Times have never been darker for DC Comics, and that trend can only continue with the announcement of their next massive event Dark Crisis. DC has been building up to this event for some time, and since this is the first true Crisis event since 2008’s Final Crisis, fans have every reason to start getting hyped.
DC Comics has been no stranger to larger-than-life events over the past few years. After Rebirth officially ended the New 52 era, DC followed that up with both Dark Knights: Metal and Dark Knight: Death Metal. In the aftermath of Death Metal came the experimental Future State which displayed a potential future for the DC Universe where many classic heroes were replaced by their successors. Jon Kent became Superman, Yara Flor Wonder Woman, and Jace Fox Batman. Though this possible future never came to pass as a whole, elements of it have slowly been seeping their way into the main DC universe, leading directly into the current era and event, Infinite Frontier. Recently, Infinite Frontier’s true villain, the Great Darkness, was revealed. With Infinite Frontier set to end soon, and the Death of the Justice League set to begin soon, it’s clear that big things are happening with DC, and that’s coming to a head in their next event.
Coming from the creative team of Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere, Alejandro Sánchez, and Tom Napolitano, Dark Crisis will be a monthly event. The series officially begins with a Free Comic Day issue 0 on May 7th, followed by a one-shot Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1 on May 31st, before the full event begins. According to DC, the event will focus on the Crisis on Infinite Earths hero Pariah as he turns to the Great Darkness in hopes of restoring his world. Though the old Justice League might be lost, a new generation of heroes rise to meet the occasion of this multiversal conflict. However, not all heroes will be on the same side as DC hints that some will choose not to join the fight. Check out a teaser from Dark Crisis Joshua Williamson below as well as the preview images!
Already there are hints of big things just in the short pieces of information provided by DC, as well as some of the promo images. Bringing Pariah back as the main villain is an undoubtedly interesting twist that works as a fun throwback to DC’s first big Crisis event. What’s most interesting about the event though is the prospect of all the new heroes facing a major multiversal threat. Most of DC’s biggest events inevitably come to focus on their biggest heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, so it’s exciting to see how their successors will attempt to fill their shoes.
Unfortunately for this next generation of heroes though, they’re going to have to hit the ground running, as the Great Darkness is a multiversal threat behind every past event. Regardless of how they fare though, Dark Crisis is already shaping up to be a fascinating event that could completely change the history of DC Comics forever.
