We are living in the age of comic book crossover events. Both DC and Marvel each put out at least one big crossover event each year, though it's not uncommon to get two or three big superhero events from each comic book company by now. Some are enticing reads with compelling stories, while others fall flat.
DC has been a little less guilty of this crossover deluge than Marvel. There have been years in the past decade or so without a big event from DC, and they tend to put out fewer in their more active years than Marvel. However, there are still some flops in DC's catalog, but they are balanced by some genuinely brilliant reads.
10 WERE WELL RECEIVED: Crisis On Infinite Earths Was A Purely Joyous Read
Crisis On Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Perez is a masterclass on how to handle large-scale crossover events. This was DC's first line-wide event that found its multiverse collapsing in on itself in a catastrophic manner. It was ambitious, well-thought-out, and downright affecting in parts.
While some readers may not have been too keen on the status quo changes that came with Crisis, it is the standard-bearer for giant universe-altering superhero stories and holds up well to this day. There's a reason most major DC events have the word "Crisis" in their name.
9 WEREN'T WELL RECEIVED: Justice League: Cry For Justice And Rise Of Arsenal Is A Cruel Torment Of Beloved Heroes
Justice League: Cry for Justice and Rise of Arsenal were a pair of accompanying stores that come from an era in which DC was aiming hard for a bleaker and more pessimistic attitude. It involves Prometheus slaughtering D-grade heroes across the world, only for Green Lantern and Green Arrow to rally a fairly brutal Justice League team intent on hunting Prometheus down. In the end, Prometheus cuts off one of Arsenal's arms, destroys Star City with an earthquake machine which also kills Arsenal's daughter. Green Arrow retaliates by killing Prometheus.
The follow-up story, Rise of Arsenal finds Roy Harper on a rampage that involves some fairly grotesque scenes that were not too popular with the fandom.
8 WERE WELL RECEIVED: Blackest Night Was A Dark Story Done Right
Blackest Night by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis is a Green Lantern-centric story that found the dead rising across the cosmos at the behest of Nekron and the Black Hand. Lantern Corps of all colors and creeds must rally with the heroes of the universe to stop this coming apocalypse. This was a fairly bleak story, finding dead heroes rising and many more heroes dying in an apocalyptic rampage of the dead.
Despite that, it's a joyous read with plenty of great moments of heroism and rallying to meet the challenge. It even ends on a hopeful note and leads to the more optimistic Brightest Day story.
7 WEREN'T WELL RECEIVED: Amazons Attack! Made The Amazons Into Violent Barbarians
Amazons Attack! follows Wonder Woman being arrested by the U.S. government, which was actually orchestrated by Circe. The Amazons attack the U.S. in retaliation, led by Hippolyta and her advisor Circe. This leads to the Amazons outright butchering several people in a mad crusade.
The peace-loving Amazons look far less enlightened in this book, and it leads to an unforgettable line from Batman: "Bees. My God."
6 WERE WELL RECEIVED: Flashpoint Was An Intriguing Reimagining Of The DCU
Despite having the Flash do something incredibly destructive on accident and introducing a brutal reimagining of the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, Flashpoint by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert was an exciting story that saw how the DC Universe would turn out if certain things went a little differently.
The big twist that this was all the Flash's doing was actually handled quite well, and it has Barry do everything in his power to make things right.
5 WEREN'T WELL RECEIVED: Countdown To Final Crisis Left People Unexcited For The Big Event
Countdown followed up the 52 event, which was intended to be a year in the DC Universe without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. The Big Three were trying to rediscover themselves and their reason for becoming superheroes in this time, and, naturally, things get hairy without their presence.
Both 52 and Countdown were year-long stories with an issue coming out every week, and Countdown led directly into the Final Crisis story. Between event fatigue and an underwhelming story, Countdown failed to get people particularly excited for Final Crisis.
4 WERE WELL RECEIVED: Forever Evil Was Enjoyable Villain-Centric Story
Not every good crossover needs to be downright brilliant; sometimes they can just be fun and take things from a different perspective. That's what Forever Evil by Geoff Johns and David Finch accomplished. The Justice League is seemingly dead, and the Crime Syndicate, the Justice League's evil inversions from Earth-3, have taken over the world.
Lex Luthor and Batman build a team of villains to strike back against the Crime Syndicate including Captain Cold, Black Adam, Sinestro, Deathstroke, and Bizarro. It's a fun tale with a lot of good action and stellar artwork, and people enjoyed it.
3 WEREN'T WELL RECEIVED: Infinite Crisis Was A Bleak Apocalyptic Story
Infinite Crisis is a story that finds a collision of several other threats: the fallout over OMAC and Maxwell Lord, the Secret Society running wild, and Superboy-Prime going berserk.
It's also an incredibly bleak story that, despite attempts to be meta, just didn't feel that deep to readers. It's brutal and violent and slaughters side characters--such as most of the Teen Titans--rather thoughtlessly. It also undid some of the universal reshapings of Crisis on Infinite Earths.
2 WERE WELL RECEIVED: Our Worlds At War Is A Fun Superman Read
Our Worlds At War is another fairly light read like Forever Evil. It tells of an intergalactic warlord called Imperiex coming to Earth and forcing the heroes into an alliance with Darkseid himself.
It's an action-packed tale that largely focuses on the Man of Steel and is the collaboration of a lot of creative minds such as Jeph Loeb, Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, Mark Schultz, Leonard Kirk, Ed McGuinness, Peter David, Ron Garney, Doug Mahnke, Phil Jimenez, and Mike Wieringo.
1 WEREN'T WELL RECEIVED: Identity Crisis Was Bizarre And Exploitative
Identity Crisis serves as a pretty good character assassination of much of the Justice League team, as it involves them using Zatanna to mind-wipe Dr. Light so he'd forget their secret identities. When Batman expressed his anger over that, they mind-wiped him too.
Beyond that, Identity Crisis is a grotesque murder-mystery that involves Atom's estranged wife, Jean Loring, killing Elongated Man's wife, Sue Dibny, as well as Dr. Light assaulting Sue Dibny.