Returning to the "Crisis"

I spent the weekend revisiting DC Comics’ universe-shaking “Infinite Crisis” with the just-released “Infinite Crisis" hardcover, collecting the seven-issue “miniseries event.”

It doesn’t quite all jell: There are some plot machinations I didn’t really follow and a moment or two that rings false, as when Batman picks up a gun to knock off one of the bad guys. But overall it’s a great mixture of cosmos-spanning adventure and more-intimate character moments, such as the tense confrontation at the start between DC’s “Big Three” — Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

What I continue to find fascinating is how different this mega-event is from Marvel’s current big event, “Civil War.” “Civil War” is largely a street-level tale of superhero conflict, with a theme that echoes the real-world debate over civil rights vs. security. “Infinite Crisis” is more far-flung fantasy, rooted in comic-book history and the inner workings of the DC universe. The nice thing is that there’s a place for both types of stories.