Zero Hour Thoughts

[Jekyll]

I just finished zero hour for the first time. I had known about most of the things that came after, but had never read it. I really enjoyed it and didn’t realize how many of my favorite stories from the 90’s were a result of Zero Hour. For those who have read it, what were your thoughts?
I believe it is no longer in continuity which is kind of a shame because I would have placed it after Crisis on Infinite Earths as my favorite DC crisis. Though with flashpoint and all of that nonsense is Crisis on Infinite Earths even in continuity anymore?

[Assam]

I'm not a huge fan, but it is, like you, my second favorite Crisis after CoIE. Not that that says much since I find Final Crisis to be "Meh", and Infinite and Identity Crisis to be steaming hot piles of garbage.

[TruthAndJustice]

I thought it was boring, to be honest. Just a CRISIS re-hash, and I didn't even like CRISIS, aside from the artwork.

[Jekyll]

I'm not a huge fan, but it is, like you, my second favorite Crisis after CoIE. Not that that says much since I find Final Crisis to be "Meh", and Infinite and Identity Crisis to be steaming hot piles of garbage.

Yeah not hard to beat those. Final Crisis was extremely confusing and convoluted.

[Jekyll]

I thought it was boring, to be honest. Just a CRISIS re-hash, and I didn't even like CRISIS, aside from the artwork.

The artwork was quite good!

[Frontier]

I try to steer clear of Hal Jordan Parallax stories, though I can't say I've heard enough positive about this story to give me any incentive to try it.

[Assam]

I try to steer clear of Hal Jordan Parallax stories, though I can't say I've heard enough positive about this story to give me any incentive to try it.

Have you read the Post-Zero Hour Hal appearances in GL and GA? They really are heart-wrenching; it's impossible not to feel for Hal.

[Frontier]

Have you read the Post-Zero Hour Hal appearances in GL and GA? I re-visited them recently and they really are heart-wrenching; it's impossible not to feel for Hal.

I've read his appearances in Quiver and JSA (might be a few things I'm missing) but that's about it pre-Rebirth.

[Jekyll]

I try to steer clear of Hal Jordan Parallax stories, though I can't say I've heard enough positive about this story to give me any incentive to try it.

So I take it you did not read Final Night either? Hal is in my top three DC characters and even though I did not like that he was turned into a villain, he did ultimately redeem himself prior to his own rebirth by Geoff Johns. As Assam said there are several very emotional appearances of Hal on his road to redemption.

[Sacred Knight]

The tie-ins were awesome. The main series though was pretty clunky.

[Lee Stone]

For me, personally-
Warning... this is extremely personal and opinionated.

The Good:

Zero Issues
There was a timeline printed in the comic
The story (or rather the plot) was not bad at all

The Bad:

It was a stealth JSA-elimination project, thanks in part to their unexpected popularity from a throwaway revival project a few years earlier.
It was the final nail in the Post-Crisis DCU.
We were now officially in the next chapter as the Byrne Superman, the Perez Wonder Woman, the Giffen & DeMatteis JLI, the Baron/Messner-Loebs Flash, the Englehart/Jones Green Lantern eras had begun being phased out in 1991. Tim Drake had been introduced around the same time in Batman.
JLI: Breakdowns, Death of Superman and Knightfall would further separate the post-Crisis DCU from the post-Zero Hour DCU, as would a temporary hiatus of Wonder Woman's title, Flash getting a shiny new costume, Hawkman going through some changes (and getting a new costume, also -which I actually liked), Aquaman losing a hand and gaining a hook (and a beard), Kyle replacing Hal (who had turned evil), and new logos for almost everyone (including the New Titans, who would gain a second team and editorial railroading). And the Levitz/Giffen Legion was abandoned for the new younger Legionnaires.

Understandably, Millennium, War of the Gods and Armageddon 2001 didn't do very well (I think Invasion was the only real successful crossover event between Legends and Zero Hour) and Zero Hour was quite possibly a course correction and they went all in.
We were left with a whole new world and while it should have been exciting, it left me with a severe case of alienation and pushed me more over to Marvel, Dark Horse and the recently launched Vertigo line.

The main DC title I had been reading from the start of the post-Crisis era was JLI and the team we got post-Zero Hour wasn't very exciting, although it was nice to see Nuklon, Obsidian and Blue Devil join. I had already lost interest in the League after Breakdowns and the Zero Hour group didn't pull me back in.

Add to this that around 1994 DC and Marvel started to clutter their covers. They were confusing with hardly any contrast. The inking and coloring was muddy and the concept of 'negative space' had been forgotten. Scanning a comic rack from a distance, all the covers blended together like someone just through paint on the walls. Everything looked alike and nothing stood out.
I really don't know what they were thinking.

[Jekyll]

For me, personally-
Warning... this is extremely personal and opinionated.

The Good:

Zero Issues
There was a timeline printed in the comic
The story (or rather the plot) was not bad at all

The Bad:

It was a stealth JSA-elimination project, thanks in part to their unexpected popularity from a throwaway revival project a few years earlier.
It was the final nail in the Post-Crisis DCU.
We were now officially in the next chapter as the Byrne Superman, the Perez Wonder Woman, the Giffen & DeMatteis JLI, the Baron/Messner-Loebs Flash, the Englehart/Jones Green Lantern eras had begun being phased out in 1991. Tim Drake had been introduced around the same time in Batman.
JLI: Breakdowns, Death of Superman and Knightfall would further separate the post-Crisis DCU from the post-Zero Hour DCU, as would a temporary hiatus of Wonder Woman's title, Flash getting a shiny new costume, Hawkman going through some changes (and getting a new costume, also -which I actually liked), Aquaman losing a hand and gaining a hook (and a beard), Kyle replacing Hal (who had turned evil), and new logos for almost everyone (including the New Titans, who would gain a second team and editorial railroading). And the Levitz/Giffen Legion was abandoned for the new younger Legionnaires.

Understandably, Millennium, War of the Gods and Armageddon 2001 didn't do very well (I think Invasion was the only real successful crossover event between Legends and Zero Hour) and Zero Hour was quite possibly a course correction and they went all in.
We were left with a whole new world and while it should have been exciting, it left me with a severe case of alienation and pushed me more over to Marvel, Dark Horse and the recently launched Vertigo line.

The main DC title I had been reading from the start of the post-Crisis era was JLI and the team we got post-Zero Hour wasn't very exciting, although it was nice to see Nuklon, Obsidian and Blue Devil join. I had already lost interest in the League after Breakdowns and the Zero Hour group didn't pull me back in.

Add to this that around 1994 DC and Marvel started to clutter their covers. They were confusing with hardly any contrast. The inking and coloring was muddy and the concept of 'negative space' had been forgotten. Scanning a comic rack from a distance, all the covers blended together like someone just through paint on the walls. Everything looked alike and nothing stood out.
I really don't know what they were thinking.

I was expecting more of an epic showdown with the JSA and extant but it was a slaughter! I’m thankful my favorite members made it out alive.

[married guy]

I hated the way the JSA were taken off the board, but other than that I really enjoyed it.
Most of the #0 issues were excellent, and as mentioned in an earlier post, the Green Lantern title soon after was stellar. It really did present a Hal/Kyle dynamic that was a joy to read.
Plus, I love Dan Jurgens' artwork.