Review – Infinite Crisis

MEGA BLOG CROSSOVER EVENT!

FYI, the claims of a MEGA BLOG CROSSOVER EVENT are actually greatly exaggerated. If it’s any comfort this is quite a long post, which is similar to a crossover, right?

I’m not normally a fan of big crossover events in comics because I’ve been burned by them. I found Marvel’s Civil War and Secret Invasion to be incredibly disappointing, to the extent that I largely swore off Marvel after reading them. Brilliant premises executed poorly with a fizzling ending. I found DC’s Final Crisis to be alright, but DC’s crises always seem to involve the multiverse and I really struggle with the multiverse, like, a ridiculous amount. I can cope with most of the whacky goings on in comics and follow the bizarre and fractured internal logic that they follow, but when business involves the multiverse, my eyes start to glaze over and I just don’t understand anymore. (Honourable exception goes to the incredible No Man’s Land which will possibly gain a post of me talking about how good it is later)

However, I’d read a few comics surrounding Infinite Crisis, I’d read Greg Rucka’s brilliant run on Wonder Woman and obviously Manhunter starts in the aftermath of the crisis, but probably the thing that prompted me most was the brilliant 52. (I read 52 vol. 1 in January but I intend to read the rest before doing a review post as they are very much a contained story and so I feel reviewing it would be like reviewing the first half hour of a film)

So, Infinite Crisis. I read it four days before writing this and when I sat down to write this synopsis I really struggled to remember what the hell happened. It’s quite difficult to set it up with a synopsis apart from saying that we have alternate universe versions of Superman, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and Superboy joining together to enact a plan? Is it nefarious (SPOILER ALERT, LEX LUTHOR IS A BADDIE, so YES). Lex’s plan is to restore the happy clappy world of Earth-Two (I think) which is the one where it’s still the Golden Age to get rid of all of the wangst in Earth-1/Prime/whatever the regular DCU is. This is all complicated by the fact that the DC Trinity are at odds in a plot that I always find infuriating because it makes little sense. I think to have these three at odds you need brainwashing, idiot balls or Flanderisation and this argument is particularly dopey.

So they are angry with Batman for having contingency plans about how to stop any hero if they went rogue. Now, to have a team mate mistrust you is obviously a bad thing BUT Superman did give Batman a hunk of Kryptonite, specifically for the eventuality that he would ever be brainwashed into doing evil. Also, Batman has only just recovered from a massive superbeating because Supes JUST GOT BRAINWASHED INTO BEING EVIL.

They are angry with Wonder Woman because she killed the dude who brainwashed Superman into doing that whole business. Now, she captured the dude in her magic lasso of truth and asked him “How can I stop you from brainwashing Superman” and he replied “Kill me”. This was literally the only solution. I can understand Superman having an issue with this because is basically a paragon of virtue and he is an enormous idealist. Obviously Batman has a moral code against killing, but he is ultimately pragmatic and so it would make sense for him to understand what Wonder Woman does here.

I think they are also angry with Superman but I can’t remember why… that’s on me, sorry. But I probably don’t buy it.

Unfortunately this comic needs you to have been following more threads in the DCU than I was. There is a whole plot with Batman duelling with Brother Eye. I am aware that Brother Eye ties into a story about the Justice League called Tower of Babel where Batman’s contingency plans for taking out the League are found out by the villains and it’s an awful mess. I am aware that this has happened but I know nothing more about it. This comic continues that story but gives me no background or way to follow it properly. This problem is basically running throughout the comic, I wasn’t following the preceeding story in continuity so I don’t know what’s going on.

There is one storyline where I had read the preceding story and that was Wonder Woman. Now, I knew what was happening with Wonder Woman, but I absolutely hated the way they chose to take it. There is a widely spread perception of Wonder Woman as being stuck-up and superior. This comic decides to follow this. We have an alternate universe Diana telling her that she is so used to being a goddess, superhero, princess etc that she has forgotten to be human. I CALL UTTER BULLSHIT.

Spoiler Alert for Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman run, also, remember this is comics, they are batshit insane and that’s why we love them.

In Wonder Woman’s stories immediately preceding this she takes on Medusa. Medusa turns the child of one of Diana’s ambassadorial aides to stone and then challenges her to one on one combat. They end up in a stadium being televised and Medusa’s gaze works through TV and Diana goes full on badass and uses one of Medusa’s snake heads to blind herself so she is able to defeat the gorgon. She then goes on a mission for Athena to save Hermes from hell in exchange for a boon (remember folks, this is comics). Wondy is her standard issue amazing and rescues him with aplomb and goes to receive her boon. Athena asks what she wants and Diana cheerfully says “you know” and while we’ve been lead to believe that she’s doing this to restore her sight she has done this all to save the poor boy turned to stone. (cue me weeping) Then Athena merges her vision with Diana so she’s even more super truth seeing. Everyone’s a winner!

And in Infinite Crisis we are told this character is stuck up and has forgotten that she is a human.

Now, I will grant that comic characters differ vastly in different interpretations and so there are probably versions of Wonder Woman where she is stuck up but this version is demonstrably not and so this whole idea is utterly ridiculous.

If I’d read the omnibus or more surrounding material I’d probably be able to comment more on the other stories but I haven’t and I can’t. I always feel if you’re reading a standalone book like this, it should be the only thing you need to buy to understand and enjoy the stories and, very simply, this doesn’t do this. Furthermore, the one plot line I could follow infuriated me. Crossovers + Me = Sadness and recrimination it would appear.

On a lighter note, I bloody love the cover of the trade. How COOL does Wonder Woman look with that sword, dead centre like a boss.