War for Earth-3 Reading Guide

Overview:

War for Earth-3 is a DC Comics crossover event published in 2022. The storyline revolves around the conflict over Earth-3, an alternate universe ruled by the Crime Syndicate, a group of evil doppelgängers of the Justice League. The arc spans multiple titles, including Suicide Squad, The Flash, and Teen Titans Academy, written by authors like Robbie Thompson, Dennis Hopeless, and Jeremy Adams, with notable artists including Dexter Soy and Eduardo Pansica.

The story focuses on Amanda Waller, who sees an opportunity to take over Earth-3 for herself and enforce her own twisted version of order. She faces off against the Crime Syndicate, including Ultraman and Superwoman, who are not eager to give up their control. On the hero side, characters like Rick Flag and members of the Suicide Squad play significant roles, along with some unexpected team-ups across the multiverse.

Critically, War for Earth-3 received a mixed reception. Some praised the event for its action-packed plot and character dynamics, while others felt it spread itself too thin across multiple titles. Fans of the Crime Syndicate and multiverse stories generally appreciated the event, though some found the pacing uneven across issues.

Best Way To Read:

• War for Earth-3
  • Collects: The Flash #780, Suicide Squad #13, Teen Titans Academy #13, War for Earth-3 #1-2

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:

References:

• Wikipedia

Feature Image from War for Earth 3 #1 cover art by Alex Sinclair and Rafa Sandoval