Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 Fallout: Back Issue #147

I'm a giant fan of Back Issue magazine and how it looks back at the Silver and Bronze Age of comics. The Bronze Age was my formative era for comics so reading in depth articles on characters, runs, and creators is like comfort food. I consider myself an amateur comic historian so this book only adds to my knowledge.

This month is Back Issue's 20th anniversary and they celebrated with a George Perez Tribute issue. This was a great look back at Perez's career from his time at Marvel through his Wonder Woman reboot and everywhere in between.

For me, I had a particular interest and hope. Surely Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 was going to be discussed somewhere in the book. I didn't agree back then that Supergirl needed to die. But I can't deny that COIE #7 is an incredible and historic issue. It showcased Supergirl as the hero she was. And it cemented her place in the annals of comics. 

Part of the magazine was a look at 20 of Perez's most memorable issues. I really liked this section because mixed in with the historic books (like Crisis or JLA #200) were random issues of Marvel Two-In-One and the Flash, picked because the author recognized Perez's brilliance in some way. 

This piece, written by Dan Johnson, was a nice look at the double sized issue. But there were some things in here that stuck out to me as a Supergirl fan.

The Passing Of George Perez

George Perez passed away last week, another legend lost. My condolences to his family, his friends, and his many fans.

When the news broke, my social media timelines were flooded with unbelievable words of respect and love. It was unbelievable and unprecedented. Perez was universally beloved and rightfully so. 

I had the honor of meeting Mr. Perez at the Boston Comic Con in 2013. He was incredibly nice and personable. There was a huge line waiting to see him but he took the time to chat with fans. He was even doing quick sketches for an incredibly reasonable price. I got this sketch from him there.

I told him I was a long time fan. I talked to him about how I loved his art and the times he drew Supergirl. And I talked about how that while I didn't agree with Supergirl needing to die in Crisis that I couldn't have asked for a better story or art for her to leave the DCU in.

He took the time to talk with me and then did the same for everyone behind me. He was one of a kind.

George Perez Tribute

Earlier this year, George Perez posted that he was dealing with pancreatic cancer. The outpouring of love and admiration for the artist was staggering and appropriate. Perez is a legend in the field. He not only is one of the best artists in the medium, not only been involved with some of the most memorable stories and properties in the business, but he also is just a sweet and kind soul. 

Last week, DC unveiled a celebration they were planning for Perez. In June, the above image will be in all the company's books. Here is the link: https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2022/04/22/dc-celebrating-george-perez-for-all-of-june

I was floored when I first saw the image. To get so many tremendous artists together in one piece shows you the respect that Perez has. Pieces like this always surprise me. Who knew I needed and Adam Hughes' Harbinger this much! Who knew I needed a Nicola Scott Kole!

Amazing.

Of course Perez drew Crisis on Infinite Earths, the ground-breaking series in which Supergirl died. Of course she would be here, in that era's costume. And there she is!

Crisis On Infinite Earths Statue

Sometimes I feel lucky!

The statue commemorating Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 has been a sort of bucket list item for me. When this was issued in 1999,  I wasn't collecting things like this and the $125 price tag would have been extremely hefty for my resident salary. Still, there is no doubt this is a lovely statue by Tim Bruckner, capturing the famous George Perez cover.

But since I am a little older and have a Supergirl shrine, I have had my eye out for this in the wild.

I rarely see it at cons. And when I do, it usually is selling for more than twice the original price. So I usually defer buying. And then, as I leave the con with spending money in my pocket, I regret not splurging.

So imagine my surprise when I walked into my comic store and saw this statue, mint in box, with a price sticker for just the original $125!

And then imagine my even bigger shock when I saw a 'on sale 50% off' post it on the box.

That's right, this statue was on sale for $62.50. 

So naturally, it became mine!

DC Comics Presents Pin-Ups

Two of my favorite titles growing up were Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents.

Simple team-up books with Batman and Superman, most often done-in-one stories, the titles exposed me to the DC universes by showing me new characters interacting with my favorites. Many of my treasured comics of my youth are from these books.

As I settle into the new place I have been revisiting these books and came across a couple of pin-ups in DCCP which are worth revisiting given the Supergirl focus of the book.

DCCP #38 guest starred the Flash and also had one of the best 'Whatever Happened To?' stories, documenting the last adventure of the Crimson Avenger.

It also marked the first DCCP with the higher price point of 60cents, including 'more pages of story and art'!

I wonder if DC needed to pad the book with a couple more pages given the new price and so tapped George Perez on the shoulder and asked him to do a pin-up of all the guest stars to grace the book since its inception.

The result is a pretty cool double page spread of a boatload of DC Super-Stars!

Pretty cool to see Perez's take on all these stars.

Amazing Heroes #91 - Special Post-Crisis Issue Part 1 - A Death Done Well

Almost 4 years ago I did an in-depth 30th anniversary review of Crisis on Infinite Earths, focusing in on Supergirl's role, her death, some of the decisions which led to her death, and ultimately her legacy after Crisis.

I thought it was about as thorough as I could get.

Turns out I was wrong.

About a month ago I went to the North East Comic Con and there I stumbled upon Amazing Heroes #91, a special post-Crisis issue with an insane amount of goodness in it for a Crisis historian like myself. For a Crisis fan, this is a treasure trove. For a Supergirl fan, it is an interesting time capsule, once again looking back at what the reaction to Supergirl's death was on the comic scene.

I knew Amazing Heroes had done a lot of Crisis commentary back in the day, and it wasn't all kind to Supergirl in the aftermath of her death.With news of her impending death already out,  Amazing Heroes #74 had a requiem that was really more a diatribe about how pathetic Supergirl was as a character. And Amazing Heroes #78 had a review of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 as it was on the stand by noted reviewed R.A. Jones. Jones was clearly a Supergirl fan and this review is more sympathetic (if not downright angry).

And then less than a year after Crisis ended, Amazing Heroes #91 came out and we were diving back into the pool again.

I bought this from a $5 and issue, 5 for $20 box. It might be the best $4 I have spent.

Matrix Mondays: Action Comics #644

Welcome to the next chapter in my now-and-then Matrix Monday reviews. This won't be a comprehensive look at all of Matrix's appearances. That would be a bit too demanding. But the hope here is to cover some of the big moments in that Supergirl's career that I haven't yet covered on this site.

I recently covered the early Byrne issues of Superman and the ultimate Byrne storyline, 'The Supergirl Saga', which brought the protoplasmic Matrix back to the DC Earth and onto the Kent Farm.

After Superman executed the Pocket Universe Phantom Zone villains, he took off into space, self-exiling himself. During that time, his secret identity was maintained by the shape-changing Matrix. Matrix became Clark Kent. But things have become dark.

And so we have Action Comics #644, the next chapter in the difficult early days of this character. So much for the return of Supergirl.

'Doppelganger' was written by George Perez and Roger Stern with art by Perez and Brett Breeding. I have give Roger Stern a lot of credit for picking up the ball dropped by Byrne and putting together a very solid run on Superman.

And the art team of Perez and Breeding is interesting. There is definitely a Perez 'feel' to this work but I feel like Breeding really puts his own stamp on things. You have to almost squint a bit to realize you are seeing a Perez book, as if it is hidden under the distinctive layer of inks.

But it is a good splash, Superman speeding like a bullet to Smallville to answer a call for help from his friend Lana.

Amazing Heroes #78: Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 Review

I said it just last week ...
Every time I think I am done with covering Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, I get pulled back in.

Blog friend Greg Araujo (@garaujo1on Twitter) recently got a mess of old Amazing Heroes magazines and in that block was Amazing Heroes #78 from September 1985. No big surprise, based on the cover date, the book reviews the issues of Crisis on Infinite Earths which were still on the spinner racks at the time.

My how time flies.

Reviewer R.A. Jones takes a look at Crisis on Infinite Earths #7-9, discussing the major events. And these were the issues where people started to really sit up and take notice. It is one thing for Kid Psycho and the Crime Syndicate to die. It is another thing all together for Supergirl and The Flash to die. The stakes were suddenly real. World would live and die. And some characters would stay dead ... at least for a while.

Part of my research on the topic of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 has always been the fallout. There was no social media then. The decision that Supergirl was unnecessary and unloved seemed absolute back then. *All* the DC higher ups thought so, right?

So reading reactions and reviews from around the time help me get a wider pulse of what it meant to the comic world for Kara to be killed. Here, Jones does a wonderful job of putting the event into context. And Jones is much more sympathetic than his staff mate Dwight Decker, who wrote a 'damning with faint praise' hatchet job four months earlier.

30th Anniversary Crisis On Infinite Earths: That Note

My ongoing review of the 30th anniversary of Crisis on Infinite Earths has hit its peak with my review of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 and the death of Supergirl.

One of the topics that I have touched upon in prior posts has been DC's decision that Supergirl was expendable. Somewhere along the way, the powers that be at the company felt that killing off Supergirl was no big loss.

I also have talked about how this issue gave Supergirl a sort of legacy, a sort of ragnarok which has carried over to other incarnations, a sort of destiny to sacrifice herself to save the universe.

Still, no one knew about that feeling and three other incarnations when Crisis #7 came out. All Supergirl fans knew were that she was dead and apparently coming back.

Now a lot of Supergirl fans have aimed their enmity at Marv Wolfman. And he certainly deserves some of the blame for helping craft the story of her death.

But someone who doesn't always get mentioned as often as Wolfman is Dick Giordano, a legendary inker and vice president/executive editor at the time Crisis was being released.

Over in Back Issue #34 Micheal Eury interviewed Giordano. Giordano was one of the voices who felt that Supergirl needed to die, needed to be on the famous or infamous 'Crisis kill list'.

As seen in the Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths and elsewhere (such as this Back Issue issue) we see a hand written note from Giordano to then DC President Jenette Kahn.

Giordano pressed Kahn for an answer. Can they kill Supergirl? Yes? No? Only if we have a new Supergirl soon? None of the above?

It is interesting that Kahn initially checked off 'none of the above' only to then change her mind and go 'yes'.

I suppose that if this happened today, this would be an email or text. I am glad this note survived for historical reference.

Later in that interview, we see that Giordano did not hold Supergirl in high regard. He disparagingly called her 'Superman with boobs'. And he says she 'never did really add anything to the Superman mythos', at least not for him.

He never regretted the decision to kill her off.

It is a shame that Giordano looked at 25 years of Supergirl stories and didn't see any value in them.

What would have happened if Kahn stuck to her guns and stayed with 'none of the above'? What would have happened if Kahn checked 'no'?

It was that note that led to comic history.

30th Anniversary Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 Part 2

Yesterday I reviewed the first half of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 which reviewed the origins of the multiverse, the anti-matter universe, and the threat of the Crisis.

Today, I'll review the second half of the issue which begins with the assault on the Anti-Monitor's fortress and leads to the death of Supergirl.

I suppose the question that I have asked myself for these last 30 years is 'Why Supergirl?' Why was it felt that Supergirl was a part of the DC Universe that should be expunged?

Was it that her solo series was cancelled?
Was it that her solo movie tanked?
Was it a way to show that the Crisis meant business, that someone 'big' could die?
Was it a way to clear the decks for an eventual reboot of Superman?

I suppose that fans of the Flash could ask many of the same questions a month later. But for me, I just didn't quite understand it.

And I suppose that any fan of any character who has been killed in comics can ask these questions.

And I suppose that I had to face reality that not everyone looked at Supergirl and saw the great character I see to this day.

Maybe, just maybe, that is why she was considered expendable. Too many people thought she was just 'Superman with boobs', or still thought of her as a super-sweet, perfect little girl. And without knowing her history and growth (and potential), the powers that be felt it was fine for her to die.

The second half of the issue starts with an extremely powerful group of heroes led into the antimatter universe by Pariah to attack the Anti-Monitor's fortress.

As I have said before somewhere, this was a dream team for me because it included two of my absolute favorite DC characters of all time: Supergirl and Wildfire. But I could also see the strategy behind forming this strike force. It is a great mix of strength and energy powers. It includes three Kryptonians and a Daxamite!

I always say that big moments deserve big art. I can only show part of a two page spread which shows the entire fortress, a stone structure with gargoyles, faces, and mouths built throughout. As Wolfman describes it, there is a 'cold, majestic grandeur' to it. And by giving this two pages, you make the heroes seem small. It is a visual cue to show the enormity of this situation.

As the heroes approach, the very fortress itself comes to life. The stone structure animates, reaching out to grab and fight the heroes. The threat is everywhere.

The gargoyles can't be destroyed easily. While the stones can be bashed and broken, they simply reform. The fortress seems invulnerable and impenetrable.

And what is worse, the physics of the anti-matter universe are such that characters that are invulnerable are suddenly quite vulnerable. Superman can bleed.

While the fortress being alive is a great threat, I wish that there could have been some Thunderers and some Shadow Demons there as well. 

Now, as I said in the first half of this review, Supergirl does shine in this issue. She is the most effective fighter, using brains and brawn.

Knowing that the stone sentries will only reform when smashed or blasted, Supergirl realizes the real strategy is to delay that regrouping. So why not use super-breath to scatter the pieces.

I could gush about Perez's art with every scan. But what I really love in this is that second panel showing Supergirl drawing in a super-breath. It is clear that is what she is doing. And by putting those first three panels together, small and narrow, really makes it feel like a fluid motion.

While the heroes skirmish, Superman and Dr. Light are able to make their way into the center of the fortress. There they discover the giant device which the Anti-Monitor was using to slow down the vibrations separating the 5 remaining universes. It had to be destroyed.

But before Superman can smash the solar collector, the Anti-Monitor, standing guard here, lashes out.

As Kal cries out in pain, Supergirl hears him flies off to the rescue. "Supergirl is a hero ... and her concerns are not for herself ... but for the one she loves."

And it is a good thing she does, because we see the Anti-Monitor laying a beatdown on Superman. And just as the Anti-Monitor moves in to kill Superman, Supergirl flies in. I love this series of panels. By having the background stay the same but Supergirl change as she streaks forward, this really has a sense of kineticism.

It is her words that resonate. She talks about saving Kal, or standing in for him if he can't go on, and  being true to herself and living up to her ideals.

But all those philosophical words change to harsh determination when she sees that it is the Anti-Monitor himself standing before her.

This is the very threat against life before her and Supergirl unleashes her fury.

It is a small inset panel in the middle but we see Dr. Light be impressed and inspired by Supergirl. Kimiyo has been presented as a harsh, egotistical, bull-headed person so far. So this is growth. And it shows the power of inspiration, one of those little known powers of the super-family.

The battle ranges on. Supergirl continues to stop the Anti-Monitor from killing Superman.

And then we see Kara reach her breaking point. She believes in the sanctity of life. But the Anti-Monitor isn't worthy of her care. It seems she is going to kill him.

Again, Dr. Light sees Supergirl's actions and is inspired. Dr. Light realizes that the contempt she has shown for people is foolish in comparison to Supergirl's selflessness.

And then it happens. Supergirl grabs the Anti-Monitor, flies him into the solar collector, destroying it.

In a darkly inked, brutal sequence, we see Supergirl punching away at the Anti-Monitor, smashing his protective suit. And just as it seems that Supergirl will end this whole thing, Dr. Light distracts Supergirl.

The Anti-Monitor lets loose with a lethal blast.

Again, Perez is a master here. The panel with the blast has jagged borders, unlike all the others. The inset panels of Supergirl's eye, the Anti-Monitor's glowing visage, Superman's scream ... it all adds weight to the main panel.

His machine destroyed and barely living, the Anti-Monitor flees.

Supergirl is given one last scene, a chance to tell Superman how much she loves him.

The middle column of panels, with Kara talking, the panels becoming smaller as her life ebbs, is just a perfect mix of words and art. That last panel colored red as Superman screams is incredible.

And with that, Supergirl dies, having sacrificed herself to save 5 universes.

There isn't much left to do but grieve.

Batgirl gives a powerful eulogy, brief but poignant.

"A hero is not measured by what her power may be ... but by the courage she shows in living, and in the warmth she holds in her heart. Let her courage give us courage. Let her love give us love, and let her hope give us hope."

I am glad we get the panel with Brainiac 5. It shows that Supergirl's history is being honored here a bit as well.

We also see Superman's private grieving. I feel this page was extremely important, showing the relationship the cousins had. To hear him say these words, acknowledging how much she has grown as a character and then saying how much he loves her, how much he will miss her. It is all a crucial part of her legacy.

And that is that.

I still wrestle with this issue and what it represents.

Let's face it, this issue is a great legacy for that incarnation of Supergirl. She is the star of the biggest issue of one the biggest series in DCU history. She died a hero, saving the universe. She has a spotlight on her, showing what a great character she was. And that legacy has impacted her character in each subsequent version. If you are going to die in a comic, this is the way you want to.

I think of the terrible ways other heroes have died in big company crossovers. I think of J'onn J'onzz killed by the Human Flame in Final Crisis. I think of Firestorm killed in Identity Crisis. I think of Hawkman and Hawkgirl killed in Blackest Night. Supergirl did well compared to these.

But, all of that happened afterwards. At the time all I knew was that DC felt Supergirl no longer needed to be around. And that had to be built on the foundation that her character was superfluous. Would I rather she never died?

The question came up recently with the murky ending of Convergence. I didn't want the Crisis to be undone. I didn't want that Supergirl to miss this moment.

But did she really have to die?

In the end, I can only stand behind the strength of the story and the quality of the issue. It is a masterpiece. Obviously, for any Supergirl collection, this issue is of the utmost importance.

Overall grade: A

30th Anniversary: Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 Part 1

According to Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics, July 4th marked the 30th anniversary of the release of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, a book which not only changed the history of Supergirl but, I feel, changed the history of comic books in general.

To celebrate this anniversary, I have been reviewing the Crisis issues in which Supergirl appeared. And so we have reached the end point. This is, as the cover says, a double-sized shocker. As such, I'll take 2 days to review this issue.

It is hard to say just what this issue meant to me as a teenage comic fan who loved Supergirl. Sure characters had died before. But this felt real and lasting. Supergirl was gone. It seemed somewhat strange to me that a character which had so much to offer, who had grown before our eyes, who had headlined multiple books, was deemed superfluous.

That said, despite writing the story in which she dies, Marv Wolfman makes Kara's death a powerful moment. She saves Superman, saves the multiple Earths that were still in existence, and inspired the heroes to fight on. Plenty of characters died in this series but few go out so nobly, so powerfully. DC at least recognized that Supergirl was bigger, and deserved a bigger stage, than the Crime Syndicate, Kole, Johnny Cloud, etc.

And, of course, this issue is a crown jewel in the artistic catalogues of artists George Perez, Jerry Ordway, and Dick Giordano. Perez knew how to utilize the page with inset panels, varying pages, and perfect splashes to keep the story moving while telling the dense story this warranted.

The first half of this issue looks at the history of multiverse and the Monitors. I'll be covering that portion today.

Last issue, Harbinger utilized all her remaining power to save Earths 4,S, and X. She pulled those universes into a safe dimensional pocket where the Monitor had drawn in the Earth 1 and Earth 2 universes.

Standing on a floating asteroid with Pariah and Alex Luthor, Harbinger knows it is time to explain the origins of the Crisis to the remaining champions. "All will be enlightened."

I like this idea of bringing together a group of representatives of each Earth to hear the tale of the Monitors.

Meanwhile, the heroes on the surviving Earths are trying to get a handle on exactly what is happening. For example, on Earth S, the Marvel Family talks to Supergirl. Last issue, they were enraged by the emotion-warping power of the Psycho Pirate. Now, they need to know what is going on in the universe.

One subplot that has been proceeding almost in the background continues on this Earth. The super-villains of all the universes are disappearing, being teleported away. Here we see Sivana and Ibac disappear.

But before that can be pondered, Lyla arrives and asks for Captain Marvel to join her.

I do think that Changeling has some of the best lines in this series. "Kid Marvel, Baby Marvel, and Fetus Marvel"?? Perfect.

And so a congress of representatives of the 5 surviving Earths, as well as the sole survivor of a dead Earth are brought together.

The Earth-1 Superman, the Earth-2 Superman, Earth-S Captain Marvel, Earth-X Uncle Sam, Earth-4 Blue Beetle, and Earth-6;s lone survivor Lady Quark are brought together to hear the long history of the multiverse.

I love this image of this council of elders of the planets. Interesting that it seems that the champions are the most powerful heroes of their planets ... except Blue Beetle stands out a bit. I suppose none of us knew a lot about Captain Atom at this point and had met the Beetle in the early issues of the Crisis, so I suppose from a story telling viewpoint, it makes sense.

It all started way back in Green Lantern #40.

The planet Oa, then called Maltus, was home to a utopian society. It was a natural and scientific paradise. One of the Maltusians was Krona who decided to look back in time at the creation of the universe (despite legends saying that would lead to disaster).

Scoffing at the warnings, Krona built a machine to view the past and did indeed see the universe's origins, the famous hand cupping a star system imagery long time fans know all too well.

But the legends were true. Upon Krona's viewing this, the machine exploded and a chain reaction occurred.

Evil was let loose on the universe.

The antimatter universe and Oa's antimatter doppelgänger Qward were created.

The Maltusian society broke down completely. Some left and became Controllers. Other left and became Zamarons. Those that remained became the Guarians.

But there was more.

This multiversal upheaval gave birth to the Monitor and his evil version, the Anti-Monitor

I love these sorts of panels by Perez, tiny narrow things which tell so much of the story. The Anti-Mobitor's gloved hand is born from rock, a mockery of life. Meanwhile the Monitor's naked hand breaks through some pink primordial goo. Solid economy of art here.

The two versions quickly learned of each other and instantly attacked each other. The result? Stalemate. And eons of catatonia on both sides.

I thought this was great story telling by Wolfman who needed to explain why we, as readers, never met these two if they came about because of Krona's shenanigans. This neatly explains it.

I also like Perez use now of horizontally narrow mirror panels here.

But hubris isn't only an Oan trait.

On an unnamed world, Pariah was a great scientist who was revered. But he also decided not to heed the warnings and look back.

And like Krona, he saw the hand cradling the galaxy ... followed by disaster.

The resulting backlash destroyed Pariah's entire universe. But safe within the viewing cube, Pariah survived.

I love that at this point in the story, Lady Quark has to be held back from attacking Pariah. After all, without his interference, the multiverse would be safe.

If it is one thing I have learned, don't look back at the beginning of the universe!

Unfortunately, the destruction of Pariah's universe created a vacuum which was filled by the extension of the antimatter universe. The Anti-Monitor was now awake and stronger. It was clear. If one of the multiverses were destroyed, the Anti-Monitor would grow more powerful. With that he created the weaponers of Qward, the shadow demons, and the plans for destruction.

Luckily, the destruction of Pariah's universe also blasted the Monitor from his coma as well. He knew what happened and knew he needed to plan to stymie his malevolent twin.

His first step, to rescue Pariah, give him the powers of immortality, and to be teleported to places of great danger.

Then the Monitor began to study and catalog all the heroes of the different Earths, preparing a strike force to defeat his brother. And he even took the time to save a small girl lost at sea ... Lyla.

And that brings everyone up to speed. Now we know how this whole Crisis began, with the pride of two renowned scientists leading to the creation of evil and the destruction of billions of souls.

One thing is clear, the Monitor's plan has failed ... or has gone as far as it can. There needs to be a new strategy.

The heroes decide to be pro-active.

Alex Luthor, being both matter and anti-matter can be used as a gateway to Qward. So a phalanx of some of the most powerful heroes gather as an attack force. They'll bring the fight to the Anti-Monitor, acting rather than reacting.

It is a small but impressive force. Superman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Captain Atom, Shazam, Firestorm, Mon-El, Wildfire, Dr. Light, The Ray, the Earth-2 Green Lantern, Jade, and Lady Quark. Who could sustain an attack by such a force of good?

This early part of the book was inked by Jerry Ordway. At this point Dick Giordano takes over the inking responsibilities.

While this part of the book is basically exposition, it was needed. And it was done well. With Lyla and Pariah handing over the narration. It mixed in classic DC history with new material. The art work is brilliant. And it explained how two such powerful beings as the Monitors could be part of the fabric of the DCU and never have been heard of before.

But there is more to this issue.

There is more ...

Crisis On Infinite Earths Omnibus From Japan

One of my little collecting quirks is getting DC Comics in foreign languages.

I only speak English but I find thumbing through the books and trying to phonetically read the language, or holding English versions side by side to try to translate a fun little exercise.

My friends know of this little obsession and so when on vacation abroad they will look for DC Comics to grab for me. And occasionally they find one to bring home to me.

A very good friend of mine recently went to Japan and saw what seems to be an Omnibus of Crisis on Infinite Earths on the shelves and grabbed it for me. And it is quite a book.

It includes all of the Crisis mini-series on bright, high quality glossy paper.

It is fascinating for me to see the Japanese language in these word balloons I have read so much I can practically quote the text.

Look at how beautiful this scene with Batgirl from Crisis #4 looks.

And my Kara's fight with Captain Marvel from Crisis #6.

(I will post stuff Crisis #7 when I review that issue next month)

But the book also includes the History of the DC Universe two-parter as well!
And a comprehensive list of Crisis cross-overs; not only does it list those books with the actual cover dress of Crisis Cross-over, but all the issues which even tangentially touched the Crisis.

It includes a miniposter of Alex Ross's pencils for the cover of the trade.

And the poster has numbers over all the character and a guide in the back of the book.

In fact, there is a massive guide in the back of the book showcasing every character that appears in the entire book. This appendix seems to say which issue the character first appears (that 252 sitting out there). It also says what page (in the trade) and panel the character first appears in story.

Does this book exist in an English version?

Perhaps the most unusual thing about this is that my friend is not into comics at all, knew nothing about my love of Crisis or its place in comic history. So when he handed this to me, he was surprised to see my perhaps over-the-top reaction. He thought he was simply handing me a random book. I guess this is one of those cosmic karma things.

30th Anniversary: Crisis On Infinite Earths #6

Today I continue my Supergirl-centric look back at Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 came out 30 years ago today according to Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics, bringing to a close the first half of this universe defining mini-series.

Writer Marv Wolfman, penciller George Perez, and inker Jerry Ordway were firing on all cylinders at this point. The Monitor was dead. Earth 1 and Earth 2 were temporarily safe, swirling in a decaying vibrational orbit with each other, the other universes are still winking out of existence, and finally we have met the enemy ... The Anti-Monitor.

We had wondered who the mastermind of this Crisis was. We wondered why the shadow demons looked like the Monitor. Now we knew. Of course, that was about all we knew about the Anti-Monitor. He looked like the Monitor. He called himself the Monitor. And he was out for total destruction of the positive matter worlds.

But, for me, what was more important was that this series finally started to feel like a universe-wide crossover. Gone were the issues of Dawnstar and Dr Polaris and Solivar trying to defend giant tuning forks. Last issue, we had every super-hero from two Earths together in a room hearing how their universes were dying. This issue, we bring three more Earths into the fray, three more universes of chess pieces for Marv Wolfman to start playing with.

And amidst all that, we get a touch of redemption for Harbinger who just two issues ago killed the Monitor, the man who saved her life and wanted to save everyone else too.

I am breathless just doing the opening overview. Here comes the issue!

With Earth-1 and Earth-2 temporarily out of reach, the Anti-Monitor turns his attention to the remaining Earths within his grasp - Earth 4 (Charlton heroes), Earth-S (Shazam/Fawcett heroes), and Earth-X (Quality heroes). Knowing the heroes from Earth-1 and Earth-2 will be heading to those Earths, the Anti-Monitor decides to improve his chances.

The Anti-Monitor had promised the Psycho Pirate worlds of emotions to play with. Now he keeps that promise. He exponentially increases the Pirate's powers.

The Pirate now controls the feelings of all those on the remaining Earths and he sends panic and fear in crippling waves. But the Pirate was already walking a fine line of sanity. This is a violation of him as much as it is for his victims. He is in agony.

I love the art here, the change in perspective, color, viewpoint, all showing the panic and pain of the Pirate.

Meanwhile, the Monitor's satellite, existing in the netherverse of the Earth-1/Earth-2 amalgam, is falling apart, attacked by the Anti-Monitor. You might recall that many of the heroes from those Earths are on the satellite. This isn't as simple as flying out into space. This is a limbo. You cannot survive outside!

The heroes, including Supergirl, are inside, trying to save those heroes who need saving, and trying to figure out the next step. I love that Supergirl is holding onto Black Canary.

And Changeling still checking out the beautiful heroes despite the chaos still makes me chuckle.

With the satellite falling apart around them, Lyla powers up again as Harbinger, entering the satellite's power chamber where her physical body resides. There she seems to gain immense power which is causing her pain, a scene that seems like a reflection of the Psycho Pirate's increase.

Despite her efforts, or because of her efforts, the satellite explodes. The assumption is that everyone on board has died. But Lyla seemed to have a plan in mind.

Harbinger's plan is both simple and complicated.

The simple part, send the heroes of Earth-1 and Earth-2 to Earths-4,S, and X to defend them and try to calm the populace from the emotional wringer that the Psycho Pirate is putting them through.

And so we finally see Earth-4 and meet it's heroes. We had met Blue Beetle earlier in the Crisis. But now we finally see The Question, Thunderbolt, Captain Atom, Peacemaker, and Nightshade. Unfortunately, they assume that Earth-1 and Earth-2 heroes are the cause of the storms and anti-matter wave destroying their planet.

It is a classic comic trope. Heroes meet and immediately fight each other.

Hard to believe that I didn't know who any of these Charlton people were back then in my salad days of comic collecting.

There is a similar scene on Earth-X as the heroes sent there are forced to fight the Freedom Fighters.

And on Earth-S, the Marvel Family is running amok. And the world's mightiest mortal is no weakling.

In a great sequence of pages, we get fantastic Supergirl action. That middle panel with her delivering a right hook to Captain Marvel, laying him out is just spectacular.

But I also love how she pauses, trying to talk sense into the enraged Captain. She knows he isn't in control of himself.

But he is too out of control.

Again, Perez gives us some great visuals of Supergirl. These three panels progress so beautifully. The first panel with Kara looking up moves nicely into the next panel where the action is all moving upwards in the panel, as Supergirl smashes through the falling building. And then we completely reverse direction in the last panel as she flies into Shazam, maintaining her position from the second panel. There is a sense of momentum and almost violent veering as you follow that action.

How I wish Perez drew Supergirl more over his career. She really shines in this issue.

An enormous image of Harbinger has been seen within the antimatter wave on all these planets during these battles. We finally see what her desperate plan has been all along.

Using every erg of energy she has, she acts as a conduit, bringing in the three remaining Earths and universes into the netherverse with Earth-1 and Earth-2.

Suddenly removed from space, the Psycho Pirate is cut off from his puppets.

Incredible. And a great semi-splash by Perez, giving us the huge scope of this act by Lyla while still giving us shots of the action on each planet with smaller inset panels. Perez was perfect in his execution of these issues.

While the Earths might be saved, it is only a temporary reprieve. As with the first two Earths, the vibrations keeping them separated are slowing down. Eventually, the five Earths will try to occupy the same space and destroy each other.

Still, just a powerful issue for Harbinger as she nearly sacrifices herself to try to continue to Monitor's work. It is a nice redemption story.

And even in the darkest times, a hero can emerge.

Last issue we saw Ted Grant, Wildcat, be injured saving people. His legs crushed, we were told that he would never walk again.

And so, in one of the legacies heroism born from the tragedy of the Crisis, Yolanda Montez picks up the mantle and becomes the new Wildcat.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 was the perfect ending of the first half of the story. The pedal was put to the floor as Wolfman and Perez steamroll through three new Earths being saved. We get the redemption of Lyla, the introduction of the new Wildcat, and a hint at a subplot of super-villains disappearing from the multiverse. I felt a bit out of breath after reading this issue as the action is amazing throughout.

It all leads into this announcement in the letters page.

See you guys next month. Bring your tissues.