What to read before and after Infinite Crisis (Spoilers)

[nate3po]

I've read Countdown to Infinite Crisis (where Blue Beattle is killed at the end) and started reading the first issue of Infinite Crisis and found they mada a reference to Wonder Woman killing a man. Suddenly I'm realizing that perhaps there are other books I should read before jumping into Infinite Crisis. I know there are are other "Countdowns" like Day of Vengeance and what not. Those "Countdowns" seem to happen during the same time as each other, right? Then there is an issue I received from my cousin called In the Wake of Infinite Crisis...Brave New World. Plus there is that 52 series that has been coming out every week. Where do all these books lie in terms of supported the tale of IC. Plus isn't there a pre IC book about Superman and Wonder Woman called Sacrafice. What books/issues/whatever would you all suggest reading prior to and after reading IC.
Plus, is there an issue detailing what happens in between the Countdown where Blue Beattle dies and the beginning of IC. It feels like things are missing. Oh, and I've noticed that they are releasing something called Infinite Crisis Companion that is suppose to include all those different Countdowns like Day of Vengeance and the OMAC project (or whatever it's called), etc. But the number of pages in the Companion is less than all the Countdowns combined. What's that all about. Does companion contain only the first issue of each.
And yes, I am a comic book fan wannabe. Let's just get that out of the way.

[Bruce Wayne Jr.]

Hey nate!

There's a lot to take in, but I'll try and lay it out as simply as possible.

The Countdown to Infinite Crisis one-shot featured the death of Blue Beetle as well as a preview for the "Countdown" miniseries that follow.

The next series, chronologically, would be "The OMAC Project", which follows Batman as he uncovers Max Lord's secret plot.

The trouble here is that the Superman story, "Sacrifice", takes place smack dab in the middle of "OMAC Project", but is collected in a completely different trade. If you've got the chance, though, it's worth picking up. It's the one scenario in which Superman can realistically beat Batman... ;)

As far as the "Countdown" minis go, I'd say read either "Rann/Thanagar War" or "Day of Vengeance" next (or neither! they honestly aren't terribly important in the long run).

I'd save "Villains United" for last. It's an excellent read, but the ending is a shocker, and leads directly into Infinite Crisis.

The lead-ins to Crisis ran throughout just about every DC title out at the time. There are plenty of great stories collected in trades, like "Teen Titans: The Future is Now", "JSA: Black Vengeance", and "JLA: Crisis of Conscience", among others.

Next up would be Infinite Crisis itself. The "Crisis Companion" trade takes place during the events of Infinite Crisis. It collects the "Countdown" mini one-shot specials that took place after the miniseries themselves concluded. Confusing, I know. The reason these one-shots were released later is because they definitively tie into and resolve subplots pertaining to Infinite Crisis. When these series were released, the connections between them became more clear later on.

Once Infinite Crisis concludes, the weekly miniseries "52" tells the story of the DC Universe where many of the major heroes are missing or dead. All the monthly DC comics jumped ahead a year later, after the events of "52".

Hope you can sort it all out! There's a lot of good reading here, but it takes a little work to get it in order! :anime:

[Hanshotfirst113]

Wow. Becoming a comics fan is confusing. My gosh.