Stumbling Along ...

Sometimes words just don't come out the way one expects. Rather than mark this down as bad writing, why not explore the subject further? So why don't things come out as expected? Is it a failure to concentrate, or something more? Maybe there is an intangible between conception and expression? Maybe there is a Valley of Disbelief that can never be certainly crossed.

Part of the problem is the Mind changed between inception and execution. New data presents itself, or the initial premise proves to flimsy for prolonged examination.

Let me tell you something: thinking about comics is kind of a drag. There is an annoyance with what ends up expressed. So back on the topic of comics, sometimes ideas are solid. Sometimes, not so much.

A lot of work went into the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. Marv Wolfman and George Perez ended up carrying the majority of the burden. On one hand, you could say they did a good job trolling through the DC properties that included the work of many different companies originally. There was no plan in the beginning for Fawcett characters to live alongside Superman, Batman, or the Justice Society of America. Charlton characters were also created in the spirit of competition. As were Quality characters, of course. The idea of bringing them together is more analogous to a hoarder raiding a garage sale. What resulted was a mess, if only more organized.

Legends, the follow-up series, tried to bring some order to the new reality, establishing a new continuity. In the background, they also tried to incorporate Kirby's Fourth World into the mix. Actually, it was more in-your-face, that part, but the result was severely anti-climatic. One has to wonder what good was ever suppose to come from the universes-mashing together.

I've read Legends for the first time this week, and hope to consume Millennium soon, however, let's jump ahead to Identity Crisis. That however, will have to wait for the next installment of this blog.

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.