Mark Waid's full-on DC revival tour continues in December 13's Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1, a one-shot tie-in to the seven-issue Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths event series that concludes later in December.
The one-shot special dabbles in what Waid does best, exploring all corners of DC mythology and trying them together in a cohesive whole.
"Dark Crisis: Big Bang is a celebration of DC's nearly 90 years of imagination and invention," Waid said when the special was first announced. "In its way, it's my own personal love letter to the DC Universe, my way of helping new readers discover - and long-time fans rediscover - all its vibrancy and excitement."
As readers can see by the preview DC released, the story begins with Barry Allen explaining to his nephew and Kid Flash Wallace West what happened during the original Crisis on Infinite Earths and makes it plain the Anti-Monitor is still out there menacing the Multiverse.
What the special does as well is expand on Grant Morrison's Map of 52 Earths in the Multiverse, and designates Earth numbers to several recent "Elseworlds" stories, including the Jurassic League (Earth-27) and Tom Taylor's current Dark Knights of Steel (Earth-118).
Waid also takes the opportunity to revisit an Earth he co-created with Alex Ross - Earth-22, where the benchmark 1996 'Elseworlds' series Kingdom Come took place. That's Superman, of course, with Mar'i Grayson AKA Nightstar (the daughter of Starfire and Dick Grayson) and her husband Ibn al Xu'ffasch, AKA Son of the Bat, Batman and Talia al Ghul's son on the Kingdom Come world.
Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund fittingly provide the art, with colors by Federico Blee and letters by Troy Peteri.
The special features covers by artists Mikel Janín, Ariel Colón, Nathan Szerdy, Freddie E. Williams II, and Crystal Kung, seen here:
Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 goes on sale December 13.
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