Crisis on Infinite Earths

Crisis on Infinite Earths *****
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: George Perez
Cover Artist: George Perez
Variant Cover Artist: Alex Ross

It's time for your alternate Wednesday special review. Over the next three special reviews, I am going to review Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, and Final Crisis. These three crises are regarded as the stories of the multiverse in the DC realm. Before there was "the Crisis," as it was once referred to, there was the expansive multiverse. Essentially, there were numerous universes that each had an Earth of it's own. What this means is that there were different variations to characters such as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman and there were also variations to superhero groups such as the Justice League and the Justice Society. Eventually the different universes began to learn of one another, the result of the Flash vibrated from one universe to another, and on occasion would help each other out. Crisis on Infinite Earths was released in 1985 as a celebration of DC's 50th anniversary. With so many characters and universes, there were also many issues in continuity. At the time there was also an ever increasing character list, which made it difficult to follow along or for those that didn't read, it made it difficult to start reading. Crisis on Infinite Earths was created to rectify this situation.

**Recap begins here

As Crisis on Infinite Earths was written before I was born, there will be more spoilers than usual. The epic event begins with a white light spreading across numerous Earths erasing everything in it's path. We witness a strange man, Pariah, who is cursed to witness the destruction of each and every one of these Earths. In the midst of all this destruction and chaos there is but one survivor, the baby Alexander Luthor Jr., rocketed from his birth planet across the universes in hopes of survival. The Monitor, who as his name implies, watches over things, sends forth his pupil, Harbinger, to collect various individuals, both hero and villain alike, in order to mount an attack on the oncoming enemy. At the barest of descriptions, Crisis on Infinite Earths is the ultimate battle between good and evil. The Monitor and his disciples, Harbinger, Alexander Luthor Jr., and Pariah, mount a great and tedious battle against the Monitor's evil counterpart, the Anti-Monitor.

As the story progresses there are many major events that take place. 15 individuals are gathered from Earth I and II and are told the grisly tale of how the Anti-Monitor has grown in strength and is attempting to destroy all of of the worlds. These 15 individuals are transported to different worlds and times in order to protect towers created by the Monitor. With every chapter that passes, we witness Harbingers slowly succumb to the darkness of the Anti-Monitor, feeding him information and strategies. Eventually the evil within her overcomes her and she murders the Monitor. However, unbeknownst to her, the Monitor anticipated and welcomed death as the only manner in which enough energy could be released to protect the final five Earths from destruction. It is revealed that Pariah was in fact a scientist who desired nothing more than to witness the beginning of creation. Instead, he awoke the brothers Monitor and Anti-Monitor. Thus, he was condemned to witness the atrocities brought upon by the Anti-Monitor.

With five Earths remaining the most powerful beings of all five Earths gathered together in an all out attack against the Anti-Monitor. Pariah is able to lead our heroes to the Anti-Monitor's fortress, which is almost like a living being itself. The newly appointed Dr. Light and Superman reach the Anti-Monitor, but are quickly and decisively taken out. With Superman inches from death, Supergirl charges in to save both of them. With the courage and strength of a thousand soldiers, Supergirl pounds away at the Anti-Monitor destroying his life shell. With nothing to lose the Anti-Monitor attempts to kill all the heroes on his fortress by self destructing. However, Supergirl reaches him before he accomplishes his final act and distracts him long enough for everyone to become safe. Shocking the world, Supergirl is murdered by the Anti-Monitor just before he flees his fortress.

Throughout the story Barry Allen, as the Flash, has appeared in different locations warning of impending doom. It would appear that the Anti-Monitor had captured Barry and had kept him locked up deep in space. Using his powers he is able to escape that which held him captive. The entire time Barry was held in captivity, the Anti-Monitor would boastfully speak about his ultimate weapon. Naturally, when Barry is freed he locates this ultimate weapon and sets out to destroy it. He runs against the current of the anti-matter being collected by the machine in an attempt to redirect all that energy back into the machine. In a final selfless act Barry sacrifices himself to destroy the ultimate weapon.

Meanwhile on the five Earths, Brainiac has collected the greatest villains from all of the Earths. With the worlds in such disarray, the villains took it upon themselves to increase the suffering. With the numbers dwindling, the heroes found themselves in trouble for a short while. The fighting is brought to an immediate halt when the Spectre arrives and informs the five Earths of the Anti-Monitor's plans. He informs them that the Anti-Monitor is planning on going to the beginning of time and wiping out all life. The heroes and the villains join forces to stop this near-omnipotent threat. The Villains are sent to the point in which Pariah unleashes the energy that awakens the Anti-Monitor, while the heroes travel to the dawn of time to battle the Anti-Monitor. The villains fail in their attempts and just as the Anti-Monitor is about to destroy the five worlds, the Spectre appears and an unrivaled power struggle takes place. In the end there is but one Earth remaining, while the the ever powerful Anti-Monitor still looms in the shadows.

Slowly by slowly the heroes of yesterday and the heroes of today realize that the worlds that they once knew no longer existed. During the struggle the five worlds combined to form one Earth, intertwining and incorporating the existence of individuals from different worlds. The Anti-Monitor chooses this moment to make his final stand. The heroes make a final stand of their own, with the aid of some magical beings, Alexander Luthor Jr., Harbinger, and Dr. Light. How does it end? You'll just have to read it to find out.

**Recap ends here

Crisis on Infinite Earths really was a first of it's kind; It took an ever expanding multiverse and shrunk it down to one universe. What could have been an epic failure, is instead one of the greatest events in comic history. Whether or not it accomplished everything it set out to, is unknown, and yet it is still a spectacular read.

Admittedly it took me a while to read this story, regardless of how many times I heard how amazing it was. While there was the issue of cost, the thing that turned  me away from reading it the most was the artwork. Since it was so old the print quality wasn't so good and I didn't think I was a big fan of George Perez's work. I say think, because this time around I though it was great. I was able to get my hands on a recent reprint that has been "painstakingly restored and meticulously recolored." Let me tell you, they did an amazing job restoring this art. The art really is a big part of why this book was so successful. The emotions portrayed in the characters are spot on, the details in the character designs are there, it really is good art.

The story is pretty damn great too. Right now it may not seem like it, but it was a big deal to do what Marv Wolfman did. His story not only affected this particular story, but it affected the entire DC universe, no, it affected the entire comic industry as a whole. This story brought about changes throughout the industry; it caused publishers both old and new to create company changing stories. The story not only simplified the existing world for DC, but it also brought in a lot of new readers, without losing a significant amount of readers. It also set up existing titles to have their books re-vamped, to have them change in a new positive direction.

The deaths that took place were so unexpected at the time. And although both characters have found their way back to us, the impact that that their deaths had at the time should not be dismissed. Supergirl's death made Superman once again the last survivor of Krypton, which for many people is the story that they know. Barry Allen's death was the ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate act of good.

This story, while 25 years old, still remains an integral part of the comic book history and community. After reading it, it's easy to see why. The story that Wolfman writes is absolutely fantastic. There's a little bit of everything to lure you in and captivate you the entire time. The artwork isn't the greatest bit of art you may find in comics, but it works brilliantly with the story (especially the remastered version.) This is without a doubt a must read for all DC fans.