Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (August 1985)

The Crisis on Infinite Earths is still tearing through the DC Multiverse! We've seen death, destruction, betrayal, and madness. And now...it all seems to be over. The Earths are gone...or are they? After all, there are still seven issues left of this miniseries...

Previously on Crisis on Infinite Earths: Supergirl tries to pep up a scared Batgirl as the white wall of anti-matter consumes the city. John Constantine appears. Pariah is able to rescue Lady Quark from the doomed Earth-Six. The Monitor creates a new Dr. Light from arrogant Japanese scientist Kimiyo Hoshi. The Monitor's enemy kidnaps the Red Tornado. Members of the Harbinger Group protect the Monitor's towers in the Medieval and WWII eras alongside the Shining Knight and Sgt. Rock. Harbinger, against her will, kills the Monitor, and Earths One and Two are seemingly consumed in a wall of white.

And with all that out of the way, let's take a look at Crisis on Infinite Earths #5!

The cover is pretty cool! We got Earths 1 and 2 put together in the style of a Venn diagram. In the background are...faces. Faces of various characters from the two Earths. And a very nice detail, the faces down the very center are the Justice League members who had active Justice Society counterparts: The Flashes, Supermen, Hawkmen, Wonder Women, the Atoms, Green Lanterns, and the Green Arrows. It's a clever touch.

"Worlds in Limbo"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist: Anthony Tolin
Letterer: John Costanza
Editors: Robert Greenberger, Marv Wolfman, Len Wein
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with the Monitor's mysterious enemy crowing in triumph. Both Earths One and Two have been destroyed. However, there's a bit of a problem. The enemy had grown more powerful with every Earth destroyed, but he did not do so here. The Psycho-Pirate is none too happy about it, as he felt the enemy reneged on his promise for a world of his own to play with. The enemy is not too concerned about it, as he's wondering why, with those two Earths and the Monitor dead, he did not get their power. Psycho-Pirate pleads to let him help, and he wonders why the enemy needs the Red Tornado and the Flash. The enemy tells him to shut up, and he's quickly wearing out his usefulness.

He needs the Pirate and the Tornado as his servants, and he needed the Flash contained as the nature of his powers allowed him to easily travel the Multiverse. We next look into the Monitor's satellite, where Pariah is basically wondering what just happened, and why the Monitor allowed himself to die if he knew it was going to happen. He's feeling hopeless as now...it's over. The enemy has won.

He hears a teary-eyed Lyla horrified about what she had done, and this gets Pariah confused. She wonders why she killed him, because she owed him everything. The Monitor appears on a screen.

He assures her that he was aware of her possession, and used it to make one last desperate gambit to save the remaining Earths. You see, the Monitor's "tuning forks" were not ready yet, mainly because the Monitor had not been able to finish their power sources. When Harbinger killed him, the Monitor's "energies" went into the towers, and were used to power them. It also created a "netherverse" containing Earths One and Two, as well as calming down their populations.

However, there's another problem. You see, in the old Multiverse, every universe had a different vibrational rate. It's how Barry Allen ended up accidentally traveling to Earth-Two years earlier. But the vibrational rates of the two Earths are starting to sync up. When they do, they will start to merge. And if they end up occupying the same space at the same time...

Yup. Kiss everything and everyone you ever loved goodbye. The Monitor then wishes Lyla farewell...and that he loves her. Lyla laments that she never said it to him. Alexander Luthor appears and tells her he knew. The Monitor also left Alex instructions about how to help the remaining Earths. But first, a moment to mourn. A short time later, the three eject his body into space, a la Spock's corpse after Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, only there's no Genesis Planet for the torpedo to land on. The three are determined to honor the Monitor's last wish: Save the remains of the Multiverse.

Elsewhere, the enemy realizes what the Monitor has done. The Psycho-Pirate wonder why he's here. The enemy explains that there are not two, but five Earths left. The other three will be his to play with. But for right now, he can work his emotional games on Barry Allen. Allen is left petrified in terror.

In Earth-One Metropolis, Lana Lang is reporting on time seemingly on a drunken bender.

The heroes and villains alike are shocked by this. Dinosaurs in the streets. Pterodactyls and zeppelins flying alongside jet airliners! Cavemen alongside 18th century people in a modern apartment building! Man, that would make one funny sitcom. People from various places in time forced to live together in the modern day by a cosmic event. The heroes and villains are gathered together on the Monitor's satellite by Harbinger, Alex, and Pariah.

Look at that spread. Look at it. This is why George Perez is known as "The Master". Look at how many characters are in this crowd. And look how distinct they are from each other. It's a feast for the eyes. Anyway, Firebrand is furious, saying that Firebrand lied to her and the rest of the Harbinger Group. Pariah explains that the Monitor did keep tabs and records on various heroes and villains, but because he needed them. He needed them to work together, because that is the only way to save their worlds. Superman and Wonder Woman of Earth-One are convinced. Alex explains that the Monitor had an enemy, and that enemy is out to destroy all the universes. The only way to save them is to merge them all into one.

The various heroes and villains there are uncertain about this, so Alex invites them to return to their worlds and see the craziness for themselves. The Earth-Two Superman states that the heroes will stand and fight in the end. On Oa, the center of the Earth-One universe, the Green Lantern Corps return to the planet by spaceship as their rings seem to be non-functional. They discover this.

The Guardians of the Universe are trapped in some sort of stasis beam, unable to move or interact. The GL Corpsmen then get ambushed. In Earth-One Metropolis, Lois Lane nearly ends up sabertooth tiger chow, but the Earth-Two Superman saves her. In the time stream, Rip Hunter and his fellow Time Masters are trying to ride out a time storm. In Wayne Manor, Alfred discovers that a cave, and some cavemen ended up in Wayne Manor.

Oh hey, it's Anthro! Batman teamed up with everyone in the DCU back in the day, it was only a matter of time before he and Anthro met up. In Russia, Starfire, Firestorm, and several other heroes encounter Red Star fighting dinosaurs in Moscow. Starfire commands the others to back him up as he's Russia's only superhero. Yeah. A big freakin' country like Russia has one superhero. I'm going to assume Starfire thinks that because Red Star was the only Russian superhero she met beforehand. I find the idea of an entire country having only one superhero kind of silly. It would have made more sense if Starfire said he was its most prominent superhero, as in he's not the only one, just the one we know of, and in-universe, is the most well-known of Russia's heroes.

Anyway, Red Star is reluctant to accept the help because he feels Russia is his responsibility alone. Starfire reminds him Russia may be his responsibility, but so is the rest of the world, and they need to unite. Red Star agrees, admitting Starfire's words here are wise ones. He gets a bit optimistic, hoping that maybe this will lead to a better world for it.

In the enemy's lair, the enemy is doing something to Red Tornado. He is taking the robotic hero and transforming him into...something more. The enemy studied the Tornado and discovered something: The robot...is not a mere robot. He is a man. He is more than that. There's a primal force in that robotic body. A horrified Barry Allen watches a massive storm erupt around the Tornado. The storm isn't just a giant tornado. It's a hurricane. It's a typhoon. Rain and wind erupts everywhere. Thunder cracks and lightning strikes. The Red Tornado...is gone.

The merging of the Earths is starting to take effect. An elderly couple on Earth-Two see the Earth-One counterpart of their deceased daughter. I like this bit, as it gives a slight window to how this event is affecting regular people. The headquarters of the Legion of Super-Heroes appears on Earth-Two. On Earth-One, the living storm that was the Red Tornado arrives. Some heroes try to engage the transformed Tornado, unaware it's their compatriot. The Ted Grant Wildcat, one of the heroes that was helping to evacuate people, gets struck by a bolt of lightning and badly injured. Jay Garrick, the Flash of Earth-Two, realizes that the storm is the Tornado.

The heroes gather around the injured Wildcat to help him. Ultra Boy of the Legion uses his "Penetra-Vision" (basically X-Ray vision on steroids), to assess the damage. Wildcat's legs are badly shattered, and the former boxer may never walk again. He dropped a little girl when he got hit, but a young woman named Yolanda Montez managed to catch her. Keep an eye on her, folks. The heroes are convinced of the danger to the two Earths, so they agree to help Alex Luthor.

Luthor gathers a group of heroes to the Monitor's satellite, as he has a mission for them. Earths One and Two are fine for now, but there are three more, and they need to be saved. If they aren't saved, the heroes won't be able to resist the Monitor's enemy. Among the heroes is the new Dr. Light, who hates the idea of being involved in this, but Luthor reminds her that she has to do her part, or everyone is doomed. Luthor is about to send them on their way, but Pariah and Harbinger senses something wrong.

The satellite starts shaking, energy crackling all around it. In the enemy's lair, Psycho-Pirate is amazed that the enemy is able to attack the satellite without weapons. Despite this, the enemy knows that it's only going to delay the heroes. But it will delay them enough so they won't be able to stop him. The Pirate remarks that the enemy had also talked about a place called Apokolips. But Darkseid and his Elite will be dealt with soon enough. Barry Allen taunts the enemy, saying he is a coward. He refuses to show himself. The enemy finds Allen's taunting foolish, as the enemy is not burdened with emotions. He is burned with glorious purpose, though. Oh wait, that's Loki. The enemy agrees to show himself.

Everyone, meet...the Monitor. Or as he's been more popularly known as...the Anti-Monitor. Look at this design. This is a design that only George Perez could pull off. When I first saw the withered vestigial organic mouth area, I honestly thought they were teeth. He little speaker on the chin is a nice and clever detail. It gives the idea that his is what this monster speaks through, and it's voice is electronic. I also love that the Anti-Monitor's mostly machine in appearance, to contrast the more organic Monitor. The cybernetics also give the idea that he is cold and inhuman, more of a monster.

The story ends with the antimatter wave hitting Earth-X, a world where World War II lasted for decades with a Nazi victory. The story ends with this world's resistance fighters-turned-defenders known as the Freedom Fighters watches the wall consume a city. They know they don't have the power to stop it, but they're not going to give up. They'll save the world, even if it costs them their lives.

This issue was...not bad at all. Not a lot happens in it, but that's bound to happen in a 12-issue mini-series. It does read better when read as part of a whole than on its own. Not much may have happened, but we do get a nice exciting cliffhanger, the reveal of the Anti-Monitor's true appearance, and plenty of action. We do get to see heroes do hero things. Red Star being Russia's only superhero seems kind of silly to me, though. As I said earlier, Russia is a very big country. I find the idea that it only has one superhero kind of...crazy.

George Perez's artwork is epic as ever. I don't know what I can say that no else has already about his art. The detail is astounding, and it's really cool seeing what so many characters would look like under his pencils. Next time, we'll go backwards from the dying days of the original DC Multiverse, and head to the swinging 1960s! There, we will join DC's super-sorceress Zatanna as she begins her search for her father...

The Last Days of the Justice Society (July 1986)

In the DC Universe, the Justice Society of America were the first generation of costumed superheroes. At a time when unfathomable evil encircled the Earth, this group of costumed champions stood up against it, and continued to fight crime and villainy in the years afterward. But even the World's First Super-Team's adventures have to come to an end one day. In 1986, it seemed like we'd see the last of the JSA forever. 

When the Crisis on Infinite Earths hit, the remains of the original DC Multiverse were consolidated into one unified Earth. This included the JSA's original home in the Multiverse: Earth-Two. With that, DC Comics had felt that there was no more need for any more adventures of the World's First Super-Team. Roy Thomas (who had essentially been the main chronicler of the JSA's adventures during the 1980s) came up with the story that would "retire" the JSA. It was a story he was very sad to write. 

So, was the Justice Society's final adventure allow the team to end their time together with a bang or a whimper? Let's find out in my look at The Last Days of the Justice Society!

The cover is a Dave Ross and Mike Gustovich piece, and I think it's pretty neat. It depicts the heads of Hawkman, Power Girl, Spectre, Star-Spangled Kid, and Dr. Fate looking down at a destroyed city and the presumably dead bodies of their comrades. Hawkman looks really furious as he is seemingly staring at his own dead body. No idea what Fate is thinking. And it's pretty funny to see the Earth-Two versions of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman among the bodies as this came out not long after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, which removed them from DC canon.

"Last Days of the Justice Society"
Writers: Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas
Penciler: Dave Ross
Inker: Mike Gustovich
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Letterer: David Cody Weiss
Editor: Roy Thomas
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins in Berlin on Thursday, April 12, 1945. The Second World War is winding down in the European theater. The German capital city is burning from the bombs. A Reichminister Speer has come to the bunker of Adolf Hitler, on the orders of the Fuhrer himself. 

Hitler has heard about the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt over the BBC, and he sees it as a miracle. Twelve years earlier, Heinrich Himmler had drawn up Hitler's horoscope on the day he became chancellor. Hitler sees the death of Roosevelt as a repeat of the Miracle of the House of Brandenberg. Basically, with Roosevelt dead, Hitler believes the Allies will fall apart and the Nazis will win the war. But even if that doesn't happen, well...the madman has a way to ensure that the world will burn.

We next jump forward about 40 years into the future, in the United States. We join the JSA as they are holding a funeral. 

They're mourning those they have lost over the years. The Earth-2 Batman, dying in 1977. They also honor his wife, the Earth-2 Catwoman. She wasn't a JSA member, but she had given up her life of crime and changed her ways. They honor Terry Sloane, the original Mr. Terrific. They also say goodbye to the Earth-2 Superman and Wonder Woman. As Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 showed, Superman went off to a "paradise dimension" with his wife Lois Lane-Kent and Superboy-Prime, and Wonder Woman went to Olympus with her Earth's Steve Trevor. The funeral is for the most recent losses the JSA suffered: The Earth-2 Robin and Huntress (Helena Wayne, the daughter of Batman and Catwoman). They died in Crisis #12. 

The JSA have come to a decision. They now live on a merged Earth full of heroes. Their children are active as the superteam Infinity Inc. They also still have other legacies in the Beth Chapel Dr. Midnight, the Yolanda Montez Wildcat, and the Rick Tyler Hourman.

If you ever watched the Stargirl TV series, you may be familiar with them. And I can understand why the show just gave Beth and Rick Charles and Rex's costumes. As such, the JSA feel that well...their time is over. There's no need for them as active superheroes anymore. So, they're going to disband and retire. Hawkman, the group's chairman, asks if there are any objections. And it just so happens one JSAer does object.

Who is this lone standout? 

It's the Spectre, last seen during the Crisis. And he looks like he'd been through six Hell in a Cell matches back to back. The ghostly hero claims he is dying, and collapses into his arms. The original Dr. Midnite, Charles McNider, looks him over. Thing is, McNider is a really good doctor, but the Spectre is the ghost of a decades-dead man. He's also the literal Wrath of God. He wasn't trained for THAT in medical school. Spectre grabs Dr. Fate, and gives him a message.

Man, that message must've blown a mind or two.

With his delivery complete, the Spectre seemingly dissipates, becoming mist in the wind. The sorcerer got the message in the form of a series of images. The JSA gather around Fate, and he shows them the events of April 15, 1945...the day the entire JSA attended the funeral of Franklin Roosevelt. As they leave the funeral, they notice that the sky...has seemingly gone mad.

"Oh God, Heimdall got drunk again."

The Earth is shaking, and it's got everyone quaking. All of the JSA members that can fly go up to take a look, but get repelled back. Hawkman points out that this...never happened that day. Fate explains that...it did. Back to the flashback! The JSA is visited by the new President, Harry S. Truman. Truman alerts the JSA that the weirdness with the sky...it's far from local. It's happening all over the world. The Spectre has used his higher powers to determine that whatever this is, it came from Berlin. 

The JSA head out to Germany, despite one big issue. You see, at the time, the comics established that Hitler had gotten his grubby paws on the Spear of Destiny. The Spear, aka the Holy Lance or the Lance of Longinus, was used to pierce Jesus's side when he was crucified. It gave the Lance immense magical power, and Hitler used it to make sure the JSA couldn't attack Germany directly. If they tried, the Spear would make some of their most powerful members (like the Spectre and Superman) into Hitler's thralls. 

As a result, due to their vulnerability to magic, Wonder Woman, Dr. Fate, Superman, and the Spectre have to stay back. The rest of the JSA fly deeper into Berlin. Starman's Gravity Rod detects a massive energy source...and it's coming from a bunker. He flies to scout the area...

Yeah, superhero costumes at the time tended to not be bulletproof. Flash tries to zip him to a hospital, but ends up getting a bullet to the back. The rest of the JSA rush in. Dr. Midnite uses a pair of his "blackout bombs" to make the soldiers retreat, but not before Atom and Mr. Terrific get some lead. Sandman gets grazed. Batman tries to use an explosive to break down the door, but it doesn't help much.

Hourman uses his strength to wrench the door open, but there's a machine gun nest waiting for him. The Man of the Hour gives the Nazi soldiers the door, but also gets a fatal dose of lead for his trouble. The injured Sandman stays behind to man the machine gun. The sky starts raining fireballs all over the world. The JSA go deeper into the bunker...and another member bites the dust as Dr. Mid-Nite gets shot. The surviving JSAers make their way to a heavily-guarded chamber.

Hawkman, Batman, and Wildcat charge in, but they're too late. Hitler completes his spell, and the Spear of Destiny unleashes a wave of destruction that destroys the Earth. "But wait!" You may ask. "If the world was destroyed in 1945, why are the JSA still alive in 1986? Heck, why does the world still exist in 1986?!" Well the energy wave Hitler unleashed is kind of like the anti-matter wall from Crisis on Infinite Earths. It's been making its way to the 1980s, destroying everything in its wake. The present-day JSA see cracks in the sky, and Dr. Fate transports them back in time. Back to 1945! Cue the Huey Lewis!

The present-day JSA find themselves back in the bombed-out Berlin, a few minutes before Hitler unleashed the full power of the Spear of Destiny. The heroes witness Hitler completing the ritual. Now again, if Hitler did destroy the world in 1945, the Earth should have no longer existed since then. So how did this whole temporal mess end up happening? Well, it obviously should not have. This was the fault of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. In issue #10 (January 1986), the Spectre struggled with the Anti-Monitor, and he ended up out like a light from it.

With the Spectre KO'd, his magical energies went wild, going all over space and time. Some of that magical power went into the Spear, and basically hypercharged it. They can't stop the Spear's destruction on Earth. The JSA has to go to the realm of the Gods. They have to go to Asgard. It's kind of funny that the Spear of Destiny, an artifact of Judeo-Christian mythology, is connected to the Norse pantheon.

It's here our heroes spot a ship.

It's Naglfar, a ship made of the fingernails of the dead. Hey, Justice Society! Just call in Skurge the Executioner! He'll wreck it for ya! He's done it before! Accompanying the ship is the wolf Fenrir and the Midgard Serpent. And the ship is followed by Surtur, the fire-giant. Ragnarok is here, and it can't be stopped. But the JSA are determined to fight to stop it.

However, they can't directly step in, as this is not their realm, but the realm of Asgard. So how can they help? Well, Green Lantern and Dr. Fate have that covered. They combine their mystical powers (Alan Scott's ring is magical in nature), and the JSA merge with the gods. Starman merges with Heimdall, Flash with Frey, Green Lantern with Thor, and so on. The World's First Super-Team naturally races into battle. Fash takes on Surtur, but the fire monster easily disaptches him. Permanently.

Went out in a hot Flash. Get it? Yeah, I'll shut up...

As a certain video game series would say: "Surtur Wins. Fatality."

The battle on the plain of Vigrid begins. Back on Midgard/Earth, Hitler tries to activate the Spear's power, but finds he can't get the magic to work. The JSA continue battling the hordes of Ragnarok, their fates tying into the Eddas. Wildcat dies facing Gorm the watchdog, like Tyr (Norse God of War) does in the myths.

Starman and the Star-Spangled Kid engage Loki. Ted blasts his head off, but Loki's sharp-haired head is able to fatally stab him. Green Lantern and Johnny Thunder engage the Midgard Serpent. The Serpent is able to easily kill Johnny thanks to a venom blast. The original Lantern is able to beat down the Serpent with a giant Thor construct. With its dying breath, the Midgard Serpent blasts Green Lantern with venom...and Alan Scott dies after staggering nine steps, like Thor in the Eddas. Hawkman and Hawkgirl engage Fenrir and get consumed. It seems you can't fight fate.

The battle ends, with most of the JSA dead, and still there's Surtur left. However, Dr. Fate has another surprise. Here in Asgard, death doesn't quite stick. As such, he's able to revive the JSA to engage the monstrous fire being.

Out on Earth, WWII comes to an end as normal. The Allies win, and Hitler takes his own life, his last plan to scorch the Earth with the Spear of Destiny utterly failing. The Star-Spangled Kid and Power Girl try to leap in to help, but Dr. Fate sends them away, saying that they're still young. Yeah, ol' Sylvester Pemberton isn't exactly a spring chicken. Fate prepares to join in the battle himself, but gets a visit from...the Spectre?!

But isn't he dead? Well, not really. The Spectre is the Wrath of God. And as such, he can't "die" in the way people think of dying. But the Spectre's day, like the JSA's, is done. He will stay and help vanquish Surtur. This sacrifice will help ensure that the Earth isn't destroyed. As such, he sends Fate back to Earth. Star-Spangled Kid, Power Girl, and Dr. Fate find themselves back at the funeral site from earlier, in front of a confused Infinity Inc. 

Infinity Inc. is comprised of the JSA's children and legacies. As such, they're naturally hit hard when they learn of the heroes' fate. But Fate assures them that they will overcome this loss, as they sacrificed themselves to ensure that the universe still continues on. The story ends with Dr. Fate looking down at a group of chess pieces that resemble the JSA. Who knows where they came from.

This comic was...kind of alright. The whole story does come off as a bit convoluted to me to be honest with you. The big final battle is the best part of the entire comic. It was rare to see a team of superheroes be slaughtered like this in comics at the time. 

When you think about it, what the JSA go through here is pretty horrific. They get killed, revived to fight Surtur...and they have to repeat it. Over and over again. All to make sure the universe doesn't get wrecked. And it's likely that the other superheroes (including their own children) are completely unaware of it. It's very tragic, in the vein of an opera. 

It's also neat seeing the Earth-Two Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman in one last story before the changes to the DCU's history in Crisis on Infinite Earths removed them in favor of their younger former Earth-One counterparts...even though they don't really do much. Yeah, their presence felt superfluous.

As for the art, well...the word "rushed" is the word I'd best use to describe it myself. It does feel like it was churned out rather quickly in places, like the artist had no time to really make some spectacular art. It does have a good sense of storytelling to it at times, so that's something going for it.

Naturally, you couldn't keep a group of old heroes like this away for long. In the 1992 miniseries Armageddon: Inferno (Part of the Armageddon 2001 event), the JSA are brought back from the never-ending Ragnarok they were trapped in. In The Sandman #26 (May 1991), it was revealed that the JSA were actually trapped in a simulation of Ragnarok created by Odin to prevent the real thing from going down. Their return led to a short-lived early-90s series that was cancelled due to editor Mike Carlin's dislike of the idea of DC publishing a comic about old superheroes. 

However, it would still not be the end for them. They would get another series in 1999, which lasted to 2006. This series dealt heavily with the theme of legacy. They would get another series from 2006-2011. And then the New 52 hit, and well...I have no idea anymore.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2017 trade paperback The Last Days of the Justice of America. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, get vaccinated, and wear a mask! Join me next time when we take a look at the birth of a brand-new X-Men team...

Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (December 1985)

The Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on! In the last two issues, we had to say goodbye to two of the DC Multiverse's most prominent superheroes: Supergirl and the Barry Allen Flash. However, their sacrifices would seemingly bring a much-needed bit of lull to the heroes of the DC Multiverse. Or so it seemed, as the various supervillains of the DCM have some plans of their own. Of course they do.

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.

He has announced his army of supervillain have conquered Earths 4, S, and X. They have demands for Earths 1 and 2. And Luthor spells them out. Either the two Earths surrender, or they will unleash forces that will destroy the Earths under their control, and since the five are linked, Earths 1 and 2 will go with them. This drives various heroes to leap into action, like Superman and the Creeper.

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...

Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 (September 1985)

The Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on! We're now at the halfway point, baby! So, let's go back to the collapsing Multiverse and find how our heroes survive this latest peril! Several Earths have been saved...but it's only temporary. They're threatening to come together in a rather...explosive manner. How can the heroes of the Multiverse stop this? Let's find out by going through Crisis on Infinite Earths #6!

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...