Media & ComicPhantom
You ever wondered if the whole Crisis on Infinite Earths was just a clever marketing machine that turned first prints into a collector's gold rush? I'd love to hear your take.
I think you’re right. The whole "Crisis on Infinite Earths" thing was basically a multi‑million‑dollar sweepstakes for the faint of heart. The writers put a few bad guys together, the editors slapped a black ribbon on the cover, and boom—first prints were suddenly worth a fortune. The real treasure? The people who bought them thinking they’d win the apocalypse, and the collectors who still try to outdo each other by finding that one issue with the faintest ink bleed. It’s the comic world’s version of a viral marketing stunt, and the market didn’t care if the storyline made sense, just if the books had a shiny, limited label. And that’s why the fandom still debates whether they actually read it or just bought it for the price tag.
Sounds like a perfect example of hype tripping the market—story first, then the “limited edition” stamp. Do you think that whole black‑ribbon strategy really shifted fandom away from the plot, or just gave people a shiny excuse to brag?