DC Comics' Infinite Crisis revisits 1985 successes

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This chronic feature lets me review what's recently passed my bloodshot pupils. So pull up a chair, break out the sarcasm filter and welcome to:

Mr. Zad's comic critique

Infinite Crisis, Nos. 1 through 3

(DC Comics, $3.99 each)

Since the death of the Elongated Man's wife, Sue Dibny, in the spring of 2004, DC Comics has put its fans into an emotional and multilayered story crossing over most of its best titles (around 78 comic books, to be more exact), which has led up to the current, universe-shattering developments in this monumental seven-part miniseries.

Billed as the sequel to the Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries of 1985, in which DC aggressively combined its multiple versions of Earth into one, with some of its heroes perishing in the process, the current event and all of its subplots are bound to give the confused, casual comic-book fan an eye-watering headache. (I review a few of the trade paperbacks below to shed light on the epic.)

I'll readily admit that I have only a slight idea of what is going on here, but it sure looks exciting as I read such mighty dialogue as "being the only survivor of a reality that never existed" and "the very fabric of existence has shifted."

The story of Infinite Crisis thus far offers the end of the Justice League, a Power Girl epiphany, the destruction of the Freedom Fighters, the Spectre savoring vengeance, Brother Eye wreaking havoc on the metahumans and a despondent Joker not being offered the chance to join the Secret Society of Supervillains.

As a team of creators including Geoff Johns, Phil Jimenez, Andy Lanning and George Perez leaves its mark on the unfolding story, it's obvious heroes and villains will continue to die, multiple versions of Superman will be right in the middle of the mess, and comic-book fans late to the game will spend lots of cash to find out what is going on and what is going to happen.

'The OMAC Project,' trade paperback