Since their inception, comic-books have tried to push the envelope of the artistic boundary set in the limited two-dimensional medium. With colorful backgrounds, engaging characters, and enthralling stories, comic-books have always been one of the most important mediums for entertainment and education.
The comic-book industry has undergone some major seismic shifts since the Golden Age of Comics. From introducing darker and mature themes to address real-life issues, both DC and Marvel have been pioneering the change which swept across the industry.
With new changes arrived event books that ruled the early 2000s. To culminate years of stories into a mega-event is no mean task. With DC’s Infinite Crisis against Marvel’s Civil War, it was truly two behemoths battling each other for supremacy. Even after so many years, the ripples of these mega-events can be felt. Which event book was truly superior? Let’s find out.
10. Civil War: The Hype!
Civil War was built on the events which were unfolded in Avengers Disassembled, House of M, and Decimation. As Marvel’s first mega-event book, Civil War had one of the best advertisements ever created for a comic book.
Without giving away much of the story, the tagline of Civil War was ‘Whose side are you on?’. For long time comic book fans, it was an exciting time as the ad campaign was out of the blue and quite catchy. Building the hype for Civil War paid off handsomely as it became one of the most sold comic books in recent times.
9. Infinite Crisis: Solid Foundation
Though Infinite Crisis lacked the catchy ad campaign of Civil War, it made it up with a rock-solid foundation created with stories worth several years. With years of build-up, DC was converging towards Infinite Crisis.
After years of teasing, DC finally revealed its big plan back in 2004. By releasing a one-shot of Countdown to Infinite Crisis followed by Villains United, The O.M.A.C. Project, Day of Vengeance, and Rann-Thanagar War, DC meant business.
8. Civil War: An Unmatched Rivalry
Marvel’s Civil War has polarized fans since its release for reasons both good and bad. But most importantly, the conflict between Iron Man and Captain America reached its climax which left the readers flabbergasted.
In the comics, Iron Man and Captain America did have skirmishes quite often, but to turn them into a bloodbath was quite surprising. Fortunately, the movies also followed the same route before turning the internal rivalry between the billionaire and the patriot into a major rift in Captain America: Civil War.
7. Infinite Crisis: The Massive Scale
DC’s Infinite Crisis has received widespread acclaim for a variety of reasons. But one thing which stood out from the rest was Infinite Crisis‘ massive intergalactic scale. From involving some of the biggest villains of the DC universe to depicting an all-out intergalactic war, Infinite Crisis left no stone unturned.
To depict such a massive scale of events is a daunting task. But with Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway on the art team, Infinite Crisis had some truly unforgettable artwork on an epic scale. From scenes on Earth(s) to a war breaking out in the space, the art team did a terrific job.
6. Civil War: Relatable Themes
Marvel has always been praised for its relatable characters and storylines in contrast to DC’s pantheon of heroes who are more like gods than mortals. When Civil War was released, it straight away depicted themes of fascism, authoritarian states, mass surveillance, and trading freedom for safety.
All these issues are always relevant which made Civil War a memorable event. As superheroes fought against their previous allies over the draconian Superhero Registration Act, the theme shall always resonate with us even in the coming future.
5. Infinite Crisis: Fractured Relationships
Infinite Crisis also played the same trope of pitting superhero against superhero. But with stories worth several years acting as its foundation, the time was ripe to exploit the trope to its maximum potential.
For starters, the holy trinity of DC; Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, were at odds with each other which made them vulnerable to the impending threats. As the villains exploited such a delicate situation, things became quite intense in Infinite Crisis soon enough.
4. Civil War: Made it Personal
Apart from pitting hero against hero, Civil War went a notch higher and put fans against fans with its shocking storylines. The Superhero Registration Act played a pivotal role in the comics as it caused a massive rift between Iron Man and Captain America.
As the two heroes created their own factions to fight for their own ideologies, Civil War became personal soon enough. As long time fans of Iron Man and Captain America had to choose a side too, things escalated quite quickly when other heroes had to make their choice. By ensuring that the fans are involved in the story instead of just being passive readers, Civil War is still one of the most widely discussed comics.
3. Infinite Crisis: Focused on Villains
Having the most gruesome and evil villains doesn’t matter if stories weaved around them are not engaging enough. Fortunately, Infinity Crisis dealt with this problem adroitly as villains like Psycho-Pirate, Anti-Monitor, and Superboy-Prime.
As Superboy-Prime starts committing some of the most heinous crimes starting from murdering 32 Green Lanterns, Supermen from both Earth-One and Earth-Two are forced to use their combined might to fight the Kryptonian acolyte.
2. Civil War: The Dark Side of Heroes
For what its worth, Civil War pushed the envelope of artistic creativity with its depiction of certain heroes. As the heroes were divided into Team Iron Man and Team Captain America, the rift took a heavy toll on most of them as they started exhibiting their dark traits.
As Iron Man and his allies supported the Superhero Registration Act, the billionaire genius did commit some pretty heinous things. From inventing Prison 42 to beating Spider-Man to a pulp, Civil War explored the darkness residing in the hearts of our beloved heroes.
1. Infinite Crisis: A Lasting Impact
Though Civil War became a best-seller upon its release and is still one of the most widely discussed events, Infinite Crisis played a much larger role when it came to the storytelling medium.
Marvel’s Civil War was filled with shocking revelations and events, but sadly, they were not permanent. But with Infinite Crisis, DC was able to create a lasting legacy. A legacy that is still relevant today as its ripples allow comic-book writers to exploit the DC Multiverse.
