Moments in Crisis / Events in Time: The Comic Book Event
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Examining the popular “comic book crisis” itself is recognizing the tradition of telling tales of the heroes eternal. With that said, during Joseph Campbell’s “Ordeal” – the actual comic book event in the crisis or epic crossover of champions – the heroes must face a dangerous physical, mental, and sometimes emotional test.
For example, within the pages of Valiant’s Unity and DEFIANT’s Warriors of Plasm #13 (the only published work from the comic book company that was “Beyond the Imaginary Limits” relaying events from its promised but unpublished SCHISM crossover), defenders of both universes are challenged by powers oftentimes above and beyond them. And, as Campbell wrote, “only through some form of ‘death’ can the hero [or heroes] be reborn, experiencing a metaphorical resurrection that somehow grants him [her or them] greater power or insight necessary in order to fulfill their destiny or reach journey’s end.”
This, of course, was seen with the death of Valiant’s Japanese robot fighter, Rai, and the physical death of Dark Dominion’s heroic Glimmer, Michael Alexander, from the DEFIANT Universe.
As seen in the pages of Eclipse Comics’ Total Eclipse event written by DC’s Crisis of Infinite Earths scribe Marv Wolfman, as well as the Original Universe’s and Marvel’s largest four-part crossover – DC Versus Marvel – the comic reader experiences what Campbell referred to as “the high-point of the hero’s story.” This is where everything he, she or the team holds dear is put on the line. If the hero or heroes fail, he, she or they will either die in defeat or life as they know it will never be the same again. They – the heroes – cannot fail. It is for all or nothing.
As we will see in the next episode, “The Post Crisis Chronicled,” readers will discover just how, as Campbell called it, the heroes took “The Road Back!”
–Scott Braden
If you missed it, the first installment of Moments in Crisis / Events in Time: The Preliminary Spark, is available in Scoop.
