''Heroes in Crisis'' is an
American comic book limited series published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. It is written by
Tom King and illustrated by
Clay Mann. ''Heroes in Crisis'' follows the "Crisis" naming convention of prior DC crossovers, but is billed as a murder-mystery. The series was published between September 2018 and May 2019. The entire storyline received mixed reviews, with critics praising the art but heavily criticizing the pacing, the ending, and the treatment of
Wally West
Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. ...
.
Publication history
''Heroes in Crisis'' is a nine-issue limited series written by
Tom King—who has worked on
DC Vertigo titles, ''
Batman'', and ''
Mister Miracle
Mister Miracle (Scott Free) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Mister Miracle'' #1 (April 1971) and was created by Jack Kirby.
Publication history
Mister Miracle debuted in ...
''—and illustrated by
Clay Mann.
It was published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
; cover art was provided by Mann,
J. G. Jones,
Mark Brooks, and Francesco Mattina.
The series follows the "Crisis" naming conventions of prior DC crossovers, but unlike prior "Crisis" events, ''Heroes in Crisis'' did not focus on a cosmic threat. Instead, it expands on a concept King introduced in ''Batman'', the Sanctuary rehabilitation center, which is based on veterans' crisis centers.
According to King, the idea for ''Heroes in Crisis'' was conceived in 2016 after he suffered from a panic attack and went to the hospital, and his grandmother (who raised him) died on the same day. King had to go through therapy, after which he decided to use what he learned in a DC comic. The homestead of the Sanctuary on the cover of ''Heroes in Crisis'' #1 is modeled after his grandmother's house as a tribute to her.
''Heroes in Crisis'' primarily deals with the emotional cost of being a superhero
and explores "what violence does to a society", a common theme in King's work.
King, a former
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
counterterrorism officer, believed this was an important subject that needed to be discussed.
King described this creative decision: "Comic books, throughout the whole history of the medium, have been reflective of history. In
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, there were comics about fighting in World War II. In the seventies, the comics were about psychedelic escape. Today, our moment right now is a moment of violence and living with violence and our comics have to address that".
Rumors of a new DC event with the ''Crisis'' naming surfaced in May 2018.
The rumors were quickly denied by DC Comics co-publisher
Jim Lee
Jim Lee (Korean 이용철; born August 11, 1964) is a Korean American comic-book artist, writer, editor, and publisher. He is currently the Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics. In recognition of his work, Lee has received a Harvey ...
, who
tweeted
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
: "Rumors of reboots are ridiculous. Just stop with the misinformation".
DC later announced the series on June 12, after King made an appearance on ''
Late Night with Seth Meyers''. The first issue was released on September 26.
Premise
Billed as a murder-mystery, ''Heroes in Crisis'' chronicles the aftermath of a mass shooting in the Sanctuary rehabilitation center set up by
Batman,
Superman, and
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
. The Sanctuary is located in the middle of the United States, and was created as a means to help treat superheroes dealing with mental health issues from Earth-threatening events, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
The three are the protagonists of the story, alongside
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', and debuted in i ...
and
Booster Gold
Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in '' Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has been a member of the Justice League. ...
.
Plot
"The Sanctuary" is a secret rehabilitation center for superheroes and reformed supervillains dealing with mental health issues. A horrible massacre claims the lives of nearly all its patients, including
Arsenal,
Blue Jay,
Commander Steel
Commander Steel (also known as Captain Steel, Citizen Steel and Sergeant Steel) is the name of three superheroes appearing in comics by the American publisher DC Comics, all members of the same family. The first Steel appeared in ''Steel, The ...
,
Hot Spot,
Lagoon Boy,
Gunfire
A gunshot is a single discharge of a gun, typically a man-portable firearm, producing a visible flash, a powerful and loud shockwave and often chemical gunshot residue. The term can also refer to a ballistic wound caused by such a discharg ...
,
Red Devil,
Gnarrk,
Protector
Protector(s) or The Protector(s) may refer to:
Roles and titles
* Protector (title), a title or part of various historical titles of heads of state and others in authority
** Lord Protector, a title that has been used in British constitutional l ...
, the
Tattooed Man
The Tattooed Man is the name of two of Green Lantern's enemies, as well as of one related character.
A version of the Tattooed Man called Tattoo Man appeared as a recurring character in the Arrowverse television series ''Black Lightning'', portra ...
,
Wally West
Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. ...
and
Poison Ivy.
Booster Gold
Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in '' Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has been a member of the Justice League. ...
and
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', and debuted in i ...
become prime suspects as they are the only survivors of the event. As neither of them remembers how it happened, they both believe the other did it and attempt to kill each other.
Batman deduces one of the Sanctuary patients was responsible for the killings, and seeks to catch the mysterious figure dubbed as "the Puddler". He cannot access the Sanctuary's A.I. program. When they try to track down Harley Quinn, she tricks
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
and threatens to break Batman's neck unless they allow her to escape.
While Booster consults
Ted Kord
Theodore Stephen "Ted" Kord is the second Blue Beetle, a superhero who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later picked up by DC Comics. This version of the character was created by Steve Ditko and first appeared as a back-up feature i ...
about Wally's corpse, Harley consults
Batgirl about chasing Booster.
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...
shares with her husband that she has been mysteriously receiving confessions of the murdered superheroes. She later reveals the Sanctuary's existence and its purpose. The revelation generates fear of superheroes among the masses. Superman admits the Sanctuary's existence in public, requesting that they not mistrust them, despite their issues. In response, most of the heroes and their loved ones berate and accuse them for allowing that massacre to happen.
Green Arrow and
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the original Wonder Girl and later temporarily adopts another identity, Troia. Created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, she first appeared in ''The B ...
attend a funeral for Roy Harper, while Batman informs
Jason Todd
Jason Peter Todd is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #357 in March 1983, Todd was created to succeed Dick Grayson as Robin (chara ...
about Roy's death. The
Flash
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional aliases
* Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed:
** Flash (Barry Allen)
** Flash (Jay Garrick)
** Wally West, the first Kid F ...
and
Iris West
Iris West is a fictional character, a supporting character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She has been the main love interest and later wife of Barry Allen, the alter ego of the Silver Age version of the superhero The ...
are devastated after Booster Gold tells them about Wally's death, but Wally's cousin
Wallace West II is convinced he is still alive somewhere due to his ability to time travel.
While Batman investigates the murders, the Flash reluctantly helps him. Their investigation leads them to a facility where
Bane
Bane may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman
* Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series
* Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy
* Bane the Druid, a Gu ...
makes experiments on a brainwashed Gotham Girl to revive her brother Henry Clover, Jr. (formerly known as Gotham). But Gotham Girl loses control of her newly-acquired powers to the point of nearly dying.
After Booster and Harley settle their differences, he reveals Wally's corpse is from five days in the future, which leads them to believe the real Wally is still alive. That theory was proven true, as the present-day Wally revives Ivy from her rose and apologizes to her for causing harm in the first place.
The truth is Wally caused the massacre by accident. Still grappling with the trauma related to having his family erased in
the New 52
The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...
, he convinced himself that he was alone in his grief and that the Sanctuary was created by the
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...
solely for him out of pity. Desperate to find out the truth about which other heroes were being treated by the Sanctuary, he somehow broke into its A.I. program to retrieve Sanctuary patient data entailing all of their collective trauma. This discovery overwhelms Wally and causes him to lose control of the Speed Force, which unleashes an energy blast that kills almost everyone at the Sanctuary. In a desperate attempt to buy himself five days to fix his mistake, he altered the scene to make it look like either Booster or Harley committed the crime, making up the Puddler persona. Wally then records a tape confessing his crimes, as well as his secret identity, and sends it to Lois.
Booster, Harley, the Blue Beetle, and Batgirl arrive back at the Sanctuary, prepared to save Wally. Using their combined detective skills, they understand that he is the culprit, but also a victim. Harley is reunited with Poison Ivy, who tells her that she was regrown by the Green. Meanwhile, Wally is prepared to kill himself so that he can maintain a continuous loop in which he stages the murder scene so that he can expose the Sanctuary to Lois, and then kill himself again to restart the loop. Wally is afraid he will create another
Flashpoint if he attempts to rescue those he killed. Booster suggests that he can close the time loop if they clone Wally's body in the far future and use that body for the crime scene rather than his real body. Wally agrees to this admittedly wild plan so that he can hold himself responsible for the manslaughter, find a way to make up for it, and eventually move on. In the end, Wally contemplates his fate while in the Justice League prison, determining that hope is not denying his pain, but carrying that pain with him as he keeps on running.
Titles involved
Other tie-ins are included in ''Batman'' and ''The Flash'', with the addition of ''
Green Arrow'', ''
Red Hood and the Outlaws
''Red Hood and the Outlaws'' is a superhero comic book published by DC Comics. The series was commissioned in response to the growing popularity of the character of Jason Todd, a former protégé of Batman who took a turn as a villain following h ...
'' and ''
Titans
In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Gai ...
''.
Critical reception
The entire crossover received mixed reviews, with critics heavily criticizing the ending and the treatment of Wally West, but mostly was praised for the artwork. According to Comic Book Roundup, the series received an average score of 6.9 out of 10 based on 301 reviews.
Spin-off series and follow-ups
Following the release of ''Heroes in Crisis'', two spin-off series follow the aftermath of former's events along with some issues of ''The Flash'' series that expanded upon the cause of the Sanctuary Massacre.
The first series titled ''
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy'', written by
Jody Houser
Jody Houser is an American professional comics writer known for her work on licensed properties. She was nominated for the Eisner Award in 2017 for her writing in the comic series ''Faith'' (2016). She was also the writer on the second volume ...
with art by
Adriana Melo
Adriana, also spelled Adrianna, is a Latin name and feminine form of Adrian. It originates from present day Italy.
Translations
*Arabic: أدريان
* Belorussian: Адрыяна (Adryjana)
* Bulgarian: Адриана (Adriana)
*Chinese Simplif ...
, follows Harley and Ivy dealing with the aftermath caused by the Sanctuary massacre while coming to terms with each other. The series debuted for release on September 4, 2019 and concluded on February 12, 2020.
The second series titled ''
Flash Forward
A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...
'', written by
Scott Lobdell
Scott Lobdell (; born 1960) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter known for his work on numerous ''X-Men'' series for Marvel Comics in the 1990s, various work for DC Comics in the 2010s, namely '' Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Tita ...
with art by
Brett Booth
Brett Booth is an American comic book artist. He is best known for his work on Backlash, a character he co-created with Jim Lee at the Wildstorm Studios.
Biography
Following his Wildstorm work, Booth has also illustrated the exploits of some o ...
and
Norm Rapmund
Norm Rapmund is an American comic book inker.
Career Image Comics and Marvel
Rapmund's career began with Image Comics' ''Brigade'' #1 in 1992. He worked on the series concurrently with Image titles '' Bloodstrike'' and '' Team Youngblood'' until ...
, follows
Wally West
Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. ...
attempting to find redemption while getting a second chance to become a hero. The series debuted for release on September 18, 2019 and concluded on February 12, 2020. An
epilogue
An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the w ...
was to have been featured in the ''
Generation
A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–30 years, during which children are born and gr ...
'' series
but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was later available in the trade paperback of the ''Flash Forward'' series.
In ''The Flash'' #761,
Reverse Flash (Eobard Thawne) was responsible for manipulating Wally West into hiding the evidence of the killed heroes at Sanctuary and blaming Harley Quinn and Booster Gold for it.
In ''The Flash 2021 Annual'' #1, it was also revealed to be
Savitar Savitar may refer to:
*Savitr, or Savitar, a Vedic solar deity associated with the Aditya class of divinities
*Savitar (comics), a supervillain published by DC Comics
*Savitar, a character from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series
*''Savitar'', th ...
that caused the massacre as a way to escape from the Speed Force.
Collected editions
See also
* ''
Identity Crisis
In psychology, identity crisis is a stage theory of identity development where it involves resolution of a conflict over the 8 stages of the lifespan.(Schultz, 216) The term was coined by German psychologist Erik Erikson.
The stage of psychosoci ...
''
References
{{DC Rebirth
DC Comics titles
Comics by Tom King (writer)
Comic book limited series