The cover is incredible. It is admittedly rather basic, just a close-up of the Anti-Monitor's face. However, what I do love about it is that, well, it is a clear Perez piece, but the close-up really helps sell the idea the Anti-Monitor is an inhuman monster. The eyes are just two points of light, nothing human about them. It's mostly cybernetic, just humanoid enough to seem like it was human, but it never truly was.
"3 Earths! 3 Deaths!"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist: Anthony Tollin
Letterer: John Constanza
Editor: Robert Greenberger, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano
The story begins with the Anti-Monitor crowing over his seeming triumph, the Psycho-Pirate pleading with the cyborg rogue to give him a world to play with.
However, due to the Pirate not concentrating on Barry Allen, the emotional manipulator's power over the Scarlet Speedster is weakening. After insulting the supervillain, the Anti-Monitor grants his wish...in a way. There are still three Earths left. And the Monitor's champions are being sent to protect them. As such, the Anti-Monitor enhances the powers of the Psycho-Pirate, allowing him to emotionally manipulate everyone on the three remaining Earths.
Back at the Monitor's satellite...wait! Wasn't that blown up in the last issue?! Just hang on, folks. The heroes inside are freaking out, and they are trying to keep it together. Pariah then notices he's vanishing again...because there's a bigger danger coming elsewhere. As he disappears, he screams out, wondering why the Monitor made him like this. Alexander Luthor tells Harbinger that he'll have to use his "matter/anti-matter energy" to save them.
Harbinger is terrified by this, as she is still dealing with the guilt over killing the Monitor against her will. She fears Alex will die as a result of this, and she doesn't want his death on her conscience. She flies off, a plan of her own forming in her mind. She spots Alexander Luthor preparing to use his energies to bring the other three remaining Earths into the netherverse that was once the Monitor.
She blasts the sole survivor of Earth-Three, then flies off. he heads for something described as a mechanical womb. While there, she unleashes all the powers contained within her mind...as the satellite explodes.
On Earth-Two, the Al Pratt Atom takes the injured Wildcat to a bed. Wildcat laments how useless he feels. The earth is dying, and all he had was just his fists to fight. What good was a pair of fists against a dying world? Al reminds him that the Ted Grant he knew was not a quitter, he fought to survive in a rough world. Al saw Ted as a bit of an inspiration, and implores Ted not to quit. Unbeknownst to either of the veteran heroes, one Yolanda Montez is observing them, using her metahuman powers to cling to the wall outside. She comes to a determination. This won't be the end of the Wildcat, as future issues of the Infinity Inc. title will show.
Back on Earth-One, Lex Luthor finds himself in a tornado, I think. After the events of Superman #413 (November 1985), the evil genius finds himself on board a certain skull-themed ship.
Luthor doesn't recognize the strange robot, but the robot explains he's Brainiac. In Action Comics #544 (June 1983), Brainiac lost his Silver Age appearance and rebuilt a new robotic body for himself. The new appearance for him was designed by Ed Hannigan. The robotic Brainiac has been compared to The Terminator, but Brainiac's robotic body actually came first. Sadly, this redesign would not last very long thanks to this storyline causing a complete reboot of the Superman mythos. More on that in the future.
Doctor Light, Starfire, Steel, Northwind, and the Earth-2 Hawkman find themselves on Earth-X, an earth where World War II was still raging. The group of heroes spot something strange.
The heroes don't have time to puzzle over why there's a giant Harbinger in the sky, as a new problem arises. A group of people are running towards the anti-matter wall slowly eating the world, as if they made a mass suicide pact. Northwind flies down to try and stop them, but notices their eyes are glassy...like they're being mind-controlled. He gets ambushed by a group of panicky Freedom Fighters. The other heroes rush in, especially Earth-2 Hawkman.
He knew the Freedom Fighters, as they were originally from his Earth, but gets punched by Black Condor, who screams he's going to kill them all. Starfire blasts away the Condor. Dr. Light puts up a light wall to stop the people from running into the anti-matter wall, although the Japanese scientist is grumbling about it, thinking that since these people have gone insane, they should be left to rot. She gets blasted by The Ray, but is saved by Hawkman.
In the anti-matter universe, it's revealed the Psycho-Pirate is being forced to use his enhanced powers to make the people on the three worlds go crazy. And he's in pain from it. Be careful what you wish for.
Another group of heroes (Katana, the Jay Garrick Flash, Martian Manhunter, Blok, and Azrael) find themselves on Earth-4, and spot the ghostly Harbinger in the air. Blok spots Blue Beetle's Bug flying nearby, and Azrael takes off to check it out, unnerved by the craft. Jay sees the Bug glowing somewhere and yells at Azrael to get away. The warning is no good as the winged amnesiac gets hit by a mysterious force. It's Captain Atom, who flies down to engage the heroes.
Yup, Earth-4 is the home of the heroes that originally came from Charlton Comics. DC acquired them from the struggling Charlton in 1983. The company would end up defunct by 1986. Captain Atom and Blue Beetle are convinced that the arrived heroes are here to destroy their world. Blok gets attacked by Peacemaker and Nightshade. Katana tries to convince them that they're actually here to help, but gets ambushed by Judomaster. Azrael spots someone racing to the anti-matter wall, and Jay Garrick intercepts them and punches them out. Who was it? One Peter Cannon, aka Thunderbolt.
On board the Bug, Blue Beetle and the Question realize something is filling them with terror, forcing them to fight the heroes, but they can't overcome it. Slight bit of Nightmare Fuel there for you. Imagine knowing that you're acting out of terror, a terror you know that is not yours.
Aquaman, Tula, Aqualad, and Lori Lemaris head for their underwater homes, respectively Atlantis and Tritonis. However, due to Earths 1 and 2 slowly merging, the two underwater cities have vanished. Aquaman is shocked, and sheds some tears. He was hoping to find Mera. After the events of Justice League of America #242-243 (September-October 1985), and the Aquaman miniseries (Likely the 1986 miniseries, but I can't be sure), Arthur was hoping to fix up his marriage problems with Mera, but now...he may not be able to. But he's not going to give up. He will find her.
Aquaman's old enemies, the Oceam Master and Black Manta notice this, and remark things will get much worse for the King of the Seas. Unnoticed by the two villains, Dolphin has spotted them. She goes to warn Arthur, but they vanish, terrifying the mysterious woman.
The scene then shifts to Earth-S, the home of the Marvel Family. Beast Boy has ended up eating a wall as an elephant, barely missing Black Canary. Supergirl checks on the animal shapeshifter, who has a monster headache. It's revealed that Captain Marvel is the one who tossed Beast Boy like a ragdoll, and he's fighting mad.
Supergirl tries to get Marvel to stop fighting, as they aren't enemies. But Captain Marvel is convinced she and the other heroes with her are out to destroy this world, and he will not let that happen. Black Canary realizes that something is affecting the Big Red Cheese's mind, filling him with rage. She sees a barrier made of crystal keeping people from running into the anti-matter wall. The barrier's creator? The Titans' own little crystal-spinner, Kole. She spots Harbinger floating in the air and wonders what is going on.
The Earth-1 Wonder Woman tries to stop Mary Marvel with her lasso, but gets wrecked by Captain Marvel Jr. However, the Black Canary gives them a sonic scream for their trouble while a snake Beast Boy tries to constrict Captain Marvel.
Back on Earth-X, The Hank Heywood III Steel knocks away a group of people, yelling that if they want their Earth to die so badly, maybe the heroes should just let it happen. An enraged Uncle Sam tries to punch Steel, but Steel is a cyborg, so he has a metal jaw. Katana is fighting Judomaster, but she senses he's fighting out of fear. To his own horror, Blue Beetle notices that his Bug has stopped moving...thanks to J'onn J'onzz and Blok. The stony Legionnaire thinks that the Psycho-Pirate is behind this craziness. But more craziness is coming.
The three remaining universes are moving, being taken somewhere else. Harbinger's plan is revealed. She's taking the three surviving Earths and bringing them into the void that was the Monitor.
Harbinger gets engulfed in white...and Lyla wakes up on an asteroid, wondering if she did it. Alex Luthor said it was is worth it, and he tells her she did it, sacrificing her Harbinger powers to do it. Lyla was expecting to die. She hoped that her saving throw to Earths 4, X, and S would end up killing her, as a way of atonement for her killing the Monitor. Lyla, that wasn't your fault. The Anti-Monitor made you do it. Despite Lyla's action, the Earths are still merging, only instead of three Earths combining, they now have five. Either way, it has to be addressed, and soon. Because, again, Earths merge together, kaboom.
Yeah. Like that. But Alex and Lyla have another problem they need to take care of first: ...how the heck do they get off of this rock? On Earth-2, A group of heroes (Johnny Quick, Power Girl, and the Alan Scott Green Lantern) are pursuing a group of villains (Per Degaton, Star Sapphire, Deathbolt), but the three malefactors vanish before their eyes. Something else is going down, and Alan Scott does not like it. Probably those darned kids on his lawn again. Elsewhere, Ted Grant is having a peaceful sedative-induced nap, a much-needed break from the chaos outside and his own pain-wracked body. A figure stands over Ted, saying that the world still needs the Wildcat.
On their rock, Alex Luthor takes a seat, wondering what he can do now. The Monitor's satellite is basically dust, the Monitor himself is dead, and so will the five remaining worlds. Lyla reminds him to have some faith. The Monitor said he had a destiny to fulfill. The story ends with the figure standing over Ted climbing up to the top of a building, revealing...
Yolanda Montez, the new Wildcat.
This comic is...not bad, but I can't help but feel that it stands better as part of the larger Crisis arc than a story on its own, much like the last issue. Another thing I don't get is why Yolanda Montez has to keep her superpowers a secret from Ted Grant. I mean, Ted has worked with the JSA for decades at this point. And quite a few of them have superpowers. Why would he be bothered by Yolanda having powers? Her debuting as the new Wildcat is cool, but it also feels rather pointless as she hardly plays a key role in the Crisis story as a whole. Much like the last issue, there is a ton of action, which is kind of cool as well.
The artwork is excellent. It's George Perez, of course. Some of the panels do come off as a bit Ordway-esque in appearance to me, no doubt due to Jerry Ordway himself inking Perez's pencils.
See what I mean there? Wonder Woman there looks more like Ordway drew her than Perez did. Anyway, I do recommend getting this issue, but I suggest getting the trade instead. This issue is much more enjoyable being read as part of a bigger story than on its own.
Next time, in honor of this mini-series, we take a look at a team-up between the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America...
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