40 Years Ago, DC Comics Put Out the Best Event Book Ever

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DC Comics pioneered the superhero genre in the late 1930s, blending elements of detective stories, adventure tales, horror, and science fiction. For many years, they led the way with innovations like the sidekick, superhero teams, and supervillain groups, even launching the Silver Age of comics and the concept of the multiverse. While the multiverse defined DC in the 60s and 70s, the rise of Marvel’s more grounded storytelling began to overshadow them. As the popularity of the multiverse waned and Marvel introduced large-scale event comics, DC needed to adapt to stay relevant. They did so dramatically in 1985 with a groundbreaking event comic widely considered one of the greatest in comic book history.

Marv Wolfman, George Perez, and Jerry Ordway’s Crisis on Infinite Earths truly defined the modern comic book crossover event. Unlike earlier attempts, Crisis felt significant, and its conclusion had a lasting impact on DC Comics and the industry overall. While it’s not without flaws, many fans consider those imperfections to be part of what makes it the greatest event comic ever created.

Crisis on Infinite Earths‘ Flaws Made It Perfect

Despite its flaws, Crisis on Infinite Earths remains a truly remarkable achievement for DC Comics. The story was the result of years of dedicated work by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, Roger Ordway, editor Dick Giordano, and a researcher who meticulously reviewed every DC comic ever published. It was a passion project, and that dedication is evident throughout. The creators clearly loved the company and its characters, and they poured their hearts into crafting a year-long epic with unprecedented stakes, designed to captivate readers and honor DC’s entire history.

Reading Crisis on Infinite Earths for the first time is a unique experience. The story unfolds gradually, taking the heroes through various time periods featured in DC Comics history – from futuristic disasters to World War II and medieval times. It takes several issues before the main villain, the Anti-Monitor, even appears. Many of the story choices seem driven by a desire to include every era of DC’s publishing history. Characters like Superboy-Prime, who later became significant, were included simply because of their connection to DC’s past. The deaths of Barry Allen and Supergirl were emotionally impactful, serving as a symbolic end to the Silver Age of comics, as they were its defining characters. Lady Quark felt somewhat out of place, but her purpose was to demonstrate the sheer scale of the Anti-Monitor’s threat, showing that even universes unfamiliar to readers were at risk.

I really enjoy a specific part of the Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 issue, even though it’s a point of contention for some readers. It explored what the villains would do in that scenario, and I found it really engaging. While the 12-issue length feels excessive to some – and parts like the villain war and certain character moments could arguably be trimmed – those details ultimately contributed to the story’s epic scope. Considering this was the largest comic book story ever told, those seemingly minor flaws are what make it so memorable and special.

The Anti-Monitor might seem like a simple, purely evil villain – the kind who twirls a mustache if he had one – but that simplicity was actually perfect for the story. Crisis on Infinite Earths was meant to be a clear-cut battle between good and evil, life and death, and a complicated villain would have distracted from that core conflict. What I’ve always appreciated about Crisis is how all its imperfections actually come together to make it great. Every strange event, odd character choice, or unnecessary appearance somehow enhances the overall feeling of the story. The creative team took risks and threw everything they had at it, and surprisingly, it all worked. Crisis shouldn’t have been successful, and that’s precisely why it was.

Crisis on Infinite Earths Will Never Be Dethroned

The original Crisis sparked so many follow-up events that some fans have grown weary of the whole concept. However, the core story remains popular. It’s a timeless tale—a brilliant combination of writing and art—that created the most significant event in comic book history. Over the past 40 years, numerous stories have attempted to surpass it, but none have succeeded. What makes Crisis so special are its imperfections, and it’s clear how much passion everyone involved poured into it. The creators loved DC Comics as much as the readers did, and that truly shines through.

As a huge comic fan, I truly believe Crisis on Infinite Earths was a real turning point for the industry. It didn’t just reshape DC Comics for decades, but it essentially defined what a big event comic could be. Honestly, everything we’ve seen since owes something to it. If you read Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars – which came out just before Crisis – and then Crisis itself, the difference is striking. Secret Wars feels like it’s from another era, while Crisis feels incredibly modern. It fundamentally changed comics forever, and in my opinion, it remains the greatest event comic ever published.

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2025-10-29 02:10