Almost every DC Comic Book writer I consider myself a fan of comes with some catch, a part of their body of work I hate just as much as I love the stuff I like.
Geoff Johns is someone I'm a fan of because I love his Teen Titans run and Infinite Crisis and a few other things. But I hate his contributions to Green Lantern and The Flash’s histories and most of his impact on Superman.
The irony is Infinite Crisis is great in part because it’s a critique of Toxic Nostalgia, and yet what I don’t like about Johns work is when his own weirdly Toxic Nostalgia for the Silver Age comes in. And 2005 is the year he made Hal Jordan the main Green Lantern again, pandering to Silver Age nostalgia at the same time he’s vilifying Golden Age nostalgia, maybe that’s actually perfectly consistent from a certain POV?
The thing about Infinite Crisis is it’s one of those Events that is viewed as needing all its tie-ins to work, but in my opinion they don’t, certainly not all of them. But the tie-ins can add to the experiences. Some of my favorite scenes from the DC Comics come from unnecessary but awesome infinite Crisis tie-ins.
It’s a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, but not in a way where you need to have actually read that to follow what’s going on.
The build up to Infinite Crisis arguably begins with Identify Crisis or more directly things that happened in the aftermath of Identity Crisis. Identity Crisis itself stands alone perfectly, it’s informed by when in the then currency continuity it takes place, but everything you need to know it explains on its own.
Identity Crisis shares the theme about Nostalgia. And while CoIIE isn't as a whole about Nostalgia it's eventually sequel being a story with that theme is foreshadowed by it's very last page.
There were four concurrent miniseries that DC promoted as being the Countdown to Infinite Crisis.
The OMAC Project written by Greg Rucka.
Villains United written by Gail Simone
Day of Vengeance written by Bill Willingham
Rann-Thanagar War written by Dave Gibbons
But in my view the only one even close to qualifying as necessary, as being the main story of what’s going on in the DC Universe at this time, is the first of those. For one thing the bottom two I still to this day haven’t read and don't feel like I’m missing anything. Villains United is great. I absolutely highly recommend it on its own merits, but the main protagonists it’s following don’t even appear in Infinite Crisis.
The OMAC Project is the only one featuring DC’s Big Three as prominent characters, it provides what serves as the equivalent to the Red Skies during Infinite Crisis. But most importantly it bridges the gap between Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis while building on their shared theme of Toxic Nostalgia. It is a great story on its own in my view, and also the second most important storyline to Infinite Crisis after Infinite Crisis itself.
The Infinite Crisis Companion Trade Paperback collects DC Specials that were epilogues to those stories going on during the events of Infinite Crisis. They were needed precisely because Infinite Crisis itself did not tie up all of those storylines loose ends. But the one for OMAC Project is needed mainly just to cap off Sasha Boredeaux’s storyline.
An Auteurist would suggest other stuff written by Johns are what should be considered most important. I haven’t read his JSA run or his Green Lantern stuff. His Powergirl story from the first four issues of JSA Classified included in the Powergirl Trade Paperback do set up where she is when Infinite Crisis starts and does also add to that theme. JLA Crisis of Conscience is similar, dealing with the aftermath of Identity Crisis in its own way and ending right before Infinite Crisis starts.
His Teen Titans run’s main tie to what happens in Infinite Crisis is because of Connor Kent/Superboy’s importance since that’s where his character arc played out which had been his arc since the start of the run in 2003.
The Future Is Now Trade Paperback first collects a Time Travel arc Teen Titans Vol 3 16-19 which takes place before Identity Crisis (these are as far as I can tell the only comics featuring Time Drake that seem to take place between the deaths of Stephanie Brown and Jack Drake), but it then finished with issues 20-23 an Arc that takes place after Identity Crisis and I would argue is the first real direct Aftermath of Identity Crisis as well as our chronologically first glimpse of the Secret Society of Super Villains. After that comes Teen Titans/Outsiders: Insiders, then The Return of Donna Troy then the framing device of Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files and Origins 2005 and then Teen Titans: Life and Death is events happening concurrent with Infinite Crisis.
Superman is the main lead character of the DC Universe. So here are the main Superman Trades to recommend.
Superman: The Healing Touch by Greg Rucka
Superman: In The Name of Gog by Chuck Austen and J.D. Finn
Are the Superman books from right after Identity Crisis. The Day of Vengeance Trade Paperback includes some Superman issues that take place about here as well.
Superman: Sacrifice ties directly into the biggest climatic event of OMAC Project.
Also regardless of how the cover dates may confuse you, Supergirl:Power the first 5 issues of Supergirl Vol 5 written by Jeph Loeb ends before Infinite Crisis starts, in-fact it’s what explains why Lex is where he is at the start of Infinite Crisis.
Superman: Ruin Revealed
Superman: The Journey by Mark Verheiden
Superman: Strange Attractors by Gail Simone
Are the Superman books the lead into and were concurrent with Infinite Crisis.
Superman: Infinite Crisis collects the last Superman comics before the One Year Later leap forward.
For Wonder Woman this is all happening during Greg Rucka’s run and the concurrent period is collected in Eyes of The Gorgon, Land of The Dead and Mission’s End.
JLA: World Without a Justice League collects the JLA books during Infinite Crisis which were the end of JLA Vol 1.
The Batman books don’t feel as relevant, references happen but Batman’s mostly in his own little world. Under The Red Hood and War Crimes were the key Batman events this year. Detective Comics mostly was doing City of Crime, a story that seems like it has to be set before War Games to make sense. Gotham Knights was doing Hush stuff which is best ignored.
For Tim Drake/Robin the Robin/Batgirl:Fresh Blood, To Kill A Bird and Days of Fire and Madness Trades cover this period, and for Cassandra Cain/Batgirl also Fresh Blood then Kicking Assassins and Destruction’s Daughter.
Someone Nerdier than I will have to deduce the ideal reading order for all the Comics I mentioned here.
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