When DC announced it would publish a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, I anticipated the event book. As the title of my reviews suggests, I am a big Crisis fan. I loved seeing so many diverse characters brought together in common, larger-than-life story. Infinite Crisis has delivered on that promises to a certain extent, and Gail Simone does so as well in this one-shot. Though it incorporates elements from her Villains United limited series, this really is an extension of Infinite Crisis itself. The plotting isn't always as clear as it could be, but the action and tension in the book really draws in the reader. Eaglesham handles the expansive cast of characters quite well, including a surprising number of obscure DC characters, heroes and villains alike, into the visuals.
The Society has something big up its villainous sleeve, an ultimate assault on the world as plotted by Alexander Luthor of Earth-3. The plan is to occupy the attention of the world's super-heroes, and it hinges on a jailbreak... a jailbreak of proportions unimagined by anyone ever before. As the new crisis emerges, Oracle is at the helm, co-ordinating the heroes' response to the chaos erupting all over the globe. An army of super-villains versus a legion of super-heroes, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. What will tip the scales? Well, Catman's band of five rogue villains has yet to choose a side...
Eaglesham has his hands full here. There is a multitude of characters, but he doesn't take shortcuts with them. He brings a strong level of detail to bear, actually, and in the first sequence in the book, that's key to establishing a strong sense of menace and tension to the story. The line art and colors converge nicely to make Oracle's unique computer interfaces seem real yet wondrous at the same time, and I love how the colors imbue Dr. Light with a constant pulse of glowing white energy.
The most important and successful sequence in the whole book is the first one. It's that sequence -- and only that sequence -- that not only shows us that the villains -- from the most powerful to the most ordinary -- are a source of real terror, but that demonstrates the more personal side of the threat. Later sequences in this hectic script focus on the bigger picture, but the impact on one family has a much greater impact.
The multitude of characters is a real treat for a longtime DC reader such as myself, but the good news is that one needn't know who all of these characters are. Knowledge of Villains United and Infinite Crisis is required, and even then, readers of those titles face a challenge. The biggest liability of the book is the fact that it lacks an ending. This climactic battle looks as though it'll wrap up in the final issue of IC, and the lack of resolution interfered with my overall appreciation of the story. 6/10
Note: This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
