Noobish Q: Which big DC or Marvel universe mash-up is a must read?

[adeepercut2k]

So if you wanted to read 1 or 2 big universe changing story lines of all time, which one would it be...and help me figure out which ones qualify or which ones need to be added to the list.

Secret Wars?

Civil War

Crisis on Infinite Earths

Infinite Crisis
52
1 year later - or all three?

From previous posts, it seems most agree that Infinite Crisis is the most recent one that deserves a read (more specifically 52) because of both quality and the degree of change in the DC Universe. What about a classic mash-up? Anything I'm missing. And I'm looking for biggest impact as well as good storytelling. In other words, I don't want to finish it and it ends with Batman in the shower and Robin in bed waking up from a dream. LOL. Go Dallas.

[jon_samuelson]

Geez, coming from my own point of view...

Secret Wars - Not important for todays stories at all really. Also the style of writing is agaonizingly dated. It's got a couple of classic moments, but it's really not that good.

Civil War - Ask someone else, I couldn't give a shit about that crossover. Seemed kind of contrived, and I hate, hate, hate Mark Millar's writing.

Crisis on Infinite Earths - Falls into a bit of the same camp as Secret Wars in the sense that the style of writing is agonizingly dated and corny. However, unlike Secret Wars, Crisis is pretty connected to the current happenings of the DCU. So while I can't say I liked it very much it DOES seem to be important.

Infinite Crisis - Didn't read it, but I think it gets pretty universally panned. Someone else should weigh in on this one. I could be wrong, I'm thinking of the Meltzer penned story.

52 - Again, didn't read it, but 52 seems to have been generally very well liked, and is a cornerstone of the current goings on of the DCU.

1 Year Later - It should be getting obvious, but I'm pretty new to DC, and so didn't read this either. Again though I seem to remember having heard that these stories were far from universally loved.

I think if you want impact, and good storytellling that you might as well just start now reading in both the Marvel and DC universes. Secret Invasion has a lot of potential in my opinion, and Final Crisis is going to be written by a guy (Grant Morrison) who most peope, other than me, seem to love.

[mikegraham6]

52 is one of the best mainstream comic series to come out in the past 5 years, buy it

[jon_samuelson]

Originally Posted by Jon_Samuelson

Infinite Crisis - Didn't read it, but I think it gets pretty universally panned. Someone else should weigh in on this one. I could be wrong, I'm thinking of the Meltzer penned story.

Nope I was wrong. I was thinking of Identity Crisis, which was well reviled. Infinite Crisis was well received, and written by Geoff Johns, for whom I have an uncomfortable level of affection.

Which reminds me... You could read Green Lantern. Green Lantern: Rebirth, and the current GL series up through and including the Sinestro Corps war, are absolutely brilliant comics in my opinion. There's a lot there to read, seeds were planted for the Sinestro Corps war all along, building up to that excellent story, and seeds are being planted now for the Blackest Night story line coming next summer. It kicks unholy ass.

In the same vain try out Annihilation, and Annihilation: Conquest from Marvel.

[conorkilpatrick]

Originally Posted by Jon_Samuelson

Infinite Crisis - Didn't read it, but I think it gets pretty universally panned. Someone else should weigh in on this one. I could be wrong, I'm thinking of the Meltzer penned story.

Meltzer wrote Identity Crisis which was almost universally praised. Geoff Johns wrote Infinite Crisis, the official sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, that people either really liked or were confused by,

[conorkilpatrick]

Originally Posted by Jon_Samuelson

I was thinking of Identity Crisis, which was well reviled.

I don't think so.

[meccaed]

There's no denying Identity Crisis was a good story, but its not going to give them the "degree of change in the DC universe" s/he's looking for.

[jon_samuelson]

To be as vague as possible... wasn't Identity Crisis the one with the whole mind wiping thing? I thought people LOATHED that storyline...?

[horatio616]

Originally Posted by Jon_Samuelson

To be as vague as possible... wasn't Identity Crisis the one with the whole mind wiping thing? I thought people LOATHED that storyline...?

I personally loathed it but overall I think it was well received.

[conorkilpatrick]

Originally Posted by Jon_Samuelson

To be as vague as possible... wasn't Identity Crisis the one with the whole mind wiping thing? I thought people LOATHED that storyline...?

It was and no they didn't. Well, some did of course. Many traditionalists didn't like the introduction of real world danger into the DCU, but it was mostly very well received.