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Infinite Crisis Companion
01/01/2007 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
Pub: Titan Books/DC Comics. 170 page graphic novel softcover. Price: £ 8.99 (UK). ISBN: 1-84576-378-5. Buy Infinite Crisis Companion in the USA - or Buy Infinite Crisis Companion in the UK  check out website: www.titanbooks.com and www.dccomics.com
In the normal sense of the word, a comicbook companion would be a book telling about the mag's characters by the creators. With 'Infinite Crisis Companion' this is just an emphasis on the characters and events within the DC Universe. To be precise, this is four comicbook stories that originally appeared separately under one cover giving more detail to the events surrounding the 'Infinite Crisis' series and the book compilation reviewed above. To list all the credits with the title would take a large chunk of page so you'll have to forgive me if I just hit the highlights below.
With the 'Infinite Crisis' book, there was a jump across the Earths and beyond with the events. Occasionally there were massive splash pages where there was a rather violent free-for-all between heroes and villains. Each of these stories goes into the events leading up to and after the battles in a lot more detail. It's still mostly super-slugfests but with a lot more talking and showing what was going on. To have integrated all of this into the original series would no doubt have messed with the pace of the narrative and directed attention away from the main event.
The first story, 'Day Of Vengence: The Ninth Age Of Magic' covers the corner of the magical good and bad characters in the DC Universe. Written by Bill Willingham and pencilled by Justiano with inking by Walden Fong and Wayne Faucher, the art is a little more raw compared to the other material but as DC magic is a stark reality, it allowed for a more heightened spectacular at the end. Much of the tussle is in restraining the Spectre or rather directing his violence to be more effective until he finally faces Nabu, the spirit that dominated Doctor Fate.
The second story ends the 'Rann-Thanagar War: Hands Of Fate' written by Dave Gibbons, pencilled by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado inked by Marc Campos, Oclair Albert and Michael Bair. This is even more sharply tied in with the main book when both sides realise they have to join together when they realise it was a version of Superboy (I mean, they shouldn't really know which one) had moved Rann out of orbit. With that crisis sorted out, they are then free to move back into the main volume.
The third story, 'The Omac Project: The Lazarus Protocol', written by Greg Rucks and art by Jesus Sais, covers the events when the Brother Eye satellite crashes into the desert in Saudia Arabia and different fractions, mostly human, who are after the core memory. Batman tasks Sasha Bordeaux, wearing a Brother Eye armour shell, to go in and blow it up as the core memory contains knowledge of all the meta-humans on Earth that shouldn't fall into unenlightened hands. Matters are made worse when Brother Eye revives sufficiently to create a new guardian including two Arab soldiers it assimilates. There is also a build-up of Checkmate Global with a new boss determined to put her foot down.
The final story, 'Villains United: A Hero Dies But One', written by Gail Simone, pencilled by Dale Eaglesham and inked by Art Thibert and Drew Geraci focuses on the multi-jail breakouts across the Earth and the heroes being co-ordinated by Oracle and the Martian Manhunter to fight them back. Oddly enough, this is one story that doesn't really end here but in the original book so should really be called a beginning. It's also interesting to see a lot of the villains aren't exactly part of the cause, seeking out personal revenge and their own agendas.
Choosing favourites from these four stories would be impossible. Indeed, it shouldn't be seen as possible as they make up the overall story. Its certainly been interesting to see the DC Universe being pulled apart and then back together again and I think I shall be interested in seeing the earlier volumes leading up to 'Infinite Crisis' to get the complete picture. As to whether the overall series deserves an overall companion book to checklist everyone not to mention who's actually left, I would say yes as well. Certainly the writers would know. I did finally spot Tin, one of the Metal Men, so I'm well chuffed. Buy both books together for the full experience.
GF Willmetts
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