Ancient Geeks episode 31: Crisis On Infinite Earths

In the early 1980s, the editors at DC Comics decided that the DC Universe(s) had become unmanageable. Heroes and villains from different eras of comic continuity, often living in different realities, crossing over to have a friendly chat with their peers -- it was all too much. They hired Marv Wolfman and George Perez to blow it all up, and then re-build. Crisis On Infinite Earths, a 12-issue mega-series, was the result.

Journey back with us to 1983, when the Crisis first started. We talk about the multiverse that preceded it, and how Crisis helped improve the quality of DC's publications for years afterward. But the repercussions weren't all good...

Heroes and villains dying! Entire universes dying! Anti-matter annihilation! Golden Age, Silver Age, and Bronze Age characters, all at the same multiversal jamboree! Cosmic battles! Incredible art! It's all here.

Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of culture. We were geeks before it was chic!

For feedback, contact someancientgeeks@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. Also, check out our new Ancient Geeks blog on Substack! And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice.

© 2025 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor