Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #0

Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #0 was published by DC Comics in 1994 as the concluding chapter of a five-issue limited series intended to streamline the publisher's complex continuity following the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths. Written and illustrated by Dan Jurgens, the event sought to address lingering contradictions in the DC Universe by utilizing a reality-warping villain, Parallax, to reset the timeline. This issue is notable for its unique reverse-numbered format, starting at #4 and counting down to #0 to emphasize the theme of time collapsing toward a single point.

The design and artistic direction were heavily influenced by the high-stakes, action-oriented aesthetic prevalent in 1990s superhero comics. Jurgens aimed to create a definitive sense of scale, featuring dynamic, full-page spreads that depicted the erasure and recreation of various historical iterations of DC characters. While the event succeeded in its goal of editorial housecleaning, reception was mixed among long-term fans, though it remains a significant touchstone in DC history for formalizing the concept of the 'multiverse reset' that would recur in later publishing initiatives.