Events are the lifeblood of shared universe comic books. Every comic has its own story and characters, but seeing them intersect and interact with other heroes in the same world makes the setting feel more alive and helps sell the idea that these characters are part of a family or larger community. Some of DC’s most memorable storylines have been massive events that tied their titles together, from Crisis on Infinite Earths to “Knightfall.” These storylines add depth and far-reaching impact to DC and make excellent use of the connections that all the heroes can forge amongst themselves. However, that is not to say that every event is the same. In fact, there are two distinct categories of crossover events.
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The first, older method of events is the type where a single story is told across several books sequentially. In essence, this means that two books, say Batman and Hawkman, would continue the story from one to the other in order. This first appeared in the now-classic “Zatanna’s Search.” The second, newer type of crossover event is to have a central few books with various other tie-ins, all building a larger story together but not happening in an order like the first. DC has experimented with both types over the years, and Batman and Superman’s newest events actually show us both styles in action. However, although both of these events are definitely worth reading, they also show that there’s a clear winner in terms of effectiveness.
The Continuous Versus the Wider World
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Superman’s event is “The Kingdom of Zod,” which connects every Superman Family title to tell the story of how the depowered Zod has infected the world with altered Kryptonite, turning people into zombies. This falls firmly into the first style of events, with every issue building off of each other and creating one single plot that can be traced from start to finish. On the side of things, Batman’s event is “Bad Seeds,” which sees Poison Ivy unleash prehistoric plants to terraform Gotham City into a hellscape that no person can survive in, leaving the Bat-Family only until sunrise to stop her before it spreads beyond repair. This is firmly in the second camp of crossovers, where there are main books and tie-ins, but each book focuses on its own cast instead of continuing a single thread.
There are clear advantages and disadvantages to both types of events. The first lets the story run much faster, operating within the bounds of each book to get this story out faster, but in turn, it sacrifices the wider world that the more numerous tie-ins tend to build. The second type allows for different books to maintain their own continuity and focus on individual characters, but the tie-ins are rarely impactful on the plot, leaving some questioning if they are worth it at all. However, despite those hiccups, I still fully believe that this second type is better for DC’s storylines as a whole.
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While “Bad Seeds” is still ongoing, “Kingdom of Zod” has just wrapped up, and there are clear problems with it. The biggest issue is that, despite everything flowing from series to series in one story, nothing is seamless. Different series clash with revealing information, often doubling back or even contradicting what another issue just established. In one book, Superwoman can’t absorb the infected K-radiation, and in the next book she can with barely a comment about how it’s straining. Heck, Superman is snuck into the sewers by two others with his arms over their shoulders twice in the same event. The tone jumps and is inconsistent, making everything come apart at the seams.
The clear issue with this story is that there was obviously some kind of disconnect with the creative teams. This is not meant to insult any team or assign blame, as I’ve very much enjoyed every ongoing in this event individually, but there was clearly something that kept things from flowing smoothly. Comic book creation is a messy process, and I can’t imagine trying to coordinate so many books with these release schedules and different directions being easy. If anything, the structure of the event was to blame, as it opened the door for miscommunication to spread because every book had to focus on telling its story, even when two issues meant to be read back-to-back came out on the same day. If a rewrite occurred in one, the other would need immediate last-minute changes.
Obviously, the second method of structuring events isn’t perfect, but it does take the pressure off the creative teams to coordinate perfectly. The story is broken up among books, giving each more breathing room and more margin for error. Tie-ins can adjust, even picking up the slack for the main story, while in the first style, one issue can break the entire chain. The second method also keeps the tone consistent for each character. Batgirl is written the same across both of her “Bad Seeds” tie-ins, while Superboy’s character sways between different issues in “Kingdom of Zod.” Superboy was never written poorly, but his appearances were definitely different than how he was displayed in Action Comics (2016).
Overall, the first style of events opens the doors to so many things that could go wrong, both on the editorial and character level. The second, meanwhile, might produce issues that don’t directly impact the plot as much, but they do keep things consistent on every level. Which style of event do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below!
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