The CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover is crossing over mediums. DC Comics announced Thursday that it will put out a new, two-issue “Crisis on Infinite Earths” comic that will tie directly into the CW’s upcoming mega-event.
DC is partnering with Walmart, which will be the exclusive retailer for the two-issue series. The new story, which will be penned by Marv Wolfman — who wrote the original “Crisis on Infinite Earths” in the 1980s — and Marc Guggenheim, who is spearing The CW adaptation. The new story will be part of a 100-page book that will feature a reprint of the original “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Issue #1, and an excerpt from issue #7.
“The story that we’re attempting to tell with our interpretation of ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ is so ambitious, we couldn’t confine it to five hours,” said Guggenheim. “I’m incredibly excited that we’re getting the chance to tell an ‘in canon’ story that ties directly into the crossover narrative. The comics will enable us to include characters and concepts that couldn’t be included in the crossover, plus the chance to collaborate further with original ‘Crisis’ architect Marv Wolfman is just icing on the cake.”
The first book will be available on Dec. 15, following the first three parts of CW’s “Crisis” event, which kicks off on Sunday. The second issue will be released Jan. 19, a few days after the Jan. 14 two-hour finale.
The first book will feature a 24-page “main” story by Wolfman and Guggenheim, and an eight-page “backup” story, along with various other illustrations. The second book will feature both stories, along with reprints of issue #8 of “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” plus excerpted content from “DC Universe: Legacies #6.”
Created by Wolfman and George Perez, “Crisis on Infinite Earths” was a best-selling 12-issue series running from 1985 to 1986 that replaced the DC multiverse, which since 1961’s “The Flash of Two Worlds” had explained the company’s varying and contradictory continuities, with a single streamlined universe and a complete reboot of most DC characters. It was a critical hit and a best-seller for DC and is credited with popularizing the idea of large-scale crossovers in comics.