Well, who would have thought it? When I started this blog nearly two years ago now, I never thought I would be bothered enough to do it for fifty weeks, let alone one hundred. How the time flies. Yet, it isn’t over yet. Far from it hopefully as there is plenty more to come. It feels like a generation ago when I was here writing ten posts on the JLA/JSA team-ups that occurred in the 1960s through to the mid-1980s, before concluding the whole thing with my epic review of Crisis on Infinite Earths. After reviewing all those stories, I pledged to myself that I’d never write anything of that length for the blog ever again. Don’t worry, that pledge won’t be broken here (I hope). After writing my seventy-fifth review of Zero Hour: A Crisis in Time, I think it was fairly obvious that Infinite Crisis would be reserved for this monumental post. By that logic, Final Crisis would be one hundred and fifty, but I really don’t have the energy for that. But we’ll see. In the meantime, let’s get into it and see why DC in retrospect saw Crisis on Infinite Earths as one of their biggest creative mistakes…
Infinite Crisis 1-7 was published from December 2005 to June 2006. It was written by Geoff Johns with art by Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Ivan Reis and a various number of inkers, such as Jerry Ordway, Andy Lanning, Oclair Albert, Marlo Alquiza, Marc
Campos, Wayne Faucher, Drew Geraci, Jimmy Palmiotti, Sean Parsons, Norm Rampund, Lary Stucker and Art Thibert. I have read Infinite Crisis in its trade paperback form.
THE STORY
In the ruins of the JLA Watchtower (destroyed in JLA 119), Superman finds Batman trying to discover who destroyed it. Wonder Woman then appears, and Superman tells her that the people are scared of superheroes as she murdered Maxwell Lord (who himself killed Blue Beetle). Meanwhile, Conner Kent, also known as Superboy, watches the Teen Titans on TV facing against the O.M.A.C.S, a group of robotic cyborgs controlled by Brother Eye, created by Batman, who have turned against humanity. Conner decides that he must get involved, but as soon as he becomes Superboy, he loses his enthusiasm and gives up. At the same time in Bludhaven, Nightwing and the Titans split up as Troia senses trouble on New Cronus, home of the Titans of Myth, With Nightwing on his own, he finds the O.M.A.C.S brutally murdering Ratcatcher, before noticing O.M.A.C.S falling from the sky. Meanwhile in the Polaris Galaxy, the people of Rann fight against the Thanagarians, with the Green Lantern Corps present and Guy Gardner leading them. Nearby, the Guardians of Oa watch the duel, sensing something has purposely changed the nature of the cosmos. Meanwhile in Gotham, the Riddler starts a riot when GCPD detective Crispus Allen witnesses the Spectre appear over Gotham, after destroying the Rock of Eternity and leaving Captain Marvel stranded on Earth. In the Spectre’s rage, Crispus is killed. Twenty miles south of Metropolis, The Freedom Fighters, consisting of Uncle Sam, Black Condor, The Ray, The Phantom Lady, The Human Bomb and Damage, search an abandoned factory for the Silver Ghost and Mirror Master. Suddenly, the Secret Society of Super-Villains appear, with the likes of Sinestro, Deathstroke and Doctor Light murdering most of the Freedom Fighters. Meanwhile in the ruins of the JLA Watchtower, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are confronted by Mongul. In his anger, Superman beats Mongul before Wonder Woman tries to kill him with her sword, but Superman stops her. Suddenly, Mongul gets up and teleports away, leaving the trio to argue about what’s going on with Earth and how they need to get involved. The conversation ends when Batman tells Superman bluntly that the last time, he really inspired people was when he was dead. Somewhere, Superman is being watched by the Superman of Earth-2, along with Alexander Luthor Jr, Superboy-Prime and Lois Lane of Earth-2. Superman (Earth-2) believes he must get involved as the heroes have thrown away the gift that they have given them…
In San Diego, Buddy Baker becomes Animal Man once again, before appearing on New Chronus with Troia and the Titans. Air Wave then begins screaming about the screams in his head from the ships in the Rann-Thanagar War, with Jade and Alan Scott wondering why he wanted to come. Back on Earth, Power Girl fights against the Society, overwhelmed by the likes of Clayface and Giganta. Suddenly, Superman of Earth-2 appears and takes them out. Meanwhile in Metropolis, Lois Lane is told by Perry White that the bodies of Black Condor, Phantom Lady and the Human Bomb strung up on the Washington Monument, with Damage injured critically and Ray and Uncle Sam missing. Lois hopes that Clark heard the news. In Gotham, Lex Luthor meets online with Deathstroke and other members of the Society, discussing his plans to locate and use Black Adam. Meanwhile in the Artic, the real Lex Luthor wanders around confused. Flying past high in the sky, Superman (Earth-2) tells Power Girl that she was never alone. Power Girl then meets Superboy-Prime and Alexander Luthor Jr, but she doesn’t know who they are. Luthor Jr then believes that Power Girl might have fallen through a crack in reality, explaining why she ended up on New Earth (Post-Crisis Earth). Superman (Earth-2) tells Power Girl that she is a survivor of the Multiverse. He tells her that at the beginning of time, a scientist from Oa accidently created the Multiverse, with Earth-1 being home to the Justice League and Earth-2 home to the Justice Society. Due to the two Flashes, the vibrational border between the two worlds was broken and the two teams met up yearly. Over time, the two teams discovered other Earths such as Earth-3 and Earth-X, before the Anti-Monitor (continued)
appeared and as a result of his destruction at the dawn of time, the Multiverse was destroyed. Although the universe was recreated as one and almost all other doppelgangers were erased, Alexander Luthor Jr, Superboy-Prime, Lois Lane (Earth-2) and Superman (Earth-2) were saved. They then watched New Earth grow and with the likes of the Titans, Justice League International and Booster Gold, the world seemed bright. As time went on and events like the death of both Robin and Superman, along with Bane and Parralax appearing, Superman (Earth-2) became angry, believing that he shouldn’t have turned his back on them. Once Superman (Earth-2) broke through the ice of his refuge, he came to save Earth. In the present, Superman (Earth-2) shows Power Girl around his fortress, leading her to Lois Lane, who is dying. Meanwhile, Booster Gold searches the moon for Blue Beetle’s Scarab, but to no avail. At the same time in Gotham, the Joker interrogates King of the Royal Flush Gang, asking why he wasn’t invited to be involved with the Society. Once King tells the Joker that he is too wild to join in, the Joker kills him. Meanwhile, Power Girl talks to Lois (Earth-2), holding her hand before realising that all of her memories from the erased Earth have come back. She remembers how Lois and Superman treated her like part of the family. In the Batcave, Batman scans Black Box from the JLA Watchtower ruins before Brother Eye appears on the monitor, telling Batman that the O.M.A.C.S cannot be trusted. Despite Batman’s efforts to disable over half of the O.M.A.C population, Maxwell Lord injected over a million sleeper agents across the world, who are immune to Batman’s electromagnetic pulse he used before. Brother Eye tells Batman that they can’t be shut down and that Batman won’t be able to locate Brother Eye, who tells Batman that the world must be protected from people like Wonder Woman. Meanwhile on Themyscira, Wonder Woman and the Amazons fight against the O.M.A.C.S. At the same time, Superman (Earth-2) and Power Girl watch the events unfold, with Superman telling her that the world is corrupt, and the right Earth must return soon…
In San Diego (again), Aquaman and Mera fight off against Black Manta and Ocean Master while in Atlantis, the Spectre appears with rage. Meanwhile on Paradise Island, Wonder Woman and the Amazons continue their fight against the O.M.A.C.S. In the Batcave, Batman rages against Brother Eye for killing the Amazons due to Wonder Woman’s crime, but Brother Eye insists that it is just doing what it is programmed to do. After Batman collapses in anger, remembering the death of his
parents for the umpteenth time, Superman of Earth-2 appears, telling him that he can start over with life. Meanwhile in Superman’s (Earth-2) fortress, Power Girl speaks to Lois about her past, before leaving her to sleep. Superboy-Prime then appears, constantly asking Power Girl if she is going to help them. Yet, she is reluctant since she has lived for so long on New Earth. Superboy-Prime mentions Conner Kent, calling him weak for not helping in the fight. Superboy-Prime then gives Power Girl a note written by Lois years ago, telling her that it will help her. Meanwhile in Texas, Jaime Reyes, a college student, notices the world ending, but finds the Blue Beetle’s Scarab on the ground. Nearby, heroes watch as a building begins to collapse, but Superman luckily arrives in time and saves the day. Meanwhile in Keystone City and Central City, Wally West hears the news of the Amazon battle and becomes the Flash, leaving his wife and two twins alone. Back in the Batcave, Superman of Earth-2 tells Batman of his Earth, where Batman retired from crimefighting and became Commissioner, before marrying Selina Kyle. Superman of Earth-2 then tells Batman that in his world, his Batman died. Superman (Earth-2) offers Batman a shoulder to lean on. At the same time on Paradise Island, Wonder Woman and the Amazons realise that they must retreat. As they hope the gods can hear their needs, a beam of light reins down on the Amazons and they vanish, with Wonder Woman staying behind as her chosen destiny is not with the Amazons or Paradise Island. Paradise Island then sinks into the sea in retreat. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor imprisons the Secret Society, who attempt to escape. Then, the real Lex Luthor appears, confused. Suddenly, the real Luthor collapses due to the fake Luthor’s advanced brainwaves. However, Luthor fights back. Meanwhile in the Batcave, Batman asks Superman (Earth-2) if his Dick Grayson is corrupted like Earth-2’s version. When Superman (Earth-2) says no, Batman unleashes his Kryptonite ring, which only makes Superman (Earth-2) angry as he sees the evil paranoia in the world. Superman (Earth-2) then leaves. Meanwhile, Luthor fights against his doppelganger, who is revealed to be Alexander Luthor Jr. Superboy-Prime then appears and attacks Luthor, who quickly teleports away. Luthor Jr tells Superboy-Prime that they will search for him when the tower is ready. Nearby, Power Girl reads Lois’s note, crying before heading back to the fortress where she finds a mechanical tower constructed from the Anti-Monitor’s corpse. When she finds Martian Manhunter, she is knocked out by Superboy-Prime. In the Batcave, Batman searches the Black Box footage, finding Martian Manhunter was attacked by Superboy-Prime…
Above Bludhaven, the Brotherhood of Evil drop Metal Men villain Chemo onto the city, dispersing its chemicals everywhere. After watching the event, Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime speak to Power Girl, who tries to fight back but fails. Luthor Jr then explains that he and Superboy-Prime didn’t arrive on this Earth with Superman and Lois. In the last few months, Superman (Earth-2) had been looking after Lois and Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime found the Anti-Monitor’s corpse. Luthor Jr then posed as Lex Luthor, gathering the Secret Society of Super-Villains together and convincing them that he would create a machine which would destroy the minds of their enemies. Then, using the genetic codes of the Freedom Fighters, originally from Earth-X, Luthor Jr created the tower. For fuelling it, Luthor Jr used a black diamond along with Psycho Pirate, the only person to remember the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. As the Spectre was vulnerable to Psycho Pirate’s powers, he went insane and began his relentless war on magic, powering the tower. Luthor Jr also explains that Brother Eye was used as a weapon, evolving it into a brain capable of reshaping the Multiverse. Due to that the O.M.A.C.S respond to Luthor Jr only. At the same time, Superboy-Prime was moving planets and causing inter-galactic wars, such as on Rann and Thanagar. From this, Luthor Jr hopes to recreate Earth-2. Power Girl then accuses Luthor Jr of controlling Wonder Woman to kill Maxwell Lord, but he tells her that that was her choice alone. Meanwhile in Bludhaven, Batman finds Nightwing, who is alright, and he asks for his help instead of searching for survivors in the city, which appear to be rare. Meanwhile, Superman (Earth-2) arrives back to Lois, learning that if she is to survive, she needs to get to Earth-2. Admitting that Batman won’t join him, Superman (Earth-2) tells Luthor Jr about Dick Grayson’s purity, but Luthor Jr tells him that eventually, he too would be corrupted. Meanwhile in Smallville, Superboy-Prime confronts Conner Kent, telling him that he is the real Superboy that the world needs. The two then begin fighting. Meanwhile, Jaime Reyes sleeps when Booster Gold along with Skeets, who tells Booster that Jaime has the Scarab. Although Jaime is confused, Skeets tells Booster that the Scarab has fused with Jaime and that it is now inside of him. Back in Smallville, Superboy-Prime is attacked by Krypto, but once the dog is attacked, Conner gets serious. In the Batcave, Batman tells Nightwing about Superman’s (Earth-2) plan and he suggests that they should team up to take him and Luthor Jr on, reminding Nightwing of his old days as Robin. Meanwhile in Smallville, Conner summons the Titans. At the same time in a morgue in Gotham, Crispus Allen awakens, screaming for Jim Corrigan, who appears suddenly as the Spectre, who begs for forgiveness from his lord before merging into Crispus’s body. Back in Smallville, Titans member Pantha calls Superboy-Prime a stupid kid, angering him and he accidentally punches her head off completely. Wildebeest then roars in anger, but he too is killed by Superboy-Prime, who becomes overwhelmed by his power. Suddenly, The Flash (Jay Garrick), The Flash (Wally West) and Kid Flash appear, holding onto Superboy-Prime as they run at high speed into the Speed Force. Due to his age, Jay Garrick is forced to leave the Speed Force and Wally West appears to his family in spirit (like the Flash did in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths story), telling them that he has to let go of everything he loves. However, his wife and twins decide to join him. Suddenly, from within the Speed Force, Barry Allen appears, grabbing hold of Superboy-Prime and destroying the Speed Force, with Jay Garrick seemingly being the sole survivor. Meanwhile, Luthor Jr prepares the tower with the help of Psycho Pirate, making New Earth unstable and creating Earth-2. Superman (Earth-2) appears on Earth-2 with Lois, telling her that they are home…
On New Earth, now named Earth-1, heroes left behind such as Zauriel, Blue Devil and Detective Chimp gather in a hall, hoping for a better tomorrow. On Earth-2, Superman and Lois Lane of that Earth find themselves outside the Daily Star building. Superman holds her as she is now saved. Back on Earth-1, Booster Gold takes Jaime into the Batcave with a blindfold on. When Batman sees Jaime and notices the Scarab on his body, Jaime suddenly transforms into the Blue Beetle. Booster Gold is then contacted by a group of heroes chosen by Batman to fight against the O.M.A.C.S, with Booster Gold telling Batman that the new Blue Beetle is the only person who can see Brother Eye. Back on Earth-2, Superman and Lois Lane look around Metropolis, remembering their times from the past working together. Suddenly, Lois collapses and begins to die again. Although Superman is fuelled by the belief that he can always save Lois, she tells him that she is happy for their extra years together. Lois then dies, leaving (continued)
Superman to scream in anger, attracting the attention of Earth-1’s Superman. Meanwhile in Boston, Wonder Woman finds some rioters and orders them to help people, but she is quickly criticised for her murder of Maxwell Lord. Suddenly, the Wonder Woman of Earth-2 appears in her invisible plane, shocking her Earth-1 counterpart. On Earth-2, Superman of Earth-1 meets his Earth-2 equivalent, who blames him for the death of Lois. As the two fight one another, Luthor Jr watches it and tells Psycho Pirate that she was never going to survive. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman of Earth-2 tells her Earth-1 equivalent that she left Paradise Island to try and get a boyfriend. When the Multiverse collapsed, she and her husband entered Mount Olympus. Yet, when her Earth returned, her husband used the last of his power to take her to Wonder Woman of Earth-1. She tries to convince her that Superman wants her help, but Wonder Woman of Earth-1 says that he doesn’t want her help. Her Earth-2 equivalent tells her that everyone makes mistakes and that she needs to try and be more human. On Earth-2, the two Supermen fight it out, but Wonder Woman of Earth-1 ends it, which starts a huge argument about how Superman of Earth-1 could have stopped Wonder Woman from killing Maxwell Lord and Batman from creating Brother Eye. Superman of Earth-2 then realises that the Earth was never his and he was never born there, making him realise his mistakes. He then flies away, with Superman of Earth-1 and Wonder Woman following. Meanwhile, Batman meets with his group of heroes, featuring the likes of Green Lanterns Hal Jordan, John Stewart and Black Canary. At the same time, Luthor Jr activates the tower again, searching through the Multiverse to locate the perfect Earth. With Luthor knowing that the Superman of Earth-2 is the key to restoring the rest of the Multiverse, he activates the machine which creates an infinite number of Supermen and an infinite number of Earths. As some of the Earths begin to explode, Nightwing meets with Conner, telling him the explosions must be caused by Superboy-Prime. Meanwhile in Tokyo, the Flash, in severe pain, finds Doctor Light (former JLI member), screaming to her that he couldn’t contain Superboy-Prime, who is on his back to fight Conner once and for all…
On Blue Beetle’s Bug, the new Blue Beetle, Batman and his team make their way towards Brother Eye’s satellite, with Blue Beetle still completely confused and freaked out. Suddenly, he senses the satellite hiding between reality and an artificial realm. Brother Eye then appears, telling Batman that it is remapping the Multiverse on the orders of Luthor Jr. Suddenly, the O.M.A.C.S arrive. Back on Earth-2, Superman of that Earth mourns over the death of his Lois. However, he realises that he made a mistake in supporting Luthor Jr and Superman and Wonder Woman (both of Earth-1) appear, telling him that it isn’t too late to learn. Once they tell Superman (Earth-2) that they will fight for their Earth as it has faith in them. The trio decide to go back to Earth-1. Meanwhile on various other Earths, heroes find themselves transported there away from Earth-1, confused while Luthor Jr fuses Earths in an attempt to create a perfect one, ultimately failing. Meanwhile on Earth-1, magical and mysterious heroes such as the Phantom Stranger and Enchantress gather, with Zatanna summoning the Spectre from Stonehenge. The Spectre appears and quickly notices Star Sapphire, killing her for her crimes. At the same time, Nightwing and Conner make it to Luthor Jr’s tower, finding Power Girl trapped there. However, they are discovered by Luthor Jr who summons the O.M.A.C.S. Back in the Bug, Batman and his team make it into Brother Eye’s satellite, with the two Green Lanterns fighting from the outside. Batman then speaks to Oracle, telling her to download every computer virus into Brother Eye’s system. Nearby, Mister Terrific, who is invisible to technology, makes his way through the satellite safely. At the same time, Conner fights the O.M.A.C.S, with Luthor Jr attempting to merge his home world of Earth-3 with Earth-2, recreating his father and the Crime Syndicate of America. However, he is stopped by Firestorm and Nightwing, before the trapped heroes such as Martian Manhunter and Power Girl are released. As the heroes fight against him, Black Adam appears and murders Psycho Pirate. Superboy-Prime then appears, fighting Black Adam, who is surprised to find that his magic doesn’t affect Superboy-Prime at all. Now wearing armour from the Anti-Monitor, Superboy-Prime asks Luthor Jr to recreate his world, Earth-Prime. Suddenly, Superboy-Prime is attacked by both Martian Manhunter and Nightwing. Meanwhile, Brother Eyes shows Batman footage of the live fight, showing him that Nightwing is in danger and he will blame himself for what happens next. As Conner and Nightwing climb the tower, they are attacked by Superboy-Prime again, who tries to attack Nightwing before being ambushed by Conner. At the same time, using Mister Terrific, Batman tells Brother Eye that his satellite has been thrown out of orbit. Brother Eye then fights back and traps Batman, but Hal Jordan arrives and saves him. Meanwhile, as Luthor Jr continues his search for Earth-Prime, Superboy-Prime fights Conner and in their battle, they destroy Luthor Jr’s tower and the Multiverse shatters, leaving only New Earth. When Nightwing awakens, he finds both Supermen, Batman and Wonder Woman standing over Conner’s bloody corpse…
With Conner’s death, Superman (Earth-1/New Earth) blames himself for his death, but Batman tells him that they must learn from it. Robin then appears, finding Conner dead and crying. Hal Jordan then tells the heroes that the Society have broken open every metahuman prison on the planet. Meanwhile in Metropolis, all hell breaks loose, with a mob of heroes fighting a mob of villains. While Bane breaks Judomaster’s back and the Riddler is knocked unconscious with the Shining Knight’s mace, Green Arrow and Arsenal fight against Doomsday, before the two Supermen appear and quickly (continued)
take him out. Then, Luthor Jr appears and attacks Power Girl, with Superman (Earth-2) charging up to him and demanding to know why he didn’t tell him that Lois would die. Then, as Luthor Jr claims himself to be the only hero in a world full of villains, Superboy-Prime appears, ignoring Luthor Jr before being attacked by Bart Allen, who has aged due to his time in the Speed Force. While Superboy-Prime claims that he creates another Big Bang, Martian Manhunter reads his mind and discovers that he is heading for Oa. As all the heroes and Green Lanterns chase after him, Batman, Nightwing and Robin take out Deathstroke, before Luthor Jr fires a laser beam at Batman, but Nightwing jumps in the way and is critically injured. Batman tells Luthor Jr that no one else must die. At the same time, all the Green Lantern Corps trap Superboy-Prime using a barrier from their combined willpower. However, he breaks free and the Green Lanterns fight back. At the same time, Doctor Mid-Nite tells Robin that Nightwing will recover while nearby, Batman takes out Luthor Jr, picking up a gun and threatening to kill him. Wonder Woman then arrives, dropping her sword and telling Batman that it isn’t worth it. Suddenly, a large pile of rubble falls on Luthor Jr, seemingly crushing him. Meanwhile in space, the two Supermen force Superboy-Prime into the remains of Krypton, before charging themselves and him into the heart of the sun, straight through it and onto Mogo, a planet that is a Green Lantern. There, the Supermen fight Superboy-Prime, ripping the “S” symbol from his chest, telling him that he will never be Superman because he has no idea what it means. After knocking Superboy-Prime out, Superman (Earth-1) collapses from the Kryptonite. The Green Lanterns then arrive, helping Superman (Earth-1) while Power Girl finds his Earth-2 equivalent injured and dying. As he dies, he joins Lois in heaven. Some days later, reconstruction begins in Metropolis, with Bart Allen giving up being the Flash and the Spectre not recognising himself from his actions. In Gotham, Luthor Jr walks in the back streets when he is attacked by the Joker. Lex Luthor then appears, telling Luthor Jr that his biggest mistake was not letting the Joker take part in the Society. The Joker then kills Luthor Jr. The next day, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince go their separate ways for a year, with Bruce going away with Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, Diana going to discover who she really is and Clark leaving Metropolis with Lois, leaving the universe in the safe hands of all the other heroes. Meanwhile, on Oa, the Green Lanterns hold Superboy-Prime in a quantum containment field, where he cuts the Superman symbol onto his chest before telling himself that he will get out one day.
MY THOUGHTS
Like Crisis on Infinite Earths, actually reviewing Infinite Crisis can be something of a challenge. That is unsurprisingly down to its complex plot which although it may not be as long as its predecessor, is still long when compared to other major stories in the DC Universe like Zero Hour: A Crisis in Time. Also, before reading this story, there are several other stories in different titles that may be useful. JLA by Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek is a good example, and so is Countdown to Infinite Crisis, both of which add some context and background to the events that happen here. That being said, Infinite Crisis, for the most part anyway, does a good job of making the reader aware of events of importance that have taken place in other stories. Also, if you want to go back a bit and look at previous stories in the context of the blog, I suppose it was good I covered Jack Kirby’s OMAC when I did. Not only are they great stories, but they certainly hold some significance here. Now, coming from somebody who hasn’t read any of the stories leading up to Infinite Crisis but is aware of what happened, the first few pages of the story perfectly sets up what is to come. The meeting between Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman sets the mood (with Mongul appearing, possibly a reference to Alan Moore’s Superman Annual 11). Johns gives the impression that this (continued)
is calm before the storm. It feels like the start of a crisis, one which may not appear as large as Crisis on Infinite Earths in terms of story just yet, but in terms of character definitely. In the first Crisis, Wolfman throws us into the action with the anti-matter waves across the Multiverse. Johns’s approach is less action-packed at the very start, but just as dramatic. Character plays a key part in this story, more so than it probably did in Crisis on Infinite Earths, which was published at a time just before both Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns were published. Obviously, those two stories changed the medium and their huge impact bled deeply into the mainstream titles. Characters suddenly became darker and grittier. Whether overall that change was for the better is still being debated by some, but Infinite Crisis not only notices the change in comics, but also tries to reverse it in terms of its storytelling. Alexander Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime appear to want a brighter world back, one similar to the pre-Crisis Earth which was home to heroes in bright costumes. I like the idea of this story, mainly because when you think about, the world after Crisis on Infinite Earths does get much darker. Whether it be Robin’s death, the appearance of Doomsday or Bane, Johns shows characters from a more vintage world in comic books where such violence wouldn’t ever be seen. Therefore, from the point of view of Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime, I like how they have been monitoring this world since the beginning. Also, just for the record, although the world in DC does get much darker in the late 1980s and 1990s, stories such as A Death in The Family and Batman: Knightfall are classics. I’ll get more onto Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime later. Like I said before, the first issue is used to set up the story, but it is done in a very convincing and engaging way. For example, the death of most of the Freedom Fighters was a moment that felt energetic and shocking. These are characters who have been around for several decades now and their deaths are relevant to many fans like me who believe that their JLA team-up story by Len Wein and Dick Dillin in Justice League of America (vol 1) 100-102 is an unforgettable classic. The return of the Secret Society of Super-Villains is also a highlight, not just because its great to see a large group of villains going what they do best, but because it means something strong in the context of the story. Essentially, Johns cleverly uses the first issue to back up what I said earlier about Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime. They see the world as dark and those who inhabit it as untrustworthy. Stories like JLA: Tower of Babel are incredibly relevant here, particularly when it comes to the paranoia factor. Batman’s O.M.A.C.S are an example of that. Luthor Jr doesn’t see the JLA as heroes. He sees them as the enemies. The second issue mostly focuses on Power Girl, a character who has always been strange compared to the other JSA heroes, mainly since she is an Earth-2 variant of Supergirl, yet she isn’t erased by the first Crisis. Her inclusion in the early stage of the story reintroduces us to Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime. I suppose for first-time readers the inclusion of how the Multiverse was originally made is necessary, but even though I and those who read Crisis on Infinite Earths knew it, Johns’s develops the story by adding events that took place after the first Crisis. This of course links to Luthor Jr’s seemingly good-intentioned plan, which we later learn obviously is a load of crap. But it is an effective way of building up the villains of the story, as at this point, they still appear to be good guys. One of the most interesting characters in the story has to be the Superman of Earth-2, a character who had lived a long life with only one real goal: saving Lois Lane. Of course, this becomes much more impactful later on in the story, but from the way he is written, you feel sympathy for him. Like many other heroes, he is from Earth-2 and when New Earth was formed, he was made effectively homeless. And he was also trapped outside of New Earth, meaning he had to live most of his life looking after Lois while being tricked by Luthor Jr. I honestly feel much more emotion for him than I do the main Superman, who while dynamic as ever in this story, doesn’t go through any major struggles in the same way that Wonder Woman does. In fact, in the first issue, Batman raises an interesting point, He tells Superman that the last time he ever inspired anyone was when he was dead. This is a cruel, yet accurate point I feel and ultimately, it is what makes Superman pumped up later. The second issue is where the core of the story begins and where it is arguably at is most enjoyable. Although all the plot points and elements are linked together very well by the end, the moments featuring Batman and the O.M.A.C.S are some of my favourites.
This could possibly be down to my love of the original Kirby run, but also down to the fact that Johns’s writes Brother Eye in an imposing way. Since he is a machine, he has no emotion and due to that, he is a perfect villain. His decisions are simply strategic, controlling the O.M.A.C.S while saying that he is carrying out Batman’s orders. In some regard, Brother and the O.M.A.C.S are an extreme view of Batman’s beliefs of vengeance. Brother Eye is relentless in taking out evil in the world, but in doing so in such an extreme way, it in itself becomes evil. The difference that Batman has over Brother Eye is that he is human. He has limits and as shown near the end of the story in his confrontation of Luthor Jr, Batman will never kill. Another of my favourite scenes is in the third issue, where Superman of Earth-2 meets with Batman. Although the two characters often team up in some shape or form, whether it be in World’s Finest or the JLA, to Superman, this version of Batman is very different. Once again, its an example of how you can feel sympathy for Superman. In his world, his Batman from the JSA died and with the Batman on New Earth, he finds that their friendship may have a second chance. There is a strong link between the two characters, whatever world or Earth they are from, but also to Superman, Batman is the prime example of how New Earth has failed. His paranoia is so noticeable and dangerous that it is a reason why Superman believes that working with Luthor Jr to create a perfect world is the way to go. Speaking of Luthor Jr or even the Luthor family as a whole, the revelation of Luthor Jr being the major villain is handled incredibly well by Johns. As I said earlier, it isn’t exactly obvious that he is a villain, but when he is revealed to have posed himself as Lex Luthor to control the Secret Society of Super Villains, it gives Luthor Jr much more of a threatening vibe and while I do have some problems with the sudden change in his character (more on that later), he works very effectively as the story’s main villain. I also think that it was a good idea not to have Luthor Jr control the heroes such as Wonder Woman, which Power Girl believes he did. In the end, we know that it was Wonder Woman alone who killed Maxwell Lord and it gives the Earth-2 Superman a reason for wanting to create a new world. Something which Crisis on Infinite Earths did incredibly skilfully was introduce brand new characters in interesting and memorable ways. Take Doctor Light for example, a character who later became a member of the JLI. This story does just that and the major new character who Johns focuses on the most here is definitely the new Blue Beetle. For those unaware, the second Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, was murdered by Maxwell Lord just before Infinite Crisis, which obviously lead to his death at the hands of Wonder Woman. Jaime Reyes does become the third holder of the Blue Beetle name, but he is definitely the most human character of the story. He is easily freaked out by Batman, the O.M.A.C.S and pretty much anything else. I really like this as most of the other heroes are used to fighting a crisis such as this one. Jaime Reyes is just a kid and Johns writes him excellently as one. Speaking of other characters, the Spectre is one who I have always liked and here, its safe to say that he doesn’t mess about. While does find a new body in Crispus Allen, he is just as brutal as ever, destroying Star Sapphire in a matter of seconds. This plotline involving the Spectre is rare, but they are intriguing, and I’d want to see what happens next with his character. The middle of the story is where the Multiverse returns, and it is a move that has been coming for a long time. Since Crisis on Infinite Earths ended in 1986, the editors and creators at DC have clearly begged for its return. In 1989, the Elseworlds imprint was launched, with writers and artists creating stories in alternate reality, similar to a Multiverse. Zero Hour: A Crisis in Time was clear evidence that DC regretted destroyed the Multiverse in the first place, with characters meeting multiple or different versions of themselves. Even Mark Waid’s lengthy run on the Flash in the 1990s used the Speed Force in such a way that meant that aspects of the Multiverse could return. Grant Morrison’s One Million storyline could arguably be seen as a Multiverse-like story. Therefore, its clear that only a few years after Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC wanted it back and simply put, I think it was a good move. I said at the end of my Crisis on Infinite Earths review nearly a year ago that I thought that destroying the Multiverse was a necessity. I suppose after completing ten posts on every DC mainstream Crisis from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, I would say something like that. However, with the Multiverse gone, you realise how much creative potential it had. Writers and artists could create worlds and scenarios where the heroes die and the villains win, or even historical Multiverse tales. It had unlimited potential, and, in this story, Johns shows how much power and creativeness it can have. There is a great moment in the middle of the story when the Multiverse has been recreated by Luthor Jr and you can see the different variants on Superman, Batman and the other heroes. It really hits home that this is a DC Crisis story. While most of the middle of the story is taken up with lengthy duels between Conner and Superboy-Prime, there are lots of moments which are incredibly powerful for the main characters. The death of Lois Lane on Earth-2 is very memorable. You have to remember that the Golden Age Superman was always remembered for saving Lois Lane and this is the one time where he can’t do it. With her death, Superman of Earth-2 turns into a human being, aware of death and the vulnerabilities of life. He goes through the stages of grief in the space of issue 5, not accepting her death, becoming angry at Earth-1 Superman, before eventually accepting her death and becoming the great hero that he once was. Wonder Woman also goes through a similar transformation, finding her Earth-2 equivalent. This is rather strange, since it is rare to see the two Wonder Women together, mainly because their two characters aren’t dissimilar, at least, at first. With her killing of Maxwell Lord, Earth-1’s Wonder Woman forgets that making mistakes is
part of life and she needs to be human to learn from them. This is also powerful, and Wonder Woman realises once again what it means to be a hero. The only one of the main trio to not meet their Earth-2 equivalent is Batman, mainly since the Earth-2 Batman died long ago. However, Batman learns from Nightwing more than anybody else. If anything, Nightwing is the anchor in Batman’s life. Without him, Batman’s commitment to crime fighting would be so strong that it would likely result in his death. This explains why Batman grows angry when Luthor Jr nearly kills Nightwing later, even threatening to kill with the weapon that murdered his own parents. In some respects, Infinite Crisis starts with finding the main three heroes at their lowest point, ending with them going away for a year to reflect and learn from their mistakes. I sort of glossed over this a moment ago, but the fights between Superboy-Prime and Conner take up a large chunk of the story. This isn’t a problem, but I would probably be more engaged in it and the death of Conner if I actually cared about his character. In this story, there isn’t much of an explanation for why he is just so lazy and undetermined. To be honest, it took me a while to realise that Conner was the same Superboy from the 1990s in the leather jacket (not a good period), His costume (if you want to call it that) looks very casual now, which I guess is better, but his character isn’t particularly interesting. In fact, when he dies, I become much more interested in him. This is due to the likes of Robin crying over his body, clearly showing that the two had a strong friendship. However, since I never liked the character or knew much about him, his death wasn’t on the same level as let’s say the death of the Flash or Supergirl from the first Crisis. The main point of the fight however is to show how much of a child Superboy-Prime is. This isn’t really an insult either. As a child, he thinks that being Superman is about the power and the physical strength, but it isn’t. Its more about the morals of being Superman with the aim of helping those in need. Superboy-Prime also blames everybody else but himself. When he kills Pantha and Wildebeest (two sad moments since I loved Marv Wolfman’s long run on the New Teen Titans), he blames others for it, telling the heroes that they forced him to do it. Superboy-Prime is the evil of the story that isn’t exactly intentional. Luthor Jr is certainly a villain who is misguided, but his moves are clearly evil. Superboy-Prime doesn’t know right from wrong or when to blame himself. He is what Superman could have been if he misused his powers, but not on the same level as Ultraman obviously. I mentioned the Speed Force earlier, which does play a part in the battle against Superboy-Prime as Johns attempts to create a dramatic moment with a Flash seemingly sacrificing himself to defeat him, but it doesn’t exactly have the impact which the original death of Barry Allen had. That could be down to George Perez’s wonderful page layouts, however. The destruction of Luthor Jr’s tower marks the beginning of the end of the story. The tower was an effective plot device to reconstruct the Multiverse and it gave Luthor Jr genuine power, which he of course lost. However, like I said earlier, Batman’s decision not to kill him shows a change in the characters. They are beginning to learn. The same applies with the seventh and last issue where Superman learns from his Earth-2 equivalent. The death of the Earth-2 Superman is nice in some ways. He finally joins Lois, but his image lives on in the heads of the heroes. One of my favourite aspects of the last issue however has to be the Society, with all sorts of villains present. In the case of the Riddler, his head injury from the Shining Knight’s mace makes him temporarily forget he was a criminal, and he becomes a detective. That’s just one character. Imagine how many of the other characters in those scenes are changed. Finally, we get to the ending, which I think is handled incredibly well. I mentioned earlier that the three main heroes decide to go away for a year, beginning the One Year Later storyline. However, it was only the next month and all the characters were back from their year break. I guess DC couldn’t afford to let Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman take the year off. However, my favourite part in the ending has to be the demise of Luthor Jr, handled brilliantly by Johns. The Joker clearly holds some animosity towards him for not letting him into the Society and the presence of Lex Luthor when Luthor Jr dies is revenge at its best. Luthor Jr is reminded that he isn’t the real villains of New Earth. It’s the World Finest villains, Lex Luthor and the Joker. With that, Johns ties up the story nicely and technically, the original story of the first Crisis is cover. The Monitor is dead. The Anti-Monitor is dead. Luthor Jr is dead. Yet, there is Superboy-Prime, the last to remember the Crisis (apart from Psycho Pirate, who dies in this story). He will undoubtedly strike again.
In any story as long as this one, there are bound to be some elements which are better than others. You have to remember that in this story, there are so many characters doing so many things and a prime example of that is the Green Lantern Corps, a group of characters present from near the start of the story. I’ve never been a huge fan of giant space battles to begin with, but I feel like those Rann-Thanagar battle scenes are just there to prove that Superboy-Prime has the power to create wars from simply moving planets. They aren’t the most interesting of scenes in the story, especially compared to Batman and the O.M.A.C.S or even the Superboy-Prime versus Conner scenes. I do also think that the Society should have played a bigger part of the story than they did. I mean, they appear to be the major foes of the story near the start and when Luthor Jr is revealed to be manipulating them, it is a great moment. However, they don’t return until the last issue and by then, it feels like the core of the story is over. Speaking of which, Crisis on Infinite Earths did have a similar problem. In that story, it felt like it could have ended around the tenth issue since the last two issues feel incredibly underwhelming as the Anti-Monitor just reappears again. Infinite Crisis has a similar problem, but I’d argue on a much smaller scale. In issue six, Superboy-Prime is seemingly defeated, but he comes back for a third and final time afterwards. His fights often feel repetitive and the impact he had after killing Conner quickly disappears. The huge fight in Metropolis featuring the Society does feel somewhat like filler too. My last notable criticism of the story is relatively minor I suppose but it links to the characters that were made in or for Crisis on Infinite Earths. Yes, this includes Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime. In the first Crisis, they were clearly heroes and even until the midpoint of this story, it appeared that they had good intentions. By the end, the only way you can really describe them as evil. It no longer feels like they have good intentions. If anything, they are very selfish and they simply want an Earth for themselves. It feels somewhat inconsistent with how Marv Wolfman wrote the characters. Don’t mistake me. I’m all for changing characters in dramatic and interesting ways, but only if it feels realistic and while it does here to some extent, the transformation from good to straight-up evil feels too sudden. Also, somewhat off-topic, but I didn’t see much of a reason to why they decided to drop Chemo on Bludhaven. Sure, it’s a shocking moment, but it didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things.
While there is certainly a titanic collection of artists to draw a story such as this one, all of their styles are very similar. However, this isn’t a criticism. Far from it. In fact, this is the perfect style needed to draw a Multiverse story in which dozens of characters meet in each other, told in dramatic and memorable double-page spreads and splash pages. The main artists appear to be Phil Jimenez, George Perez (who notably drew Crisis on Infinite Earths), Jerry Ordway and Ivan Reis, with Andy Lanning I think doing a majority of the inks. This is a great team to work on a large (continued)
project such as this. It demands clear and concise storytelling which should never fail to impress the readers. While in a number of instances I couldn’t exactly tell you, who drew each individual page, the ones by George Perez are instantly recognisable. His way of drawing characters and his unique page layouts are all-too present here, setting him apart from the other artists, all of whom are very good, but none match Perez with his distinctive way of telling a story. Jimenez especially is a pupil of Perez’s art texture and anatomy, but so are the others and due to their similar styles, it creates a mood for the book, one which perfectly follows the definition of a DC Crisis…
VERDICT
Overall, Infinite Crisis is the natural follow-up to Crisis on Infinite Earths. It reminds us of the joys of the Multiverse while telling a story which takes so many twists and turns, making it a modern classic. I would actually argue that Infinite Crisis is better than Crisis on Infinite Earths, in which the last two issues felt underwhelming and borderline pointless. Here, Johns doesn’t waste much space at all. Character also plays a huge part in the story, possibly more than it did in Crisis on Infinite Earths. That was very much about the plot, but here, the story focuses on the three main heroes, their mistakes and how they learn from them. Of course, the story does have its flaws, but overall, it is great fun and one of the last great DC Multiverse series, especially when it does down to the art as well, which is fantastic.
Well, there we are. As we near the end of the second year of the blog, I have to say that it isn’t ending yet. There are still lots more to experience. Over the next one-hundred points, there will be stories I love, stories I appreciate, stories that bore me, stories that I tolerate and stories that I will outright hate. Yet, that’s part of the fun of it…
Story: 9/10
Art: 9/10
Next Week: The Question Returns (Azrael/Question, The Question Returns). Written by Dennis O’Neil with art by Vince Giarrano and Eduardo Barreto. Expected by 20/12/2020.
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