Editing Crisis on Infinite Earths (section)

==Publication history==
===Background===
[[DC Comics]] is an [[American comic book]] [[Publishing|publisher]] best known for its [[Superhero fiction|superhero stories]] featuring characters including [[Batman]], [[Superman]], and [[Wonder Woman]].<ref name="ignbestcharacters">{{cite web|last1=Schedeen|first1=Jesse|title=The Top 25 Best Heroes of DC Comics|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/the-top-25-heroes-of-dc-comics|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|access-date=18 March 2018|date=November 19, 2013}}</ref> The company debuted in February 1935 with ''[[More Fun Comics|New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine]]''.<ref name="monitoringthepast">{{cite web|last1=Friedenthal|first1=Andrew J.|title=Monitoring the Past: DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths and the Narrativization of Comic Book History|url=http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v6_2/friedenthal/|website=ImageTexT|access-date=18 March 2018|date=2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315212451/http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v6_2/friedenthal/|archive-date=15 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Most of DC's comic books (as well as some published under its imprints [[Vertigo Comics|Vertigo]]<ref name="ignvertigo">{{cite web|last1=Schedeen|first1=Jesse|title=Between the Panels: DC Needs to Take Vertigo Back to its Roots|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/04/22/between-the-panels-dc-needs-to-take-vertigo-back-to-its-roots|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|access-date=23 March 2018|date=April 22, 2016}}</ref> and [[Young Animal (DC Comics)|Young Animal]]<ref name="cbryounganimal">{{cite web|last1=Cohen|first1=Jason|title=DC's Young Animal Imprint Gets Major Revamp in March|url=https://www.cbr.com/dc-young-animal-relaunch/|website=[[Comic Book Resources]]|access-date=23 March 2018|date=December 14, 2017}}</ref>) take place within a [[shared universe]] called the [[DC Universe]] (DCU) allowing plot elements, characters, and settings to [[Crossover (fiction)|cross over]] with each other.<ref name="cbrrebirth">{{cite web|last1=Ching|first1=Albert|title=EXCLUSIVE: Geoff Johns Details "Rebirth" Plan, Seeks to Restore Legacy to DC Universe|url=https://www.cbr.com/exclusive-geoff-johns-details-rebirth-plan-seeks-to-restore-legacy-to-dc-universe/|website=[[Comic Book Resources]]|access-date=23 March 2018|date=February 18, 2016}}</ref> The concept of the DCU has provided DC's writers some challenges in maintaining [[Continuity (fiction)|continuity]], due to conflicting events within different comics that need to reflect the shared nature of the universe.<ref name="monitoringthepast"/> "[[Flash of Two Worlds]]" from ''[[The Flash (comic book)|The Flash]]'' #123 (September 1961), which featured [[Barry Allen]] (the [[Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]] [[Flash (DC Comics character)|Flash]]) teaming up with [[Flash (Jay Garrick)|Jay Garrick]] (the [[Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] Flash) was the first DC comic to suggest that the DCU was a part of a [[DC Multiverse|multiverse]].<ref name="denofgeekflash">{{cite web|last1=Cecchini|first1=Mike|title=The Flash, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and What it Means for DC Superhero TV and Movies|url=http://www.denofgeek.com/us/books-comics/the-flash/239939/the-flash-crisis-on-infinite-earths-and-what-it-means-for-dc-superhero-tv-and-movies|website=[[Den of Geek]]|access-date=20 March 2018|date=December 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324041815/http://www.denofgeek.com/us/books-comics/the-flash/239939/the-flash-crisis-on-infinite-earths-and-what-it-means-for-dc-superhero-tv-and-movies|archive-date=24 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="15brutal">{{cite web|last1=Cohen|first1=Jason|title=Killer Crises: The 15 Most BRUTAL Deaths In Every DC Crisis|url=https://www.cbr.com/killer-crises-the-15-most-brutal-deaths-in-every-dc-crisis/|website=[[Comic Book Resources]]|access-date=19 March 2018|date=June 22, 2017}}</ref>

The DC Multiverse concept was expanded in later years with the DCU having infinite Earths; for example, the Golden Age versions of DC heroes resided on Earth-Two, while DC's Silver Age heroes were from Earth-One.<ref name="visual"/> Since "Crisis on Earth-One!" (1963), DC has used the word "Crisis" to describe important crossovers within the DC Multiverse.<ref name="downey20180118">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/tim-king-dc-crisis-theory/ |title=Tom King May Be Working on DC's First Post-Rebirth Crisis |last=Downey |first=Meg |date=January 18, 2018 |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |language=en-US |access-date=March 10, 2018}}</ref> Over the years, various writers took liberties creating additional parallel Earths as plot devices and to house characters DC had acquired from other companies, making the DC Multiverse a "convoluted mess".<ref name="visual"/> DC's comic book sales were also far below those of their competitor [[Marvel Comics]].<ref name="nerd">{{cite book|last1=Weldon|first1=Glen|title=The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture|date=2016|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn=978-1-4767-5669-1}}</ref> According to ''[[ComicsAlliance]]'' journalist Chris Sims, "the [DC] multiverse . . . felt old-fashioned. . . . Marvel, on the other hand, felt contemporary and when you stack them up against each other, there's one difference that sticks out above anything else: Marvel feels unified."<ref name="ca208">{{cite web|last1=Sims|first1=Chris|title=Ask Chris #208: Crisis on Infinite Earths is Basically a Mess|url=http://comicsalliance.com/ask-chris-208-crisis-infinite-earth/|website=[[ComicsAlliance]]|access-date=20 March 2018|date=August 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612232653/http://comicsalliance.com/ask-chris-208-crisis-infinite-earth/|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Writer [[Marv Wolfman]] became popular among DC's readers for his work on ''[[Weird War Tales]]'' and ''[[The New Teen Titans]]''.<ref name="visual"/> [[George Pérez]], who illustrated ''The New Teen Titans'', also began to rise to prominence in this era.<ref name="STP">{{cite web |url=https://surrealtimepress.com/2015/03/27/five-things-to-keep-in-mind-while-you-read-infinity-gauntlet-part-3/ |title=Five Things To Keep In Mind While You Read Infinity Gauntlet – Part 3 |last=Mitchell |first=B |date=March 25, 2015 |website=Surreal Time Press |access-date=January 11, 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 1984, Pérez entered into an exclusive contract with DC, which was later extended one year.<ref name="CI94">{{cite magazine |last=O'Neill |first=Patrick Daniel |date=1991|title=George Perez |magazine=[[Comics Interview]] #94 |location=New York City|page=4 |publisher=Fictioneer Books |author-link=David Anthony Kraft}}</ref> Although ''The New Teen Titans'' was a major success for DC,<ref name="visual"/> the company's comic book sales were still below Marvel's.<ref name="nerd"/> Wolfman began to attribute this to the DC Multiverse, feeling "The Flash of Two Worlds" had created a "nightmare":<ref name="monitoringthepast"/> it was not reader-friendly for new readers to be able to keep track of<ref name="intempol"/> and writers struggled with the continuity errors it caused.<ref name="monitoringthepast"/> In ''The New Teen Titans'' #21 (July 1982), Wolfman introduced a new character: the shadowy, potentially villainous [[Monitor (Mar Novu)|Monitor]]; this laid the foundation for ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''.<ref name="auto"/>

===Development===
In 1981, Wolfman was editing ''[[Green Lantern (comic book)|Green Lantern]]''. He got a letter from a fan asking why a character did not recognize [[Green Lantern]] in a recent issue despite the two having had worked together in an issue three years earlier.<ref name="Slugfest148"/> Soon afterward,<ref name="backissue30">{{cite journal|last1=Greeberger|first1=Robert|title=Crisis at 30: A Look Back at the Most Influential Crossover in Comics History|journal=[[Back Issue!]]|date=August 2015|issue=82}}</ref> Wolfman pitched ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' as ''The History of the DC Universe'',<ref name="Slugfest148">{{cite book |last=Tucker |first=Reed |date=October 2017 |title=Slugfest |location= [[New York City]]|publisher=[[Da Capo Press]]|page=148 |isbn=978-0306825477 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hoyYDgAAQBAJ}}</ref> seeing it as a way to simplify the DCU and attract new readers.<ref name="intempol">{{cite web|last1=Figueiredo|first1=Claudio|last2=Aragao|first2=Octavio|title=Crisis on Infinite Comics: Interview with Marv Wolfman|url=http://intemblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/crisis-on-infinite-comics-interview.html|website=Intempol|access-date=18 March 2018|date=October 12, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324041357/http://intemblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/crisis-on-infinite-comics-interview.html|archive-date=24 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''The History of the DC Universe''{{'}}s title was changed to ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' because its premise, involving the destruction of entire worlds, sounded more like a crisis.<ref name="backissue30" />

Wolfman said when he pitched the series to DC, he realized it was going to be a completely new beginning for the DCU.<ref name="villagewolfman">{{cite web|last1=Siegel|first1=Harry|title=Marv Wolfman on What's Got To Die For a New DC World To Live|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2011/08/31/marv-wolfman-on-whats-got-to-die-for-a-new-dc-world-to-live/|website=[[The Village Voice]]|access-date=18 March 2018|date=August 31, 2011}}</ref> "I knew up front, and they did too, how big this was going to be," he said. "But, no-one knew how well it would sell, or whether it would sell at all. It was a risk DC was willing to take, because my thoughts were that DC needed a lot of help at that time, and they did too."<ref name="comicconinter">{{cite web|last1=MacNamee|first1=Oliver|title=Interviewing Marv Wolfman On New Teen Titans And Crisis On Infinite Earths At London Film And Comic Con|url=http://www.comicon.com/2017/08/01/interviewing-marv-wolfman-on-new-teen-titans-and-crisis-on-infinite-earths-at-london-film-and-comic-con/|website=ComicCon.com|access-date=18 March 2018|date=August 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324041311/http://www.comicon.com/2017/08/01/interviewing-marv-wolfman-on-new-teen-titans-and-crisis-on-infinite-earths-at-london-film-and-comic-con/|archive-date=24 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Wolfman also said he saw it as an attempt to improve DC's reputation for storytelling which many readers at the time saw as old-fashioned.<ref name="Slugfest149" />

The crossover was fleshed out and coordinated at a meeting attended by president [[Jenette Kahn]], [[Paul Levitz]], vice president and executive editor [[Dick Giordano]] and DC's editors.<ref name="Back34">{{cite journal |last=Eury |first=Michael |date=June 2009 |title=When Worlds Collided! Behind the Scenes of ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' |journal=[[Back Issue!]] |issue=34 |pages=34–39 |publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]] }}</ref> In 1982, DC hired a researcher to go through their library and read every comic the company had published, a task that took two years.<ref name="Slugfest148" /> The series was delayed to 1983 due to the time for research,<ref name="Slugfest149">{{cite book |last=Tucker |first=Reed |date=October 2017 |title=Slugfest |location= [[New York City]]|publisher=[[Da Capo Press]]|page=149 |isbn=978-0306825477 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hoyYDgAAQBAJ}}</ref> and again to 1985 when it was still not ready for 1983<ref name="Slugfest149" /> and to coincide with DC's fiftieth anniversary.<ref name="visual">{{cite book |title = DC Comics Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |year=2010 |isbn= 978-0-7566-6742-9}}</ref> As an event like ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' had never happened before, those working on it met for around two hours a week, which was uncommon at the time.<ref name="backissue30" />

The groundwork for the series was laid the year before it was published.<ref name="auto">''Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition''</ref> One of the greatest challenges for Wolfman and Giordano was coming up with a story. Wolfman cited making use of every DC character and creating a plot that was fun to read and as filled with surprises as difficulties, as the series needed to sell well; if it did not, it could have caused a disaster for DC. Plotting became easier once a beginning and an ending had been determined and when Pérez became involved. ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' was DC's first mainstream [[Limited series (comics)|maxiseries]], which was still a relatively new concept.<ref name="backissue30" />

Early in planning for ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', a list was made of characters that were part of the DCU;<ref name="Back34" /> characters from other universes, such as those that formerly belonged to [[Charlton Comics]], also were used.<ref name="30reasons" /> According to Wolfman, one of the purposes of ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' was to showcase all the characters DC had.<ref name="comicconinter" /> The series is infamous for its high death count.<ref name="15brutal" /> Hundreds of characters died; among the most noted was Barry Allen's. Wolfman has said he did not want to kill Allen, but DC ordered him to because it perceived the character as dull. Therefore, he conceived Allen's death—in which he runs through time before vanishing—as a way to make the character seem more interesting and hopefully spare him.<ref>{{cite web|author1=B.D.S.|title=Marv Wolfman interview|url=http://www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/interviews/wolfman.shtml|website=The WTV Zone|access-date=20 March 2018|date=2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324101650/http://www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/interviews/wolfman.shtml|archive-date=24 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Wolfman wanted to make the series unforgettable; he said that many writers had expressed interest in simplifying DC's continuity and he wanted to be the one to do so.<ref name="monitoringthepast" />

Pérez says he was not the intended artist for ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'',<ref name="syfyperez"/> but was excited when he learned about it, seeing it as an opportunity for "revenge" against Marvel, which he blamed for blocking the ''[[JLA/Avengers]]'' crossover he had been working on.{{efn|The crossover was not released until 2003.}}<ref name="Slugfest149"/> He enjoyed working with Wolfman again, and took a leave of absence from ''The New Teen Titans'' to draw the series.<ref>"George Pérez signs contract with DC, Takes leave of absence from ''Titans''{{-"}}, ''The Comics Journal'' #92 (August 1984), p. 16.</ref> DC initially did not know Pérez would want to work on it. According to Pérez, he was motivated by the fact that DC did not know if the series was going to be a success. He also wanted "to draw everybody I could get my hands on" and called illustrating the series some of the most fun he ever had. Pérez was excited because not only did he get to draw the Teen Titans again, but also obscure characters he was not familiar with, saying he could possibly have never gotten another chance.<ref name="syfyperez">{{cite web|last1=Avila|first1=Mike|title=Comics legend George Perez on DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths|url=http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/watch-comics-legend-george-perez-on-crisis-on-infinite-earths|website=[[SyFy]] Wire|access-date=18 March 2018|date=June 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324103118/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/watch-comics-legend-george-perez-on-crisis-on-infinite-earths|archive-date=24 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Wolfman has said one panel in ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' shows the [[Marvel Universe]] being destroyed.<ref name="Slugfest150">{{cite book |last=Tucker |first=Reed |date=October 2017 |title=Slugfest |location= [[New York City]]|publisher=[[Da Capo Press]]|page=150 |isbn=978-0306825477 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hoyYDgAAQBAJ}}</ref> When Giordano (the series' initial [[inker]]) had difficulty meeting deadlines while continuing as DC vice president and executive editor, editorial coordinator Pat Bastienne reassigned the inking to [[Jerry Ordway]] despite Giordano's objections.<ref name="Back34"/>

===Publication===
The idea for ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' was first noted in the December 1981 issue of ''[[The Comics Journal]]'', which mentioned a twelve-part maxiseries scheduled for 1982.<ref name="Slugfest148"/> The series was announced in Giordano's "Meanwhile..." column DC ran in its titles [[cover date]]d June 1984. Giordano warned readers that "odd occurrences" would begin to happen throughout DC's comics. He also clarified it would commemorate DC's fiftieth anniversary and would provide the company "wonderful stepping-stones" for new characters and comics.<ref name="monitoringthepast"/> The series was marketed with the tagline "Worlds will live, worlds will die and nothing will ever be the same".<ref name="30reasons">{{cite web|last1=Rahan|first1=Kaleon|title=30 reasons 'Crisis On Infinite Earths' defined comics forever|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/books/news/2015/04/07/30-reasons-crisis-on-infinite-earths-defined-comics-forever/|website=The Star Online|access-date=20 March 2018|date=April 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324041400/https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/books/news/2015/04/07/30-reasons-crisis-on-infinite-earths-defined-comics-forever/|archive-date=24 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="timeandtime">{{cite web|last1=Sims|first1=Chris|title=Time and Time Again: The Complete History of DC's Retcons and Reboots|url=http://comicsalliance.com/dc-comics-reboot-history/|website=[[ComicsAlliance]]|access-date=21 March 2018|date=June 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324101529/http://comicsalliance.com/dc-comics-reboot-history/|archive-date=24 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The series began in January 1985 and lasted for twelve issues, ending in December 1985 (issues [[cover date]]d April 1985 through March 1986).<ref name="visual"/> The close spacing of ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and Marvel's similar crossover ''[[Secret Wars]]'' caused some fans to create conspiracy theories about [[Plagiarism|idea theft]].<ref name="Slugfest150"/> According to writer [[Steve Gerber]], the series "got virtually no promotion&nbsp;... How many handouts did you see? How many posters did you see in people's windows? How much information was really distributed to the press and how much was gotten just by individual reporters going to Marv Wolfman and [''Crisis'' artist] George Pérez?"<ref name="gerber">{{cite news |last=Zimmerman |first=Dwight Jon |date=September 1986 |title=Steve Gerber (part 2) |work=[[Comics Interview]] |issue=38 |pages=6–19 |publisher=[[Fictioneer Books]] }}</ref>

===Tie-ins===
[[File:Crisis on Infinite Earths banner.png|thumb|300px|''Superman'' #415 was a tie-in issue to ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', indicated by the banner at the top of the cover. The cover art is by [[Eduardo Barreto]].]]
Elements to set up ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' were put in DC's comics years before the crossover took place;<ref name="ignabsoluterev"/> an example of this was the Monitor's appearance in ''The New Teen Titans''.<ref name="auto"/> In a January 3, 1983 memo, Giordano, Wolfman, and [[Len Wein]] instructed editors and writers to use the Monitor twice in the coming year but not to show him: "Because this series involves the entire DC Universe we do ask that each Editor and writer cooperate with the project by using a character called The Monitor in their books twice during the next year". This served to set up the series.<ref name="monitoringthepast"/><ref name="auto"/> When Wolfman and Giordano reiterated this in a 1984 meeting, some editors were not pleased; one was so miffed he did not speak for the rest of the meeting.<ref name="backissue30"/>

[[Tie-in]]s for ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' were published in DC's [[ongoing series]]. Unlike the 1991 Marvel crossover storyline ''[[The Infinity Gauntlet]]'', where Marvel only published tie-ins in titles that needed a boost in sales, the vast majority of DC's comics featured events that directly tied to the crossover.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kraft |first=David Anthony |date=January 1991 |title=War of the Gods |magazine=[[Comics Interview]] |location=New York City|page=34 |publisher=Fictioneer Books |author-link=David Anthony Kraft}}</ref> The following comic book issues were labeled as part of the crossover; their covers contained a banner that read "Special ''Crisis'' Cross-Over", along with the logo for DC's fiftieth anniversary.

{{Div col}}
* ''[[All-Star Squadron]]'' #50–56
* ''[[Amethyst, Princess of Gem World|Amethyst]]'' (vol. 2) #13
* ''[[Blue Devil (DC Comics)]]'' #17-18
* ''[[DC Comics Presents]]'' #86–88
* ''[[Firestorm (character)|The Fury of Firestorm]]'' #41–42
* ''[[Green Lantern (comic book)|Green Lantern]]'' (vol. 2) #194–195; #198
* ''[[Infinity, Inc.]]'' #18–24; ''Annual'' #1
* ''[[Justice League|Justice League of America]]'' #244–245; ''Annual'' #3
* ''JLA: Incarnations'' #5 (released in 2001)
* ''[[Legion of Super-Heroes]]'' #18
* ''The [[Losers (comics)|Losers]] Special'' #1
* ''[[Teen Titans|The New Teen Titans]]'' (vol. 2) #13–14
* ''[[Omega Men|The Omega Men]]'' #31
* ''[[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]'' #414–415
* ''[[Swamp Thing (comic book)|Swamp Thing]]'' #46
* ''[[Publication history of Wonder Woman|Wonder Woman]]'' #327–329
* ''Legends of the DC Universe : Crisis on Infinite Earths'' #1 (released in 1998)
{{div col end}}