This would be the final issue of Crisis for the year of 1985. Yup, this miniseries is crossing over into a new year! So, how does this story decide to cap off 1985? Let's find out!
The cover is awesome! Yeah, it's just a bunch of villains on it, but its incredible to look at. Perez shows why he is a comic book art god in this cover. I also like the giant Brainiac ship looming over the background, giving a bit of extra menace. And is it sad that I kind can identify many of the characters on this cover?
"War Zone"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist: Anthony Tollin
Letterer: John Costanza
Editors: Marv Wolfman, Robert Greenberger, Len Wein
The story begins with the planet of Oa. Several of the Guardians of the Universe are addressing a man standing before them. They recall the events of the last issue, which has brought about the schism in the Guardians. Six of them have decided, as they feel they are partially responsible for the evil permeating the universe, that it must be eliminated. As such, they have found a man to be their soldier. Their Green Lantern. Who is this man?
Mr. Guy Gardner, everyone! His more "iconic" personality, as well as his bowl cut, is something we'll see post-Crisis. Just after he states that no evil shall escape his sight, a mysterious explosion erupts. Guy's slacking off already. But in all seriousness, the explosion manages to kill all but one of these Guardians. Guy is shocked by this, as the Guardians are supposed to be immortal. Yeah, they are, but that does not make them unkillable. Just ask the MacLeods. Off with their heads, and all that. The one surviving Guardian explains that the explosion used antimatter, and he needs Guy to avenge the deaths of his brothers. Guy vows to do so, and this adventure leads up to Green Lantern #195 (December 1985). Over Earth-1, Brainiac's skull ship is floating in its orbit, and it has some passengers.
A murder of Supervillains (get it? like a murder of crows), have been gathered onboard the giant skull. The newest arrival is one T.O. Morrow, who had vanished after the events of the last issue. Mirror Master grumbles about Morrow, but Doctor Polaris and Psimon shut him up, reminding him that there is a crisis on. Psimon recalls when he nearly got killed, but was able to save himself with his mental powers. But Lex Luthor, in his awesome warsuit, counters that he and Brainiac saved him.
Luthor and Brainiac had gathered all the villains together for a reason. The Anti-Monitor, as far as they know, has fled or died. As far as they are concerned, this crisis is over. And with it is an opportunity. An opportunity to strike out against the heroes and destroy them once and for all. Lex Luthor will be the field commander of the villains as they set out to make their big conquest. However, Luthor's Earth-2 counterpart is not happy with this as he feels his genius is greater than his younger Earth-1 counterpart's. As such, Earth-1 Luthor is not needed. Brainiac does agree with the redheaded villain on one thing: Two Luthors are not needed.
With that settled, Earth-1 Luthor starts to explain his plan. The scene then shifts again to another ship orbiting the other side of Earth-1, as shown in New Teen Titans #14 (November 1985). It's a Tamaranean ship, commanded by a Captain Karras. One Princess Koriand'r, aka Starfire, is being summoned back to Tamaran, but she has no idea why. Karras has no intention of telling her, as he feels she should hear it from her father. With that, the ship transports up Nightwing, Starfire, and Jericho. As Starfire makes some introductions, Jericho overhears Karras and a crew member whispering about the reason why Starfire must return to Tamaran. The mute metahuman is rather worried.
As the ship flies off, life seemingly returns to normal...well, as normal as it can. However, there is a giant feeling of unease in the air. People feel a bit on edge. In Greenwich Village, there is a strange warp zone, where time is acting all screwy. Donna Troy is worried, as her then-husband, Terry Long, is trapped in the zone. It's not helped that the police have cordoned it off, keeping people out...and people in.
Yeah, time and space have become cosmic LEGO sets, and somebody was in the mood to build something wacky. Firehawk offers to help Donna find him, and they head off to the events of Firestorm #42 (December 1985). We next go back to Earth-1's World War Two. Sgt. Rock and Easy Company. Easy is discussing the recent craziness, but as far as Rock is concerned, there's still a war on. Jeb Stuart notices a strange warp in the sky, but then it vanishes as quickly as it appeared.
On three of the five remaining Earths, the villains strike. They managed to conquer the Earths, despite the heroes there valiantly trying to fight them off. At the UN of Earth-1, Alexander Luthor, Lyla, and Pariah speak about the Crisis. In a nice little character moment, Lady Quark and the Earth-1 Wonder Woman watch this on a television. Diana reminds Quark that Pariah released the Anti-Monitor accidentally. Quark is aware of it, and states she may be able to forgive him one day, she'll never forget it.
Pariah, to his horror, suddenly vanishes. The crisis is not over yet! And a giant hologram of Brainiac's head appears before the assembled body.
In 1917, one Steven Savage, aka the Balloon Buster, sees an odd storm in the sky, similar to the one the Haunted Tank crew would witness nearly twenty years later. He thinks nothing of it, and heads to his biplane. After all, there's a war on. Back in the present, the heroes try to smash through the barriers to the conquered Earths, but it's no good. But Lyla may have an idea.
We go to Blue Valley, Nebraska. An idyllic college town located in middle America, it's the home of one Wally West, aka the former Kid Flash. He had retired from the Teen Titans because of an illness related to his speed powers. Lyla, accompanied by Jay Garrick (The Golden Age Flash), has come because she needs his help. Wally refuses. After all, the crisis is over, and he's retired. Jay convinces him that with Barry Allen missing (At this point, no one is aware he's dead), they need his help. He ultimately agrees to put back on the old ring. A group of heroes gather in Greenwich, with a rebuilt and modified Cosmic Treadmill.
Jay and Wally run on the Treadmill, faster and faster. As their velocity increases, they see a rift in space. And with that, the heroes vanish. Brainiac and Luthor discover this, but it was anticipated. Brainiac predicts some heavy losses on both sides, but Luthor isn't worried. As long as the villains win, then the losses will be worth it. The heroes will be too weakened to take on himself and Brainiac, and they can always blow up the three Earths anyway. A shadowed figure watches this, pleased they stayed behind.
On the conquered Earths, the war is on. Beast Boy (Then called Changeling) takes down Riddler and Trickster. Tempest of the Doom Patrol and Kole of the Titans attack the Masters of Disaster. Cyborg takes down Grodd, Speedy fights the Shaggy Man. Brainiac points out that the heroes have one big advantage: Unlike the villains, they are willing to work together. Luthor isn't worried. To him, it's an opportunity to see some rivals disposed of.
In Earth-4's New York, the walking container of chemicals known as Chemo uses its powers to poison the waters around the city. The heroine Tula, aka Aquagirl, is caught in the toxins, and is quickly killing her. Aqualad tries to save her, but Brainiac states that she is pretty much dead already. Evil seems to have won on this world.
On Earth-S, we see more combat. Earth-1 Superman battling Starro. Elongated Man facing Sinestro. Plasmus facing off against the Hank Heywood III Steel, only to get sent underground by Vibe. Another villain called Warp makes the cyborg vanish. The villains appear to have won on this Earth, too. Eclipso takes down the Earth-1 Wonder Woman, and Captain Cold and Icicle put Aquaman and Mera on ice. Heh. Pun.
Earth-X is also besieged, although that's nothing new for that world. One city looks like nature has reclaimed it. Poison Ivy, the Joker, the Floronic Man, and the Silver Ghost have the Freedom Fighters and Firebrand in the clutches of some angry vines.
The Joker tries to turn on the charm with Phantom Lady. However, she's not Harley Quinn, so she's not going for it. However, the heroes are getting reinforcements in the form of the JSA, Infinity Inc., and the Outsiders. Luthor calls the villains on Earth-X and tells them to work together. Doctor Phosphorus leaps on the Earth-2 Hawkman and tries to burn him alive, much to Northwind's horror.
On the Skull Ship. Have I said that I love Brainiac's Skull Ship? Anyway, Luthor notes that the battle on Earth-X seems more even. Yeah, he'd like his side to win, but the villains losing there won't hurt his plans at all. He and Brainiac will be the ones to finish off Superman. Considering there are two Supermen active at the time, I have this image of them squabbling over which one gets to kill which Superman, and it amuses me to no end. Luthor notices that something is wrong with Brainiac.
Brainiac's body explodes into smithereens. Luthor is wondering who did this. And the story ends with Brainiac's destroyer revealed.
Yup, it's the mental menace known as Psimon. And he's taking over!
This issue was...perfectly fine. It is one of those issues that does stand stronger when read as part of the whole storyline than on its own. It is also not surprising to see some treachery among the villains, considering they're villains, and all that. There are also moments that clearly set up things that will be fulfilled in other titles, but that's kind of unavoidable in a big event like this with lots of tie-ins. Despite this, it was still enjoyable. I loved seeing the various heroes and villains of the Earths battling it out. It was a feast for the eye and the imagination thanks to George Perez's art and Wolfman's writing.
Next time, we join Spider-Man as he deals with a factory that is being burned by the Inferno...
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