Why I Hate Infinite Crisis, Part 7b
--Note: Read Part 7a before reading this.--
As I said, I've read Crisis on Infinite Earths now. It's definately not something to read in a single sitting. There's a massive amount of characters, and a massive amount of growth. It's a long road from issue 1 to issue 12.
It is epic. It feels epic on every panel of every page. Something its "sequel" didn't do after issue 1. I think it's because everything important happens in Crisis, but everything important with Infinite Crisis happens in another book. Also, the way that the villains act in Crisis is how I thought they would act in the sequel: bad guys trying to take advantage of a bad situation.
Basically, I'm going to make a few important notes about how the two compare and give my final opinion.
Most importantly, just reading Crisis on Infinite Earths, there isn't really a way for there to be a sequel. I'll put this one off to the side to address other questions.
Alexander Luthor (Leotard Boy):
In 1985, he's a do-gooder. He's committed to saving the universe/multiverse from destruction. He can identify trends and probabilities, but he can't firmly make anything happen. He uses his intellect to save Earth-2 Lois Lane because he realizes there will probably not be a multiverse when they return from the beginning of creation. He even practices heroic sacrifice.
In 2005, he's... evil. He can, with the proper equipment, exactly manipulate the formation of a multiverse. Having seen all the problems associated with such an event first hand, he does it anyway, even though, he was exactly opposed to it before. Personally, his depiction is out of character at this point.
Superboy-Prime (Cosmic Crybaby, Anti-Monitor-Prime):
In 1985, he's another gun to shoot at the Anti-Monitor. He's a kid version of Silver Age Superman (who is the worst hero ever created). Very much into heroic sacrifice.
In 2005, he's a goody-two-shoes convinced he's right and everybody else is wrong. Guess that's what you get for being a verson of Silver Age Superman. Then he changes his inspiration to the Anti-Montior OFF PANEL by building armor based on this design. Evil and stupid.
Anti-Monitor (Monitor):
Mysterious in 1985, a cruel methodical force of nature, bent on destroying the positive matter multiverse so the antimatter universe can grow to encompass all. Later, bent on destroying all life. His body is disintegrated along with the majority of Qward and the antimatter universe.
In 2005, his corpse (see above) is part of the machine Leotard Boy uses to do his thing.
I point these notes out because a hero can only be as good as his villain. As villains, these guys suck. They are dumb villains, a problem compounded by the fact that I don't know who the hero of Infinite Crisis is. In 1985, the singular hero was Alexander Luthor, since it starts with his infant flight from Earth-3.
I know there was the Secret Files book, but that is still a book that is off panel--not part of the ongoing story. Choices, decisions, and actions make heroes change into villains. If we don't see these things happen, then something's wrong with the story.
If DC was set upon making a sequel, they did get right that the villain(s) would come from the pocket dimension; the Anti-Montior prophesies as much at the end of Crisis. "Superman, I will not die until you die with me."
As such, here's what they should have done with those characters somewhere around issue 7: An odd current of antimatter spews out of Alex Luthor and flies into the Cosmic Crybaby, transforming him into a reincarnated Anti-Monitor. Then Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman beat the shit out of him, followed by Earth-2 Superman doing... pretty much what he did, die.
Final verdict on the whole thing--Infinite Crisis was not executed properly. They demonstrated they could deliver exactly what they said they would, the proceeded to produce something substandard and hope people would be suckered along for the rest of the ride. Reading the predecessor didn't decrease my opinion. Instead, it showed me bigger holes in the story. By itself, Infinte Crisis is firmly below average.
As I said, I've read Crisis on Infinite Earths now. It's definately not something to read in a single sitting. There's a massive amount of characters, and a massive amount of growth. It's a long road from issue 1 to issue 12.
It is epic. It feels epic on every panel of every page. Something its "sequel" didn't do after issue 1. I think it's because everything important happens in Crisis, but everything important with Infinite Crisis happens in another book. Also, the way that the villains act in Crisis is how I thought they would act in the sequel: bad guys trying to take advantage of a bad situation.
Basically, I'm going to make a few important notes about how the two compare and give my final opinion.
Most importantly, just reading Crisis on Infinite Earths, there isn't really a way for there to be a sequel. I'll put this one off to the side to address other questions.
Alexander Luthor (Leotard Boy):
In 1985, he's a do-gooder. He's committed to saving the universe/multiverse from destruction. He can identify trends and probabilities, but he can't firmly make anything happen. He uses his intellect to save Earth-2 Lois Lane because he realizes there will probably not be a multiverse when they return from the beginning of creation. He even practices heroic sacrifice.
In 2005, he's... evil. He can, with the proper equipment, exactly manipulate the formation of a multiverse. Having seen all the problems associated with such an event first hand, he does it anyway, even though, he was exactly opposed to it before. Personally, his depiction is out of character at this point.
Superboy-Prime (Cosmic Crybaby, Anti-Monitor-Prime):
In 1985, he's another gun to shoot at the Anti-Monitor. He's a kid version of Silver Age Superman (who is the worst hero ever created). Very much into heroic sacrifice.
In 2005, he's a goody-two-shoes convinced he's right and everybody else is wrong. Guess that's what you get for being a verson of Silver Age Superman. Then he changes his inspiration to the Anti-Montior OFF PANEL by building armor based on this design. Evil and stupid.
Anti-Monitor (Monitor):
Mysterious in 1985, a cruel methodical force of nature, bent on destroying the positive matter multiverse so the antimatter universe can grow to encompass all. Later, bent on destroying all life. His body is disintegrated along with the majority of Qward and the antimatter universe.
In 2005, his corpse (see above) is part of the machine Leotard Boy uses to do his thing.
I point these notes out because a hero can only be as good as his villain. As villains, these guys suck. They are dumb villains, a problem compounded by the fact that I don't know who the hero of Infinite Crisis is. In 1985, the singular hero was Alexander Luthor, since it starts with his infant flight from Earth-3.
I know there was the Secret Files book, but that is still a book that is off panel--not part of the ongoing story. Choices, decisions, and actions make heroes change into villains. If we don't see these things happen, then something's wrong with the story.
If DC was set upon making a sequel, they did get right that the villain(s) would come from the pocket dimension; the Anti-Montior prophesies as much at the end of Crisis. "Superman, I will not die until you die with me."
As such, here's what they should have done with those characters somewhere around issue 7: An odd current of antimatter spews out of Alex Luthor and flies into the Cosmic Crybaby, transforming him into a reincarnated Anti-Monitor. Then Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman beat the shit out of him, followed by Earth-2 Superman doing... pretty much what he did, die.
Final verdict on the whole thing--Infinite Crisis was not executed properly. They demonstrated they could deliver exactly what they said they would, the proceeded to produce something substandard and hope people would be suckered along for the rest of the ride. Reading the predecessor didn't decrease my opinion. Instead, it showed me bigger holes in the story. By itself, Infinte Crisis is firmly below average.
posted by LEN! at 12:58 AM
2 Comments:
After some thought, I should clarify something once more. My approach to looking at the flaws of Infinite Crisis has been based upon looking only at the main books.
I use this approach because it's a lot more fair to the readers. In the end, I doubt any of the specials are going to be included in the final bound version.
From this point of view, if it happened in a special, it didn't happen in Infinite Crisis. And if it didn't happen in the big event, then, as far as the story is concerned, it didn't happen.
It's unfair to assume that readers will know the full details of what is happening in every book. The online Crisis Counseling is nice for a week-to-week update, but that won't help anyone now since it's gone.
I wanted Infinte Crisis to be really something great and I was let down.
Yeah, they dropped the ball with too muc stuff be relegated to the side books.
I was confused for days after #4 or #5, because I saw Nightshade plugged into Alex Luthor's Plot Device, and I had no idea when she'd even been caught.
Because it happened in the Day of Vengeance one-shot, and no one bothered to mention it in Infinite Crisis, not even a throwaway line by Ragman to Mr. Teriffic about "needing to find their missing teammate".
Just poor execution. Hopefully the actual Civil War mini-series mentions important things that go on in the connected titles, so we know why Cap is calling himself Nomad again for example.
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