Tom King, Mitch Gerads and Clay Mann's Heroes in Crisis limited series proved controversial, with many critiquing various elements of the comic, including its treatment of trauma and various characters. King and Gerads addressed the reaction to Heroes in Crisis at Comic-Con International in San Diego 2019.

During a spotlight panel on King, the writer said, "People f*cking hated [Heroes in Crisis] so much. I've never written something someone hated so much. But I love it. I think I got the message I wanted to get across. I think, killing Wally [West], it was a tough hill for people to climb."

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"It all made sense," Gerads added. "When bad things happen to characters, it's earned, in a way. Everything led to that moment and it had to be that. That's the point of that story -- when you break, you do it out of character. You don't break in character."

King addressed the book's take on Wally West/Flash, which was also controversial, saying, "Wally was my Flash growing up. He was the Peter Parker of the DCU. It was tough on him because it was like the symbol of Rebirth killing people. First of all, Wally doesn't murder anyone, that doesn't happen. There's heroism in being vulnerable. To always say I'm strong is not to be strong, it's to be arrogant."

Heroes in Crisis ran from September 2018 until May 2019. The murder-mystery saw Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman setting up a rehabilitation center called Sanctuary in order to help superheroes dealing with trauma. However, several patients are killed, leading Booster Gold and Harley Quinn to investigate. The book's final issues revealed West was actually behind the deaths at Sanctuary.

KEEP READING: EXCLUSIVE: Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy Series Spins Out of Heroes in Crisis