Convergence: Justice League International #2 & Convergence #6 (July 2015)

Tags

Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Bret Blevins, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Captain Marvel (Shazam), Chip Kidd, Creeper, Fire, Huntress, Ice, Jade, Joe Rubinstein, Ken Branch, Kevin Conrad, Mark Campos, Martian Manhunter, Mike Manley, Modern Age Captain Atom, Nightstar, Obsidian, Paul Renaud, Red Tornado, Ron Marz, Sotocolor, Tom Napolitano, Wonder Woman

“Punchline”

• Writer:  Ron Marz
• Pencils:  Mike Manley
• Inks:  Joe Rubinstein, Mike Manley, and Bret Blevins
• Colors:  Sotocolor
• Letters:  Tom Napolitano
• Cover Artists:  Paul Renaud, Chip Kidd, Mark Campos, Ken Branch, and Kevin Conrad

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(You’ve been warned.)

Okay, a couple of things that bug me right off the bat.  First, no mention is made of Ted’s broken arm from the previous issue, and second is the title.  If the prior issue was called “It Only Hurts When I Laugh, Part 1,” shouldn’t this one be titled “It Only Hurts When I Laugh, Part 2?”

I was super excited about Convergence and was really digging it at first.  Now, not so much.  While this issue had a few good moments, overall I felt it fell flat.  And Captain Atom was really under-used.

Picking up where the last issue left off, Shazam is counseling Wonder Woman atop the Daily Planet building..  He asks if there is really a need to fight the other heroes.  Wonder Woman says she doubts the other heroes will simply surrender, as it is something they would not do themselves.  She jumps off the roof.

On a nearby rooftop, Blue Beetle and Martian Manhunter are having a similar discussion.  Beetle says he has to try and talk some sense into the other heroes, and swings down to the street to talk to Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman assures Beetle that she is not the Diana he knows and that it is her intention to fight as Telos wants.  She will not entertain the notion of anything other than fighting, and warns him that her team will win.  Beetle says he won’t put Metropolis in danger and says if they have to fight, they’ll do so outside the city in the wasteland.  Wonder Woman leaves, telling Beetle to meet her when he is ready.

Later, the two teams face off outside of Metropolis.

And it is ON.

Martian Manhunter takes on Shazam (which makes sense, as I think they are pretty evenly matched), and Captain Atom takes on Jade and the elder Blue Beetle (which makes no sense – sure, Jade and her constructs can give him a run for his money, but an old man in beetle armor?).

Young Beetle manages to get his hands on Wonder Woman’s sword, but she grabs him by the throat and flings him against a boulder some distance away.  There, he meets old Beetle, who says he walked away from the fight because he believed there had to be a better way.

The two are immediately set upon by a squad of Telos robots.  Young Beetle makes a joke which chagrins old Beetle.

The two trade jokes as they combat robots, but an earthquake (telosquake?) drops a boulder on top of old Beetle, pinning him down.  Young Beetle uses robot parts as a lever to pry the boulder off his older self and the two limp back to the battlefield.  There, they discover the JLI has been defeated.

Wonder Woman says she did what Telos wanted: defeated the other heroes.  She never intended to kill them.  Somehow, I think this goes against the spirit of what Telos said (but – as revealed in the pages of Convergence itself – Telos may have switched his loyalties and perhaps no longer gives a damn about the cities).

The JLI returns to their HQ battered and bruised, but alive.

Ted goes off to “think things through” (again with the offer from Fire to keep him company).  He’s upset no one remembered that this was his birthday, but also realizes that might not be a high priority for his super buddies.  Entering his room, he is doused by a bucket of water and finds his room decorated by the one super hero buddy who’d never forget his birthday: Booster Gold.

So the story ends.  Very little Captain Atom (he had no lines, did most of his combat off-page, and was easily defeated).  This series should have been titled Convergence: Blue Beetle.  It wasn’t bad.  I liked the interaction between the old Blue Beetle and the young Blue Beetle.  I liked the acknowledgement of how close Beetle and Booster were.  But, overall, I’m unhappy with Convergence.  It seems as if all this buildup was for nothing.  I loved the artwork of this issue and give it an A but the story limps along with a C.  Overall, I’d say this is a B book.

Also, the Bronze Age Captain Atom had a cameo in Convergence #6:

(All characters and images belong to DC Comics and I am not making any profit off this blog.)

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Convergence: Justice League International #1 (June 2015)

Tags

Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Chip Kidd, Creeper, Fire, Huntress, Ice, Jade, Ken Branch, Kevin Conrad, Mark Campos, Martian Manhunter, Metallo, Mike Manley, Modern Age Captain Atom, Nightstar, Obsidian, Paul Renaud, Red Tornado, Ron Marz, Shazam, Sotocolor, Tom Napolitano, Wonder Woman

“It Only Hurts When I Laugh, Part 1”

• Writer:  Ron Marz
• Pencils & Inks:  Mike Manley
• Colors:  Sotocolor
• Letters:  Tom Napolitano
• Cover Artists:  Paul Renaud, Chip Kidd, Mark Campos, Ken Branch, Kevin Conrad

>>>SPOILERS<<<

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(You’ve been warned.)

The Convergence continues and after a four-year absence from the DCU, the Modern Age Captain Atom returns (along with his JLI team-mates).  And Cap is front and center on the cover.

The story opens in pre-Zero Hour Metropolis.  Ted Kord (Blue Beetle) is still alive (and having a fling with Fire) and Captain Atom is still in the Justice League.  Metropolis is one of the cities being terrorized by Telos and is surrounded by a power-dampening dome.  Metallo shows up with an army of metallic men and announces he is seizing control of the city.

He doesn’t wreak havoc for long before the Justice League turns up.  Led by Blue Beetle, the only member who has powers is Red Tornado (his android body uses technology, not super powers, and he feels no effect from the dome).  The citizens of Metropolis are used to being saved by Superman, but the man of steel is not around.

Unable to use their powers, Fire, Ice, Martian Manhunter, and Captain Atom rely on their strength, fighting skills, and weapons to take out the metallic army.

Beetle tries to keep the mood light by being funny (but not quite as funny as he was in the Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis era of the Justice League) even as he is ripped out of the bug (receiving a broken arm in the process).  Beetle takes out Metallo using an undetermined gadget of his own design, which results in all the metallic men shutting down.

A local shop owner accosts Blue Beetle, wanting to know who is going to repair the damage to his store.  He makes a snarky comment about there being no “real heroes” left in the world.  The team returns to their Metropolis headquarters to assess their damages.

Aside from the Bug being severely damaged and Beetle’s broken arm, the team is fine.  Metallo was sent to Dr. Emil Hamilton, who can keep him contained.

The team calls it a day.  Ice volunteers for monitor duty.  Blue Beetle and Martian Manhunter head for the workshop where Beetle begins repairs on the Bug.  He complains that there isn’t time anymore to fix things.  They mention an unsuccessful attempt to break the dome a year before and Beetle says things would be easier if Booster Gold were around.  He says he never really wanted the leadership position and offers it to Martian Manhunter (who declines).  They are both troubled by their need to fight while at the same time having no one to fight.

Ice rushes into the workshop and tells them to get to the roof.  Telos is addressing the city.  He announces that he is bringing down the domes and the various cities must fight each other to establish dominance.

Telos warns that if any of the heroes attempt to circumvent his will, the citizens of the cities will “pay the price.”  As soon as the dome is gone, everyone feels their powers returning.

Blue Beetle says he doesn’t like feeling manipulated.  He doesn’t want to fight other heroes, he wants to fight Telos.  Martian Manhunter points out that this may be the only chance they have to save Metropolis and they need to embrace it.

The sky darkens and a group of super-beings drop to the roof of the Daily Planet building.  The group, led by Wonder Wonder, consists of Earth-22’s Shazam, Obsidian, Nightstar, Jade, Huntress, Creeper, and Blue Beetle.   They are ready to fight whoever they can to establish dominance and save their world.

I have been a fan of Ron Marz since his excellent Green Lantern run in the mid-to-late 1990s.  This is no exception.  I love seeing the human side of super-heroes (Blue Beetle’s self-doubt, for example) and that seems to be something Marz excels at.  Mike Manley’s art is clean and crisp (I particularly like the menacing look he gave the newly-repowered Captain Atom).  I’d say this book is an A.  I can’t wait for the conclusion.  Blue Beetle versus Blue Beetle is the sort of comic book battle I love.

Until this issue came out, I had no idea how much I missed Ted Kord.  But, did his broken arm really heal that quickly?

Injustice: Gods Among Us #31 (August 14, 2013)

Tags

Batman, Black Canary, Black Lightning, Captain Atom, Catwoman, David Lopez, Fran Vazquez, Green Arrow, Huntress, Injustice Captain Atom, Jonathan Kent, Martha Kent, Mico Suayan, Santi Casas of Ikari Studio, Sergi Erra, Superman, Tom Derenick, Tom Taylor, Wes Abbott

>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS<<<<<<<<<
(You’ve been warned)

“Chapter Thirty-One”

• Writer: Tom Taylor
• Artist: Tom Derenick
• Colors: Sergi Erra, Fran Vazquez & Santi Casas of Ikari Studio
• Letters: Wes Abbott
• Cover: Mico Suayan, David Lopez & Santi Casas of Ikari Studio

We’ve been without an appearance of Cap in this comic for six issues.  And when he comes back, he gets his ass handed to him.

Batman wants to break into Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, but in order to do that he needs to distract the man of steel.  This he arranges with the President of the United States.

Green Arrow and Black Canary enter Batman’s latest hide-out via a bathroom elevator.  There they find Bats calling a meeting (naturally) with Black Lightning, Huntress, Catwoman, and Captain Atom.  Black Lightning is pissed off with Batman for imprisoning Hawkgirl.  Captain Atom tells Bats he should have told them about his plans to use Martian Manhunter.  Then Batman drops the bombshell that Superman killed Martian Manhunter (in Injustice: Gods Among Us #29 – Supes used his heat vision to burn J’onn J’onzz to death).

Batman and the president have arranged to have U.S. warships head towards the Korean peninsula, knowing the Justice League will respond.  Batman’s team teleports to the Fortress of Solitude, where Catwoman will pick the lock and Captain Atom will open the door.

But Superman isn’t playing right.  Rather than heading for Korea, he shows up on the White House lawn and demands to speak to the president.  It doesn’t take Superman long to realize this was a distraction.  Meanwhile, in the Fortress, Batman’s team comes upon Ma and Pa Kent.

Batman calls off the mission at once.  He wants to get out before Superman gets the wrong idea and thinks he showed up there to hurt the Kents.  But Superman proves yet again that he is faster than Batman and stronger than Captain Atom.

Nearly every issue of this comic ends with an “oh shit” moment and this one does not disappoint.  Tom Taylor is crafting quite the story.  And Tom Derenick does a great job with the art.  I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but once again this is an A book.

Injustice: Gods Among Us #25 (July 3, 2013)

Tags

Batwoman, Black Canary, Black Lightning, Bruno Redondo, Captain Atom, Catwoman, David Lopez, Green Arrow, Huntress, Injustice Captain Atom, Jheremy Raapack, Lex Luthor, Santi Casas of Ikari Studio, Superman, Tom Taylor, Wes Abbott, Wonder Woman

>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS<<<<<<<<<
(You’ve been warned)

“Chapter Twenty-Five”

• Writer: Tom Taylor
• Artist: Bruno Redondo
• Colors: David Lopez and Santi Casas of Ikari Studio
• Letters: Wes Abbott
• Cover Artist: Jheremy Raapack

This story opens by showing the juxtaposition between the Watchtower and the Batcave.  Superman is talking to Wonder Woman in the Watchtower while Catwoman is talking to Batman in the Batcave.  The world is celebrating, praising Superman for thwarting the alien invasion in the previous issue.

Wonder Woman says, “You saved so many lives,” to Superman.  Batman says to Catwoman, “He took so many lives.”  Superman himself says, “So many were lost.”  Three varying opinions right there.  But however you slice it, Superman killed a lot of people in Injustice: Gods Among Us #24.  And by “people” I mean Kalibak and an invading horde of parademons.  Superman says it isn’t enough, that more wars will happen.  He needs more allies.  Lex Luthor assures him he will have them.

In the Batcave, Batman calls a meeting (he seems to do a lot of that).  Assembled are Catwoman, Black Lightning, Batwoman, Huntress, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Captain Atom.  Batman holds steady with his “no killing” philosophy, but Huntress points out it was a war.  Superman killed the enemy but saved millions of lives.  Huntress defends Superman’s actions, saying Batman and his friends would be dead if not for Superman (indeed, in the previous issue Green Arrow and Black Canary were just about to bite it when Supes did his whatever-the-hell-he-did that killed all the parademons).

Huntress chides, “Being sanctimonious and arrogant doesn’t make you right, Bruce!”  For this she gets the Batman Glare ™.  She slipped up and called him Bruce in front of people!  She realizes her mistake too late.

Huntress tells Bats where to stick it, that she doesn’t want to fight Superman when she agrees with him.  Catwoman stops her from leaving, saying that she doesn’t have all the facts.  Batman reveals that Superman and Lex Luthor are working on a way to enhance people into super beings.  He is building an army.  Black Lightning asks how Batman got this info.  Huntress says if Bats expects them to follow him into war they need to know they can trust him.  So Batman removes his cowl.

Hell breaks loose then, when Superman cultists attack the citizens of Gotham (in and around Crime Alley).  Batman sends Captain Atom ahead as he is the fastest.

This Superman cult has been taking on criminals in Gotham since Superman killed the Joker.  It is just as Captain Atom is about to start quantum blasting the riff-raff when the Batcrew shows up.  They trade witty comments with the zealots before they start cracking heads.  These guys are no match for the Bat guys.  But Batman and his boys are halted by the sudden arrival of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern.

The Super friends tell the Bat crew to back down and they will handle this.  Batman and Superman face each other down, but Catwoman tells Bats now is not the time.  The Bat crew sheepishly walk away.

I don’t know what this is building to.  The ultimate showdown, I guess.  I really like these takes on classic DC characters.  Tom Taylor is weaving this together really well.  Although they shake up the art team constantly, none of them have let me down so far.  I got the demo for the video game on my X-Box 360.  It is pretty cool (Captain Atom appears not to be a playable character, though).  The comic is pretty awesome, though, and is one on DC’s best titles right now in my opinion.  I give this issue an A+.

Injustice: Gods Among Us #21 (June 4, 2013)

Tags

Alejandro Sanchez, Batman, Black Lightning, Captain Atom, Catwoman, Cyborg, David Lopez, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Huntress, Injustice Captain Atom, Lex Luthor, Mico Suayan, Neil Googe, Robin, Santi Casas of Ikari Studio, Shazam, Superman, Tom Taylor, Wes Abbott, Wonder Woman

>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS<<<<<<<<<
(You’ve been warned)

“Chapter Twenty-One”

• Writer: Tom Taylor
• Artist: Neil Googe
• Colors: Alejandro Sanchez
• Letters: Wes Abbott
• Cover Artist: Mico Suayan, David Lopez, and Santi Casas of Ikari Studio

Captain Atom’s role in this amounts to a cameo.

The story opens with Hawkgirl in a foreign country capturing a dictator while he is riding in a convertible.  She swoops down and snatches him right out of his seat.  A short distance away, Batman and Catwoman are watching.  Via headset mic, Batman orders Captain Atom into action.  Cap swoops in and snatches the dictator out of Hawkgirl’s hands.

Hawkgirl is then shot out of the sky by Black Lightning and knocked out cold by Huntress.

In Mogadishu, Wonder Woman takes out a despotic general, killing him.  When one of the women witnessing this tells her another man will replace him and it will never stop, Wonder Woman forces the soldiers to drop their weapons and the women to pick them up.  She vows to return, telling them she will not leave them to this life, and that what happens now is up to them.  As she flies away, the women open fire on the now-unarmed soldiers.

She rejoins Flash, Green Lantern, Robin, Superman, Cyborg, Green Lantern, Shazam, and Lex Luthor up in the Watchtower (Luthor was recovered from the wreckage of Metropolis in Injustice: Gods Among Us #20.  He had been secreted to a secret bunker by a female speedster who was killed with the rest of the city.).  When Flash tells her Captain Atom took Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman suspects the U.S. Military.  Luthor says it was Batman, and he knows so because Batman wasn’t spotted at the scene.  He warns Superman that he needs more people and he knows how to get them.

In the Batcave, Batman tells Catwoman he only needs Hawkgirl for one week (Hawkgirl is in a holding cell in the cave).  When Catwoman warns that the Justice League will come looking for her, he assures her they won’t.  Back up in the Watchtower, just as Flash is barking at Luthor that they have to find her, Hawkgirl appears in the Watchtower.  Batman tells Catwoman her team-mates won’t even be looking for her.

I’m still majorly digging this story and jonesing to play this game.  No new video games are in my budget for now, sadly.  While I prefer Jeremy Raapack’s art over Neil Googe, Googe is good.  But Tom Taylor has me on the edge of my seat!  Injustice: Gods Among Us #21 is an A.

Injustice: Gods Among Us #18 (May 14, 2013)

Tags

Aquaman, Batman, Batwoman, Black Canary, Black Lightning, Captain Atom, Captain Marvel (Shazam), Catwoman, David Lopez, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Huntress, Injustice Captain Atom, Jheremy Raapack, Mico Suayan, Santi Casas, Superman, Tom Taylor, Wes Abbott

>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS<<<<<<<<<
(You’ve been warned)

“Chapter Eighteen”

• Writer: Tom Taylor
• Artist: Jheremy Raapack
• Colors: David Lopez and Santi Casas of Ikari Studio
• Letters: Wes Abbott
• Cover Artist: Mico Suayan

I know that it is Firestorm Appreciation Month on this blog, but I didn’t see this one coming and simply could not sit on it until June.  This series – although it is based on a video game and therefore could have potentially been awful – is completely awesome.  The art is beautiful, the story is compelling.  I usually don’t really go for digital books; I tend to wait until their paper versions are out.  But this one had me from the first issue.

Basically, Superman is going over the edge.  The Joker used Scarecrow’s fear toxin mixed with kryptonite on the man of steel, causing him to believe he was fighting Doomsday.  He wasn’t.  It was Lois Lane.  And he killed her.  The Joker had a trigger connected to Lois so that when her heart stopped, a nuclear device went off in Metropolis and flattened the city.  Eleven million dead.  And to add insult to injury, Lois was pregnant with Superman’s child.

So Superman has decided not to go soft on criminals anymore.  He started this by putting his fist through the Joker’s chest.  He has been taking down despotic world leaders (for example, the leader of Bialya, Rumaan Harjavti).  Flash and Wonder Woman have been working with Superman (among others), but Batman refuses to back his friend up.

This issue opens in Gotham City with Batman and Catwoman responding to the bat signal.  But it isn’t Commissioner Gordon waiting on the rooftop, it is the U.S. President.  The president begins by saying he saw the footage of what happened in Arkham Asylum and offers his condolences (Damien Wayne – Robin – accidentally killed Dick Grayson – Nightwing).  The president leads Batman and Catwoman to a room in the police station that has been fitted so Superman can’t see or hear them.

Meanwhile, Superman and Green Lantern are taking down spy satellites in orbit around Earth.

The president tells Batman that since the incident at Arkham, Superman and his crew have been inserting themselves into world conflicts.  Superman forced the leaders of Palestine and Israel to agree on a peace plan.  Wonder Woman has been fighting in Burma while Shazam and Green Lantern have been in Syria.  Raven terrified warring Sudanese tribes into submission.

While the president agrees that stopping bloodshed is a good thing, he is worried about what Superman will do once his attention is focused on the United States.  He’s worried Superman will take over the world and asks Batman if he can stop the man of tomorrow.  Batman says he can.  Catwoman says they will go to bat for the president but he needs to do his job better (she lists, “Health.  Education.  Gun control.  Poverty.  The environment.  Not telling people who they can and can’t love.”).  The president says he won’t accept their help in exchange for another set of costumed vigilantes telling him what to do.  Catwoman points out she isn’t telling him what to do, just asking him to do better.

The president gives Batman a file containing info on super-heroes not aligned with Superman who may be willing to stand against the last son of Krypton.  The top of the list is Huntress, whose file says she has “probable daddy issues.”  The bemused Catwoman points out the file fails to mention Huntress is an alien spy.  Batman and Catwoman split up to form their team.

Catwoman calls on Black Canary in Starling City.  Batman meets up with Black Lightning in Washington.  The next day, the newly formed team meet up in the bat cave.  Assembled are Huntress, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Black Lightning, Batwoman, Aquaman, and (you’ve probably already guessed this) Captain Atom.

They sit down to plan their attack.

This new version of Captain Atom looks like a cross between the Modern Age Captain Atom and the Kingdom Come/Armageddon/Earth-22 Captain Atom.  I’m really looking forward to seeing this new take on the character.

I really love this series.  I’m not usually prone to doing this, but I’m giving Injustice: Gods Among Us #18 an A+.  I really need to play this video game.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (March 1986)

Tags

Adam Strange, Alexander Luthor, Animal Man, Anti-Monitor, Aquaman, Atomic Knight, Batgirl, Batman, Black Bison, Black Lightning, Black Orchid, Blue Beetle, Blue Devil, Brainiac, Bug Eyed Bandit, Captain Atom, Captain Comet, Captain Marvel (Shazam), Clayface, Cyborg, Darkseid, Deadman, Demon, DeSaad, Doctor Fate, Doctor Light, Doctor Occult, Dolphin, Dove, Earth-1 Superman, Earth-1 Wonder Woman, Earth-2 Superman, Earth-2 Wonder Woman, Electrocutioner, Elongated Man, Felix Faust, Firehawk, Firestorm, George Pérez, Global Guardians, Green Arrow, Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Guardians of the Universe, Harbinger, Harlequin (Molly Mayne), Hawk, Hawkman, Huntress, Jerry Ordway, John Costanza, Kamandi, Kid Flash, Kole, Lady Quark, Lois Lane, Lori Lemaris, Madame Xanadu, Martian Manhunter, marv wolfman, Metamorpho, Negative Woman, Pariah, Peacemaker, Phantom Stranger, Power Girl, Prince Ra-Man, Psycho-Pirate, Rip Hunter, Robin (Dick Grayson), Sargon, Shade the Changing Man, Silver Age Captain Atom, Starman, Steve Trevor, Sunburst, Superboy, Superman, Ten Eyed Man, The Flash, The Spectre, tom ziuko, Tommy Tomorrow, Vigilante, Vixen, Warlord, Wildcat, Wizard (William Zard), Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman, Zatanna, Zatara

“Final Crisis”

• Writer: Marv Wolfman
• Penciler: George Pérez
• Inker: Jerry Ordway
• Colors: Tom Ziuko
• Letterer: John Costanza

This is the epic conclusion to DC’s mega-crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths.  Captain Atom is featured prominently on the cover, front and center, battling the Anti-Monitor.  He appears in eight different panels in the book, and even has some speaking parts (no small feat in this monster of a series).

Aboard Brainiac’s ship, Dolphin, Captain Comet, Rip Hunter, Animal Man, the Atomic Knight, and Adam Strange convince Brainiac that his memory was tampered with to make him forget the Crisis. Realizing that his power is inadequate to battle the Anti-Monitor, Brainiac sets course for the world of a more powerful being. On Earth, the Anti-Monitor’s image is seen in the skies all over the globe. He repeats that the Earth is now in the anti-matter universe. His past victories over positive universes are meaningless, he says, because of the super-heroes’ efforts to stop him. When he lists Supergirl and the Flash as casualties, Kid Flash freaks out and demands to know what has happened.

The Supermen scan the globe and watch the populace panicking. Harbinger appears, and teleports them to another destination, then gathers Dr. Light from Japan, leaving Sunburst to defend the country. When Dr. Light states that she caused Supergirl’s death, Harbinger replies that the battle had already killed Supergirl, and that the Anti-Monitor’s final attack merely gave her a swift death. In the skies, the darkness splits into a million shadow demons, which begin an all-out attack on humanity, and the super-heroes mass to resist them. The Global Guardians team with other heroes to free their native lands from the threat, but the demons’ numbers never seem to dwindle. The Phantom Stranger summons Dr. Mist to help revive the comatose Spectre. Below, Harbinger has gathered a large group of heroes, along with Pariah and Alexander Luthor, to lead a final assault on their nemesis. Alex creates a bridge between universes, and they depart near Apokolips.

Brainiac’s ship goes into stationary orbit around Apokolips, and he and his guests teleport to the planet, where Darkseid appears before them.

Back on Earth, the majority of the heroes are still battling the demons. The Dove is slain by a shadow-being as his brother witnesses.

In Dr. Fate’s Salem tower, the magically powered heroes have gathered to pool their shamanistic might. The Earth-2 Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and Dr. Occult form the nexus of their energy.

On Qward, in the anti-matter universe, Harbinger and the heroes arrive in the Anti-Monitor’s old headquarters. Kid Flash insists on joining them because of his mentor’s death. Suddenly, an image of the Flash appears to him—the last one Barry cast before his death. Wally follows the afterimage to where an insane Psycho-Pirate clutches at an empty uniform. Kid Flash knocks him out, and realizes that Barry Allen is truly dead when Lady Quark finds his ring. Pariah informs them that a great concentration of evil lies before them. They follow to find a towering Anti-Monitor, ready for the final slaughter.

In Atlantis, Aquaman leads his underwater legions against the shadows. Lori Lemaris saves a trapped Mera with a force beam. A demon closes in on her and kills her. In Chicago, Green Arrow of Earth-2 is killed by a shadow. In Philadelphia, Cyborg, the Son of Vulcan, the Vigilante, and the New Wildcat continue rescue operations.

In New Orleans, Shade the Changing Man witnesses the death of Prince Ra-Man. In Skartaris, Travis Morgan leads his forces against the black menaces. In Gotham City, both Clayface II and the Bug-Eyed Bandit perish at the hands of the demons. In Salem, the tide finally turns. The supernatural crusaders send their combined force in a net of energy to gather the demons from the Earth’s surface, and bind them helpless in space. Over the Earth, lives have been lost, including those of Kole, Huntress, and Robin, but other lives have been saved. For a moment, the survivors can take stock.

On Qward, the Supermen of Earth 1 and 2, Captain Atom, Lady Quark, Firehawk, Wonder Woman, and other tarot’s strike at the Anti-Monitor, but he ignores their blows, feeding on the energy of a nearby star, As Dr Light absorbs the energy of one of the binary suns they are between, the Anti-Monitor feels his power draining away. Alex begins to drain the anti-matter energy away from their enemy. Negative Woman uses her negative-self to bind the Anti-Monitor and inhibit him: then Harbinger leads all the energy-producing heroes against him, Dr. Light blasts him with the energy of a sun, and he falls into the ruins of his fortress. Alex creates a dimensional hole, large enough to enclose the Earth and return it to its proper universe. The heroes follow. The ball of bound demons hover and then fall on the fallen enemy. Thus, the Anti-Monitor absorbs his slaves energies and rises again, while the heroes start to give battle. Wonder Woman is caught in a withering flash of power, and is borne away to an unknown destination. Superman of Earth-1 and Lady Quark vow deadly revenge, but Kal-L knocks them out, and tells Superboy to take them back. Since he has no world and no wife to return to, the elder Superman has the least to lose. Then he confronts the monstrous Anti-Monitor, and batters him. Superboy sends Superman and Lady Quark back through Alex’s shrinking body, and turns to aid him. Superman continues his one-man war against the Anti-Monitor, striking telling blows, while the villain, his power waning, absorbs more energy from the anti-cosmos, and blasts him and Superboy. Darkseid, watching the conflict on a viewscreen, proclaims his planet to be endangered if the Anti-Monitor survives, sends a power burst at him through Alex’s eyes. The enemy, devastated, is hurled into the core of one of the binary suns. Superman, Superboy, and Alex are stunned to see the spectre of their enemy rising from the sun. Superman smashes into his foe’s fiery body, scattering him: the remains fall back into the sun and the star begins to implode.

They bravely await the end and Superman wishes that Lois could have lived to see their triumph. At that, Alex produces Lois from a void-pocket in his body where she had been sent to wait. She tells her husband that she had been to a tranquil world. Alex cannot return them to Earth but he can take them all to this beautiful world. Superman, Lois, and Superboy opt for that choice. The foursome vanish seconds before the exploding sun would have reached them.

Back on Earth, Lyla is explaining facets of the Crisis to Pariah and Lady Quark. Wonder Woman was returned to the clay which Aphrodite and Athena had given life, then spread across Paradise Island.

Time then continued to reverse itself, as the Amazons were returned to their original homeland before they fled Man’s World. Zeus brought the homeless Wonder Woman of Earth-2 and her husband Steve Trevor to Olympus, where they could live peacefully. The bodies of Robin of Earth-2, the Huntress, and Kole were never found. All those who died were mourned. In Keystone City, Jay Garrick determined that Kid Flash’s illness was in remission, his body chemistry being changed by a blast from the Anti-Monitor. He could again move at super-speed, though only to a maximum of Mach-1. Wally donned Barry Allen’s uniform, and announced, “From this day forth — the Flash lives again!”

The Great Disaster will not exist in the Earth’s future, but a lost child will he found in Command D. adopted by General Horatio Tomorrow of the Planeteers, and named Thomas. Jonah Hex will be torn from his era to fight in the future, while the Guardians of the Universe must face the first division in their ranks. Thus, Lyla concludes her tale, and Lady Quark and Pariah ask her to help them explore their new homeworld. They leave with her, honoring the memory of their benefactor, the Monitor. And, in Arkham Asylum, the staff discuss a new patient who seems beyond help, straitjacketed in a rubber-lined room. Roger Hayden, formerly Psycho-Pirate, gibbers about Earths beyond numbers, the Anti-Monitor, and the memories, which only he had been allowed to keep.

Beautifully drawn.  George Pérez and Jerry Ordway really had a way of making something with so many characters not look too crowded (in my opinion).  This issue set the stage for what would be my DC Universe (1985-2005).

(Thanks to the DC wiki for the synopsis.)

Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (October 1985)

Tags

Alan Scott, Alexander Luthor, All-Star Squadron, Anti-Monitor, Aquagirl, Aqualad, Batgirl, Batman, Blok, Blue Beetle, Brainiac, Brainiac 5, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., Changeling, Cyborg, Deadman, Doctor Light, Doctor Sivana, Doll Man, Dolphin, Enemy Ace, Firebrand, Firestorm, Freedom Fighters, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Harbinger, Human Bomb, Huntress, Ibac, Jade, Jimmy Olsen, John Stewart, Katana, Kole, Krona, Lady Quark, Lana Lang, Liberty Belle, Lori Lemaris, Martian Manhunter, Mary Marvel, Metamorpho, Mon-El, Nightshade, Pariah, Peacemaker, Perry White, Phantom Lady, Phantom Stranger, Power Girl, Psycho-Pirate, Sea Devils, Starfire, Steel, Supergirl, Superman, Tawky Tawny, Teen Titans, The Atom, The Flash, The Question, The Ray, The Spectre, Uncle Marvel, Uncle Sam, Wildcat, Wildfire, Wonder Woman

“Beyond the Silent Night”

• Writers: Marv Wolfman, Robert Greenberger
• Penciler: George Pérez
• Inkers: Dick Giordano, Jerry Ordway
• Colors: Tom Ziuko
• Letterers: John Costanza

Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12-part maxi-series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify their 50-year-old continuity.  The series was written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated primarily by George Pérez. The series did away with the old “multiverse” in the DC Universe, and featured the deaths of some DC mainstays (like the Barry Allen Flash). It was ambitious, gigantic, and a huge whopping mess that I personally have only just started to fully wrap my head around.

The five Earths continue to merge, and the heroes on them fear for their friends and allies who have joined the Monitor’s aides in the war on the Anti-Monitor. The Spectre says not even his power would be effective in the anti-matter universe.  Alexander Luthor opens a portal between the Multiverse and the Ant-Matter Universe, through which Pariah guides Mon-El, the Supermen of Earth-1 and Earth-2, Lady Quark, Captain Atom, Jade, Green Lantern of Earth-2, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, the Ray, John J’onzz, Wildfire, Firestorm, Dr. Light, and Supergirl.

The Anti-Monitor strikes Superman, and his cry of pain is heard by Supergirl, who races to help him. She passes Pariah, who is digging himself out of rubble. The Anti-Monitor is about to kill Superman with an energy blast when Supergirl crashes into the villain.  She wails on the Anti-Monitor, but the villain is too powerful. He knocks Supergirl back and announces that he will kill her and Superman. Supergirl tears the floor from underneath him, causing his blast to miss Superman.  Dr. Light, watching Supergirl continue to beat on the Anti-Monitor, realizes the selfishness of her own life compared to Supergirl’s, and says she has shown her the true path. Superman calls for his cousin.  The Anti-Monitor beats Supergirl down, who falls dead as Superman screams her name.

The five Earths are for now out of danger. The time distortion has stopped, and the Earths remain linked.  The worlds receive the news of Supergirl’s death and a memorial service is held in Chicago.  Later, Superman leaves his Fortress of Solitude with the body of Supergirl, wrapped in her indestructible cape, and sets her free in space, promising to remember and miss her forever.

Again, Captain Atom’s role in all this is small.  But that is to be expected with a story this size.  Because Marv Wolfman’s task was so sweeping and huge, I give an A for story and definitely an A for George Pérez, Dick Giordano, and Jerry Ordway’s art.