Top five stories in comic book history
Keith O'Neil, Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: A & E

(excerpt)

3. "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (issues 1-12, 1985 to 1986)
Written by Marv Wolfman, art by George Perez.

When DC Comics' 50th anniversary came around, they decided to fix a lot of continuity errors. How did they do this? By having a villian named the Anit-monitor destroy what were called multi-verses; different dimensions with different versions of DC heroes. After a while, it was getting very confusing as to what universe the stories took place in.

The writing by Wolfman was great with a very well thought out plot. You can tell he thought this plot through and did not rush it. "Crisis" also has what is considered to be Perez's best artwork ever, even better than his "New Teen Titans" art. "Crisis" is considered the definitive comic book team up book.

News Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:20:22 CST Vu

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000)

Things I Do When I'm Sick: Read Comic Books
Jan 25, 2007 at 3:01 PM by Jason

(excerpt)

Reading it again for the first time in maybe 16 years, I was in awe of how dense the language is. There is a whole lot of narration and exposition. The panels are packed to the gills with action and the stakes are incredibly high. The story has some problems -- destroying multiple universes is dirty business - and Perez's art falters a bit towards the end of the series but the shocks are still shocking. The final issue is incredibly moving and putting everything in context with what happened in 2005's Infinite Crisis and this year's 52 is awfully satisfying. That said, we've come a long way since 1985 and a comic tale written a decade later was a richer experience for my adult mind.

DECEMBER 2005 SALES CHARTS & MARKET SHARE REPORT
01-13-2006 07:03 AM

DCD (Diamond Comics Distributors) released their monthly Direct Market sale charts and Market Share report Friday, this month for titles that went on sale in December 2005, and like last month, DC and Marvel Comics split the charts. DC had the two top selling comic books and graphic novels of the month (and 4 of the top 5 comics), while Marvel’s strength in the overall Top 20 comic book chart (14 of 20, identical to November) helped it take both Market Share categories.

As expected, Infinite Crisis held onto the top comic book sales position with its 3rd issue, followed by Miller and Lee’s All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder #3.

COMIC BOOKS

Rank	Title	Price	Publisher
1	INFINITE CRISIS #3 (Of 7)	$3.99	DC

TRADE PAPERBACKS

Rank	Title	Price	Publisher
99	CRISIS O/INFINITE EARTHS TP	$29.99	DC

INFINITE CRISES
~ By NATALIE NICHOLS ~
12-22-05

(excerpt)

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000)

Indeed, there hasn't been such death and destruction – not to mention such a protracted and breathless commercial buildup – since … well, since the last time DC destroyed and rebuilt its superhero universe. That was 20 years ago, in 1985, when writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez tore up the canon in the year-long Crisis on Infinite Earths (which spread to the rest of DC's titles, just as this Crisis has). Their task was to streamline the many different “versions” of Earth created during DC's first half-century – the '40s-era “Golden Age” heroes lived on “Earth-Two,” for example, while the '60s “Silver Age” heroes resided on “Earth-One,” with, literally, infinite variations including our own superhero-less planet (Earth-Prime). Crisis on Infinite Earths resolved the dilemma via a suitably cosmic calamity that collapsed all of these Earths into one planet with a single timeline. The major characters' origins were retold, only a handful of players who survived the crisis even remembered it, and soon the DC universe was back in fighting shape.

But is it really ever as simple as hitting the reset button? Does achieving the greater good always require responding to a threat in a crucial split second? Or is it something much harder to effect, calling for restraint as much as force, as well as for an understanding of why some lines should not be crossed, whatever the seemingly righteous justification? Because once you cross a line – invade countries on false pretenses, detain innocents indefinitely, argue that some prisoners are more torture-able than others – you can never go back.

Or, as Green Arrow tells the Flash in Identity Crisis, “In case you didn’t notice – in some battles – both sides lose.”

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000)

NOVEMBER 2005 SALES CHARTS & MARKET SHARE REPORT
12-16-2005 03:40 PM

(excerpt)

UPDATE 12/17/05: This month, again thanks to our partnership with Comics Buyer’s Guide, Newsarama is now able to bring readers estimates of the number of comics, graphic novels, and now overall market sales sold to the direct market. Click on the following link for the Top 300 Comics, Top 100 Graphic Novels and Overall Market Estimates.

According to the analysis of CBG’s John Jackson Miller, Infinite Crisis, All-Star Superman, and a great month for new trade paperback sales (led by over 10k orders for The OMAC Project helped the direct market to double-digit gains in November. Stable year-over-year sales for comics were complemented by a $4.74 million month for Diamond’s Top 100 trade paperbacks, a 23% increase over the same month in 2004.

”The market continues on pace for a $350 million year in the direct market”, Miller said. “CBG had earlier projected a range between $340 and $350 million, but the market now looks as if it’ll wind up nearer the higher end of that range.”

“As of this past Wednesday, December 14, we have passed the overall dollar sales mark in the direct market set in 2005. From here on out it’s all growth. It’s gravy from here on out.”

TOP 300 COMIC BOOKS

Rank	Title	Price	Publisher	Est. sales
1	INFINITE CRISIS #2 (Of 7)	$3.99	DC	207,600
130	WITCHBLADE #92	$4.99	Image	16,300
191	INFINITE CRISIS #1 (Reorder)	$3.99	DC	7,800

TOP 100 TPB

Rank	Title	Price	Publisher	Est. sales
29	CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS ABSOLUTE EDITION HC	$99.99	DC	3,100
49	CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Reorder)	$29.99	DC	2,300

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000)

CRISIS COUNSELING: Wizard Universe presents Crisis On Infinite Earths Director’s Commentary Bonus Materials Part Two!
October 27, 2005

For the exclusive commentary on the major moments of DC’s 1985-86 mini-series Crisis on Infinite Earths, pick up Wizard #170 on sale now! In the meantime, enjoy these extra scenes with commentary by co-creators Marv Wolfman and George Pérez that we couldn’t fit into the magazine!

  Crisis On Infinite Earths #7, pg. 14
THE ORIGIN OF PARIAH

WOLFMAN: Pariah’s origin mirrors Krona’s to some degree. They are two sides of a triangle starting at one point and going in opposite directions. The common point is an arrogant scientist trying to do something he thinks will change the course of the universe. One goes in one direction becoming corrupt and evil as a result of what he’s done, Krona, while the other, Pariah, turns to self-loathing for what he thinks he did and the horrors he created.

PÉREZ: Also, we’ve now established him as the last survivor of his dead planet, which between Superman, Alexander Luthor, Lady Quark and now Pariah is proving to be a trend.

WOLFMAN: The Monitor and Anti-Monitor as well. When you create mirror images you get the beginning of really good character development because you have two characters against each other but at the core the same. That’s what we did in Titans with the creation of Starfire and Raven, the two extreme sides of Wonder Girl. We did it again with Monitor and Anti-Monitor and again with Pariah and Krona.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000) CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #1 (Apr 1985)

CRISIS COUNCELING: Wizard Unvierse presents Crisis On Infinite Earths Director’s Commentary Bonus Material Part One!
October 26, 2005

For the exclusive commentary on the major moments of DC’s 1985-86 mini-series Crisis on Infinite Earths, pick up Wizard #170 on sale now! In the meantime, enjoy these extra scenes with commentary by co-creators Marv Wolfman and George Pérez that we couldn’t fit into the magazine!

(excerpt)

  Crisis On Infinite Earths #1, pp. 6-7
THE SALVATION OF ALEXANDER LUTHOR

WOLFMAN: If we had just had Alexander Luthor appear later on at some point full-grown, he may not have seemed like anything special. But by introducing him in this way, now people are trying to figure out how a couple-day old baby is going to have an effect on the rest of the series.
PÉREZ: I thought the way it echoed Superman’s origin, Kal-El being shot to Earth from Krypton, was a nice touch. The last surviving child of a dying planet was the beginning of the DC Universe and now as we are tearing that universe apart and putting it back together again, we give a nod back to that beginning.

  Crisis On Infinite Earths #1, pg. 14
HARBINGER

PÉREZ: The primary function of Harbinger at the start of the series was to provide us with a way to progress the action without having to give away the Monitor too quickly. I also think Marv did a wonderful job of creating a dynamic between Harbinger and the Monitor that let you know these characters had been around for awhile even if they were only just being seen by us for the first time.
WOLFMAN: The fact that Solovar is the first character Harbinger recruits is not a coincidence. The Flash was the first character of DC’s Silver Age, so we wanted somebody from his supporting cast to be the first established character brought into the Monitor’s mission, and Solovar fit the bill.
PÉREZ: And it’s always nice when you first introduce a pretty female character and put her in a scene with a gorilla. The beauty and the beast dynamic are always appealing.
WOLFMAN: Hey, there are never enough monkeys.

[ Read more CRISIS COUNCELING: Wizard Unvierse presents Crisis On Infinite Earths Director’s Commentary Bonus Material Part One! ]

CHAT TRANSCRIPT: MARV WOLFMAN
by Brian Cronin, Contributing Writer

Posted: October 26, 2005

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000)

Writer Marv Wolfman stopped by the CBR Chat room recently for one of our regular creator chats. He talked with fans about his reaction to "Infinite Crisis," talked about some of what happened behind the scenes in making "Crisis on Infinite Earth," plus much, much more.

(excerpt)

ApexPredator: Thank you for your run on "New Teen Titans." My older bro of 10 years collected them and truth be told they are what I learned to read from...that explains a lot. I will always remember when I was a real lil tyke in school and the teacher/librarian was teaching the class...she said "OK first comes the prologue and then comes the... I shout out "Epilogue." She looks at me like "where the hell did you learn that from?" That was all you, Marv. Thanks for the stories and of course I have been amassing a collection of all the books ever since.
marvw: Thanks, Apex. I get lots of email from folk saying how much early stories of mine meant to them as they grew up. Trust me, they mean more than you could know.

Azrael52: How often do you get to see George Perez?
marvw: I only see George at conventions. I live in LA and he's on the East Coast. We talk more often. Email, actually.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000)

Crisis In Continuity? What Crisis? - It’s Business As Usual In the DC Universe
By Jim Kingman

(excerpt)

Crisis On Infinite Earths, written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by George Perez, was a 12-issue maxiseries published in 1985 that successfully rebooted the DC universe and laid the foundation for a major revamping of its history and timeline. It’s a great story, a stirring, at times extraordinarily moving, narrative with a cast of hundreds; it is one of the ultimate superhero epics.

The post-Crisis universe consisted of many revamped and updated origins for DC’s superheroes, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Power Girl. Since Earth-2 was not a part of the new DC universe, the Golden Age Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman and Green Arrow never existed. Black Canary became one of the founding members of the Justice League of America, replacing Wonder Woman, whose origin came later. Most members of the Justice Society were shuffled off to limbo, where they would remain in constant battle with a threat to Earth. Superheroes of the defunct Charlton line, including Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and the Question, were incorporated into the new DC universe.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000)

Entry number 156 Date: 2005-01-28 22:00:32 (Pacific Time) Name: Eric C Dixon Comments: I remember one of the first comics I ever read was Crisis On Infinite Earths. While it took me several years before I understood why there were like 2 Supermen, 2 Flash, Two Green Lanterns...etc, I remember loving the art. Mr Perez, you are my absolute favorite artist. I can't express how much joy I have gotten from reading books drawn and written by you. Some of my favorites was the before mentioned Crisis, the 1986 Wonder Woman revival, and The Hulk - Future Imperfect. I thank you for bringing me such joy and inspiring me to persue my own art interests.

Dear Avengers Assemble,

It's pretty obvious what you guys wanna do here... Jumpstart the Avengers with a dynamic and a more popular group of characters. SuperHeroes who have long made names for themselves and that most of whom star in their own monthly books. Just like DC's JLA. Out of seven of it core members, six have their regular series. Whereas the Avengers only has three. But now, it's down to two. Namely Captain America and Iron Man. It's very unfortunate that even The Mighty Thor got cancelled. He and his Asgardian family will be missed...

As for the rest: Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Wasp, Hank Pym, Vision, WarBird, She-Hulk, WonderMan, Black Panther, Black Widow, Falcon, Hercules, Quasar, Namor, Sersi, Captain Britain, QuickSilver ... They're wonderful individuals. They look great as a whole. Apparently, they just don't have enough appeal to stand up on their own. Another problem I must state is the constant roster change. In times, strong members get replaced by second-raters (e.g. Dr. Druid, Gilgamesh). And these sucky players even have the nerve to call themselves Earth's Mightiest.

[ Read more Reader's Views ]

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000)

Shipping Next Week: January 26, 2005 Monday, January 17, 2005 10:14:09 AM The following products are expected to ship to comic book specialty stores next week. Note that this list is tentative and subject to change. Please check with your retailer for availability. STAR12226 CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS TP $29.95 NOV043081H BACK ISSUE #8 $5.95

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED: INITIATION (Jul 2004)

Comics Continuum posted some screen shots of the first JLU Cartoon episode "Initiation", written by Stan Berkowitz and directed by Joaquim dos Santos. Among the characters show is Dr. Light II, which was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez for CRISIS. Here is the original Pérez design: DR LIGHT II (1984), sketch design published in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS HC

MYTHOLOGY: THE DC COMICS ART OF ALEX ROSS features a six-page section on Alex Ross's painting on George Pérez's CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS HC and CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS TPB, which was also printed in DC's largest poster to date: CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS POSTER (1999) and CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS LITHOGRAPH (1999).

Ross said he was 15 when he read CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS and thought it was everything that excited him in comic book. He also described what a pleasure it was for him to work with George Perez on the Crisis cover, despite the fact that it took him over 30 days to completely paint it.

The two pages that I thought was really cool is a character study of the two Supermen and a one-page close-up detail of Superman [I]'s face.

Cover scan from Amazon.com.

It's Bob Rozakis The Answer Man!: - 30 -
Sunday, October 19
By Bob Rozakis

(excerpt)

Why then did the powers that be choose to have CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS? It was a great story, and Perez's art was amazing, but was it really necessary? I'd always heard that the purpose behind Crisis was to make the DC Universe easier to understand, but how can that be since as a 30-year old, I can't understand what the heck is going on with the characters and their origins/relationships now that things have been "cleaned up," yet to my pre-pubescent mind things were all hunky-dory pre-Crisis? Also, I'm still a bit traumatized that Kara Zor-El is both gone and forgotten.
-- Zhene Lejuwaan

Publishers do things for only one reason - to sell books. The thinking behind CRISIS was that new readers would be confused by the multiple Earths and various incarnations of the heroes, so doing away with them would make things simpler. Perhaps if they'd come up with a way to wipe the memories of all their current readers clean, this would have worked. Unfortunately, long-time DC fans did not forget all the stories they'd been reading for 25+ years and each attempt to "fix" things just made it worse.

For the record, I still hate the idea that Black Canary was retroactively made a founding member of the JLA in place of Wonder Woman.

*****

Since every week brings another question about CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS and the changes made to the origins and histories of DC characters, I thought I would fly this past you: Have there been any post-Crisis changes to a major hero that you believe have been detrimental, or are there any parts of a character's pre-Crisis origin or history that you wish DC had changed, post-Crisis, but never did?
-- Joseph Askins

I think the elimination of the multiple Earths was a mistake. I particularly did not like the revamping of Superman's life, eliminating Superboy, especially since it negated the SUPERMAN: THE SECRET YEARS series I had been writing.

Baltimore Comic Con 2003 Report
Sun, 21 Sep 2003 20:26:31 -0400
written by ES

I had a great time at the con. George wasn't sketching due to Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (Note: Brace in Photo) but he was signing. I was there both days and had George sign by Crisis TPB on Saturday and on Sunday a copy of the More Fun Comic and two copies of JLA/AVENGERS. Even though George wasn't sketching he was signing up a storm and posing for photos. Everybody Loves George.

I attended the CrossGen Panel on Saturday. Ron Marz and George talked about THE WAR coming out this spring. Sounds Great!!! I was unable to attend the JLA/AVENGERS panel due to them change time slots on Sunday. Sorry No Transcript this time.

I had Tom Smith color some of my previous sketches from George and they turned out beautiful. George had some pieces at the CBLDF auction on Saturday. I was not there the whole time but I did see two of his pieces MORE FUN COMICS cover ($1,000.00) and Original Jim Lee/George Perez Sketch ($1,600.00) sold. George always gives his all when it comes to the CBLDF.

I also met a lot of comic creators, some for the first time and some that I have met before. Tom Brevoort, Frank Cho, Geoff Johns, Karl Kesel, Scott Kollins, Martin Nobel and Family, Howard Porter and Mark Waid. Everybody was great!!!

THE NEXT BIG THING
written by Andre Shell
published in TOYFARE: THE TOY MAGAZINE #74 (Oct 03)

What Stories Should Get Their Own DC Direct Figures?

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000) NEW TEEN TITANS: THE JUDAS CONTRACT TP (2003) (5 Mar 2003)

(excerpt)

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS
The grandfather of all comic book crossover events, the epic "Crisis" deserves its own line. We want to see the Monitor, Harbinger, and one of the most evil villains of all time: The Anti-Monitor. Of course, the line's highlights would be George Pérez-styled, highly articulated versions of the main DC characters in their classic costumes; we want Wonder Woman and Flash and Aquaman, and … well, everyone!

JUDAS CONTRACT
Considered by some as the definitive Teen Titans story, the controversial "Judas Contract" revolved around a family and betrayal. A highly articulated Deathstroke the Terminator would be the crown jewel of this line (they could even do a young Deathstroke repaint, with both eyes!), and figures of his agent Terra and his mute son Jericho, plus the original Nightwing, would round out it quite nicely.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000) NEW TEEN TITANS: THE JUDAS CONTRACT TP (2003) (5 Mar 2003)

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS TP - relist
Written by Marv Wolfman; art by George Pérez, Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo, and Jerry Ordway; painted cover by Pérez and Alex Ross
In stores October 29. Worlds lived. Worlds died. And the DC Universe was never the same after this earth-shattering saga that saw the deaths of many heroes and redefined the DC Universe forever.
FC, 368 pg. Trade Paperback $29.95

THE NEW TEEN TITANS: THE JUDAS CONTRACT TP - relist
Written by Marv Wolfman; art by George Pérez, Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo, and Romeo Tanghal; cover by Pérez In stores October 29. Reprinting some of DC's best-selling comics of the '80s - THE NEW TEEN TITANS (Volume One) #39 and 40, TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #41-44 and ANNUAL #3 - this classic trade paperback features the retirement of Robin and Kid Flash, the birth of Nightwing, and the introduction of Jericho!
FC, 192 pg. Trade paperback $19.95

Newsarama reported:

"DC Comics announced Thursday that a “staggering” 200 titles from the DC Comics backlist are showcased online now at dccomics.com/collect/, each with cover art, three interior story pages, and content descriptions. The newly-posted site updates the previous version of the DC Graphic Novels webpage and last year's DC Comics Collected Editions Library CD-ROM, reflecting the upcoming Version 2.0 of the CD-ROM."

I went to the link and there are information on CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS TP (one of DC's most popular trade paperback), HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE (popular), WONDER WOMAN: PARADISE LOST TP, NEW TEEN TITANS ARCHIVES HC #1, and SUPERMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW?.

Letters. We’ve Got Letters!
By Marv Wolfman

(excerpt)

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000)

from sackett@deskmedia.com
Do you see the Crisis on Infinite Earths as a successful experiment? Did the DC universe go in the direction you had envisioned? I tried to follow the DC universe for 3 years after Crisis... and I just couldn't take it anymore. The reset button kept being pushed.

Sackett, this is a very hard question to properly answer. I came up with the basic idea for Crisis because, in 1980, DC needed something to bring attention to itself. Unlike today where the sales of all comics are down, in 1980, Marvel was selling quite well but DC wasn't, with the main exception being George Perez and my New Teen Titans comic. In fact, Marvel zombies at the time would never even think of looking at a DC Comic as if it were covered with the pox or something. Something drastic needed to be done.

Unless you'd been following DC for any length of time, our continuity was difficult to wade through. It was my feeling that if we were going to draw Marvel readers to DC we needed to A: Do something big and flashy, and B: Make the DCU easier to follow. We needed a jumping on point.

I did as good a job as I could and, based on the sales jump the rest of the DCU experienced, I'd have to say it was a success. That fans and professionals alike voted it the second best comic book story of the 20th Century still boggles my mind. I wouldn't have put it in the top 100, let alone the 2nd (The Galactus/Silver Surfer trilogy justly came in number one). That the $100.00 hardcover book DC issued a year or so back and the paperback reprint that followed it sold out completely, indicates that we did the job we intended to do.

But something happened after we were done. The Crisis in a sense gave a sort of perverse permission to make wholesale changes, often without thinking about the domino effect that would occur. It's my contention that before you can be a comic book writer that you need to set up dominoes in one of those long, winding, circular, mobius-strip like tracks and begin the process of knocking down the first domino. Only then do you fully realize that something you start at point A directly affects point Z and everything between. If you don't think about the ramifications of what you start, you'll suffer for it later.

[ Read more We've Got Letters (Aug 11) ]

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (Trade Paperback) (Dec 2000)

80. CRISIS ON INFINITIE EARTHS (DC Softcover) The most ambitious comic project ever could fill another volume with its body count. Marv Wolfman and George Perez's Crisis aimed to clean up DC's cluttered 50-year-old continuity by merging the handful of its parallel Earths into one, but not before a being called the Anti-Monitor destroys an infinite amount of worlds in the process. This cover, penciled by Pérez and painted by Alex Ross, is easily one of the most beautiful ever produced and worth the purchase alone. "It was actually the first series I ever followed," says JSA writer Geoff Johns who was 12 at the time. "For me, it really shaped the DCU. I doubt I would've read many DC comics before Crisis."

79. AVENGERS: ULTRON UNLIMITED (Marvel softcover) The perfect killing machine has just received an upgrade, courtesy of Kurt Busiek and George Pérez. Ultron, one of the Avengers most powerful foes, returns with an appetite for destruction and holds the fate of mankind in his adamantium grip. After Ultron slaughters the small European country of Slorenia in under three hours, Earth's Mightiest Heroes must rally like never before in order to put a stop to this reawakened threat. But do they have what it takes to send this maniacal killing machine to the scrap heap once and for all ?

60. INFINITY GAUNTLET (Marvel softcover) Even when he's a god, Thanos still can't get lucky with the ladies. Possessing the six Infinity Gems, Thanos gain omnipotence and kills half the universe's population with the snap of his finger in an attempt to earn the affection of the mistress Death. A plethora of Marvel heroes mount a defensive to thwart the mad Titan, but how can you beat a god? Only writer Jim Starlin knew the answer. "It had a hundred characters and mindless destruction, but for all the bombast, it was really about a guy trying to impress a girl," say Sojourn writer Ron Marz. "Thanos' failure is ultimately one of unrequited love. Who can't relate to that?"

NEW TEEN TITANS: THE JUDAS CONTRACT TP (2003) (5 Mar 2003)

15. THE NEW TEEN TITANS: THE JUDAS CONTRACT (DC softcover) The Titans have a traitor in their midst. This spy knows their secrets and hands them over to the deadliest mercenary alive: Deathstroke the Terminator, who systematically takes out the team. Only Nightwing escapes… but even he needs help in order to rescue them before it's too late. In this storyarc, Marv Wolfman and George Pérez pull off a lot in six issues: Dick Grayson becomes Nightwing for the first time, Kid Flash quits, Jericho (the son of Deathstroke) joins up… and a tragic blow hits the team. "Judas Contract is a perfect template for powerful, dramatic storytelling," lauds Steve Kurth, penciler for G.I.Joe. "This story was pure magic."

9. SUPERMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW? (DC softcover) It was time for the Man of Tomorrow to become the Man of Yesterday. As DC prepared to start Superman from scratch in 1986, the publisher watned to send off the "old" Man of Steel that had been around since 1938. writer Alan Moore had Supes face off with Lex Luthor and Braniac in the Fortress of Solitude a final time, leaving every reader with a tear in their eye. "A bittersweet goodbye to Superman continuity in order to pave way for a revamped Man of Steel, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow worked as both a nostalgic nod to a simpler past, and alook forward to all that comics could be," says Sojourn scribe Ron Marz. "This 'last' Superman story is also one of the best."

GREATEST STORIES NOT IN TPBS

JOHN BYRNE'S NEW SUPERMAN Ain't it amazing that with everything DC collects, it hasn't collected Byrne's headline-making 1986 revamp of the regular series? Especially the three-part story where Supes must help save Earth once inhabited by the "pre-Byrne" Superman where the Man of Steel must take the role of judge, jury and executioner.

GEORGE PEREZ'S NEW WONDER WOMAN Ditto for Pérez's 1987 revamp of everyone's favorite Amazon princess. With stunning art and stronger ties to Greek mythology, Diana enters man's world for the first time, learning lessons the hard way.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS TP - relist
Written by Marv Wolfman; art by George Pérez, Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo, and Jerry Ordway; painted cover by Pérez and Alex Ross
In stores July 10. Worlds lived. Worlds died. And the DC Universe was never the same after this earth-shattering saga that saw the deaths of many heroes and redefined the DC Universe forever. This trade paperback is reoffered to coincide with the release of THE CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS TP, which contains stories that set the stage for this one.
FC, 368 pg. Trade Paperback $29.95

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS TP - relist
Written by Marv Wolfman; art by George Pérez, Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo, and Jerry Ordway; painted cover by Pérez and Alex Ross

In stores February 20. Worlds lived. Worlds died. And the DC Universe was never the same after this earth-shattering saga that saw the deaths of many heroes and redefined the DC Universe forever. This trade paperback is reoffered to coincide with the release of THE HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE, which explores post-CRISIS continuity.
FC, 368 pg. Trade Paperback $29.95

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS TP - relist
Written by Marv Wolfman; art by George Pérez, Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo, and Jerry Ordway; painted cover by Pérez and Alex Ross

In stores August 1. Worlds lived. Worlds died. And the DC Universe was never the same after this epic, earth-shattering saga that saw the deaths of many DC heroes. The CRISIS trade is reoffered to coincide with the release of DEADMAN: DEAD AGAIN #1, where the Ghostly Guardian makes an attempt to save the life of Barry Allen, the Flash.
FC, 368 pg. Trade Paperback $29.95

Worlds lived. Worlds died. And the DC Universe was never the same.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, the monumental 12-issue maxiseries that redefined Comics' Original Universe and dramatically altered DC's most well-established super-heroes, is collected in a much-demanded (by fans and retailers) trade paperback edition. It's a chance to read the first companywide crossover to truly deliver what it promised: lasting change — as seen in the deaths of some of DC's most beloved characters, such as the original Supergirl and Silver Age Flash Barry Allen.

Written by Marv Wolfman with pencils by George Pérez and inks by Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo and Jerry Ordway, CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS finds the multiple worlds that once were a hallmark of the DC Universe — Earths 1, 2, 3, 4, S, X, and more — under siege from a mysterious force that quickly claims the lives of billions of people. But a strange being called the Monitor has gathered heroes from many of the endangered worlds in hopes of thwarting the force, controlled by his evil counterpart, the Anti-Monitor. As the battle rages and the true stakes are revealed, even the sacrifices of Supergirl and the Flash are not enough to stop the universe-shaking transformation that lies in store — a change that made the DC Universe more accessible than ever before.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS SOFT COVER IS ON SALE NOW.
SPECIAL EDITION HARD COVER IS ALSO AVAILABLE.

1-888-COMIC-BOOK for the comic book store nearest you.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS
Written by Marv Wolfman; art by George Peréz, Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo and Jerry Ordway; painted cover by Alex Ross over pencils by Peréz.

One of the more legendary maxi-series in comic-book history is now collected in a massive trade paperback.
368 pages $29.95, ships on Dec. 6.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS OVERSIZED POSTER -- NEW PRINTING
Painted by Alex Ross over pencils by George Pérez.

Reproduced from the stunning wraparound cover to the Crisis on Infinite Earths collections, featuring a key identifying all 562 characters. Painted by Alex Ross over pencils by original Crisis artist George Pérez, the 65" w x 28" h poster features a 1/2" solid black border "framing" the image, which otherwise appears without any additional graphic elements or logos. Also included is a free 2-sided 11" x 17" black-and-white key naming all the figures.
$24.95, ships on Dec. 6.

DC Comics Offers Crisis Trade Paperback!

Fans and collectors will be granted a longstanding wish this holiday season, when Crisis on Infinite Earths – the monumental 12-issue maxi-series that dramatically redefined the DC Universe – is collected in a trade paperback edition!

Early-solicited in the September Previews for arrival in comics shops on Dec. 6, the Crisis on Infinite Earths TP (SEP000497D1, $29.95) offers an affordable chance to read the epic, company-wide crossover that truly delivered what it promised: lasting change – as seen in the deaths of some of DC’s most beloved characters, such as the original Supergirl and Silver Age Flash Barry Allen.

Written by Marv Wolfman with pencils by George Perez and inks by Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo, and Jerry Ordway, Crisis finds the multiple worlds that once were a hallmark of the DC Universe – Earths 1, 2, 3, 4, S, X, and more – being rapidly destroyed by a mysterious force. A strange being called the Monitor has gathered heroes from many worlds to battle the force, which is controlled by the evil Anti-Monitor. Even the deaths of many heroes are not enough to stop the universe-shaking transformation that results – a change that made the DC Universe more accessible than ever before.

Also offered in the September Previews for Dec. 6 arrival is a new printing of the Crisis on Infinite Earths Poster (SEP000566X1, $24.95) – reproducing the stunning wraparound artwork from the cover of the Crisis TP, painted by Alex Ross over pencils by Perez. The 65-by-28-inch poster also comes with a key that identifies all 562 characters!