Crisis On Infinite Earth's is important... but unreadable?

In 1985 the DC Comics Universe changed forever when Marv Wolfman and George Perez teamed up for the event that started it all: Crisis On Infinite Earths! With the Anti-Monitor wanting to destroy life as we know it, how will Superman and the other heroes manage to stop him?
It's one of the most important events in all of comics, and forever revered, but as a modern reader looking solely to be entertained, how does Crisis On Infinite Earths hold up?
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#CrisisOnInfiniteEarths #DCComics
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:37 - Art Discussion
04:01 - Spoiler Free
13:05 - Spoiler Talk
15:11 - Final Verdict

[@MaddoggComics]

🐶🐶 WOOF WOOF! This may be a controversial take, but I'm testing out a review where I go in with a question. As part of the Season Of Events, we're looking at Crisis On Infinite Earths, one of the most important titles in DC Comics history... But why was it such a chore to read? 🤔 . If you want to support the channel, why not treat yourself to something from the channel sponsor: OrganicPricedBooks! Make sure you use code WOOFWOOF for $2 off your orders! 💵 Ordering 3 or more books together? Use code WOOFWOOFSHIPITTOGETHER for 5% off your entire order! 🤯 . Hope you guys enjoy, give it a like, subscribe if you're new, and share where you can! 💪 . Working on the next Where To Start, but until then, stay Mad, Doggs! WOOF WOOF! 🐶

[@tom3151]

I think that the amount of time thats passed since this first came out makes it hard for a modern reader now. People always forget how long Barry was dead for he was dead longer than Jason Todd

[@culturefan]

I had gotten out of comics for around fifteen years, and read Crisis and really enjoyed it. I didn't have any trouble connecting with the characters and picked up on the story pretty easily.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Crisis on infinite earths is such a amazing story in my opinion.

[@MaddoggComics]

There's a reason it has stood the test of time, but it just felt long when I was going through it :/ Hoping this approach to reviews opens more conversation though, so let me know what you think about it :) Cheers for giving it a watch!

[@TevyaSmolka]

@@MaddoggComics indeed and honestly you're not entirely wrong about the crisis on infinite earths being a very long read especially for a newcomer who don't know what is even happening during that time. :)

[@fandombat3074]

I really impressed about the art in the book. Amazing video as always

[@TripleGcomics]

Great review, agree it’s a complicated read with a lot going on. Still it’s a classic though with some great scenes and stunning artwork. Great vid!

[@MrOZONN]

Look I agree that is a chore to read but the art is so good you can't put it down. Supergirl and flash had amazing scenes in this

[@Negi2468]

This was my first DC comic after Zero Hour, and I liked it a lot.

[@powerbad696]

Good job on the review,Maddogg,loving your channel,keep'em coming.I 'm pretty interested in how long each page & issue it took Perez to finish.And how he stayed on schedule to complete the entire series.Remember how Image Comics were notoriously late with their titles ??? LOL. RIp-Mr Perez.

[@alexnejako777]

I would recommend getting some of the DC comics from 1983-4 for context.

[@marcelo-ramos]

Really good review. I don't agree with a lot of your points, but I respect your opinion. Also, you did a great job explaining your points. I like how you are really honest in your comments. A lot of people are afraid to be honest about how they really feel about certain books, such as Watchmen... so many times I have heard people say "it's a masterpiece" and "it's a chore to read" in the same conversation. It's like they feel they will loose nerd points for saying out loud they don't really like the book. Good job!

[@MaddoggComics]

Thank you for still checking it out, and I'm glad you enjoyed the style even if we may have different readings of the book :) I wanted switch my reviews up a bit, found I was going through the motion rather than thinking about it, so I might stick with this approach moving forward :) If anyone tries to take nerd points off me though, I'm calling you for back up! :)

[@essaywhu]

Watchmen is a thousand times more readable than Crisis.

[@Avarn388]

@@essaywhu I find Watchman a touch overrated. Truth be told; I actually found Squadron Supreme to be a better take of Watchman. But to be fair, I've grown a bit sick of deconstruction. Watchman and Born Again do them decently, but I prefer reconstruction styles of stories, like Astro City.

[@Tarheelsteel]

I read it because I promised myself I would. I will never ever ever read it again. But I may flip through it because the art is beautiful.

[@Matthew.E.Kelly.]

I've always loved the art on Crisis, it's just always felt like the story was... The story itself is coherent enough, it's just how the story is told that seems disjointed, to me. Or maybe like there were ideas that didn't get used to flesh the narrative out more just because of space limitation. I dunno, I have a few issues of Crisis for my personal collection (#1, 7, 8) but I will *never* pass up a Peréz Wonder Woman book 🤷 I liked War of the Gods more than I liked Crisis!

[@allencarrillo5158]

I’ve been binging your channel a bit, I was wondering if you’d be interested in doing a how to collect/where to start Hellboy video? Enjoy the videos!

[@stephentheshywarrior2759]

Unreadable I do disagree with you to a extent but respect where you are coming from. I agree it is a hard read at times, Imo to much dialogue but having read classic runs recently it wasn't as jarring to me personally. If you want dry dialogue read Thomas X-Men run. Also could've probably lost a third in terms of length and would've been paced far better. The art was incredible and honestly elevated the read. why I love this event so much was how epic everything felt and the destination felt justified. I felt like was watching a blockbuster action film, just wish it had more twists. Super Appreciated how pre crisis Wonder Woman was sent off and made way for the post crisis version. Honestly my biggest takeaway was it shined a light on unknown characters i never heard of and made after for weeks afterwards want to pick up Perez Wonder Woman, Wally west was quickly elevated as a favourite of mine considering I have never read any of his solo stuff and Kamandi by Kirby amongst others. So overall I found it a success, just not without it's flaws haha. Still one of my favourite recent reads in 2020 and I still need to go back and finish my re-read of the book in 2022. Already can say I found things I missed the first time.

[@MaddoggComics]

For sure, it's all about perspective, and having read mostly modern events lately this may have been a shock to the system :) I agree about the destination, and it's importance, just felt there wasn't much for me personally after that scale wore off a bit. I am glad you had a good time with this book though, and who knows what I'd think if I came at it after reading something Silver Age, so I appreciate you sharing your perspective mate, and hope you're having a good week!

[@misternegative4918]

I’m in the middle of reading Crisis on Infinite Earths for the first time right now and I have to agree. There is so much exposition in these issues that it’s impossible for me to remember all of the important explanations. I love their New Teen Titans book even though it has a ton of dialogue and narration, but that’s because I’m interested in every character and everything happening in the book. Half of the time reading this so far I know next to nothing about the character I’m following. I’m going to power through since I’m interested and it’s an important book, but I hate when it takes me 30+ minutes to read a single issue. Perez’s art shines on any book he’s on though.

[@robertweikel5796]

I agree with you, and that's not a popular opinion amongst collectors my age. I couldn't tell which order the dialog was going until digital comics came around where you can read the panels in order. It was great when it came out, but other than the art, it doesn't hold up. It's boring. It's just boring now.

[@SeanBals]

Was contemplating buying this as I wanted to do a readthrough of my dc collection. But after going through the pain that is secret wars 2. I’m just not going to put myself through it again 😂

[@JennySparkz]

Secret Wars 2 was one of the purest forms of cash grab to ever exist. Having said that., if an omni came out for it, i'd pick it up in a heartbeat. Fully acknowledging that it was kind of a mess.

[@SeanBals]

@@JennySparkz I’m currently going through the battleworld box set. Bought it because of the nostalgia I had for secret wars vol. 1. I generally like the idea of an omnipotent being trying to find the meaning to his life, but I’m pretty sure he could have found it within 12 or so issues

[@hellmouth_entmt]

This was a wonderful deep dive into Crisis.

[@MaddoggComics]

Thank you Cassandra! Glad you liked it! Was a bit unsure about taking a divisive approach in the title, so I'm glad you enjoyed this one!

[@she-hulk7577]

Crisis on infinite earths was a really hard book to read for me, I love the 80s comics (mainly x-men) but when I decided to read this one it was just so hard. I agreee that it was mainly because of all the words. And I wish we had more of the teen titans in it, there was some but a big fan I needed more. Really good video as always. But can you do a review on teen titans: raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo.

[@brandon17760]

I really hate wordy comics, like Jimenez wonder woman run, 🙄 jeez what a chore that was. But I feel like Infinite crisis was a good enough catch up, that I don't need to read crisis on infinite earths.

[@Blackwing2040]

I read Crisis last year and it was a challenge to read. Like you said there was no entertaining moments cuz the threat within the book was very high. However the last 3 issues made up for it in the end. Especially the villain issue

[@kumallalasavesta7843]

Can u start of dc with crisis on infinite earths I know bit of different character alot of batman

[@josephde-haan1074]

Not really a fan of the vast majority of superhero/DC/Marvel comics. I got this book with a bunch of comics I bought. I found it unreadable. To this day I can not read this tripe. Something like this I would usually sell on. The art though is gorgeous. Like you say it has that early , golden/silver age style but it also has so creative, bronze age moments, especially in the motion and panel design. I still find myself pulling it out just to admire the art. Out of my comic book collection this is the one I chose to be n display in front of my small collection of super hero figures. Talking of events that influence a comic book/characters long after it has ended, for me Judge Dredd's Block Mania and Apocalypse War (1981/82) are examples of how it's done and I don't even think those who worked on it imagined the decades of impact these stories would have. This is another book where the art is phenomenal, especially Block Mania which is some of the best comic art ever from the pencils of the likes of Mike McMahon, Steve Dillon and Brian Bolland. It's also to this day very readable, detailed, frenetic and tense. Highly recommended.

[@essaywhu]

I agreed with your assessment of Crisis, and I think you are approaching comics from a similar angle to me. Superheroes are sort of a thing I just have to put up with since I love the medium. Also, Dredd is awesome! I just recently found the Judge Dredd by Bolland Apex Edition for cover price in a shop despite going for a lot of money on eBay.

[@jermo1470]

10:05 When I first read this book I just tought that this is how old comics were. I surprisingly agree with allot of your points.

[@MaddoggComics]

Cheers mate, glad we agreed on a lot of things :) I still think the book deserve it's respect, and you might be right that the monologue style is of it's time :) Thanks for watching mate!

[@TheComicBookReport]

Very excited to hear your take on this. It’s a great event but it’s a bit bloated if you’re purely a modern reader in my opinion. Infinite crisis is better paced I’d say 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@MaddoggComics]

Thank you mate, and cheers for giving it a chance! I was a bit cautious with this approach on reviews, but want to start more of a conversation. I get the feeling some may hate my take on it, but a lot of my reviews have been a bit on the fence lately, so let me know what you think :)

[@TheComicBookReport]

@@MaddoggComics alway enjoy your content man 💪👏🐶🐶

[@TheComicBookReport]

@@MaddoggComics I get why this book is historical, iconic, and one of the best events period. However, I think for modern audiences who do not read comics from an era when exposition and wordiness was more common it could be alienating or as you said a bit of a chore. So happy to have this book and to have read it, I will re-read I’m sure, but it’s not high on my re-read list. I really Enjoyed your take on it, and actually found you very kind even if your general feel was that it is a bit of a slow read etc.

[@nay5410]

I agree with your review. I loved the art and the big scenes at the end were epic, but it was a slow read for much of the story. I agree this is an important book in DC history, but it hasn't aged very well. I feel like I enjoy the fact that I've read it more than the actual reading.

[@PM-oq8dg]

Probably a bit too challenging for the younger modern readers to understand. (Corrected. Happy now?)

[@MaddoggComics]

Next time, before taking the condescending approach, maybe learn to proofread.

[@PM-oq8dg]

@@MaddoggComics oh no. My phone autocorrected and I didn't notice. My sincerest apologies.

[@essaywhu]

Let me preface this by saying I have been reading comics for nearly 35 years. Last year I read this series for the first time in the boxset edition with all the tie-ins. It was one of the hardest things I have ever forced myself to read. It’s complete gibberish. I sold it as soon as I finished. I still have my Crisis on Infinite Earths Absolute Edition, so maybe I’ll try to read it again without the tie-ins someday. One of the things I do like is the references to this event in Black Hammer. That’s the only good thing that came out of this whole thing in my opinion.

[@comicscoda]

I agree, important but dated as hell. especially when compared to other comics from the same era. I mean... watchmen is VERY readable today and came out around the same time. so it's not just a "well it's old" write-off. Reading it has enriched my other event reads this year, like zero hour and infinite crisis (and hopefully final crisis soon!) but it will be a very long time before I revisit it...

[@nathanboult4873]

Your bright maddogg. I was bored out of my skull reading this. I just didnt dare admit it till you have now.

[@_The_Worst_]

🤔...Yeah, doesn't seem that thrilling...💯✔️

[@bernielockard1827]

I agree with everything you said. It took for infinite earths just to read 12 issues. It’s the biggest slog I think I’ve ever read

[@mitchschroeder1151]

When I first got into comics I tried reading this because I heard it was important. After about 4 pages I closed the book and went to Wikipedia to find out what happened. Not for me.

[@teflonrobg]

Did DC or someone ever make a "shorter" version of Crisis On Infinite Earths? I read it but it took soooooooo long. I want to read it again, but it needs to be shorter. LOL

[@PM-oq8dg]

Yeah. Reading is hard

[@alexnejako777]

some of the crossovers are worth reading. read the All Star Squadron issues that crossover and any New Teen Titans and Legion of Superheroes from that era. and the end of The Flash run that preceded it. get some Whos Whos from 1984-5 and you're caught up as much as any teen was when Crisis came out

[@kevinbarry6441]

Read Crisis for the first time this summer. I was so bored. Plenty of moments where I thought that it should be fun…but it just wasn’t fun for me. Honestly, it was a chore.

[@Avarn388]

Interesting. I haven't reread Crisis on Infinite Earths in years so it may not hold up all that much but I can't deny just how important it was in shaping DC comics. One of my biggest criticisms of DC is how it could never make up its mind with regards to the Multiverse. I get that the Multiverse was a byproduct of them consolidating other companies' IP, like Fawcett, Charleston etc. but in my humble opinion Crisis on Infinite Earths should have been the last event to get rid of the Multiverse. And while I enjoyed the likes of Final Crisis; it really does make reading DC a chore. The one thing I will give Crisis on Infinite Earth's credit(SPOILER) is how it handled Barry Allen's sacrifice and how that was a consequence for nearly twenty plus years. At least, DC had the guts to keep him dead until Johns which I love Flash: Rebirth but man it does sully Crisis on Infinite Earths a bit. Overall, I'd be really curious to revisit the event and judge it in a vacuum. Nice to see you taking a stand on the event.

[@DeathByQuail]

Having never read this book due to my concerns of how it would read by todays standards, *plus my lack of knowledge of a lot of DC’s less popular characters.* This review is probably where I would land on the title. It always felt like it’s importance outweighed it’s actual enjoyment. To which I feel the same about Batman A death in the family, it’s “important” but it’s far from good.

[@fandombat3074]

Lol the book is as old as my mum.

[@Matthew.E.Kelly.]

I was just getting started reading comics when it came out 😆

[@fandombat3074]

@@Matthew.E.Kelly. gosh your old (me only being 19) why is everyone so old

[@stephentheshywarrior2759]

@@fandombat3074 😂

[@fandombat3074]

Just went into my local comics shop browsing and I found crisis on infinite earth bookshelf coincidental I don’t think so. I did not get it because I needed the recent judgment day comic.

[@stephentheshywarrior2759]

@@fandombat3074 personally I'd at least check it out even digital. It is worth trying even just for it's significance in DC as a whole.😀

[@PM-oq8dg]

More enjoyable than your video.

[@stephentheshywarrior2759]

Looks like the angry boomer has arrived in the chat who hates a modern perspective. Crisis is a good book but not without its faults. It is a dense book but with great artwork imo. Trust me I read it recently in 2 weeks. I don't understand why you are hating on Maddogg's channel.🤷