Heroes In Crisis Reading Guide

Overview:

Heroes in Crisis is a DC Comics event from 2018, written by Tom King, with art by Clay Mann and Mitch Gerads. The story revolves around Sanctuary, a secret facility set up by the Justice League to offer trauma counseling and therapy to heroes suffering from the emotional and psychological effects of their dangerous lives. The story is framed around a murder mystery that occurs at Sanctuary, with multiple characters either implicated or impacted by the incident.

The event features prominent DC heroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash, as they try to uncover what happened at Sanctuary and deal with the fallout. Harley Quinn and Booster Gold play significant roles as both protagonists and suspects.

Upon release, Heroes in Crisis received mixed reception. Many fans appreciated the attempt to tackle sensitive issues like mental health within the superhero community, but others felt the execution was uneven. Criticism was aimed at the characterization of certain heroes and some controversial story decisions. The artwork by Mann and Gerads, however, was generally praised for its emotional depth and detailed illustrations. In the end, Heroes in Crisis presents a different take on the superhero genre, combining action with introspective themes.

Best Way To Read:

Main Collection

Main Story

• Heroes in Crisis
  • Collects: Heroes Crisis #1-9

Tie-Ins

• Heroes in Crisis: The Price and Other Stories
  • Collects: Batman #64-65, The Flash #64-65, The Flash Annual #2

For crossover and significant events, I typically only read the main story the first time I encounter it. Trying to read all of the tie-ins with the story tends to make them increasingly convoluted and are not crucial to the main narrative. However, I think they are important to read, as many series-shifting plotlines can happen.

For the tie-in issues, I only read them as they come up in the reading guide that I am working through. This can become problematic because the tie-in issues are not always included in collected editions of the event. So you may need to hunt for them.

Reading Order:

Title	Importance	Collected
Heroes in Crisis #1	Main Story	Heroes in Crisis
Green Arrow Vol. 6 #45	Tie-in Read	Not Collected
Heroes in Crisis #2	Main Story	Heroes in Crisis
Heroes in Crisis #3	Main Story	Heroes in Crisis
Heroes in Crisis #4	Main Story	Heroes in Crisis
The Flash Vol. 5 Annual #2	Tie-in Read	Heroes in Crisis: The Price and Other Stories
Batman Vol. 3 #64	Tie-in Read	Heroes in Crisis: The Price and Other Stories
The Flash Vol. 5 #64	Tie-in Read	Heroes in Crisis: The Price and Other Stories
Batman Vol. 3 #65	Tie-in Read	Heroes in Crisis: The Price and Other Stories
The Flash Vol. 5 #65	Tie-in Read	Heroes in Crisis: The Price and Other Stories
Heroes in Crisis #5	Main Story	Heroes in Crisis
Heroes in Crisis #6	Main Story	Heroes in Crisis
Heroes in Crisis #7	Main Story	Heroes in Crisis
Heroes in Crisis #8	Main Story	Heroes in Crisis
Heroes in Crisis #9	Main Story	Heroes in Crisis

Publications Impact

• Series Spun out of the Event
  • Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy (2019)
  • Flash Forward (2019)

References:

• Wikipedia
• Comic Book Herald
• Comic Book Reading Orders

Feature Image from Heroes in Crisis #1 cover art by Tomeu Morey and Clay Mann