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Crisis on Infinite Earths (Collected Editions)
Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 3
Worlds will live and worlds will die. See how the game-changing event Crisis on Infinite Earths affected your favorite characters and series in Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Vol. 3!
IN 1985
WORLDS LIVED, WORLDS DIED
AND COMICS WERE NEVER THE SAME.
The DC Universe was dramatically altered in Crisis on Infinite Earths, an unforgettable and defining event in comics history that was the first company-wide crossover to make good on its promise of lasting change. Now, for the first time ever, the tie-in stories to this legendary event starring Wonder Woman, Superman, Blue Devil, Amethyst, and more are presented in this final Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion collection.
Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 3 collects Amethyst #13, The Omega Men #31, a story from The Omega Men #33, Blue Devil #17-18, Wonder Woman #327-329, Swamp Thing #46, Legion of Super-Heroes #16 and #18, Superman #413-415, DC Comics Presents #87-88 and #94-95, Justice League of America Annual #3, and pages from Superman and Batman: World's Funnest #1. This historic third volume features many never-before-collected issues, plus brand-new essays and a chronological timeline for the event by Crisis associate editor Robert Greenberger.
IN 1985
WORLDS LIVED, WORLDS DIED
AND COMICS WERE NEVER THE SAME.
The DC Universe was dramatically altered in Crisis on Infinite Earths, an unforgettable and defining event in comics history that was the first company-wide crossover to make good on its promise of lasting change. Now, for the first time ever, the tie-in stories to this legendary event starring Wonder Woman, Superman, Blue Devil, Amethyst, and more are presented in this final Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion collection.
Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 3 collects Amethyst #13, The Omega Men #31, a story from The Omega Men #33, Blue Devil #17-18, Wonder Woman #327-329, Swamp Thing #46, Legion of Super-Heroes #16 and #18, Superman #413-415, DC Comics Presents #87-88 and #94-95, Justice League of America Annual #3, and pages from Superman and Batman: World's Funnest #1. This historic third volume features many never-before-collected issues, plus brand-new essays and a chronological timeline for the event by Crisis associate editor Robert Greenberger.
536 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2019
11 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Alan Moore
1,577 books21.6k followersAlan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 9, 2020
As with all of these big compilations DC puts together, the books within can be a mixed bag of garbage and gold. That being said, I love that DC is collecting all of these Crisis crossovers and hope they continue to collect the rest of them. I also dig the little essays that appear before each comics included in the collection.
Amethyst #13 by Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming & Ernie Colon - 2 Stars
It's a little strange seeing this high fantasy book in the DCU. Giffen is already retconning her story. The is the first appearance of the Lords of Order and Chaos.
Omega Men #31, #33 by Todd Klein, Shawn McManus & Ernie Colon - 2 Stars
Who knew Todd Klein wrote this in addition to lettering it? It's really dense and only tangentially related to Crisis. I'd give this a skip unless DC collects the rest of this Omega Men run. Shawn McManus's art works great with all of these alien creatures."
Blue Devil #17-18 by Gary Cohn, Dan Mishkin, & Alan Kupperberg - 3 Stars
This did not age well. Again, not related to Crisis much except for the Omega Men appearance."
Wonder Woman #327-329 by Mindy Powell, Gerry Conway, & Don Heck - 1 Stars
The first two issues by Mindy Newell are awful. Wonder Woman is barely in them. It's about a bunch of army personnel I could care less about fighting an Aztec god and then getting wrapped up in some scandal. The book instantly gets back on track once Gerry Conway comes in to write the final issue. The final issue is so much better and the only one I'd bother to read.
Swamp Thing #46 by Alan Moore & Stephen Bissette - 4 Stars
Who knew Alan Moore would embroil Swamp Thing this much into Crisis? He and John Constantine hang out on the Monitor's satellite. John Constantine also made a subtle allude to Astra. A story that would define Hellblazer for a long time.
Legion of Super-Heroes #16, #18 by Paul Levitz, & Steve Lightle, Greg LaRocque - 4 Stars
You can't really ever go wrong with Legion stories written by Paul Levitz. That trend continues here. Brainy mourns the death of Supergirl while the Legion fights the dissolution of their universe from Crisis. Great stuff.
Superman #413-415 by Cary Bates, Elliot S. Maggin & Curt Swan - 3 Stars
Some classic Superman art by THE Superman artist Curt Swan along with some very dated stories.
DC Comics Presents #87-88, #94-95 by a bunch of different teams - 2 Stars
None of these were very memorable except for maybe memorably bad. Keith Giffen's art in #88 is particularly atrocious.
Justice League of America Annual #3 by Dan Mishkin & Rick Hoberg - 3 Stars
This was a fun team up of the old and new JLA's as they fight Red Tornado. He's went off the deep end to become the Tornado Tyrant.
Superman & Batman: World's Funnest by Evan Dorkin & Phil Jimenez - 2 Stars
This is just weird, out of context with the rest of the story. Mister Mxyzptlk & Bat-Mite show up in the midst of the Monitor's satellite and wipe out all the heroes there. I'm not even sure why this was included other than to showcase Jimenez's art.
Amethyst #13 by Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming & Ernie Colon - 2 Stars
It's a little strange seeing this high fantasy book in the DCU. Giffen is already retconning her story. The is the first appearance of the Lords of Order and Chaos.
Omega Men #31, #33 by Todd Klein, Shawn McManus & Ernie Colon - 2 Stars
Who knew Todd Klein wrote this in addition to lettering it? It's really dense and only tangentially related to Crisis. I'd give this a skip unless DC collects the rest of this Omega Men run. Shawn McManus's art works great with all of these alien creatures."
Blue Devil #17-18 by Gary Cohn, Dan Mishkin, & Alan Kupperberg - 3 Stars
This did not age well. Again, not related to Crisis much except for the Omega Men appearance."
Wonder Woman #327-329 by Mindy Powell, Gerry Conway, & Don Heck - 1 Stars
The first two issues by Mindy Newell are awful. Wonder Woman is barely in them. It's about a bunch of army personnel I could care less about fighting an Aztec god and then getting wrapped up in some scandal. The book instantly gets back on track once Gerry Conway comes in to write the final issue. The final issue is so much better and the only one I'd bother to read.
Swamp Thing #46 by Alan Moore & Stephen Bissette - 4 Stars
Who knew Alan Moore would embroil Swamp Thing this much into Crisis? He and John Constantine hang out on the Monitor's satellite. John Constantine also made a subtle allude to Astra. A story that would define Hellblazer for a long time.
Legion of Super-Heroes #16, #18 by Paul Levitz, & Steve Lightle, Greg LaRocque - 4 Stars
You can't really ever go wrong with Legion stories written by Paul Levitz. That trend continues here. Brainy mourns the death of Supergirl while the Legion fights the dissolution of their universe from Crisis. Great stuff.
Superman #413-415 by Cary Bates, Elliot S. Maggin & Curt Swan - 3 Stars
Some classic Superman art by THE Superman artist Curt Swan along with some very dated stories.
DC Comics Presents #87-88, #94-95 by a bunch of different teams - 2 Stars
None of these were very memorable except for maybe memorably bad. Keith Giffen's art in #88 is particularly atrocious.
Justice League of America Annual #3 by Dan Mishkin & Rick Hoberg - 3 Stars
This was a fun team up of the old and new JLA's as they fight Red Tornado. He's went off the deep end to become the Tornado Tyrant.
Superman & Batman: World's Funnest by Evan Dorkin & Phil Jimenez - 2 Stars
This is just weird, out of context with the rest of the story. Mister Mxyzptlk & Bat-Mite show up in the midst of the Monitor's satellite and wipe out all the heroes there. I'm not even sure why this was included other than to showcase Jimenez's art.
February 29, 2020
The last volume of Crisis crossovers is unfortunately also the least. It's not just that this is a very scattered group of issues, without the cohesion of the long arcs in the previous volumes. (There is a Superman theme in this volume, but the stories aren't connected at all.) It's also that a lot of these stories are both mediocre and unnotable. Ah well, it's good to finally have everything collected.
Amethyst (#13). A weak Crisis connection, as it's about Amethyst being escorted back to Gemworld by Dr. Fate. There's considerable interest in this issue about the then-evolving mythology of the Lords of Chaos and Order, but that's mostly about the Amethyst title, not Crisis [3/5].
The Omega Men (#31, 33). And talk about a title that was entirely focused on its own plotlines! This one is so en media res that it's barely readable, with the only notable Crisis connection being a set of characters heading off to guest-star in Blue Devil. I can't even tell if this period of The Omega Men is any good or not, because I don't know what's going on ... [3/5]
Blue Devil (#17-18). Blue Devil is a great character, and these are nice Crisis crossovers, dealing with red skies in #17 and an otherdimensional incursion in #18. Sadly, the writing is just not that great. The fight in #17 is interminable. The crossover in #18 is a bit more interesting, but it's hard to make sense of (since it crosses over with both Crisis and Omega Men). And then we get a real non-ending. Why don't we get to see the end of the story of our other-dimensional refugees?? [2+/5].
Wonder Woman (#347-349). This is the big epic finale to the original Wonder Woman ... and unfortunately it's not very good. Like Blue Devil before it, it's just a slog to read. Though it makes good use of the Crisis, there are still undecipherable subplots all over, which really drag the story. It only finally picks up in #349, which does gives us much of the epic conclusion we could hope for (though unfortunately the finale for Steve and Diana is kept for Crisis itself) [2+/5].
Swamp Thing II (#46). This is perhaps the weakest chapter of "American Gothic". That's because it's one part Crisis crossover, showing how Alec ends up on the Satellite, and one point infodump, laying out the whole Gothic plot (and connecting it to the Crisis). It reads better as part of the whole (and as before, I'll say that DC could easily have included all of American Gothic in this collections), but on its own it's only interesting for the Crisis connections [3+/5].
LoSH: Supergirl (#16). Brainiac 5 mourning Kara 1000 years after her death is ... amazing. Rarely has he seemed so ... human and rarely has an author taken such good advantage of the Legion's place in the future. The rest of the volume is typical Levitz greatness. It's all beholden to an ongoing plot, but unlike some of the other comics in this volume, it actually makes sense (even if we do get a cliffhanger for the issue's big case) [5/5].
LoSH: Crisis (#18). The Legion's other Crisis issue is very retconny, all about why they didn't remember the Crisis beforehand, and how they're going to afterward. There's a big fight with the Immortal Man, and it's mostly color by numbers. Unlike the previous issue, there aren't a lot of subplots, but that's not really to the comic's benefit ... [3+/5].
Superman & Luthor (Superman #413). A very Silver Age story, with Luthor maniacally threatening Superman while fighting in his purple-and-green super-suit, and then all the repercussions being erased by the end of the story. There's also almost no Crisis crossover: just Luthor being sucked away to Crisis #6 [2+/5].
Superman & Hawkman (DCCP #95). A 1986 comic that just barely fits into continuity: in fact, that's the only reason that it's theoretically set during the Crisis: to use the old versions of Hawkman and Superman. Despite that, there's pretty much no Crisis reference in the comic. And, it's not very good either: just a dull fight against "Thriller Killer" [2/5].
Superman & Superboy (DCCP #87). It's the origin & first adventure of Superboy-Prime. Great to see such a historic character for the first time, and this story nicely dovetails between a few bits of Crisis (though it's not otherwise notable) [3+/5].
Superman & The Revenge Squad (#414). This story is nicely integrated into Crisis, linking directly to the appearance of Superboy-Prime and also showing more repercussions of Kara's death. It's also a great Silver Age comic, featuring the Superman Revenge Squad and New Krypton, both of which would soon be erased. (Is it also a more simplistic story, like many of that period? Of course.) [3+/5].
JLA (Annual #3). This is the historic story of the destruction of the JLA satellite and the (for the minute) destruction of Red Tornado. It's OK, not Conway's strongest from his Justice League: The Detroit Era run, in large part because his main characters take the back seat to a bunch of previous JLAers. But it's still a nice bit of continuity [3/5].
Superman & Supergirl (#415). Wow, the idea that Earth-1 Supergirl was married and then forgot it is entirely insane. This story has some nice emotional resonance, continuing to explore Kara's death, but also dull fighting against a robot [3+/5].
Superman & The Creeper (DCCP #88). I'm not even sure what I read. I mean, points for trying to tell a different sort of narrative, points for Giffen's evolving art style, and points for focusing on the news coverage of the Crisis. But this story is otherwise a mess [2/5].
Superman & Lady Quark & Harbinger & Pariah (DCCP #94). This post-Crisis story attempts to bring the new Crisis heroes into the DC Universe. And it does sort of, except it's problematic because it's one of the post-Crisis stories featuring the pre-Crisis Superman. Beyond that, it's a mediocre story about Quark seeing a guy kinda like her dead husband [3/5].
Amethyst (#13). A weak Crisis connection, as it's about Amethyst being escorted back to Gemworld by Dr. Fate. There's considerable interest in this issue about the then-evolving mythology of the Lords of Chaos and Order, but that's mostly about the Amethyst title, not Crisis [3/5].
The Omega Men (#31, 33). And talk about a title that was entirely focused on its own plotlines! This one is so en media res that it's barely readable, with the only notable Crisis connection being a set of characters heading off to guest-star in Blue Devil. I can't even tell if this period of The Omega Men is any good or not, because I don't know what's going on ... [3/5]
Blue Devil (#17-18). Blue Devil is a great character, and these are nice Crisis crossovers, dealing with red skies in #17 and an otherdimensional incursion in #18. Sadly, the writing is just not that great. The fight in #17 is interminable. The crossover in #18 is a bit more interesting, but it's hard to make sense of (since it crosses over with both Crisis and Omega Men). And then we get a real non-ending. Why don't we get to see the end of the story of our other-dimensional refugees?? [2+/5].
Wonder Woman (#347-349). This is the big epic finale to the original Wonder Woman ... and unfortunately it's not very good. Like Blue Devil before it, it's just a slog to read. Though it makes good use of the Crisis, there are still undecipherable subplots all over, which really drag the story. It only finally picks up in #349, which does gives us much of the epic conclusion we could hope for (though unfortunately the finale for Steve and Diana is kept for Crisis itself) [2+/5].
Swamp Thing II (#46). This is perhaps the weakest chapter of "American Gothic". That's because it's one part Crisis crossover, showing how Alec ends up on the Satellite, and one point infodump, laying out the whole Gothic plot (and connecting it to the Crisis). It reads better as part of the whole (and as before, I'll say that DC could easily have included all of American Gothic in this collections), but on its own it's only interesting for the Crisis connections [3+/5].
LoSH: Supergirl (#16). Brainiac 5 mourning Kara 1000 years after her death is ... amazing. Rarely has he seemed so ... human and rarely has an author taken such good advantage of the Legion's place in the future. The rest of the volume is typical Levitz greatness. It's all beholden to an ongoing plot, but unlike some of the other comics in this volume, it actually makes sense (even if we do get a cliffhanger for the issue's big case) [5/5].
LoSH: Crisis (#18). The Legion's other Crisis issue is very retconny, all about why they didn't remember the Crisis beforehand, and how they're going to afterward. There's a big fight with the Immortal Man, and it's mostly color by numbers. Unlike the previous issue, there aren't a lot of subplots, but that's not really to the comic's benefit ... [3+/5].
Superman & Luthor (Superman #413). A very Silver Age story, with Luthor maniacally threatening Superman while fighting in his purple-and-green super-suit, and then all the repercussions being erased by the end of the story. There's also almost no Crisis crossover: just Luthor being sucked away to Crisis #6 [2+/5].
Superman & Hawkman (DCCP #95). A 1986 comic that just barely fits into continuity: in fact, that's the only reason that it's theoretically set during the Crisis: to use the old versions of Hawkman and Superman. Despite that, there's pretty much no Crisis reference in the comic. And, it's not very good either: just a dull fight against "Thriller Killer" [2/5].
Superman & Superboy (DCCP #87). It's the origin & first adventure of Superboy-Prime. Great to see such a historic character for the first time, and this story nicely dovetails between a few bits of Crisis (though it's not otherwise notable) [3+/5].
Superman & The Revenge Squad (#414). This story is nicely integrated into Crisis, linking directly to the appearance of Superboy-Prime and also showing more repercussions of Kara's death. It's also a great Silver Age comic, featuring the Superman Revenge Squad and New Krypton, both of which would soon be erased. (Is it also a more simplistic story, like many of that period? Of course.) [3+/5].
JLA (Annual #3). This is the historic story of the destruction of the JLA satellite and the (for the minute) destruction of Red Tornado. It's OK, not Conway's strongest from his Justice League: The Detroit Era run, in large part because his main characters take the back seat to a bunch of previous JLAers. But it's still a nice bit of continuity [3/5].
Superman & Supergirl (#415). Wow, the idea that Earth-1 Supergirl was married and then forgot it is entirely insane. This story has some nice emotional resonance, continuing to explore Kara's death, but also dull fighting against a robot [3+/5].
Superman & The Creeper (DCCP #88). I'm not even sure what I read. I mean, points for trying to tell a different sort of narrative, points for Giffen's evolving art style, and points for focusing on the news coverage of the Crisis. But this story is otherwise a mess [2/5].
Superman & Lady Quark & Harbinger & Pariah (DCCP #94). This post-Crisis story attempts to bring the new Crisis heroes into the DC Universe. And it does sort of, except it's problematic because it's one of the post-Crisis stories featuring the pre-Crisis Superman. Beyond that, it's a mediocre story about Quark seeing a guy kinda like her dead husband [3/5].
November 26, 2023
Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Vol. 3
Creating a universe reset was necessary for DC in 1985 and the Crisis was used to streamline the publishing output. The stories in this compilation are excellent at connecting into the ongoing Crisis event, but also from a snapshot of the era. The artwork is good for the period, but some of the stories feel unnecessary - hence the problem of the Crisis. All in all, the story writers have done a great job of thing up loose ends and preparing for a reset in some cases. Taking time out to mark the ending of Supergirl is a good example.
Creating a universe reset was necessary for DC in 1985 and the Crisis was used to streamline the publishing output. The stories in this compilation are excellent at connecting into the ongoing Crisis event, but also from a snapshot of the era. The artwork is good for the period, but some of the stories feel unnecessary - hence the problem of the Crisis. All in all, the story writers have done a great job of thing up loose ends and preparing for a reset in some cases. Taking time out to mark the ending of Supergirl is a good example.
March 29, 2025
Ironically, the final volume of these "Companion" collections is the only one I would say actually ads any value to Crisis on Infinite Earths.
We get a DC Comics Presents that is the first appearance of Superboy-Prime and sets up that character as well as his connection to the Earth-2 Superman. We get the last couple issues of the Wonder Woman ongoing that cap off that series. We get some Superman issues dealing with the fallout of the death of Supergirl. We get some Legion of Super-Heroes issues that deal with the Crisis, and again. the death of Supergirl and it's effect on some of those characters.
However, while interlinked, some of those stories are just plain bad. I'm especially looking at you "The secret marriage of Supergirl" and there are still those stories that have the Crisis banner on the cover and have little to nothing to do with anything.
But if you wanted to buy just one "Crisis companion" this is definitely it. Unless your bag is disappointing Roy Thomas comics or comics that have nothing to do with anything. Then, by all means, buy all three volumes.
We get a DC Comics Presents that is the first appearance of Superboy-Prime and sets up that character as well as his connection to the Earth-2 Superman. We get the last couple issues of the Wonder Woman ongoing that cap off that series. We get some Superman issues dealing with the fallout of the death of Supergirl. We get some Legion of Super-Heroes issues that deal with the Crisis, and again. the death of Supergirl and it's effect on some of those characters.
However, while interlinked, some of those stories are just plain bad. I'm especially looking at you "The secret marriage of Supergirl" and there are still those stories that have the Crisis banner on the cover and have little to nothing to do with anything.
But if you wanted to buy just one "Crisis companion" this is definitely it. Unless your bag is disappointing Roy Thomas comics or comics that have nothing to do with anything. Then, by all means, buy all three volumes.
November 11, 2019
While I really enjoyed the previous volumes, this one seemed like DC was pushing things a bit. The Omega Men story was particularly confusing. While I read the book back in the day, I didn't recall much of what was being referenced. Gotta put this one down for true believers only.
August 23, 2020
Una irregular colección de crossovers con Crisis en Tierras Infinitas en la que destacan los números de Wonder Woman y el de la Cosa del Pantano.
November 23, 2019
This book is the final volume of Crisis tie-ins and the contents are a bit of a mixed bag.
The book starts out with obscure comics like Amethyst, the Omega Man, and Blue Devil and doesn't really provide enough information for a reader to actually connect with the comics. The same could be said for the Legion of Superheroes stories.
On the other hand, the final three issues of Wonder Woman are great and it's a very fitting ending for Pre-Crisis Wonder Woman that actually has some moving moments in it. The Superman and Supergirl stuff is all golden. We get to see the first appearance of Superboy prime and there are some fun team-ups. Overall, while flawed, it's still a fun read.
The book starts out with obscure comics like Amethyst, the Omega Man, and Blue Devil and doesn't really provide enough information for a reader to actually connect with the comics. The same could be said for the Legion of Superheroes stories.
On the other hand, the final three issues of Wonder Woman are great and it's a very fitting ending for Pre-Crisis Wonder Woman that actually has some moving moments in it. The Superman and Supergirl stuff is all golden. We get to see the first appearance of Superboy prime and there are some fun team-ups. Overall, while flawed, it's still a fun read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews