Crisis Counselling

I hear this phrase a lot relating to the industries of my hobbys.

"Just when I thought I was out, they suck me back in again."

Case in point, is the current "crisis" storyline. If you are a non-comic reader, please just stop here and come back for the next blog entry on "24". There is just no way the non-initiated will have any idea what I'm talking about.

For the Marvel only readers, the "crisis" storyline (which is in reality a storyline that is decades in the making) is like a long, drawn-out X-Men storyline that actually ends.

I'm not going to explain the story, but rather praise issue #5. As per the picture here, it's about the battle between Superman (Kal-L) and Superman (Kal-el). Kal-L is the Superman from the 1930's - 1980's. Kal-El is from the "reboot" of DC Comics in the 80's (due mostly, to copyright rules protecting trademarks from entering public domain). Kal-L is from a world of black and white. You deal with evil swiftly and justly. Kal-el's world has more shades of grey than defined ends and every action not only has unforseeable results, but generates unending angst over the decision.

Kal-L's world has passed. Earth-2 was swallowed up in the first Crisis. Alex Luthor was able to save Kal-L, Lois Lane, and Superboy. Earth-1 was the "rebooted world" and everything started over again. What we've all noticed over the last 20 years, is what happened to Earth-1. Superman died to build readership in comics to insane levels. The second Robin, Jason Todd, was killed off due to a misstep by DC that allowed readers to phone a 1-900 number to vote whether he should live or die. Green Lantern died. Green Arrow died. Wonder Woman murdered a man in cold blood. Batman's paranoia has unleashed an army of killing machines (Omacs) that have killed thousands of innocents.

Etc. etc. etc. This isn't your father's comic books.

So I don't think that DC is really trying to return comics to the "good old days" when stories were ridiculous, art was bad, and there were no "events". But I do think that this is a great nod to the fact that comics have moved far beyond their childhood roots.

So while I'm not certain that the new Crisis storyline is meant to say "yeah, we've screwed up" I do believe that there is a certain feeling that things have gone a little far. At some point, comics do have to be innocent fun. A Superman comic should be fun, not full of the angst that have permeated the book for years. Batman should be fun and thought-provoking for its detective roots. Right now, the character is so dark as to be unlikeable.

The associative tie-ins have been reasonably good, although I have not picked them all up. Compared to Marvel's tepid "House of M", DC's Infinite Crisis has been wonderfully told and attractively presented. The panels are big, explosive, and best of all...fun. We're being told that the "reboot" following this Crisis will return many characters to their former glory. I can't wait to see.