About Heroes

I'm not going to review Crisis, because if you heard episode 12 of our podcast, you know I gave the book an A. This is more of a review of its Absolute treatment. I mean this book is $100 is it really that much better than the trade or the single issues?

The books dimensions 12.5 × 8.8 × 2.2 inches and weighs 6.5 pounds, of course that is including the compendium and the slipcase box. The slipcase has the Alex Ross and Perez cover that was on the trade paperback and hardcover in 1998. T Perez even did a two new covers for the two books inside the slipcase. Nothing out of the ordinary on the Crises book, just a bunch of characters Perez style on the cover. On the Compendium however is a nice silhouette of the Monitor and Harbinger gazing at the multiple Earths.

Other than a new cover, the Crises book is completely identical to the 1998 release. Same introductions by Wolfman and the same afterwards, oh yeah but the pages are bigger. This is a damn big book and let me tell you it does bring George Perez's artwork to a whole new level. You notice every single detail he puts in every panel with this books enhanced pages and actual paper they use. Although its not the glossy paper, its more like a thicker typical comic book paper. It has something to do with the colors looking better on it.

The 96 page Compendium is what really shines in this set. It is an incredible resource that reprints the Crises Index and the Crisis Crossovers, which were published as individual guides in the 80's. Along with some interesting articles and essays, there is a synopsis of every tie-in issue along with its corresponding cover and information on the creative team. You get a behind the scenes look at the creation of the series such as: penciled pages, sketches, memos, notes and letters to the editors. I found the "Can we kill Supergirl check yes or no" question rather amusing. There is a Crisis 20 Years Later which mentions the toys, Zero Hour, Crises in Heaven, and the novel.

There are some cons in this collection though. Particularly the missing content that would have made it an amazing collection. Such as the issue of Legends of the DC Universe: Crisis. Yes there is a huge synopsis, but this issue was more of an issue 4.5 than a tie-in. History of the DC universe is also absent, come on that was Wolfman and Perez retelling the history of DC since its creation in a post Crisis Earth. In Wizard Magazine there was a rundown of who was on the cover of the Perez and Ross version, that would also have been a nice addition. The content is amazing, but the design of the Compendium is a bit disappointing. The page layout on the synopsis is not the most desirable, because it doesn't use the book's format and size well. Again I would like to point out that there is no additional material in the actual Crisis book.

I'm not going to lie to you and say this is a must, but if you don’t already own it or you are a huge Crisis fanboy then yes buy the damn thing, its worth it. The collection is gorgeous and Perez artwork should always be seen in oversized paper. It's not a cheap buy, but is it absolutely necessary? Hellz yeah!