I wouldn’t mind them changing Alan’s sexuality if they had made him bisexual or pansexual. In making him gay it makes it hard to explain both his marriage to Rose and his marriage to Molly later in life. It does bring much of the earlier continuity into question! Regardless, he’s still my favorite Green Lantern.
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Without getting too far off topic (ah, what the heck - I’m the one that brought up Alan Scott to begin with), it was not at all uncommon for gay men to be married to women in the 30s, 40s and 50s.
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That is true. It was pretty common for gay men to pass as straight and get married to women. I was thinking Alan married Molly in the 1980s though, when it was less common. Anyway, it’s not a big deal. Gay, straight, bi, pan, whatever, Alan is still the coolest Lantern around!
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I like Alan a lot, and I loved the original Infinity, Inc with Jade and Obsidian. As far as this event goes, I will read it when it is on DCUI. I read my comics on here or Marvel Unlimited.
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I’ve been somewhat disappointed in the last few Dc Megaevents, Dark Metal, Doomsday Clock,ect… So I am hoping this one rocks. Though the spoilers are a bit much at this stage, assuming the pics above are correct Black Canary and I guess that’s Zatanna in the background survive. I know Black Adam is suppose to be out of the JL by then, but curious, that I do not see Naomi anywhere.
Guess, I’ll have to read to answer those questions.
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You know, if anyone from DC’s Marketing team was reading that, I bet they’d smile like this fellow:
Marketing folks (If you are indeed reading, then “Hi, how are ya?”), you can toss another shrimp on the 'ol smile Barbie, as I’m going to read Dark Crisis to answer the questions I have as well.
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What kinds of events have you liked in the past, and what about the last events disappointed you?
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Doomsday Clock more the release schedule than the content, though the last two issues did seem to be a bit rushed. As To Death Metal, let’s see too many evil Batman, can’t we have some new villains for once and the pay off in rewriting the DCU and the events just seem to be more of a What if story than something that impacts the continuity going forward, as they occur one after the other, and you just know that none of the changes have a real meaning or are going to be around long.
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As to ones I like Crisis on Infinite Earths, Identity Crisis and Heroes in Crisis, though that last should have led to more serious repercussions for Wally.
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Very interesting. You definitely seem to have a taste for the Darker Events that tend to have serious (often divisive or unpopular) effects on the characters involved! 
I personally thought Doomsday Clock had about 4 normal sized books of material stretched to 12 extra length books, so it felt interminable to me. Death Metal - definitely too many evil Batmen, no clue how it’s supposed to actually connect to anything that happened in the main continuity - even Snyder’s own Justice League run seemed to be unclear on how the heroes went from the present timeline to the Bad Future.
As for changes that don’t have real meaning or last long…this is DC Comics. The changes never really stick, except for odd ones like Damian being around.
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So excited for this! I’m a bit behind, last stuff I read was Death Metal and then decided to take a bit of a break from the newer stuff and drown myself in some nostalgia from older comics but this is invigorating me to catch back up. Guess I’m jumping into the Future State!
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If you’re like me and like to know the backstories and stuff that leads into what you’re about to read/watch then this post might be for you. This is a reading list, in order, of the stories that will be relevant to ‘Dark Crisis’. I’m certain you don’t have to read all of these, or probably any of these, to enjoy ‘Dark Crisis’ on its own but if you want to know the history of the story, the characters and how we got to where the story will begin this is, from my understanding based on what has been teased/released so far, the books you’ll need to read before it begins and again, these are listed in order that you should read them.
Please let me know if you see an error or have different information, I am FAR from being above reproach on any of this and only provide this as a guide for like-minded fans.
We start back in the 80s with ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ and Alan Moore’s run on ‘Saga of the Swamp Thing’, both of which were specifically mentioned by DC in the announcement of the ‘Dark Crisis’ event.
> 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.
I’ve provided a link to the first issue for each as a starting point for you here on DCUI.
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #20
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #21
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #22
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #23
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #24
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #25
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #26
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #27
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #28
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #29
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #30
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #31
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing Annual #2
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #32
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #33
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #34
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #1
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #35
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #2
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #36
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #3
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #4
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #38
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #5
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #39
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #6
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #40
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #7
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #41
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #8
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #42
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #9
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #43
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #10
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #44
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #11
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #45
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #12
- The Saga of the Swamp Thing #46
Then there’s a jump to Grant Morrison’s run on ‘Multiversity’ which will introduce characters relevant to the rest of the stories:
- The Multiversity #1
- The Multiversity: The Society of Super-Heroes: Conquerors of the Counter-World #1
- The Multiversity: The Just #1
- The Multiversity: Pax Americana #1
- The Multiversity: Thunderworld Adventures #1
- The Multiversity Guidebook #1
- The Multiversity: Mastermen #1
- The Multiversity: Ultra Comics #1
- The Multiversity #2
We then jump forward to ‘Future State: The Flash’ and the current run both on ‘Justice League’ and ‘Infinite Frontier’ which, again, were specifically mentioned by DC in their announcement of the ‘Dark Crisis’ event:
CBR: Way back during Future State, Jesse Chambers hinted at a cataclysmic incident that brought them to Earth-11 before deciding to stay in the DCU. Is Dark Crisis a version of that reality-sundering event?
Joshua Williamson: We’ll see. [ laughs ] Sam, you know me. You know that I’m obsessed with continuity and making sure that everything connects. I think people will be surprised by how much we dig into some of that stuff. Future State, at this point, has kind of become its own thing, but I would say that everything I write at DC is connected – so that’s my answer to that question. [ laughs ]
Dark Crisis spins out of Justice League 75 ‘DEATH OF THE JUSTICE LEAGUE’ and connects all the story threads across the DCU since Infinite Frontier #0 in a major way. Unifying the new legacy of the DCU as we honor the classic. You can’t miss it!"
Once again I’ve provided a link for the first issue of each series to get you started:
- Detective Comics #1027
- Generations Shattered
- Future State: The Flash #1
- Generations Forged
- Future State: The Flash #2
- Infinite Frontier #0
- Justice League #59
- Infinite Frontier: Secret Files #1
- Justice League #60
- Infinite Frontier: Secret Files #2
- Infinite Frontier: Secret Files #3
- Justice League #61
- Infinite Frontier: Secret Files #4
- Justice League #62
- Infinite Frontier: Secret Files #5
- Justice League #63
- Infinite Frontier #1
- Infinite Frontier: Secret Files #6
- Justice League #64
- Infinite Frontier #2
- Justice League #65
- Infinite Frontier #3
- Justice League #66
- Infinite Frontier #4
- Infinite Frontier #5
- Infinite Frontier #6
- Justice League #67
- Justice League #68
- Justice League #69
- Justice League Incarnate #1
- Justice League Incarnate #2
- Justice League #70
- Justice League Incarnate #3
- Justice League #71
- Justice League Incarnate #4
- Justice League #72
- Justice League Incarnate #5
- Justice League #73
- Justice League #74
- Robin #12
- Deathstroke Inc. #7
- Shadow War Alpha #1
- Batman #122
- Flashpoint Beyond #0
- Deathstroke Inc. #8
- Robin #13
- Batman #123
- Shadow War Zone #1
- Deathstroke Inc. #9
- Robin #14
- Shadow War Omega #1
- Justice League #75
- Flashpoint Beyond #1
- Dark Crisis #0 Free Comic Book Day Special Edition
- Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1
- Flashpoint Beyond #2
- Dark Crisis #1
- Flashpoint Beyond #3
- Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League - Superman #1
The books in italics at the bottom of this list are books for ‘Justice League’, ‘Justice League Incarnate’ and ‘Infinite Frontier’ which are not yet available on DCUI. They are available at your LCS or through DCComics.com if you want to read them before they land here. The books in bold at the bottom of the list have not yet been released.
(Edited to add ‘Future State: The Flash’, ‘Justice League Incarnate’ and the upcoming issues for the ‘Shadow War’ crossover event which will apparently be crucial to the story)
(Edited 04/12/22 to add Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League - Superman #1)
(Edited 04/17/22 to add Flashpoint Beyond, Multiversity and Generations titles)
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I can tell I’m at least going to like this based on the art alone. Daniel Sampere reminds me of Ivan Reis, and that’s a very very good thing in my book. The preview panels and splash pages look fantastic.
As far as the writing, I’m a fan of what Williamson has done in Infinite Frontier and Justice Incarnate. They’ve been fun reads. Granted I have some reservations related to the mechanics of it all (The chains binding the multiverse? The crack in the multiverse?), but I’ve since decided to let it all rip as a fun multiverse hopping romp. Also kudos to Williamson for writing in a way that doesn’t require intensive knowledge of all the characters he’s pulling from different corners of DC. I’m in, and I’m looking forward to it all.
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I’ve learned not to think about the mechanics of things like that and just enjoy the story. I’d be happy with one panel of the Guardians of the Universe just saying something along the lines of “Egad! The multiverse is acting up again!” and then moving into the story. (That’s a slight exaggeration.)
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I’m all for continuity and I’m a completist so won’t read something until I’ve read pretty much everything that leads into it even if it has .1% impact, but at the same time, I’m cool with writers changing things up to suit the story as long as it’s true to the core of the characters or universe (or multiverse). Let them have fun so we can have fun!
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It’s a tricky balance. I like when you can read an event without having to read dozens of comics before it, but if you do go back and read them it adds to your understanding of the characters and plot. There are some events I’ve read where major events will happen in a totally different series and you really can’t understand what’s happening at all without reading dozens of comics, which can be overwhelming. Not to mention trying to figure out what order to read them all in. 
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Completely get that. It took me years to feel comfortable with DC comics because of how buried in past stories it was, while Marvel comics had recap pages and didn’t feel nearly as intimidating. I’ve come to love DC more and I love being encyclopedic about these characters and stories, but it’s tough to bring in new readers that way. New 52, for all its ups and downs, did try to help ease things up, Rebirth a little as well. I know the writers do what they can to make it as easy as possible while still serving the overarching narrative but it’s a tough gig
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To that end - it’s 2022, comics should have a QR code on the first page or inside the cover that links you to a video made by DC that quickly recaps what you need to know going into that book. A Cliff’s Notes version of events, characters and major plot points that will be relevant in the pages you’re about to read. Shouldn’t be more than a minute or two but would greatly help someone who picks up a book get caught up on what they need to know to enjoy what they’re about to read.
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