Zero Hour: Crisis in Time (Zero Hour (1994))

Duuuude, welcome to the 90's where Superman has AWESOME long hair, Guy Gardner is called WARRIOR!! and Rob Leifeld is sending shockwaves through the industry with his.... well... there was a reason I went the entire decade without purchasing a single comic book.Here's a confession. I start my reviews well before I finish reading a book and my review for Zero Hour was shaping up to be pretty harsh. The first issue of Zero Hour is both the most poorly written and features the worst artwork. My experience with Zero Hour was similar to when I read "The Great Darkness Saga". At first I couldn't fathom why so many people considered it to be one of the all time great comic storylines and Paul Levitz writing was to put it politely, not good. By the end, however, I was a total convert. Zero Hour isn't as well regarded but it definitely improves as it progresses to an explosive and satisfying ending.Warning, I make no attempt to avoid spoilers....Zero Hour was shaping up to be yet ANOTHER story of the DC heroes teaming up to save the universe from being consumed. Nowadays it seems like the DC heroes are saving the universe about as often as I go in for a physical. One wonders why they're so affected at this point or feel such desperation since they do it all the time. The story felt like a watered down version of Crisis on Infinite Earths until the big reveal of the power behind Extant. I'd had knowledge of the events of Zero Hour but I'd forgotten that Hal Jordon, now self renamed as Parallax, was attempting to recreate the universe in order to "fix" it and restore Coast City. Long before Jordon stepped forward it dawned on me who the man in the shadows was but it still was a powerful moment. Sadly, DC comics wimped out and years later decided that Parallax was a separate entity controlling Hal Jordon. It's crystal clear that Dan Jurgen intended for Hal Jordon to be acting under his own motivation having snapped from the tragic events of the previous years and the story works much better as Jurgen intended it.What sets Zero Hour apart from Crisis on Infinite Earths is that there is a certain level of ambiguity about whether the villain is actually a villain. You never question whether the Anti-Monitor is villainous but in this story you're talking about Hal Jordon trying to restore his hometown even if his methods are horrific. In this sense it's more like Watchmen with readers able to debate whether Ozymandias's actions could actually be regarded as benevolent in the end. Even some of the heroes side with Jordon seeing wisdom in his cause. After reading Zero Hour I have to say that Infinite Crisis, a series I really enjoyed, feels like it rips off this mini-series heavily with Alexander Luthor replacing Parallax and Superboy Prime standing in for Extant. On the other hand, the conclusion of Zero Hour steals from Crisis on Infinite Earths where Dr. Light was used as a conduit for the energy attacks of various heroes to blast the Anti-Monitor. In Zero Hour the character Damage becomes the conduit. There is a ton of pseudoscientific gobbledygook and I learned that just about any problem can be solved by, "pouring energy into it". Need to widen a Boom Tube? Pour energy into it. Tear in the fabric of space and time? Throw a Mobius Chair at it and pour energy into it. Another way to close a time rift is to, "race away from the rift fast enough to create your own vortex-- then double back through it at ultimate speed-- right into the heart of the rift which may cause a powerful shockwave that will collapse it" And the cool thing is, it always works. I have to wonder if the JLA fixes a clogged toilet by focusing all their energy attacks on it in one concentrated blast.I don't regret buying Zero Hour one bit and say what you will it really is a major event in the history of DC comics. Crisis on Infinite Earths was better and in my opinion so was Infinite Crisis but Zero Hour carves its own nitch. Jordon becoming Parallax was pretty darn cool until DC undid it. I also have to say that Extant's costume is one for the ages and I loved the way his identity kept changing. If you're a fan of DC comics this is one you should probably own.So that's my review but let me close with a brief rant on the state of the comic industry. I didn't buy comics in the 90's because they were just too Kewl for my simple tastes. Actually, I was busy finishing college and finding a job and the cost just didn't factor into my life at the time. Zero Hour is a good analogy for the 90's. In Zero Hour a rift was consuming time while in the comic industry the publishers were burning the candle at both ends. The comic industry has always had a carnival barker type atmosphere with covers promising the most shocking, amazing stories ever but in the 90's they ramped it up to the nth degree with publishers more than subtly implying that the comics were serious collectables. Great writing was downplayed as publishers focused on pushing first appearances, issue number 1's (and 0's), character deaths, variant covers and *Good God* sealed comics never even meant to be read. Sure, you might have an issue of Spiderman but do you have the 3D, holofoil, glow in the dark, die cut, signed and numbered, limited edition variant cover? And these gimmicks worked like a charm... for awhile. And when collectors discovered that these are lousy collectables they naturally felt burned. There was a lot of bad writing and art shipped on high quality paper but wrapping an old fish in velvet instead of newspaper doesn't make it smell any better. The aftermath of Zero Hour was a major gimmick that saw all the DC titles restart with issue #0. Some of the monster hits of the 90's could sell in excess of 1 million copies and today it's rare for any comic to break the 100k mark in any month. Even today I've skipped Brightest Day and Flashpoint because the buzz just wasn't all that good. If comics are to regain their numbers it will have to be with better writing and a reboot of the DC universe with the same mediocre stories just isn't going to do it. Zero Hour didn't create these problems but it was definitely at the eye of the storm.

For all the flak the 90's get for being the zenith of the Dark Age of Comic Books, featuring big guns, anti-heroes, and outfits with too much extra pieces, it was still one of the most interesting times in comic book history, with some of the most memorable events, the effects of which can still be felt today. Superman died, Batman had his back broken, Cable showed up in X-Force, and the Age of Apocalypse took place. Zero Hour is a DC event that mirrors the darkness and grittiness of all those others, featuring a classic Silver Age hero (Green Lantern of Sector 2814, Hal Jordan) descending into madness and villainy. Many classic Golden Age comic book characters were also killed off during this event (And later revived of course) only adding to the grim setting. So in a lot of ways it was a product of its era. And similar to events that would later take place, such as Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis, it is attempting to reclaim the success of the first such event that took place, Crisis on Infinite Earths.In the grand scheme of things, this comic is often bypassed or overlooked entirely in favor of Crisis on Infinite Earths or Infinite Crisis, which I personally find to be somewhat strange. After all, it happened for the same exact reason that the first Crisis did, which was to streamline the continuity of the DC Univere for readers. Crisis on Infinite Earths was supposed to do this witht he destruction of the original multiverse. However this process, though effective, wasn't 100% complete, with many details being fuzzy as what was or wasn't still relevant was up in the air. This led to different writers contradicting each other, with more and more writers being added over time, and the works of earlier writers being cast aside. This inevitably led to the rise of new and alternate timelines. DC tried to deal with this in 2 ways: Hypertime and the Elseworlds imprint. The former basically said that all alternate universes were possible/canon to some extent, which helped the Elseworls imprint, in which writers would draft imaginary tales and stories that took place, but had no bearing on the canon DCU. However, inevitably the universes began to overlap again, as really the idea of alternate realities is too good for any writer to ignore for long, and the earlier lack of consistency only added to the confusion. Thus, a Crisis in Time was needed.Zero Hour took place nearly a decade after Crisis on Infinite Earths and in my opinion is very good, though not as good as the original. Perhaps the weakest part of this specific collection is that not all of the crossover and tie-in issues are collected in it. Now, this is the norm for most major events that DC puts out. Everything that has to do with Infinite Crisis is collected in about 4-6 different volumes, and that's nothing compared to everything that has to do with Final Crisis (Which is the real mess of this whole "Crisis" business) However, Zero Hour was published back when DC wasn't collecting everything (Or nearly everything) in trade paperbacks. With the later two Crisis events, even if you don't like them, you can still track down every single issue that was a part of the event itself through the collected trades. This makes it simple and saves time. With Zero Hour that simply isn't possible, so if you want to know about every detail that had to do with Superboy, and Power Girl, and Batman, and a host of other characters before and during this event, you're going to have to hunt down individual issues, with some being easier to find than others. That is the worst part about this collection, and DC really needs to consider releasing an updated Omnibus, Absolute, or Special/Anniverssary Edition of this event for the fans.All of that being said, this is still an excellent comic that you can follow easily enough. Maybe do a little bit of research on Google here and there to get background information on certain characters, but beyond that you shouldn't have any real problem following what's going on. Just as with the other Crisis events, there's a certain level of sadness and tragedy at the center of the story, perhaps even more than usual. After all, the main villain is a fallen hero in every sense of the term, one who has suffered a great loss (NOTE: The loss itself IS collected in Green Lantern Emerald Twilight, and the character's redemption is in turn collected in Final Night) And it is his friends who are forced to confront and fight him in the end. At the same time, we see numerous worlds and realities disappear forever. They may have been imaginary in terms of the official Canon, but they were still visible and real characters, and now they're gone. This erasure from existence is therefore sad to see. Beyond that, the artwork itself is also top notch and enjoyable, making everything that takes place that much more real.While it is often forgotten by DC when they are doing their next big event, this event has aged fairly well over time and I absolutely recommend it. However, it only gets 4 out of 5 stars from me due to the fact that this volume again is not nearly as complete as it could be.

This edition of Zero Hour is beautiful and well worth purchasing!

I was a teenager when I first read this story line, and now many years later still a good book, well written. A minor hero becomes a big villain bent on power and what happens, he loses.

Awesome title. It's actually a pretty good story I don't get why most people hate it yes it's only 5 issues and yes the issues count downward from 4 to 0. This event also had a lot of tie-in issues and a lot of the characters go on their own missions in the tie-ins, but even without reading those stories this main event is still pretty enjoyable and worth checking out. Unlike other 90's comics the art is really great and the covers are awesome as well.I got the newer hardcover edition and it's great if you take off the slip cover it's all white with the crisis symbol in the middle and the zero hour title on the spine. On the inside it has nice thick pages and everything is put on there very nicely they really made this to last on your shelf. You should really check this out!

This story was released in 1994. It is a follow up to Crisis on Infinite Earths. DC comics was trying to fix some inconsistencies that were created because of COIE I beleive. It is a pretty good read but there appears to be a segment of the story missing. On page 90 we see the Guy Gardner, Bat Girl and the other Super Heroes standing around talking in New York City then on Page 93 we see Guy Gardner, Bat Girl, Super Girl and Steele Flying Back to New York for Coast City California! I don't know what happened there. It appears a major chunk of the story is either left out or you have to find it in another book. It also is a little bit choppy and hard to follow in some places, but I don't regret buying it.

A brilliant read. More direct than Crisis In Infinite Earths, but a great follow up. Now need to collect all of the Armageddon 2001 series.

good story, which involves many characters and is a good read start to finish. Its famous for its focus on Hal Jordan and what he becomes. I recommend it highly.

Ce tome contient un crossover complet, sans les épisodes des séries mensuelles. Il existe une édition exhaustive :  Zero Hour: Crisis in Time 25th Anniversary Omnibus . Il contient les 5 épisodes de la minisérie (de 4 à 0), ainsi que les 2 prologues contenus dans Showcase '94 8 & 9, initialement parus en 1994, écrits et dessinés par Dan Jurgens, encrés par Jerry Ordway, et mis en couleurs par Gregory Wright. Les 2 prologues ont été dessinés par Frank Frosco et encrés par Ken Branch, avec une mise en couleurs de Stuart Chaifetz. Ce tome contient également une introduction de 3 pages rédigée par Dan Jurgens en 2017, ainsi que la postface de 2 pages rédigée par le responsable éditorial KC Carlson en 1994 pour la première édition en recueil. Il se termine avec une frise chronologique de l'histoire de l'univers partagé DC en 4 pages, les couvertures sans logo, les images promotionnelles, et 15 pages de croquis, d'études de logo, avec le texte de la proposition initiale de Jurgens pour la minisérie.Showcase '94 8 & 9 - Au sein de Vanishing Point (le QG des surveillants du temps), Waverider (Matthew Ryder) observe ses souvenirs, et fait observer à Rip Hunter qu'il s'agit d'une ligne temporelle qui n'existe plus, mais qu'elle reste très réelle pour lui. Dans sa base secrète, Monarch (Hector Hall) se félicite que Waverider l'ait repéré. Le combat peut s'engager. Zero Hour - Il y a 32 heures, sur Terre à la fin des Temps, Time Trapper se fait incinérer sur place par un individu dont l'identité n'est pas dévoilée. Il annonce que le temps est venu pour l'Heure Zéro. Sur Apokolips, Metron vient demander l'aide de Darkseid car le temps est en train de se déliter. Darkseid n'en a que faire. Sur Terre, Joker est en train de s'enfuir en courant dans une rue déserte, poursuivi par un individu portant l'emblème de la chauve-souris. Il finit par être attrapé à a cheville par un filin. Il se retourne et se retrouve face à Batgirl. Batman (Bruce Wayne) et Robin (Tim Drake) arrivent sur ces entrefaites et n'en croient pas leurs yeux : ils reconnaissent Barbara Gordon, en bonne santé, ayant retrouvé toute sa mobilité.À Vanishing Point, Waverider, Rip Hunter et Matthew Ryder constatent qu'il n'y a plus d'années, plus de temps après le soixante-et-onzième siècle. Hunter et Waverider doivent aller enquêter. Au soixante-quatrième siècle, Flash (Wally West) neutralise Kadabra. Hunter et Waverider apparaissent sur la scène, alors que l'entropie est en train de dévorer l'environnement. Flash se lance dans le vortex à pleine vitesse pour le neutraliser : il se désagrège et Waverider ne récupère que son costume vide. À Metropolis, Superman (Clark Kent) rejoint Batman (Bruce Wayne) qui a garé sa Batmobile. Leur discussion est interrompue par l'arrivée de Metron sur son fauteuil Mobius. À Star City, en l'an 57.000, Waverider et Rip Hunter surgissent et se retrouvent devant Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) en train d'essayer d'enrayer le phénomène d'entropie en train de tout dévorer sur son passage. Au temps présent, sur Terre, Vanda Savage et en train d'affronter Hawkman qui soudain se tient devant lui en tant que 6 versions différentes séparées. Pendant ce temps-là, Superman va quérir l'aide de plusieurs superhéros : Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Aquaman, Superboy, Atom, Ray, Doctor Fate, Green Arrow et les équipes Outsiders, Team Titans.Dans l'introduction, Dan Jurgens replace cette histoire dans son contexte et explique les enjeux afférents. En 1984/1985, les responsables éditoriaux avaient décidé de faire redémarrer à zéro l'univers partagé DC dans  Crisis on infinite Earths  (1985/1986) de Marv Wolfman & George Perez… Enfin à zéro pour certains personnages comme Superman (par John Byrne) et Wonder Woman (par George Perez) dont la continuité était totalement effacée, mais pas pour d'autres comme Batman qui conservait une bonne part de sa continuité passée. Du coup, certains événements passés avaient été difficiles à concilier, que ce soit l'existence de Superboy et son lien avec la Légion des SuperHéros, ou l'historique des Teen Titans. Par la suite, l'éditeur avait mis en œuvre un certain nombre de crossover comme  Legends  (1986, Len Wein, John Ostrander, John Byrne), Millennium (1988, Steve Englehart & Joe Staton),  Invasion!  (1989, Keith Giffen Todd McFarlane, Bart Sears). En 1991, sort Armageddon 2001 par Archie Goodwin & Denny O'Neill, Dan Jurgens, Dick Giordano, Steve Mitchell, Art Thibert, qui repose sur des voyages dans le temps. Zero Hour est sous-titré Crisis in time, faisant le lien à la fois avec Crisis in infinite Earths et avec Armageddon 2001. Cette minisérie affiche également l'objectif de fournir l'occasion aux scénaristes, et plus encore aux responsables éditoriaux de réaliser un épisode numéroté Zéro pour chaque série mensuelle, dans lequel ils peuvent modifier un élément de continuité afin de remédier aux incohérences engendrées par Crisis on infinite Earths.Sur ces bases-là, Dan Jurgens raconte une histoire en forme de compte à rebours de 4 à 0, progressant vers la destruction totale du temps. Il met en œuvre les conventions attendues dans ce genre de récit. Extant, l'individu qui manipule tout depuis les coulisses, finit par se faire doubler par un autre individu plus puissant qui attendait son heure. Le scénario intègre les personnages les plus puissants de l'univers partagé DC, comme Spectre, pour montrer le niveau de destruction totale de la menace, tout en prenant soin de les neutraliser dès le départ pour que le suspense puisse croître. Il met en scène de nombreux personnages de l'univers partagé des superhéros de premier plan comme des superhéros moins connus. Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman (avec ses cheveux mi-longs) sont dont de la partie. D'autres personnages se retrouvent mêlés à la bataille comme Kyle Rayner (Green Lantern), Impulse (Bart Allen), Power Girl (Kara Zor-L enceinte), Vril Dox, Ray (Raymond Terrill), Guy Gardner sous son identité passagère de Warrior, Doctor Mist (Nommo, personnage très secondaire), Parallax, et des équipes comme les New Gods, la Justice Society of America (avec ses superhéros ayant dépassé les 50 ans et même les 60 ans), ou encore Cosmic Boy (Rokk Krinn), Saturn Girl (Imra Ardeen) et Lightning Lad (Garth Ranzz) de la Légion des SuperHéros.Au fur et à mesure, Extant surgit à plusieurs moments dans le temps pour détruire un objectif, prenant à chaque fois les superhéros de court. L'auteur intègre quelques clins d'œil au premier Crisis comme la mort apparente de Flash (Wally West) qui fait écho à celle de Barry Allen. Bien sûr les superhéros sont sur la défensive, jusqu'à temps qu'ils parviennent à coordonner leurs efforts, à attaquer efficacement le vrai responsable de l'aggravation de la situation. Bien sûr, le scénariste a choisi un écoulement linéaire du temps pour Extant et les autres personnages s'avèrent incapables de le coincer en jouant sur l'écoulement du temps propre à leur personne, par exemple en essayant de panifier une attaque quelques secondes avant celle effectuée par Extant, dont ils ont déjà la connaissance parce qu'elle se situe dans leur passé. En outre, Dan Jurgens met en scène les superhéros en utilisant que leur caractéristique principale : ils ne sont guère plus que des porteurs de costume qui se distinguent les uns des autres par leurs superpouvoirs et les motifs colorés de leur tenue. Le lecteur éprouve des difficultés à s'attacher à ces personnages définis par un unique trait de caractère : la gentillesse de Batgirl, l'allure martiale intimidante d'Hawkman, la volonté d'agir rapidement de Flash, ou encore la posture virile de Guy Gardner (mais c'est pour ça qu'on l'aime).En 1994, Dan Jurgens est déjà un créateur confirmé, ayant débuté sa carrière en 1983, ayant créé  Booster Gold  en 1986, et ayant mis en scène la mort de Superman. Dans l'histoire présente, le lecteur retrouve tout le savoir-faire professionnel de l'artiste : chaque personnage est représenté conformément à son apparence à ce moment de la continuité, facilement différenciable. Il met en scène l'utilisation de chaque superpouvoir avec le rentre-dedans et la pyrotechnie attendus, bien complémentés par la mise en couleurs vive et éclatante. Les finitions de Jerry Ordway (qui avait assisté George Perez sur Crisis on infinite Earths) sont impeccables. Le lecteur peut voir toute la culture graphique superhéros de Dan Jurgens dans sa capacité à utiliser les postures iconiques, à reprendre les mouvements caractéristiques de chaque personnage, à les disposer dans chaque case de manière à ce qu'ils soient tous distinguables, à mettre en œuvre les décharges d'énergie pour les rendre spectaculaires, à intégrer suffisamment de détails pour éviter la fadeur de dessins trop vides. Dans le même temps, la narration visuelle présente le même manque que la personnification des protagonistes : trop utilitaire et manquant de saveur personnelle. Au-delà de la mise en scène efficace et d'une grande lisibilité (ce qui n'est pas si évident que ça dans l'exercice du crossover qui rassemble de nombreux personnages), le lecteur ne découvre pas de case mémorable, ou de prise de vue à couper le souffle.Lors de sa parution, cette histoire revêtait une importance certaine, à la fois pour sa filiation annoncée avec Crisis on infinite Earths, à la fois pour son objectif d'offrir l'occasion de remédier à des incohérences de continuité dans des numéros zéro des séries mensuelles, et bien sûr dans l'interaction entre une multitude de personnages. À la lecture, il apparaît que Dan Jurgens s'acquitte honorablement de sa tâche, avec un professionnalisme indéniable. Mais le lecteur en ressort également avec l'impression que l'auteur est plus un bon artisan qu'un véritable artiste et qu'il n'arrive pas à insuffler le souffle épique attendu, que ce soit au travers d'environnements trop basiques, ou de personnages trop superficiels. Zero Hour: Crisis in Time 25th Anniversary OmnibusCrisis on infinite EarthsLegendsInvasion!Booster Gold

What is this? A follow up to Crisis on Infinite Earths. But I don't know why this was necessary. Crisis was supposed to clean up the DC Universe. And Zero Hour: Crisis in Time seeks to clean up leftover bad vibes from Crisis. What bad vibes? I don't know. Anti-matter energy, or shock waves or something.

Dan jurgens come disegnatore una garanzia... Ma anche come scrittore va a segno.Ho letto critiche negative su ora zero ma la trovò una storia bella piacevole e ben strutturata (sia come storia a se sia come storia finalizzata a fare ordine nella continuity). Lettura obbligatoria per ogni appassionato DC.