I ask this question, or more precisely start this thread due to the fact that 20 years later DC is still trying to clear the loose ends (mess) that this series left. You only have to see the "tie-up" series like Zero Hour, Identity Crisis, Day of Vengeance and Infinite Crisis to realise that it never fufilled its original purpose all those years ago.

True, it allowed for characters like Superman and Wonder Woman to get a jumpstart, but I can't help feeling that the DC Universe wasn't broke so there was no need to fix it in such a major way. A great deal of the goals of Crisis could have been worked in to ongoing comics.

I never had a problem with the multiverse, and could understand perfectly that they were different versions of characters like Superman and Batman on other Earths, without getting confused (as Roy Thomas had stated in his letter column for Young All-Stars # 1 was a factor behind Crisis).

True, Superman did need to have a lot of the "barnacles" shaken off, and MOS did achieve this, as did George Perez' Wonder Woman revamp.

Barry Allen is an example of a character who seemed to be squandered for no good reason. Whilst his series had floundered for a while, I still think he could have had a bit of a jumpstart and been great again without killing him off.

The Legion of Super-Heroes, despite the Pocket Universe/Superboy/Time Trapper storyline devised by JB and Paul Levitz, has never recovered.

I can't help feeling though that certain revamps aside we (the readers and creators) lost more than we gained.

Just Don't Do It Any More is the simplest, most elegant solution to anything that no longer works. Unfortunately, when you have an industry that is infested with fanboys on both sides of the table, this becomes almost impossible. Serving the characters is far less important than some fan-turned-pro showing off for his fan buddies.

Going back and forth between reading the JSA and the JLA as a kid in the 70s didn't confuse me even in the slightest. It was all great fun.

But it was the attempt at "clarifying" through the CRISIS stuff that had my head spinning -- and stopped me dead cold from buying another DC comic again. (Mr. Byrne's work excepted.)

What JB said...both times.

Over lunch about a year or so ago, a friend with whom I have co-written several media scripts (TV, Radio, comics), were talking about how we'd "fix" the DCU into something the average person on the street could understand.  We came pretty much to the same conclusion that JB did...just ignore that which needs it and MOVE FORWARD and make sure all the familiar elements are in place for each and every story.  Make the all accessible.  Tell good stories.  Respect the characters.

When we were done with lunch, as we were walking out, he said to me, "You know...the fanboys would never go for that."

MPH

Crisis always smacked to me of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

As I said previously, LOSH suffered tremendously, and JB and Paul Levitz corrected a great deal of the Crisis problems with their Pocket Universe story, but the damage could never fully be repaired.

Roy Thomas had to see his two books All-Star Squadron and Infinity, Inc. completely gutted by Crisis. For the last couple of years on those books you got the feeling Roy was trying to salvage what he could from the remains of Earth 2, and was trying to do his best for the readers.

Crisis wasn't necessary, but I'm reluctant to say it shouldn't have happened, because I did enjoy the miniseries.  More importantly, if it weren't for Crisis, DC might not have been willing to completely revamp Superman, and I might never have become a Superman fan.

Having said that, I was always unconvinced by the stated reason that the multiverse concept was "too confusing."  The first time I specifically remember reading a comic that dealt with the Earth-2 concept was The Brave and The Bold #200 (Earth-1 Batman "teams up" with Earth-2 Batman) when I was seven years old.  The basic idea of the two earths was explained over a two page spread (it really could have been done in one, but this was a giant-sized issue and they had the room I guess) and rather than be confused, I thought it was cool.  I mean, a whole different world with a different Flash and Green Lantern, and they wear different costumes?  What else could be different on this other world?  Can there be even more worlds with even more heroes?  I wasn't confused, I was excited.

At the time, I thought, yes...........but I've grown up since then.

WO