With Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Williamson again reaffirms the fact that Barry Allen is the most important figure in the Flash family and an integral part of the DCU.
Barry Allen fans are sure to love how Williamson handles Barry’s character in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Our boy gets plenty of time in the spotlight and shines brightly as one of the central figures in the DCU.
Nightwing
The fourth star of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths is Nightwing. Now, I can hear all of you readers exclaiming, “But, wait, Rokk! You said no legacy heroes were a star in this big event. That is was only old established characters.” That is correct. The fact is that Dick Grayson is an old established character. In fact, Dick Grayson is older than almost all of the heroes in the DCU outside of Superman and Batman. Dick Grayson has been around since 1940. Dick has been Nightwing since 1984! That is almost forty years of Nightwing! The failed 5G characters are legacy characters. The Red Canary introduced in Dark Crisis is a legacy character. The zillion Batgirls are legacy characters. Dick Grayson? He is as established of a character as you can get in the DCU.
I was thrilled to see Dick Grayson getting the spotlight in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Dick is a fantastic established character who deserves to be treated as a pivotal character within the DCU. Williamson has a nice feel for Dick’s character and leans into the fact that Dick is so different from his adopted father Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is an unstoppable force of nature who is able to do the impossible and always has the answer to any problem. Dick is definitely not any of those things. Dick is far more human than Bruce. Dick is also far more emotional. These qualities also make Dick a true leader who inspires those around him. Bruce is a loner who does not want to lead or inspire those around him. Williamson properly highlights this huge difference as Nightwing is the hero who picks up the mantle of the inspirational leader in the wake of the death of the Justice League.
It is particularly interesting that Williamson essentially slots Nightwing into the role that Superman traditionally held in any big event. Clark Kent has always been a character who inspired those around him. Clark is a hero that other heroes look to for leadership in times of need. Williamson does not have Jon Kent take on this role. Instead, it is Dick Grayson who steps in the shoes of Superman to serve as the spiritual leader for our heroes during this big event. Again, this was a smart idea. Even though Dick and Jon are both young, Dick has far more gravitas than Jon could possibly hope to have. Dick also commands the respect of all comic book fans which is also something that Jon does not do. It would have been the predictable and easy route to simply slot Jon in as the main character for Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and have him play Clark’s role. However, to do so would have been disastrous. Williamson wisely understood that this role was destined for Dick Grayson alone.
Fans of Dick Grayson are definitely going to adore Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Dick gets his moment to shine brightly as he has never before. I am thrilled to see Dick getting this opportunity. This is a large reason why Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths was so enjoyable.
Ranking the Crisis Events
Now comes the big question of where would I rank Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths in relation to all of the other Crisis events. I would rank the Crisis Events in the following order.
- Final Crisis (2008-2009)
- Infinite Crisis (2005-2006)
- Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985-1986)
- Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (2022)
- Rebirth (2016)
- Zero Hour (1994)
- Convergence (2015)
- Flashpoint (2010-2011)
Coming in fourth place is not bad! I could not put Williamson’s big event any higher due to the story and the artwork. While I enjoyed Williamson’s story, for the most part, the fact remains that Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths comes up short compared to the Crisis events I ranked above it.
Final Crisis takes the number one spot due to Morrison’s story. Morrison delivered a far more complex story with more high-concept themes. Morrison also delved deeper into the mythos of the DCU. By comparison, Williamson’s story seems rather shallow and simple. Williamson does not deliver anything that is even remotely as complex and deep as Morrison’s story. Williamson also does not delve into the mythos of the DCU to anywhere near the degree that Morrison did in his story.
On top of all that the art team of JG Jones, Doug Mahnke, Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino, and Marco Rudy delivered a much more impressive and beautiful big event than Daniel Sampere was able to do in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.
I placed Infinite Crisis ahead of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths due to the fact that Johns’s story is far more complex than Williamson’s story. Johns also delivers more continuity work and really digs into the granular details of DC Comics’ continuity. Again, Williamson’s story is far more on the surface and does not deliver the level of detail that Johns did in Infinite Crisis. Also, I loved Infinite Crisis because it returned the Multiverse back to the DCU.
Also, the art team of Phil Jimenez, Andy Lanning, George Perez, Ivan Reis, Joe Bennet, Jerry Ordway, and Art Thibert absolutely blew away what we got in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Lastly, I put Crisis on Infinite Earths ahead of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Marv Wolfman definitely delivered a far more complex and grand tale than what Williamson brought to the table with Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Williamson’s story seems anemic in comparison to the textured story that Wolfman created.
Also, the art team of George Perez, Dick Giordano, and Jerry Ordway totally Godzilla stomps all over the artwork for Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Perez set the standard for what Big Event artwork should look like.
Overall
In the end, Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths was a solid big event story. I appreciate that Williamson treated the DCU with love and respect. While some issues were better than others, when taken as a whole the reader does get treated to a pleasant mix of character work, large action scenes, and solid continuity work. Most importantly, Williamson delivered the return of the true Multiverse that had been gone ever since the ending of Crisis on Infinite Earths.