The Crisis Tapes 13 Talkback: Crisis on Infinite Earths #2, Part 2

Adam_Murdough

The Monitor's mighty vibratory towers, last hope for the multiverse's survival, are under attack in Arion's Atlantis and in Kamandi's home amid 'The Great Disaster,' and the Monitor's interdimensional agents issue forth to defend them. Will they prevail? Can Harbinger resist the urge to betray the Monitor? Whose side is Psycho-Pirate on? And what's eating the Luthor boy from Earth-3? No time for questions; just download this episode of The Crisis Tapes! (2:40:25)

Listen here.

JaxUr

Thanks for another informative episode guys! I can't add much to your extensive discussion so here a few thoughts on the upcoming Crisis #3:

One of the strong points for issue #3 is that it showcases the variety of the pre-Crisis DCU. We see the mainstream superheroes alongside other popular genres: military, westerns, and sci-fi.

We get to see 3 of the era's most popular teams represented: the Teen Titans, Legion, and Batman & the Outsiders. I've been re-reading the Barr/Aparo series and it's a treat. During this period Batman wasn't the ever-angst ridden & brooding loner. Rather, he could mentor some new heroes and still crack a smile and go out during the daytime. Halo & Geo-Force get some nice moments here and these scenes make me wish we'd see more of them.

Pages 20-23 (Western heroes section) are referenced in a 2012 song called "Westerner" by a French Canadian electro rock band called Judge Rock.

Night Hawk was later retconned in 2002 as a former reincarnation of the Golden Age Carter Hall. The female Western character Cinnamon was the reincarnation of the Golden Age Hawkgirl. Night Hawk and Cinnamon were also referenced on a recent Flash episode ("Power Outage") on a movie poster.

The demise of the Losers is even more effective in Darwyn Cooke's "New Frontier."

Bat Lash (who recalls James Garner's Brett Maverick) has popped up several times over the years. One of his creators is Sergio Aragones, who returned to the western dandy in a nice 2008 miniseries.

I think the issue may have been somewhat more effective if some of the deaths had been more significant. For example, the Legion's Kid Psycho was about as insignificant a member of that team as you could imagine. Although he'd been around for about 20 years this was the first time he was actually shown doing any adventuring. "Flower" (who was also known as "Farm Boy") from Easy Company could have easily switched with the more prominent "Bulldozer" or "Wildman. Wolfman & Perez weren't willing to bump off any of the already established Titans either. Kole was created to die but I don't think her death really ever resonated with readers as intended. Maybe if they had even killed one of the Titans West members that would have had some more impact.
Perhaps killing off the more obscure heroes was a ploy to lull the reader into thinking that nobody really important would perish.

When Jonah Hex and Bat Lash discuss meeting another Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) that's a reference to Justice League of America #198 (Jan 1982).

Looking at that scene with the young Alexander Luthor makes me recall his brutal & ignominious death in 2008 at the hands of Joker & Lex Luthor in an alley. That sequence always left a bad taste with me.

DetectiveChimp

Crisis Kid confessional. Had been collecting for several years when Crisis hit. Was primarily Marvel, dipped my toe into the DC universe with New Teen Titans and Batman and the Outsiders. Was somewhat familiar with the DC multiverse but found it terribly confusing. When Crisis hit, I gave it a whirl knowing, thanks to my comic shop's monthly newsletter, that the event was going to have massive impact on the entire universe. Not only was it an outstanding story, it was a crash course on the parallel earths concept and characters. Post Crisis, was able to dive right into the new DC universe and stayed there for many years.

AtchAttack

Ok, this is my first crack at writing into any podcast, but if I am going to do so, it has to be to the best one out there. I'm sure you've heard this routine before, but you all have blessed me with hours upon hours of informative and insightful entertainment. You make my long hours of driving for work and mowing the yard much easier...even something I can look forward too! I am from southern Illinois and I owe my introduction into comics to my uncle, who worked at the World Color Press in Sparta, IL, where as far as I know, all comic books were printed until they moved to Canada in the late 80s. Living in 20 miles away in Chester, IL (home of the creator of Popeye, Elzie Segar, by the way) it was easy for my uncle to drop off a stack of comics every month or so...mostly DC. This was in the mid-70s when I was about 10 years old. Once I had my own cash flow I spent every hard earned cent at the local grocery store or drug store on Superman, Flash and my favorite comic, Justice League of America. By the time I graduated high school in 1984, I had collected a substantial portion of the original JLA run...something I have since completed as an adult. Comics have been a huge part of my life, encouraging me to read novels as an adolescent when I likely would not have otherwise. I am the oldest of seven children and as a kid I felt much like the Waltons' John Boy, always yearning for solitude to immerse myself into my reading:).

I am what you have dubbed a Crisis Kid, and like Peter, had already found for the first time what seemed to be real and relatable three-dimensional comic characters in Wolfman and Perez' New Teen Titans. So when I seen the first ad for Crisis on Infinite Earths with them at the creative helm, I could barely contain myself.

As many comic fans, my reading and collecting habits have waxed and waned through the years, but never stopped. I owe this latest resurgence of mine to your podcast, and for that I thank you profusely. I can relate to and appreciate every one of you on CGS and your wonderfully diverse personalities. From Pants' drive to collect and love for DC to Adam's almost preternatural oratory skills to Peter's trivia skills and love for comic history. I really appreciate Shane's relating of how he shares his love of comics with his kids (and calming voice when the rest of you get a little wound up...yes, I'm talking to you Pants:)). I love Chris' comic book shop owner perspective and infectious laugh and owe the most thanks to possibly the most important cog in your wheel as the founder, Bryan Deemer.

Anyway, sorry to blab on...hopefully I can collect more Crisis-pertinent thoughts into my next post. Thanks again!

Mike Atchison

DoctorDoom

I'm enjoying listening to this podcast while I peruse the original issues of Crisis.

I love, love, love this podcast!

JaxUr

The new DC Secret Origins podcast is a nice companion to the Crisis Tapes!

https://secretoriginspodcast.wordpress.com/

mphil

Yay! Subscribed.

JaxUr

Rob and Shag are also just started doing new Who's Who episodes on the Fire and Water podcast: They are now covering the 1987 update series.

http://fireandwaterpodcast.tumblr.com/