The Flash Enters The Marvel Universe

Company-wide crossovers are so commonplace today that it is easy to forget how fun it was when Crisis on Infinite Earths and Secret Wars first hit the stands.  In retrospect, the convoluted plots and aftermaths of these series can be debated, but there's no denying the cool factor of having so many characters together in one big sprawling epic, illustrated by masters like Mike Zeck and George Perez.  In the pre-internet age, the tie-ins that promoted each series were much more effective than they would in these spoiler filled days.  DC's comics featured mysterious red skies and  a shadowed figure working with the villains of Earth.  Marvel had their heroes enter a strange stadium, disappear, and return with the changes that would happen within the upcoming mini-series.  Both of these build ups had me eagerly anticipating the crossovers, and I could not read each issue that came out fast enough.