Since the launch of the Infinite Frontier era, Joshua Williamson has been building up to his first major crossover event, Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (originally named “Dark Crisis,” the event was officially retitled “Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths” after it launched). Williamson teamed up with artist Daniel Sampere, colorist Alejandro Sánchez, and letterer Tom Napolitano for this crisis. As the official synopsis puts it:
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League are dead. The remaining heroes are left to protect the world from an onslaught of violent attacks by DC’s greatest villains! Leading the charge is a super-powered Slade Wilson … but this time there’s something dark fueling his rage.
Can the younger heroes, led by the 21st century Superman Jonathan Kent, step out of the shadows of the classic icons to form a new Justice League? And will that be enough to stop a darkness greater than anything they’ve ever faced from destroying everything? The world burns as Pariah and the Great Darkness make their play for planet Earth!
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths is an event built on older stories, as DC Comics explains it:
“In the original Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the homeworld of Pariah, along with the infinite Multiverse, was obliterated. Now, this mad sole survivor has found a way to bring his homeworld and the entire infinite Multiverse back from the dead: Earth-0 must die. An ancient destructive force called the Great Darkness, first appearing in Swamp Thing by Alan Moore and Stan Woch, is the weapon Pariah will wield as he paves a path to rebirth and vengeance.”
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths marked the end of another short era in the DC Universe, but it also introduced a new roadmap to follow for the year to come. Before diving into the event, you may want to do some reading. Here is our reading guide.
What should you read before Dark Crisis?
Joshua Williamson pulls together story threads from past stories, and these are the books he recommends reading:
- Crisis on Infinite Earths
- Infinite Crisis
- New Titans #81 (ties into 1991 War of the Gods), collected in Wonder Woman: War of the Gods Omnibus.
As for the most current books to read before Crisis, here are the important titles:
- Infinite Frontier
Collects Infinite Frontier #0–6 and Infinite Frontier: Secret Files #1. - Justice League Incarnate
Collects Justice League Incarnate #1–5. (also Multiversity #2 for its first appearance) - Shadow War
See reading order of the event. - Justice League #75
- Aquamen #6
- Dark Crisis #0 FCBD Special Edition #1
- Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis (one-shot)
Dark Crisis Reading Order:
Dark Crisis: Collected Editions
- Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths
Collects Justice League #75; Dark Crisis #1-7; Dark Crisis #0 FCBD Special Edition 2022 #1. - Dark Crisis: Young Justice
Collects Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1–6. - Dark Crisis: Worlds without a Justice League
Collects Dark Crisis: Worlds Without A Justice League – Superman #1, Dark Crisis: Worlds Without A Justice League – Green Lantern #1, Dark Crisis: Worlds Without A Justice League – Wonder Woman #1, Dark Crisis: Worlds Without A Justice League – Green Arrow #1, And Dark Crisis: Worlds Without A Justice League – Batman #1. - Tales from Dark Crisis
Collects Justice League: Road To Dark Crisis #1, Dark Crisis: The Deadly Green #1, Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1, Dark Crisis: War Zone #1, And Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1.
Dark Crisis: The Issue by Issue Reading Order
- Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #1
- Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1
- The Flash #783
- Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #2
- Dark Crisis: Young Justice #2
- The Flash #784
- Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #3
- Dark Crisis: Young Justice #3
- The Flash #785
- Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League—Superman #1
- Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League—Wonder Woman #1
- Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League—Green Arrow #1
- Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League—Green Lantern #1
- Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League—Batman #1
- Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #4
- Dark Crisis: Young Justice #4
- The Flash #786
- Dark Crisis: The Deadly Green #1
- Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5
- Dark Crisis: Young Justice #5
- Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6
- Dark Crisis: Young Justice #6
- I Am Batman #15
- Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1
- Dark Crisis: War Zone #1
- Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths: Big Bang #1
- Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7
After Dark Crisis
The brief Infinite Frontier era comes to an end with the conclusion of the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. It is followed by ‘Dawn of DCU’ a year-long branding initiative, exploring a different DCU with the restoration of the pre-Crisis infinite Multiverse and the disbandment of the Justice League.
But before you can properly dive into this new era, there is another event taking place and helping kick-start it all: The Lazarus Planet event (see the reading order)! This DC magical crisis was started in Batman Vs. Robin after Damian Wayne unearths dark forces which unleash super-charged magic across the globe. To put an end to the chaos and save the world, Batman must battle his biological son.