Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups

    (DC, 2005, 2007)
™ and © DC Comics, Inc.

With Infinite Crisis re-writing the DC Universe once again and resurrecting the concept of the “multiverse,” readers of a historical bent can catch up on the backstory in the Crisis on Multiple Earths trade paperbacks. The first three volumes in this series reprint the early meetings between the Justice League of America and their Earth-2 counterparts, the Justice Society. This latest edition fills in the gaps with team-ups that took place in other DC titles.

Crisis: The Team-Ups re-presents some of the most significant stories in DC’s Silver Age continuity, starting with the original Earth-2 tale, “Flash of Two Worlds” from Flash #123 in 1962. This was the first appearance of DC’s Golden Age characters since the early 1950s and caused a frenzy among first-generation comic fans like Roy Thomas and Jerry Bails. The reaction led to a wholesale return of the JSA starting with flashbacks and cameos in later issues of the Flash (also included here), building to the first full-fledged Crisis story in JLA #21-22 (reprinted in Crisis volume 1).

In addition to these seminal Flash stories, Crisis: The Team-Ups presents the meeting of the Golden and Silver Age Green Lanterns from Green Lantern #40, which also introduces characters and concepts pivotal to the later Crisis on Infinite Earths saga. The offbeat pairing of Dr. Fate and Hourman (from Showcase #55, beautifully drawn by Murphy Anderson) features the first Silver Age appearance of pivotal Crisis character Psycho-Pirate. All that’s missing are the two team-ups of the Golden and Silver Age Atoms, though they might be saving them for a subsequent volume.

Crisis: The Team-Ups is an essential introduction to the core concepts and characters of the DC universe and a veritable best-of DC Silver Age art and storytelling. And at $14.95 for well over 200 pages, it’s one of the best bargains on the shelves.

— Rob Salkowitz
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  NotesWriterArtist
#1


Cover Price: $14.99
1 copy available for $11.50 		Gardner Fox, John BroomeCarmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson, Dick Dillin, Sid Greene
#2


Cover Price: $14.99
1 copy available for $12.00 		Gardner Fox, John Broome, Mike FriedrichCarmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson, Gil Kane, Neal Adams