Book Report: Crisis on Infinite Earths the Absolute Review

As some of you guys know, Crisis on Infinite Earths is a very special series for me. The first issue was the very first comic book I purchased with my own money, $1 from a neighborhood kid called Yunkee in the Summer of 1985. Crisis introduced me to all these fascinating heroes and villains, and I ate it all up.

If you want to skip the introduction, the short answer is that this new Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition, that just came out last week, is the best and most definitive version of the 40+ year old story. Everybody has owned this book in one format or multiple formats, but if you must have the best version, this new one is it.

Anyway, before we get to the full review of Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition (version 2), you need to understand a little backstory.

Prior to 1998, Crisis was never collected and reprinted. It just wasn’t common back then to reprint comics in hardcovers (or even trade paperbacks). There were some exceptions, like Watchmen was always kept in print so they can legally screw Alan Moore out of his ownership of Watchmen. For Crisis, 1998 would be the first time DC undertook such a project. As documented in 2003, the original 1998 collection took over a year to reconstruct, and their scheduled was cut by four months, because DC wanted the book to be released in time for Christmas.

The Monitor Tapes

One of the worst things that came out of the ’98 collection was The Monitor Tapes. But let’s be fair, The Monitor Tapes was something that artist George Perez always hated (from Amazing Heroes #91):

Rick Taylor, who oversaw the 1998 collection, explained why they had to change it and why there was a printing error for the Monitor Tapes (which resulted in recalling the book… so technically, for most fans, we didn’t get it until 1999).

The Al Vey’s Monitor Tapes was the version that DC used for all reprints until 2019, when DC released the $500 Crisis on Infinite Earths Box Set and subsequently, the Crisis on Infinite Earths: 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (released the same year).

Crisis on Infinite Earths (Remastered)

First things first: The Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition (2026) is the best version of Crisis I have ever seen. There are more details, and thanks to the larger Absolute format, they look incredible. The non-glossy paper, combined with the original colors, plus the reprints of the original letter page and original credits and title cards – it magnificently reconstructed how the original comics were supposed to be seen. How I remember the comic book when I first read them.

For over 20 years, DC republished Crisis on Infinite Earths using the same 1998 source, which included brand new digital re-coloring and using the reconstructed film scans. For the first time, thanks to Jerry Ordway, we are getting a proper Remaster. We’re seeing fine details that previously was never seen. If you compare the 1998 version to 2026, there is noticeable loss in details in the 1998 version. However, most people aren’t going to really look that closely, so in my opinion, if you are happy with the original Absolute Edition, there is no need to buy the new version.

The main differences I see are the 1998 are bolder and more saturated, and very fine hair lines and small lines are not present. The other major difference is the reverted colors. The new Absolute colors are based on the original newsprint comic book, which means no special effects or gradient shadings… and the new colors appears “flatter”, which were due to the color palates limitation from 1985. While I do not mind the digital coloring of 1998 (I prefer those new colors, as I do think they add to the overall artwork), I am glad to see the “original” new colors for this collection. I feel it was done to faithfully showcase the original artwork, because the 1998 color special effects can sometimes take away from the line artwork with its added texture, color shading, and color replacements over lined art.

Also worth noting is that Mike Machlan is recognized and added to the credits as an inker. I feel that both he and Al Vey should both be credited, because they worked in a studio with Jerry Ordway (they were his assistants), inking his background and helping keep Crisis on schedule. It is possible that Machlan went above and beyond, because the month that Ordway was supposed to The Monitor Tape, he couldn’t do it because DC Comics sent him to two comic book conventions… and barely had time to ink #10.

I know $150 (you can probably find them for $100 online) is a hard sell, considering that you probably own Crisis on Infinite Earths. Do you need it? Probably no. If you love Crisis and you want to have the best version of the story, look no further than the Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition (2026).

If $150 is too much, I’m happy to say that DC Comics has announced a cheaper, smaller format in Crisis on Infinite Earths: Compact Edition, which contains the entire 12 issues of the original Crisis for a mere $10. If you want to read all the crossovers of Crisis, DC has also continued their DC Finest line ($40 for each book), which collects all the crossover books, combined with the main series (printed in the order and time line of the story). If you love Crisis, there has never been a better time! Buy them all! Keep a Compact Edition in your car! What a great price point.

However, I do have some small criticisms about Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition. They are very minor complaints, and it should not affect your buying decision. I did not like the prismatic cover slipcase. I know it looks cool and it stands out, but maybe it’s just me, but I’m just not a fan. It makes it hard to see the artwork. The white text over prismatic reflection is incredibly hard to read – almost to the point that it’s not readable to my eyes. I’m also was not a fan of that bright yellow/orange and black color scheme and new logo. It makes the whole thing looks weirdly noir two-tone art or something. It is just a matter of opinion, but I didn’t like it.

The book was delayed three times, while I appreciate that they are taking their time to get it right… but it also suggests that they’re catching mistakes after mistakes, which may have caused the delays. One mistake that did make it in was crediting “karl Kesel” (note the lowercase error) as inker to the Wonder Woman artwork used in History of the DC Universe. If you look at the art, anyone who knows George Perez’s inking style will instantly recognize that the artwork was inked by George Perez. I haven’t poured over everything (the new edition fixed the “unknown fan” photograph – which was George Perez’s wife Carol Flynn), but from my quick scan, nothing jumps out as a problem. I love all the original artwork, but I wish they had a full set instead of only some selective pages were shown (they probably couldn’t locate all the pages).

The Making of Crisis on Infinite Earths

It will take too long to break down all the special features, but the majority of this book is taken from Behind the Crisis book that came in the Crisis Box Set (such as all the letters and notes and behind-the-scene stuff). I believe the History of the DC Universe Portfolio and the Graphitti Edition of History of the DC Universe (artwork and writeups) are collected here for the first time. Also new, at least to me, is Alex Ross talking about creating that beloved Crisis poster featuring over 500 characters. He said he had models come in to recreate the pose so he can use it to reference lights and shadows and anatomy. There are also several tri-fold-out pages (posters and extra-large artwork), and it’s very cool. However, it’s also very easy to damage the book if you fold it wrong.

The special features are not as exhaustive as the Behind the Crisis book – for example, The Making of Crisis on Infinite Earths does not reprint Amazing Heroes #66 and #91 or the Crisis Index. The book only reprints the cover.

Comparing The Making of Crisis on Infinite Earths to the original Absolute extra book, the original has DC’s version of the Crisis Index that did not make its way to the The Making of Crisis on Infinite Earths book. Also, worth noting is that some of the reprinted artwork (pencils and original advertisements) looks incredibly clean and polished in this new book. It looks a million times better than what DC used previously (particularly all the inhouse DC advertisements) in the original extras book.

Since DC does not publish the table of contents, I have put together this breakdown for you:

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