Crisis! What Crisis?

Having recently revisited Crisis on Infinite Earths, it's strange to remember what an important role it played in comics at the time. There was a frustration for some about the lack of continuity and the multiple-earths. Crisis was an attempt to simplify the DC world and provide a consistent background for new stories.

It isn't clear if it succeeded in its purpose. A lot might depend on whether there were memorable stories produced afterwards, and whether new readers were brought on board to enjoy the company's rich world of comic properties. As each new comic creation has its own fans, getting caught up in the magical comic world, it's hard to judge each new comic age.

My entry period was between 1973 and 1976. Comics of that vintage hold an irrationally forceful attraction to me. Crisis came about at a reentry point, as I was exploring Alan Moore's magical Swamp Thing series and all things related. However, I didn't fall for what I perceived as a blatant sales gimmick. Surprise. Well I followed the alternative, sophisticated comics for a few more years, and even tried once again to become a comic book professional, but by the early 90s, even that fire had faded. Flash forward to 20-teens, and Crisis became yet another entry point. This time, trying to reflect on what happened to my pre-teen love, and what to make of its past, present, and future.

What I can say about the "new" Crises (Identity, Infinite, 52, Countdown to Final Crisis, Final), is it's still trying to sell comics, of course, but are the "Crisis" stories worth reading? Do they serve a creative universe where good stories can be told?

So far, the jury is still out. There are some successes and some fails. They have, however, explored the universe in a way which has allowed creators the chance to tell their stories.

To be continued.