Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (March 1986)

Well...this is it. After one whole year, we're finally at the end of the miniseries that would redefine the DC Universe for decades. Every month this year, I've examined an issue of this miniseries, much like I did with the 1980s Squadron Supreme mini-series last year. Over the last year, we've seen triumph and tragedy. We've seen old heroes fall, and new heroes rise. We saw the heroes of the DCU stand up to what was undoubtedly the most horrific evil we have ever seen...and seemingly triumphed, but not with great cost. But there's still some unfinished business the heroes have to take care of. The Anti-Monitor will not stay down, and now...it's the final battle. The one for all the marbles. Let's take a look at Crisis on Infinite Earths #12!

The cover is...well, it's awesome. It's one of my personal favorite covers of the entire mini-series. It shows exactly what you're getting, the heroes in their biggest battle ever. A perfect metaphor for the entire miniseries.

"Final Crisis"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: George Perez
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Letterer: John Costanza
Editors: Len Wein, Robert Greenberger, Marv Wolfman
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with The Forgotten Heroes seeing something shocking. Brainiac's ship's monitor is focused on Earth, but the Earth is gone. They then find Brainiac himself in stasis.

Brainiac awakens and inquires why they are on his ship. Dolphin reminds him he helped then stop the Anti-Monitor, but the machine has no memory of this. Dolphin insists it's true, and they need his help again. Brainiac scans her and determines she is speaking the truth. He is perplexed as to why he has no memory of the Earth's vanishing. He deduces something altered his programming. Evidently, his ship must be recording things, as it provides him with the missing information. Brainiac himself lacks the power, but he can take them to someone who does. They head off. Where did the Earth end up? Well, in the antimatter universe, the Anti-Monitor looming over them in the form of a giant transparent head.

The Anti-Monitor goes on his villainous rant. During it, he remarks that the Earth-1 Flash is dead, which shocks Wally West, then Kid Flash. The sky goes completely black. The Supermen of Earths 1 and 2 look around and see people everywhere praying and panicking. It's hard for them to handle.

Harbinger appears, and tells the two Supermen the time has come to fight. They agree, and go with her. Harbinger also heads to Japan to grab Kimiyo Hoshi, the new Doctor Light. The normally arrogant scientist however, is feeling a bit guilty. She blames herself for Supergirl's death. This is especially tragic as keep in mind, one of the changes to the DCU's history was for Supergirl's Silver/Bronze Age career to be erased. However, that clearly has not set in yet. Anyway, Harbinger is able to reassure her by saying that Kara Zor-El was already dying from the injuries she received fighting the Anti-Monitor. His blast just ensured she wouldn't die painfully. How does Harbinger know that?

She's able to convince Dr. Light to help by reminding her that Supergirl sacrificed her life to stop the Anti-Monitor, and it would be a disrespect to her memory to give up now. Dr. Light is convinced, and goes with the mysterious woman. The darkness seems to be unending and impenetrable. But then...it cracks. The crack widens...the crack grows...and then...it breaks!

The darkness was Shadow Demons. Millions of them, and they're all over the world. Heroes all over the world try to fight off the monsters. B'wana Beast in Africa. Sunburst and Rising Sun in Japan. Red Star in Russia. Godiva and Jack O'Lantern in Ireland. Thunder and Lightning in Vietnam. Geo-Force in Markovia. Green Flame and the Lieutenant Marvels in Brazil.

Elsewhere, Doctor Mist was summoned by the Phantom Stranger so they can call upon the power of the comatose Spectre, and use that power to save the world. Harbinger has a bunch of heroes gathered together. Basically, they're going to engage the Anti-Monitor while the sorcerers of the DCU try to stop the Shadow Demons' rampage. Alexander Luthor opens a portal to the anti-matter universe, and he heroes go through. Deadman notices someone racing into the portal at super-speed. He hopes it was friendly.

Meanwhile, out in space, Brainiac's ship arrives at an odd planet that can only be described as a Hell of sorts, firepits blazing and misery everywhere. Welcome to Apokolips. And its ruler, the ever-diabolical Darkseid, is there to meet them.

"Welcome, mortals. Are you here to deliver that comfy chair I ordered?"

In New York City, some heroes are trying to get civilians to safety. Among them are Hank and Don Hall, aka the original Hawk and Dove. Don "Dove" Hall notices a scared child in a building and gets the child out. Hawk spots a Shadow Demon about to ambush his brother. Hank tries to warn his brother, but the Demon is able to kill Dove.

In Salem, a group of sorcerers try a ritual, the nexus being Doctor Occult with his Symbol of the Seven, and Alan Scott (the original Green Lantern) with his lantern. The heroes arrive in the anti-matter universe, and discover Kid Flash has joined them. Barry Allen was more than an uncle to Wally West. He was a mentor and friend. And he wants to know for sure if he's dead or not. The heroes spot the Scarlet Speedster being knocked around time as a result of his fatal run. Wally zips off, intent on following the after-image. And it leads him to a sight that confirms his worst fear.

Clearly driven mad, the Psycho-Pirate tries to pull Barry's empty Flash costume out of some rubble, desperately screaming for Flash to save him. A heartbroken and angry Wally gives Psycho-Pirate a Mighty Punch. Lady Quark finds the ring that Barry used to keep his uniform in. However, Wally has no time to mourn at the moment. Pariah has sensed a great concentrated evil, and it's right nearby. It's right behind them!

"BOO, MUTHATRUCKAS!"

In Atlantis, Aquaman, Mera, and Lori Lemaris are fighting the Shadow Demons underwater. Lori's got a laser cannon that hurts the dark creatures, but a demon is able to get her. The fighting continues on all over the world. In Chicago, the Earth-2 Green Arrow gets killed and the Peacemaker gets injured. Cyborg, Wildcat, Son of Vulcan, and Vigilante in Philadelphia. Shade, the Changing Man witness the death of Prince Ra-Man in New Orleans. Warlord in Skartaris. Gotham City sees the demons kill the Matt Hagen Clayface and the Bug-Eyed Bandit.

In New York City, Kole spots the Earth-2 Robin trying to tend to an injured Huntress, with Shadow Demons about to attack. She creates a crystal barrier in an attempt to protect them, but the Shadow Demons easily go through, killing the three heroes. However, the efforts of the mystics of the DCU pay off in a big way. Their power causes the Shadow Demons to be all gathered together, and driven off Earth.

In the antimatter universe, the heroes have engaged the Anti-Monitor in the hopes they'll be able to distract him long enough for the mystics to do their thing. Harbinger discovers that the Anti-Monitor is feeding upon a particular star for power. The star is a binary star, so Dr. Light has to absorb the power of the other star. She's nervous about doing it, but gets to work. Alexander Luthor also tries to drain the Anti-Monitor's antimatter energies. It clearly has an effect, but it's not much. The Anti-Monitor will not shut up.

The Negative Woman wraps her energy body around the Anti-Monitor, and the heroes blast at him. Then Dr. Light gives him a star-powered laser beam right to the chest.

The attack manages to bring the big monster down. Thanks to all the power he absorbed from the Anti-Monitor, Alex Luthor is able to create a giant portal back to the matter universe. However, he can't hold it for long. The heroes head for it, when they notice the Shadow Demons heading towards the planetoid the Anti-Monitor's body is buried under, like they're being summoned. Uh oh...

The Anti-Monitor just won't die. He awakens, having absorbed the Shadow Demons to re-empower himself. He fires a massive energy blast, seemingly vaporizing the Earth-1 Wonder Woman. Firestorm gets Kid Flash and the Psycho-Pirate back to the DCU. Kal-El and Lady Quark stay they'll stay behind to try and stop the Anti-Monitor. However, the Earth-2 Superman knocks them out. He'll stay behind, as someone has to stop the Anti-Monitor, and he's got no place on the new Earth. He tells Superboy-Prime to get them back to Earth and stay there.

The Anti-Monitor starts to feel immense pain. It turns out the sorcerers knew that the antimatter antagonist would reabsorb his demons, so they changed the demons so they'd essentially poison the monsterous being. Superboy-Prime is almost at the portal, but hesitates. Like Kal-L, what's there on this Earth for him? His home is gone, too. He feels there's nothing on that new Earth for him as well, so he tosses Kal-L and Lady Quark through the portal. Alex Luthor then feels a strange surge of power as he watches Kal-L fight a weakened Anti-Monitor.

What was that surge? It's Darkseid. He uses New God technology to essentially "hack" into Alex Luthor, as the redhead is a conduit between universes. Kal-L smashes a pair of giant asteroids into the Anti-Monitor, sending the monster flying two million miles into an asteroid. He then slams another giant asteroid right on the Anti-Monitor, seemingly killing him. He goes to check on Superboy-Prime. But then...

The Anti-Monitor. Just. Won't. Die. He blasts Kal-L and Prime, grabs them, and squeezes them in his anti-matter grip. Alex Luthor is helpless to do anything...but Darkseid disagrees. Using New God science, he sends powerful beams of energy through Alex's eyes to blast the Anti-Monitor. The screaming monster is sent into a star. The Forgotten Heroes thank Darkseid, but he tells them to leave Apokolips, as they will be enemies next they meet. Alex tells Kal-L and Prime that he may be able to create a portal out of the anti-matter universe, but not to Earth. But then...

THE ANTI-MONITOR. JUST. WON'T. DIE. Kal-L flies up and gives the mother of all Mighty Punches to the fiery being, FINALLY killing the antimatter anatagonist.

It's rather appropriate that Kal-L be the one to lay the final blow on the Anti-Monitor. Remember, according to DC canon at the time, the Earth-2 Superman was the very same character that first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). He was the superhero that kicked off the superhero genre. The one that started it all. The mightiest hero of them all. So, only right he gets to be the one that took down DC's greatest villain. The Mighty Punch sends the Anti-Monitor...well, what's left of him, tumbling back into the star. The star starts to implode, the shockwaves destroying everything they touch. Kal-L and Superboy-Prime, believing that there's no escape, are content to let the shock waves destroy them too.

However, there is a way out. Alex Luthor can open up a portal to another world, and there's someone there waiting for Kal-L.

It's the Earth-2 Lois Lane, the love of Kal's life. Alex managed to save her from being erased like the Multiverse was. Luthor can take them to a world that is a paradise. Kal is okay with this, as he is with Lois. Superboy-Prime agrees to come along as, well, nowhere else to go. The four vanish as the anti-matter universe is consumed.

Harbinger ties up a few things while standing in some snowy mountains. The Earth-One Wonder Woman wasn't vaporized, she was somehow reverted to clay. Time was reversed, and the Amazons were returned to the Grecian isles they originally fled. I think this was done to set up the Potter/Perez/Wein reboot. As for Earth-2 counterpart? Well, Mount Olympus took her and her husband in. With the Crisis finally over, the dead are mourned (sadly, some of the dead would ultimately be forgotten, despite Harbinger's statement), new heroes rose, and in one case, a significant mantle was taken up.

Wally West is cured of the superspeed-related illness he was dealing with in the Titans' book at the time thanks to his being blasted by the Anti-Monitor, at the cost of his top speed being only Mach 1. He puts on Barry's old suit and announces the Flash will run again.

The Great Disaster was averted. The young boy in Command D will be found by a man named Horatio Tomorrow of the Planeteers. The boy's new name? Thomas. Western anti-hero Jonah Hex finds himself in a war-torn post-apocalyptic future, which was setting up a new series he'd get at the time. The Guardians of the Universe still remain ruptured, and there's little hope they'll recover. Lady Quark and Pariah are planning to explore this new world, and they want Harbinger to come along. After all, she's got nothing better to do now. She agrees, as life is all about moving forward. She's also feeling a bit optimistic, as the future ahead seems bright.

In an epilogue, the story ends with...Arkham Asylum. The Psycho-Pirate is residing there. The doctors note that he keeps raving and rambling about a Multiverse or some other nonsense like that. Heh. Multiverse. What a crock. Clearly the man had been reading too much Michael Moorcock. The story ends with him ranting that he prefers the past, as the future can be unpredictable. After all, as he said himself, you never know who's going to die...and who is going to live.

This comic...was incredible. An epic ending to a miniseries that changed the DC cosmos forever. The Anti-Monitor proves to be one of the most formidable and toughest threats the heroes of the former multiverse have ever faced. This story was epic in scope, that covered the entirety of the DC Universe, touching every major point from the dawn of to the end of time. One of the purposes of Crisis was to celebrate DC's long history, and I say it does that pretty well.

I do want to talk to the aftermath for a moment. First of all, there is one thing we have to make clear here. I myself have been guilty of doing this, but Crisis on Infinite Earths...is not a reboot. At least, not in the strictest sense of the word. "Reboot" basically means the complete discarding of previous canon in favor of a fresh start. Crisis was not meant to be a reboot of the DC Universe. It was not meant to start the DCU over again. The DCU was meant to go on, just with some alterations to the history of it.

However, DC tried to have their cake and eat it too when it came to its history. It allowed some characters to restart their adventures over again most notably Superman and Wonder Woman. However, it allowed some characters' storylines to go on as if nothing happened, like Batman and Green Lantern.

The changes DC made to its history in the wake of Crisis would also affect some characters badly. The erasure of Superman's history as Superboy would badly wreck the Legion of Super-Heroes' history, as they were heavily tied in with Superboy. Because Earth-2 now never existed and DC wanted Superman to be the only surviving Kryptonian, poor Power Girl was given an unpopular new origin tying her to Arion, and she went through some crazy stuff. And because DC decided to reboot Wonder Woman's history, Donna Troy had to be given a new origin. And then another one. And another one. I could write a whole separate blog entry on the changes done to certain characters' histories due to Crisis.

Were there follow-ups to this story? Well, yes. In 1994, DC released the mini-series Zero Hour: Crisis in Time. It wasn't really a sequel to Crisis, but it did attempt to further fix some of the continuity bugs Crisis's alteration to history caused. It still did cause more problems, especially for Hawkman. Poor, poor Hawkman. Despite this, Zero Hour was not really a sequel, and it was received poorly.

However, in 2005, in honor of Crisis's 20th anniversary, the story would get an actual sequel: Infinite Crisis. This storyline would see the return of Kal-L, Earth-Two Lois Lane, Alex Luthor, and Superboy-Prime. Like Crisis and Zero Hour, it would make more alterations to DC's fictional history, like restoring Superman's career as Superboy (in a way), and Wonder Woman's status as a founder of the Justice League.

In 2008, DC put out Final Crisis, focusing on Darkseid taking over the Earth. This was described as the final part of the "Crisis Trilogy", despite that neither CoIE nor Infinite Crisis were meant to be part of a trilogy, and Final Crisis didn't directly follow up on the events of either.

Finally, in 2015, DC released Convergence, which celebrated CoIE's 30th anniversary. The evil Brainiac has captured various cities from across various worlds and incarnations of the old Mutliverse. This storyline had the effect of undoing the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, restoring the classic DC Multiverse.

Crisis on Infinite Earths left behind one incredible legacy. I don't really know what I can say about it that no one else has said already. It redefined the DC Universe for a new generation of readers. It was one of the few stories that truly lived up to the promise of nothing being the same ever again. It's an incredible story. I do consider it a must-read, but I think it's a bit of a heavy read. Having knowledge of the old Multiverse only helps. However, I did read it before I ever became knowledgeable of the old Multiverse, and I didn't really feel that lost. This story had triumph, tragedy, action, and heroes being epic. It is credited with ending the Bronze Age of Comics. It helped start the modern "event comic" and it's stood the test of time as being one of the best.

I hope you enjoyed this rather long blog entry capping off this year-long review. Thank you for reading, and supporting it. Next time, the best there is at what he does will be paying a visit to the blog. That's right. Wolverine is coming, and somebody is going to get some claws! As for what big 12-issue mini I'm going to tackle next year, well...let's just say...that's a Secret...

Crisis on Infinite Earths #11 (February 1986)

The Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on! Last time, we saw the Anti-Monitor traveling to the dawn of time in an attempt to conquer the remains of the Multiverse. The Spectre, boosted by the magical power of every magician in the DC Multiverse, arm-wrestled with the Anti-Matter Antagonist. I have no idea what else to call what they were doing. The struggle then caused everything to shatter.

So, what happened next? Was the Anti-Monitor finally foiled? Did the heroes succeed in saving what was left of the Multiverse? Will I enjoy this comic? Well, let's take a look at the penultimate issue of this miniseries: Crisis on Infinite Earths #11!

The cover is...an interesting one. It really is a gigantic spoiler of what we'll be seeing in the comic. In the center of it all is Harbinger, looking rather intense. She's dealing with a LOT on that cover. Not as much as some of those heroes there, I can tell you.

"Aftershock"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Letterer: John Constanza
Editors: Len Wein, Robert Greenberger, Marv Wolfman
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with the origin of...the universe.

It's a beautiful sunny morning in the city of Metropolis. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, everything is hunky-dory. One Clark Kent, aka Kal-L, aka the Earth-2 Superman, awakens in his apartment. He had this weird dream about a crisis and the end of everything...yeah, he really needs to stop eating pepperoni wraps before bed. He recognizes his apartment, but everything looks different. He wonders if Lois did some redecorating, then realizes that he doesn't really remember where he's been lately. Totally not strange or anything. But then again, considering Kal-L had been doing superhero work for about 50 years by that point, it probably isn't that strange for him.

He gets dressed and heads out to the Daily Star, the paper he's the editor of. He picks up a newspaper, and reads through it as he heads to his office. He takes a seat at his desk...but gets a surprise.

Kal-L realizes that he's on Earth-1, he's in the Daily Planet building, and he's in Perry White's office.  His Earth-1 counterpart finds him and gives the excuse that the elder Superman is his uncle. Kal-L is confused as to how he ended up on Earth-1. The two Supermen fly off to New York, where there is a warp zone bridge that'll take him back home. On the way, Kal-L advises Kal-El to settle down with his Lois. Were they dating at the time?

The two Supermen remember being at the dawn of time, the Spectre and the Anti-Monitor doing the whole weird arm wrestling thing, but then the Earth-1 Superman woke up in his office at the Daily Planet, like nothing ever happened. Nobody remembers the crazy weather, but there is reference to Supergirl's death. However, nobody seems to know how she died. It's weird. The two Supermen arrive at the warp zone in Washington Square.

There's no police cordon, and the warp zone appears to be gone. Kal-El asks a police officer where the cordon went, but the cop explains there was nothing here that needed one for months. The officer doesn't recognize Kal-L, thinking he's an old cosplayer who got the "S" on his costume wrong. They head to Central City. The Barry Allen Flash kept his Cosmic Treadmill there. Kal-L realizes that nobody really knew where Barry went to after he was cleared of murder. I think this was in Flash #350 (October 1985).

While flying to Central City, they notice a sign saying "Welcome to the Twin Cities. Central and Keystone." This really confuses both the Supermen, as Keystone City, the Jay Garrick Flash's traditional stomping ground, was on Earth-2. They arrive at the home of said Flash and his wife Joan. Joan, who is grilling some steaks, recognizes the Earth-1 Superman...but not the Earth-2 one...even though Kal-L is an old friend and he and Lois have had dinner with them a dozen times. Thankfully, Jay Garrick knows who they are.

Jay takes them to his lab, where he and Wally West are fixing up the Cosmic Treadmill. They know something weird is going on with this world. Barry Allen existed, and his trial was in the news. Jay tried calling Kal-L in Metropolis, but his phone number was nonexistent. It's almost as if this world...has combined aspects of both Earths 1 and 2. Hmmm...

The four heroes board the Cosmic Treadmill and start to run. They break the barrier to take them to Earth-2...but there's a problem.

There's no Earth-2. It's gone. Vanished. Kaput. Went bye-bye. The heroes are horrified, and Jay realizes that the Multiverse no longer exists. There's only one Earth, one universe. Kal-L realizes that this was why no one remembers him anymore. He tries to throw himself into the void in despair, screaming that's where he belongs. Kal-El restrains his elder counterpart, despite the older Kryptonian lamenting he has no home. The heroes are able to return to the now single Earth, destroying the Cosmic Treadmill in the process. Kal-L heard the void calling to him, like he belonged there.

Out in the time stream, the Forgotten Heroes (Animal Man, Dolphin, Adam Strange, Captain Comet, Atomic Knight, and Rip Hunter) discover that time has been realigned. The group encounter Brainiac's skull ship and investigate it. Adam Strange notes that the metal looks alive. That's because it is. They find Brainiac, and he seems...inert. Like he's dead.

The heroes gather at Titans Tower to discuss the odd changes to this world. Captain Marvel remarks he tried to get back to Earth-S, but it was gone. Uncle Sam notes the same thing happened when he and the rest of the Freedom Fighters when they tried to return to Earth-X. It's revealed that Harbinger gathered the heroes together because this new world is still in danger. She was thought to have lost her powers, but somehow got them back when this universe was formed. Many things have been changed and altered.

Kal-L asks how he could still exist, despite his entire life being wiped off this combined Earth's history. Well, he was there at the dawn of time. His presence there allowed him to continue to exist, despite his no longer being part of this new universe's history. Helena Wayne, the Earth-2 Huntress, remarks that some of the JSA are remembered, like Flash and Green Lantern...but she wasn't. She found someone else in her apartment. She checked around, and found that there's no record of her existing. Dick Grayson, the Earth-2 Robin, also did the same thing. He found there were records of him existing...as a 19-year-old living in Manhattan...his Earth-1 counterpart.

He went down to Wayne Manor, and found a teary-eyed Helena. There's no gravestone for her father, the Earth-2 Batman. You'd think there'd be one for the Earth-2 Catwoman as well, considering she was Helena's mother and a Wayne by marriage. She laments that this new Earth is a mixture of Earths 1 and 2...but she's a nonperson.

This actually makes sense. How? Well, look at this from a meta perspective. The Earth-2 JSA's Flash and Green Lantern? Jay Garrick and Alan Scott. The Earth-1 JLA's? Barry Allen and Hal Jordan. Distinctive characters, different people. This new Earth had room for both of them. But the two Supermen and Robins? Nope. Both of them were just different versions of the same character. They were both Clark Kent and Richard "Dick" Grayson, just the Earth-2 version were older. They were redundant.

Also, keep in mind this. Earth-1 was DC's "default" Earth at this point. Most of its characters came from there. Most of its stories were set there. Adaptations of DC characters in other media were based on the Earth-1 versions of characters. The cartoons, the movies? All based on Earth-1. So, it makes sense that the Earth-1 versions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Robin would be kept around. As for Helena Wayne, well...she was the daughter of versions of Batman and Catwoman that were no longer "canon". So, yeah. She had to go, too.

This confuses Helena Wayne. If this Earth had no "Golden Age/Earth-2" Batman or Catwoman...how does she still exist? Harbinger herself isn't sure. But she does know one thing: the Multiverse is no more. In fact, it never existed. There was one Earth, one universe. Always was now. She then goes on to give a basic primer of the history of this new combined world.

It's a great little primer, which shows various characters at their appropriate place in time, from Anthro at the dawn of humanity, Jon the Viking Prince at the Age of Vikings (If you ever watched the Justice League Unlimited episode "On Another Shore", you should be familiar with the Viking Prince), Bat Lash in the Old West, and Hans von Hammer, the Enemy Ace, in WWI. However, when this new Earth reached its WWII, things got really interesting. Many heroes who were active on various Earths during this era...now were all active together at the same time in the same place. The JSA, Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, the Blackhawks, the Freedom Fighters. All active in the same world.

Decades later, a rocket would flee the exploding planet Krypton. In it would contain the planet's last hope...and sole survivor. A prominent Gotham family was out walking, when a criminal would end that night in bloodshed.

Kal-L is in anguish. His Krypton never existed. But mostly...his Lois, his beloved wife of decades...is gone. He flies off in anguish, Kal-El going after him. After all, there are things he doesn't know...

Somewhere else, Deadman and the Phantom Stranger are talking, and they found the Spectre. The Angel of Vengeance clearly was knocked for several loops arm-wrestling the Anti-Monitor. In Las Vegas, Nevada, a detective convention is going down. Which is an appropriate place for a crime to go down. A cleaning lady discovers a dead body in a cloud of smoke. Jonni Thunder discovers an odd triangle near the corpse. Harvey Bullock recognizes the object as the Angler, the trademark weapon of the Wonder Woman villain known as the Angle Man.

In Salem, Massachusetts, Dr. Fate and Etrigan sense a great darkness coming. Fate then sees Amethyst, the Princess of Gemworld, being chased by villagers. Evidently, this village is stuck in the 15th century. However, she would get a savior.

 Meet Dr. Occult, a private detective who specializes in cases regarding the supernatural. He was created by the same guys who created Superman. Yup, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created this guy. Using his magic talisman, he's able to calm the crowd down and make them back off. Some Shadow Demons attack, and Amethyst tries to fight them off with her own magic powers. Her attempt creates a big flash of light that makes her scream.

Etrigan and Dr. Fate arrive and are able to destroy the demons. Dr. Fate looks over the wounded Amethyst, who has ended up blind. Fate goes over to help her, but sees something in her. He then opens a portal to Gemworld. He helps her over, as he says her destiny is there. This leads to the events of Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld #13 (February 1986).

Back in New York, Kal-El is able to catch up with Kal-L and help him through his grief. In Paradise Island, the Earth-2 Wonder Woman and her daughter Fury find themselves confused, as this is not the Paradise Island they know. However, the Earth-1 Wonder Woman is able to find them and talk to them. Back at Titans Tower, the heroes also discuss some of the quirks of this new combined Earth.

One is Power Girl. She states that she is remembered, but Kal-L is not. Again, meta perspective. Power Girl may have been Earth-2's Supergirl, but she ended up being very distinct from her character-wise. This would cause problems for her down the line, but more on that next issue. Batman thanked Lex Luthor in jail, but Luthor denies ever doing it. In fact, he has no memory of ever being at Oa in the distant past. Since only the heroes were at the dawn of time, only they remember the old Multiverse. Beast Boy observes some bad weather coming.

Gorilla City ends up being besieged by Shadow Demons. This is just a little aside to check in on the injured Solovar, who is recovering from the events of issue 3. In Peru, the Challengers of the Unknown are collaborating with Cave Carson and his spelunking team to investigate some strange vibrations. And they find a warp zone.

Man, I hope it doesn't send them back a level. That would utterly suck. The electrical storms are covering the world. Pariah feels evil tugging at him, but he's not disappearing. It's cold. Cold as death. The antimatter effect overcomes Alex Luthor. A shadow covers the planet like a cloak. The sky gets dark and starry. The heroes realize where they are. They're in the anti-matter universe. Which means only one thing.

The Anti-Monitor is still alive. And he's going to get his revenge on the Earth and its heroes for foiling his dreams of the destruction of the positive universe.

This issue was actually really good. We get to see some of the aftermath of the Crisis and hints about the history of this new combined Earth. The scenes with Kal-L and the Earth-2 Robin and Huntress are rather heartbreaking, as after all they went through, their home is gone. Not only gone, but it never existed. That must really suck for them. You can tell they haven't quite got all their ducks in a row when it comes to the post-Crisis world's history yet as Superman talks about this world knowing about Supergirl. And that would lead to other problems for certain characters down the line, but more on that next issue.

This is definitely the most meta issues of the series, as keeping certain characters around while ditching others does make sense. As I said, the multiple versions of Superman, Robin, and Wonder Woman were redundant, so they had to go. It really shows that Crisis was not meant to be a full-on reboot, just do some housecleaning for the sake of simplicity.

George Perez's art is...well, what can I say about it that everyone else already has said about it? I don't think I can compliment it better than anyone else has ever had. It's awesome.

Next time, as I'm still in a Crisis mood, we're going to take a look at an earlier tale of inter-Earth adventures. Join me as we take join the JLA and JSA as they take on the Secret Society of Supervillains...

Crisis on Infinite Earths #10 (January 1986)

The Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on! During a lull when it seemed like the Anti-Monitor was dead, the supervillains of the Multiverse saw an opportunity for conquest. And so, they did, conquering three of the remaining Earths. However, there's a coup in the ranks, and the Anti-Monitor isn't quite dead yet. So, how will the coup go? What's the Anti-Monitor got planned? And how will this miniseries ring in 1986? Let's find out in our look at Crisis on Infinite Earths #10!

The cover is awesome. You got the Anti-Monitor and the Spectre facing off, standing in a swirling galaxy-like thing in a void. It gives the impression that these two are going to have an epic face-off. It makes sense because the Spectre is literally the Wrath of God. And then there's all the heroes and villains being scattered all over the place. It shows that for all the power they have, it's nothing to what the Spectre and the Anti-Monitor are going to bring into play here. It's a great cover, and you do get an idea of what's going to go down here. I love it so much.

"Death at the Dawn of Time"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist: Anthony Tollin
Letterer: John Costanza
Editors: Len Wein, Robert Greenberger, Marv Wolfman
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with Psimon trying to use his powers to turn Lex Luthor's brain into mush. Psimon, being the suspicious type, had stayed behind while Luthor and Brainiac sent the other villains out to conquer Earths 4, X, and S. Psimon liked the idea, but he felt that he should be the one to pick up the pieces and rule. As such, he waited to strike. However, Psimon's plan had a fatal flaw.

Yup. Brainiac. "But wait," you may ask. "Didn't Psimon destroy him?" Well, yeah. Kind of. You see, Psimon did destroy the body Brainiac was using. But Brainiac himself is a disembodied consciousness, and is part of the awesome skull ship itself. As a result, he was able to build himself a new body while Psimon was busy trying to make Luthor's brains into mush. And with that, the robotic rogue is able to literally blow Psimon's brains out.

On Earth-1's prehistoric era, Anthro spots the same storm that the Balloon Buster and the WWII characters saw in the last issue. This, combined with his seeing the 31st-century city in issue 2, leaves the First Boy on Earth wondering if he is going crazy.

On Earth-4, in its New York City, Chemo just stares at the sea he poisoned. Despite him just being a living blob of chemicals, he feels a strange satisfaction. An enraged Negative Woman is able to wrap herself around the chemical vessel and shatter it. Aqualad desperately tries to get Tula to safety, despite knowing she's going to die. Black Adam is battling the Don Hall Dove and Robotman, but Kole stops him by turning him into crystal. In a nice character moment, the Hank Hall Hawk is about to smash the crystalline statue Black Adam has become, but Don is able to stop him.

On Earth-S, A group of villains including Dr. Sivana have the Marvel family bound and gagged and on ice as it were.

Heh heh, on ice. I am funny. They get attacked by the Martian Manhunter and Platinum of the Metal Men. The Ray Palmer Atom frees the Marvel Family, and Billy Batson transforms into the original Captain Marvel. On Earth-X, more heroes are trying to depose the ruling villains. Batman clobbers Calendar Man. Firestorm and Vixen take down Captain Cold and Icicle. Speedy brings down the Shaggy Man. Brainiac and Luthor are watching the battle, and Brainiac notes that the villains' unwillingness to work together is causing trouble for them. A disappinted Luthor was hoping they'd still have a better showing. They, as well as the heroes' human allies, discover a massive energy influx.

It's the Spectre, and he's basically here to tell the heroes and villains alike that they need to knock off the Super Smash Bros. antics. You see...the Anti-Monitor is still alive. He plans to go to the beginning of time, and alter time to prevent the forming of the Multiverse. I'm not sure how he's going to pull that off. The heroes and villains must join forces to stop them. Half of this combined force must go to the beginning of time so they can engage the Anti-Monitor. The other half must go to Oa, to do some history-changing of their own. Brainiac and Luthor consider this, and ultimately decide the Anti-Monitor is indeed the greater threat.

Over a hundred heroes and villains meet on Earth-1's Death Valley. The Lord of Time has provided his temporal transporter, the Legion brought their Time Bubbles, and Rip Hunter has his Time Sphere. Here we get a very nice moment with the Earth-2 Superman and his world's Lois Lane. Alex Luthor watches them as Lois and Superman converse for what might be the very last time. The group prepare to take a trip though time, but they find someone wanting to join them.

Yup, it's Superboy-Prime. Earth-1 Superman recognizes him as they met in DC Comics Presents #87 (November 1985). Superboy had vanished after the events of that comic. Prime himself says he's unsure of how he vanished, but he's here now, and his Earth is gone. I'll be frank here, I think the only reason why this guy was created was just so they could have Superboy appear in some way. Uncle Sam gives the assembled heroes and villains a speech.

I don't you about you, but I feel motivated. And with that, it's time to do some time-travelin'. The Metal Men's Gold has connected himself to the time machines. All the electrokinetic characters blast him with their lightning, with the Metal Men's Gold focusing it into the time machines. The Lord of Time takes his spaceship with a bunch of super-villains on it and heads off to ten billion years in the past. Jay Garrick and Wally West start running around the time machines as all the characters with magnetic powers fire off their abilities. With that, the big assemblage to the dawn of time. Brainiac observes this and notes that the chances of this plan working are very low.

In Atlantis, Garth managed to get Tula to help, but the prognosis is...she's gone. Aqualad collapses into Mera's arms in grief. Superman is pushing his way through the time stream, Alex Luthor in tow. He had never been able to reach the dawn of time under his own power, but thanks to the additional push of electromagnetic energy, he's able to reach it. At the right moment, Alex Luthor uses his own powers and opens the door to the antimatter universe. And once they arrive, the group are face to face with the Anti-Monitor himself.

He also has Pariah, who screams at the assembled heroes to flee. But then he also yells at them to destroy him. Make up your mind, man. He tells them not to worry about him, as he deserves his fate. The Anti-Monitor mocks this, saying that Pariah did not awaken him. All the former scientist did was inadvertently give the Anti-Monitor an opportunity to gain some extra power. This shocks Lady Quark, as she had been understandably angry at Pariah for the deaths of her family and world. Pariah is understandably surprised, too. He had been carrying around all this guilt for something that was not his fault. The heroes attack the antimatter-powered menace, firing various energies and hitting with mighty blows.

The scene then shifts to the past on the planet Oa. The villains rampage through a city, trying to get to Krona. A group of ancient Oans watch this and wonder why they're attacking. One senses that they want to help. Despite this, the Oans prioritize their property, and use their power to knock out the rampaging villains. Three villains manage to make it to Krona's lab, where they find the screen where he'll view the beginning of the universe: Mirror Master, Icicle, and Maaldor. The three end up arguing over which one gets to destroy it. Their arguing distracts them, allowing Krona to ambush and kill them.

Meanwhile, things are not going well for the heroes at the dawn of time. The Anti-Monitor wrecks them, saying that he wanted them to follow him here. He starts to drain their life energies, as he expended his own to get here. He plans to alter time by having his hand be the one Krona sees when he peers into the origins of the universe. The hand that destroys his and all the positive universes once and for all. Pariah pleads for someone to stop him, but nobody can. Well, nobody except one.

The Spectre grips the Anti-Monitor's hand and some weird...tug-of-war thing happens, I have no idea. The Spectre is boosted by the sorcerers of the DCU, their magicks flowing into him. They have to contain the Anti-Monitor, as killing him would doom their fellow heroes. Him having their energies and all. Jennifer Morgan notices a window in the air, and they realized the villains failed to stop Krona from doing his experiment. Dr. Fate believes all is lost, but the Spectre absolutely refuses to give up. He demands more power, and the story ends with everything...shattering like glass dropped from a great height.

There is something I must point out. Throughout the issue, Lyla is hanging out somewhere, presumably on Earth-1, making recordings in a 80s-futuristic recorder in black-and-white strips. This segment is called the Monitor Tapes, and it's basically a supplemental info dump, Lyla talking about various other things out of focus in the main story, like the heroic deaths of the Prince Gavyn Starman and Tommy Tomorrow rescuing the population of fourteen worlds.

This issue was perfectly fine. My one big complaint was the whole thing with the Spectre and the Anti-Monitor. What exactly were they doing? Was it some kind of cosmic tug of war or something? I don't get it. There are some great points. I enjoyed the moment with the Earth-2 Superman and Lois Lane. That was very nice. It was also a surprise to see the villains fail to prevent Krona's experiment. I also had a chuckle seeing Psimon's attempt at a coup fall flat on its face. I still would look at this as an issue that stands better when read as part of the whole storyline than on its own.

Speaking of the Spectre...next time, in the spirit of Halloween, we'll take a look at the embodiment of God's Wrath during the start of one of his solo series...

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 #8 (November 1985)

The Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on! In the last issue, we said goodbye to the original Supergirl, Kara Zor-El. She had sacrificed her life to stop the Anti-Monitor from bringing about the destruction of the five remaining Earths in the original DC Multiverse. But she will not be the only hero to meet her end in this miniseries. Yes, this miniseries is also known for the death of Barry Allen, the Flash of the Silver Age. So, how did he go out? Let's find out by looking at Crisis on Infinite Earths #8!

 

The cover is awesome. We got Barry Allen standing defiantly against the Anti-Monitor, a knocked cold Psycho-Pirate in his hand. The angle really shows how big and imposing the universe-destroying madman...mad-machine? ...is. It also reminds me of the film poster of For Your Eyes Only, one of my favorite Bond movies.

Yeah, it's the UK poster, but still, see what I mean?

"A Flash of the Lightning!"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciller: George Perez
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist: Anthony Tollin
Editors: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Robert Greenberger

The story begins on...or rather, inside the Anti-Monitor's ship. Inside, the Psycho-Pirate is terrified. He fears the Anti-Monitor will kill him because his powers burned out when the anti-matter tyrant needed them (last issue, the Anti-Monitor ordered the Psycho-Pirate to use his powers to make the heroes who were attacking his citadel his slaves. The Pirate wasn't able to do it because when his powers were amplified to induce panic in the people of the remaining Earths, they got burned out). In his fear, he's ranting and raving to an...unwitting audience.

The Pirate admits to Flash that he hopes that the explosion that killed Supergirl also took the Anti-Monitor out. He also noted the irony that he's feeling all this fear and anxiety...and he can't use it. But contrary to the villain's hope, the Anti-Monitor lives. And he's got himself a new look.

I have to admit, I get the new design here. It's much more sleek than the original appearance. I love the Anti-Monitor's original look, but let's be fair. It's complicated, and extremely intricate. It's something only George Perez can do regularly. This new design is sleeker, and presumably, easier to draw. Reminds me of something Erik Larsen said. He basically said that when you design a costume, you have to keep in mind people will be drawing it over and over again. I can see this design being easier on the artists than the original. Also, I like the design. Very sleek.

But enough ranting about art design, let's get back to the story! The Anti-Monitor plans to head back to Qward, where from there, he will destroy the Earths. The Pirate is grateful that the Anti-Monitor will let him live, but the Anti-Monitor reminds him the only reason the Pirate isn't dead is because he still could have a use for the emotion-manipulator, and he can't exactly get another one at the moment.

On the hellish world of Apokolips, Darkseid's resident scientist Desaad has spotted the Anti-Monitor's ship. He wonders what can be done to stop him, but Darkseid has already taken some precautions. He has had Apokolips cloaked from the anti-matter monster's notice. The tyrant is perfectly content to let the heroes and the Anti-Monitor duke it out. If the heroes win, then the status quo will be maintained. If they lose? Well, that means the Anti-Monitor will be weakened, so it will be easier for Darkseid to finish him off.

Whereas Apokolips is willing to chill out and wait to see what happens next, Oa is not so willing. The merging has stopped, which has somehow freed the Guardians of the Universe from the state they were in in the last issue. Katma Tui is wondering why the Green Lantern Corps weren't called in to fight. Arisia agrees, as the Guardians had to have known about this whole craziness with the Anti-Monitor. They admit they knew of something crazy going down, but they had no idea of the extent of it. The Guardians argue amongst themselves about what should have been done, hinting at a potential split down the line.

In the 30th century on Earth-1, Brainiac 5 is hard at work, trying to find a way to repair the damage to the five Earths. The other Legionnaires know Brainiac 5 is pushing himself so hard because of Supergirl's death. You see, the brainy Legionnaire had a long-going thing for the Maid of Might, and considering the character at this point already had a history of being a bit mentally unstable...yeah. The other Legionnaires have every right to be concerned.

In Earth-1's then-present, the heroine known as Firehawk is visiting Firestorm in Pittsburgh.

She wanted to know what was up between him and Killer Frost. However, Firestorm gets a call. It's Vixen, and she's found the scientist known as T.O. Morrow. The three heroes, alongside the Martian Manhunter, take the criminal inventor to the old Justice League Satellite, now abandoned and in disrepair. Despite this, there are still-functioning areas of the satellite. So, why is Morrow being taken there?

The Teen Titans' Cyborg and the Atom are examining the body of the Red Tornado. They're trying to repair him, but they find his android body way too advanced for them. Considering that T.O. Morrow was the android's original creator, they figured that he may be able to help. The Atom, using a special pair of camera-goggles, shows what he sees on his journey through the inside of the Red Tornado.

Morrow is shocked. The Anti-Monitor had altered the Tornado's insides, making him something completely different from the original android he built years ago. He has no idea what he even is looking at, much less how to approach fixing him. The John Stewart Green Lantern flies out to Los Angeles, and picks up the Blue Devil, taking him to the Satellite. The Devil wonders why they want him, as he's not a scientist. He's reminded he built the original bio-suit. Yeah, the Blue Devil was originally a man in a suit, but thanks to a demon, he got turned into an actual demon. Ain't comics great?

The Blue Devil observes Morrow take off the Red Tornado's head. The demon notes that the insides of the android are glowing. He then realizes something is going on. The Atom leaps out of the robot, screaming that the robot's insides are going crazy.

Yup, the Anti-Monitor booby-trapped the Red Tornado, causing the hero to explode in a firestorm. Speaking of Firestorm, he notes that Firehawk is missing. She's alright, but her costume is busted up. Luckily, she has molecular reconstruction powers, so she can make a new one.

Yeah, this bit was only an excuse to give a minor character a new suit. T.O. Morrow tries to flee for his life, with the Blue Devil after him. Morrow vanishes, leaving the Devil confused. The former stuntman spots a space warp, and it pulls him in. He finds himself on a spaceship operated by the Omega Men. After the events of Omega Men #31 (October 1985), the Vega system thinks the Omegas are dead...and this warp may ensure that reports of their deaths will not be greatly exaggerated. The warp is causing the ship to disintegrate, leaving the Blue Devil to wonder how he's going to get out of this mess. You'll have to read Blue Devil #18 (November 1985) to find out how. Back in the anti-matter universe, the Anti-Monitor is overseeing some construction.

What is it that he's building? Well, it's a cannon. A big ol' cannon. Yup, he's going to use this thing to literally blow the five remaining Earths away. Meanwhile, the Psycho-Pirate has come to visit the Flash. His powers are starting to return, and he wants to have some fun with the Scarlet Speedster, who is trapped in some Jello glue goop. He tries to use his powers on the Fastest Man Alive, but Barry Allen is having none of it. He breaks out of his...Jello glue goop, and gives the Pirate a Mighty Punch, and he has one for his Thunderer guard, too.

The Pirate tries to make Barry afraid of him again, but the forensics expert manages to resist it and give the Pirate another Mighty Punch. And another. And another. And another. And one more just for the heck of it. The emotion-manipulator pleads for his life, and Barry tells him that he's got a little scheme going, and the Pirate is going to help him. What's the plan?

Well, Barry plans to use the Psycho-Pirate's powers to make the Anti-Monitor's Qwardian Thunderers to turn on the cosmic cyborg and attack him.

With the Thunderers raining their bolts on the Anti-Monitor, Flash turns to the anti-matter cannon. The Psycho-Pirate pleads for Flash's help, but he only gets another Mighty Punch. As far as the Flash is concerned, Psycho-Pirate deserves it if the Anti-Monitor kills him. He was willing to join up with a being that killed uncountable amounts of people with no remorse, and the five Earths were next on his hit list. Barry vibrates inside the cannon.

Barry discovers that the cannon's power source is concentrated anti-matter. He can feel himself weakening somehow. I have no idea. He has to destroy the cannon, and there's only one way a Flash can do it.

Barry Allen begins to run.

He runs, faster and faster, despite his growing weaker. His legs are feeling like lead, but still, he runs. He thinks about his parents. He thinks about his wife Iris. He thinks about his friends and loved ones, like Fiona Webb, Wally West, Dexter Myles, Ralph and Sue Dibny, Hal Jordan...he knows he's dying, but still...he runs. He runs, despite the pain he is in.

The Anti-Monitor endures the assault of the Weaponers of Qward, getting his armor damaged in the process. He manages to fight them off. The cosmic cyborg witnesses the cannon over-loading, Flash's running is causing the cannon to overload, the anti-matter energy inside being forced inside the machine.

Faster and faster Barry Allen runs. He is in pain, and his body is slowly disintegrating. His speed is so great, he starts flashing through points in time, seeing Kid Flash, and the Joker and Batman (from issue 2), and he screams for help. Barry keeps running as his body wears away, leaving an empty costume. His running is not in vain, as to the horror of the Anti-Monitor, his cannon explodes into a useless pile of wrecked metal and rubble.

From a meta-perspective, Barry Allen dying in Crisis on Infinite Earths made a bit of poetic sense. It was a Barry Allen story, "Flash of Two Worlds", that introduced the DC Multiverse. And it is appropriate that his final adventure be in the story that ends the DC Multiverse. The Anti-Monitor takes the destruction of his cannon rather well. He takes the destruction of his cannon so well that he vows to make the humans suffer. He takes it so well that he absorbs the energy of the worlds of his universe, killing everyone on them. What does he plan to do with that energy? Well, do a bit of time-travelling.

The scene then shifts to Earth-1, particularly Challenger Mountain, home of the Challengers of the Unknown: Kyle "Ace" Morgan, Matthew "Red" Ryan, Leslie "Rocky" Davis", Professor Walter Mark "Prof" Haley, and June Robbins. Evidently, they could not be bothered to come up with a nickname for her. The Challengers were essentially a group of four men who miraculously survived a plane crash. This event convinced them they were living on "borrowed time", so they banded together to have adventures. They first appeared in 1957. Yeah. June Robbins, who was an archaeologist and computer expert, would later join the group.

The five Challengers are monitoring some subspace readings Superman asked them to take a look at. They're a bit nervous about this new threat, as even thought they've managed to cheat death despite "living on borrowed time", they usually had some idea what they were facing. Evidently, none of the superheroes who were in the anti-matter universe bothered to tell these guys anything. "Prof" Haley picks up a noise on his equipment. It's a scream. But it's not a normal scream. It's a scream that seems to permeate the entire universe. It's a scream that gives the Challengers agony as lightning cracks in the sky. What could create a scream like this?

The Spectre, that's who. The embodiment of God's Wrath, screaming in frustration and protest. The Spectre is one of the most powerful beings in the entire DC Multiverse. Despite having near god-like power, even he is helpless against this crisis of multiversal proportions. The story has an epitaph to Barry Allen, the man who brought in the Silver Age of Comics in a streak of red and gold, including a quote from Scottish poet William Knox's 1824 poem "Mortality".

Oh why should the spirit of mortal be proud?

Like a fast-flittering meteor, a fast flying cloud

A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave

He passes from life to his rest in the grave.

A rather appropriate stanza for a man known for being fast. In fact, the title of the issue is from the poem as well.

This comic is really good. The obvious highlight is Barry Allen's death. It's powerful, and he went out like the hero he was. This was why fans viewed Barry as the savior of the DC Universe, and one of the reasons why his return to life in Final Crisis was so controversial among the DC fanbase. As I said earlier, his death in this miniseries is appropriate, especially from a meta-perspective. Who better to give his life to save the remainder of the DC Multiverse, than the man who discovered it in the first place?

Fun fact, Marv Wolfman did include a hidden way to bring Barry back to life if another author wanted to do so.

Of course, George Perez turns in some fantastic art. I think Jerry Ordway's inks go very well with his pencils, like Terry Austin's inking complimented Byrne's pencils in X-Men. The usage of panels in Barry's death is very clever, the position and size helping sell the idea of Barry withering to dust. I do have one question, though. How did Barry know this would destroy the cannon? How did he know his running around the cannon's core would cause the energy storied in the cannon to make it explode? It's a minor nitpick, but it's just something I felt I had to point out.

Next time, gather around the Justice League satellite, kids! In a follow-up to my most popular blog entry ever, we shall finally hear Reena's Tale...