Alan Kistler's Guide to The Crisis - Chapters 5-8
Thursday, December 6, 2007 at 09:45PM 
This is continued from Chapters 1 - 4.
CRISIS – Chapter 5: "Worlds in Limbo!"
The secret villain behind the Crisis is confused. The "first two prime universes" of Earth-1 and Earth-2 have seemingly been destroyed. We all saw it happen at the end of the last issue. But he doesn’t feel any stronger from their destruction. Nor did he absorb any energy from the Monitor’s death. Where did all that energy go? What's going on that he doesn't know about?
Before our villain can figure out an answer, the Psycho-Pirate asks about the planet he was promised in exchange for helping to destroy the multiverse. He also demands to know why the Barry Allen and the Red Tornado were taken captive.
"The Flash is the only being capable of traversing dimensions unaided … I could not allow him to be free … Red Tornado has powers which will allow me to control my new universe. He will be reshaped as my tool!"
We then shift our view over to the Monitor's satellite base, which now seems to rest in a white void. Pariah weeps over the Monitor’s body (partially because he realized he hadn't had a good cry in twenty minutes, I'm sure). "Everything is gone, except us … except me."
Lyla is nearby. As she regains her senses, she is shocked by what she’s done. Apparently, the final act of murdering her mentor has freed her of the shadow demon influence she's been under since Chapter 1. Moments later, a recording activates and both Lyla and Pariah look up in surprise as the Monitor’s image appears on the screens.
The recording says, "Lyla … do not grieve over what you have done … I was aware of your possession. I knew what was to occur. You had no choice but to slay me, Lyla, but by doing so you fulfilled my last request … My machines were not ready … my power source not yet complete … Killing me, Lyla, released all my energy. Energy which would do more than just power the vibrational forks … Out of my very being was created a netherverse … one which has temporarily absorbed
your two universes … But, in my haste … all time has become one … because my vibrational forks were not fully attuned … the universes are merging … they will destroy each other!"
As Lyla absorbs this news, Alexander Luthor of Earth-3 walks into the room. His aging having finally stabilized, he now looks to be in his late teens and is wearing golden armor (presumably to regulate his energies). He reveals that the Monitor gave him instructions before being killed and it’s now time to act them. He's got a plan.
At his own base, the secret villain understands what’s happened now. His "brother" the Monitor has tricked him and now he must adjust his plans. The Psycho-Pirate continues bugging him, so the villain tells the little golden masked freak to go amuse himself by torturing the Flash. Free of Hayden's annoying distractions, the villain moves forward towards his ultimate goal.
Meanwhile, Earth-1 and Earth-2 are now slowly merging, causing time fluxes all over. Dinosaurs are appearing in modern-day Metropolis and World War I planes are flying alongside 30th century space-craft. As the various heroes try to figure out what’s going on, they’re all suddenly teleported onto the Monitor’s satellite by Lyla, Pariah and Alexander Luthor of Earth-3. Along with the majority of super-heroes and warriors from Earths 1 and 2, this assembly also includes a few villains and some magic-inclined folk who usually operate on the side-lines such as the immortal Phantom Stranger, the earth elemental called Swamp Thing and the sorcerer John Constantine. There are also some time-lost people such as several Western heroes (Scalphunter, Bat Lash, etc.), WW II heroes (Sgt. Rock and Easy Company), the Legion of Super-Heroes and Kamandi. Likewise, folks who normally hang out in other dimensions like Princess Amethyst and Travis Morgan, Warlord, find themselves summoned to this gathering.
Alexander Luthor and Harbinger explain to the crowd that a secret enemy has been destroying all positive matter universes. They don't know who the enemy is, only what the Monitor's plan was to combat him. Alexander says, "To escape the enemy’s anti-matter attack, the Monitor began the process of MERGING the universes into ONE … as it was INTENDED to be, but somehow, at the dawn of time, we were split into an infinite number of universes. To save all life, we must RETURN to being ONE UNIVERSE again!"
Those who are gathered aren’t sure what to make of these claims, so Alexander tells them to return to the merging Earths below and see the danger for themselves, danger that will grow worse if they don't act together quickly. Superman of Earth-2 swears that if there's a way to save everything, he'll help.
Elsewhere, a space-ship full of several members of the Green Lanterns Corps arrives on the planet Oa only to find that their mentors, the Guardians of the Universe, are trapped in some sort of stasis beam (apparently they've been trapped like this since we saw them knocked out in Chapter 1). Before they can investigate further, there’s a flash of green light and those GLs present are knocked out cold, victims of another trap (which means that Oa has the worst security system on Earth).
Back on the merging Earths, time and space continue going nuts. There are cavemen in the Batcave and dinosaurs in running around Russia. Back at his lair, the secret villain is amazed that Barry Allen is actually able to resist the full brunt of the Psycho-Pirate’s mental torture.
The mystery villain then starts working on the android Red Tornado, remarking, "I believed him to be a mere machine, but I was wrong. Red Tornado is a primal force, more than machine! More than human! I am changing him into what he was meant to be! This change is IRREVOCABLE! Never again will he be the Red Tornado you once knew!"
Minutes later, a force of living hurrican winds is attacking the cities of the merging Earths, causing a storm of epic proportions. JLA sorceress Zatanna fights the wind creature, aided by the Earth-2 mages Sargon and Dr. Fate, as well as Johnny Thunder (this is the JSA’s Johnny Thunder who had a pet thunderbolt genie, not the gunslinger of the same name who operated in the old west). Together, the magic-users beat back the wind elemental, realizing that it is actually their old friend the Red Tornado.
Now that the battle is over, the heroes look over Wildcat, whose legs were struck by lightning while he was saving a little girl from the hurrican winds. Ultra Boy of the Legion of Super-Heroes looks at Wildcat with X-ray vision and says, "His legs are shattered. I – I don’t think he’ll ever walk again." The heroes are troubled by this, as is Yolanda Montez, Wildcat’s goddaughter who is standing nearby.
Realizing that things are only getting worse, the heroes rally together. The Earth-2 heroine Liberty Belle tells Harbinger that the All-Star Squadron (a WW II umbrella group that includes the Freedom Fighters, JSA and Seven Soldiers of Victory) will help. Martian Manhunter of Earth-1 pledges the Justice League’s assistance. Earth-1's Aquaman offers the forces of Atlantis (which is interesting considering he had given up his throne and authority a while ago). The Star-Spangled Kid of Earth-2 declares that his team Infinity, Inc. will join in the action. Earth-1 hero Nightwing says that the Teen Titans will lend a hand, as will the group of robot heroes known as the Metal Men. The Legion of Super-Heroes say yes. Batman says he and the Outsiders will join the war. And various other heroes and villains of different time periods all agree to band together. This marks the single greatest gathering of forces that DC Comics had ever seen at this point.
Alexander teleports up only some of the heroes who have agreed to help, telling them they’ve been selected for another mission first. "The anti-matter cloud is moving through the final three universes … I brought you here to help save the first of those universes … Only by saving ALL FIVE universes will we have enough power to RESIST him."
Alexander is about to send them on their mission, when Pariah senses danger and the satellite is blown wide open by an long-range attack. Elsewhere, the secret villain gloats over his attack. Psycho-Pirate frowns, saying, "They said there were three universes left … But I though you said something about an 'Apokolips.' What about that?"
Of course, he was referring to the planet Apokolips, ruled by the demonic Darkseid the Destroyer, which (along with its sister planet New Genesis) exists almost separately from the rest of the Earth-1 universe. The villain says to the Pirate, "Darkseid and his sycophants shall not escape me. But –"
Barry Allen then interrupts, saying angrily, "You talk big, mister … But I haven’t seen you do ANYTHING to prove yourself. Your emotion-controlling dupe can’t even hold ME down. Why do you keep hiding yourself?"
Impressed with the Flash's persistent spirit and will, the villain apparently decides "why not?" And so, now five issues into the main storyline, readers finally get to see just who the guy is that's been behind this whole wave of death and destruction. As the figure finally steps into the light (which no doubt had been deliberately placed for dramatic lighting when he was decorating the place, becuase how else do you ensure that you can stay in the shadows while the people you're talking to are always well-lit?), the Psycho-Pirate and the Flash are both shocked by what they see. The villain looks very much like the Monitor, only he's robotic and has a skull-like face.
The villain proudly declares, "Call me – THE MONITOR! And very soon I shall be ruler over all who live!"
For the sake of avoiding confusion, I will be referring to the now-revealed villain as the "Anti-Monitor", which is what he's called starting in issue #6 anyway.
And elsewhere, on Earth-X, Uncle Sam and his team the Freedom Fighters are watching in fear as anti-matter begins to consume their adopted world. They have no idea what this menace is or what it means, only that it has to be stopped.
ON THE SIDE-LINES:
Some major battles during The Crisis occurred outside of the main series. We'll talk about the Green Lantern Corps and a major fight they had later on. But for now, we'll focus on what certain magic-inclined folks were up to.
In Swamp Thing’s own comic series at this time, we see a conversation between the plant elemental and John Constantine right before Harbinger and Alexander explain everything about the anti-matter wave and the Monitor's plan. Constantine assures Swamp Thing that the plan to combine the remaining universes will work but that once the Crisis is over there's gonna be a backlash. Evil magical forces are going to experience an excess of power and try to take advantage of the situation. It'll be up to people like the Swamp Thing and Constantine to make sure that the Earth doesn't face complete destruction only days after the Crisis is averted.
If you’re interested in this story, written by Alan Moore, check out the trade SWAMP THING: A Murder of Crows. It’s a great story that has Swamp Thing first encounter the group of elementals known as the Parliament of Trees and features the deaths of the Golden Age sorcerers Sargon and John Zatarra.
CRISIS – Chapter 6: "3 Earths! 3 Deaths!"
The story opens up in the Anti-Monitor’s lair. As Roger Hayden, the Psycho-Pirate, pleads once again for a planet to use his full power on, Barry Allen is temporarily left alone. The Flash feels his mind regaining control and he knows it won’t be long now before he can finally act on an escape plan.
The Anti-Monitor tells the Pirate to stop whining about the planet he was promised. He adds that he's of a mind to just grab either Raven of the Teen Titans or the villain Phobia, as both women also have emotion controlling powers and could replace Hayden. But with no time to find either of them (which seems odd considering how easily he was able to grab the Pirate, Barry and Red Tornado from different points in space and time), he instead uses his abilities to significantly increase the Psycho-Pirate’s power level. He then sets the Pirate loose on the last remaining three Earths to help frustrate the efforts of the heroes of Earth-1 and Earth-2.
Aboard the Monitor’s wrecked satellite, several heroes are trying to make sure they aren’t sucked out into the limbo-like void beyond its walls. Pariah screams as he vanishes, summoned away to watch as another world far away dies. Then, as a last gambit to save everyone, Alexander tries to use his anti-matter/matter energies to draw the last three universes into the netherverse. Knowing this could kill the boy, Harbinger stops Alexander and comes up with an alternative plan. Tapping into the power source of the satellite itself, she sends the heroes to the three Earths and screams as the satellite base explodes.
Down on Earth-2, Al Pratt (the original hero called "Atom" of the Justice Society), looks over his good buddy Wildcat, thinking that his friend’s days are over. Yolanda Montez watches outside from a window, thanks to the use of her secret metahuman powers, and decides she will honor her godfather who has fallen in battle.
On Earth-1, evil scientist Lex Luthor is trying to escape Superman. Suddenly, he is teleported onto Brainiac's headship. Although Lex Luthor's teamed up with Brainiac a number of times, he doesn’t recognize the android villain at first (he hasn't seen Brainiac since the android recently took on a more robotic appearance). Brainiac reintroduces himself to his on-again/off-again partner-in-crime and says, “I offer you now a plan calculated to make us both RULERS of this universe!”
Meanwhile, one of Alexander's selected team of heroes arrives on Earth-X, where the Freedom Fighters have been operating for years. The team of heroes that arrives consists of the Earth-1 heroes Steel I (Hank Heywood of the JLA), Starfire of the Teen Titans and the new Dr. Light, along with the Hawkman of Earth-2 and his godson Northwind of Infinity, Inc. Upon their arrival, Dr. Light II is confused when she realizes that she now speaks and understands English.
The heroes then see a giant image of Harbinger standing in front of the anti-matter wall. Before they can figure out what’s going on, Northwind sees that the populace of Earth-X is under some kind of mental control and is marching towards the anti-matter like lemmings. As he tries to stop them, he’s attacked by the Freedom Fighters, who, like the populace, are under the emotional control of the Psycho-Pirate. It's hero vs. hero now.
In the anti-matter universe, the Psycho-Pirate realizes that he’s becoming overwhelmed by the power of controlling and feeding off the emotions of three entire Earths.
The scene shifts to Earth-4 (which, by the way, never had a designation before The Crisis since they’d never met the other DC heroes before). Another team of heroes arrives, made-up of the Martian Manhunter, Katana of the Outsiders, Blok of the LSH, the alien Azrael (an ally of the Teen Titans, not to be confused with Batman’s apprentice who was introduced in comics years 
later), and the Earth-2 hero Jay Garrick. The heroes find Earth-4 suffering from red skies and torrential rain. As they wonder why they see a large image of Harbinger standing before the anti-matter wall, they are attacked by Earth-4’s heroes.
Under the Pirate's mental influence, the Blue Beetle now misremembers his meeting with the other heroes in issues 1,2 and 3 and has told his pals that he was kidnapped by beings from another universe who now seek to destroy Earth-4. And so, another battle ensues. The Outsider known as Katana is beaten by Earth-4's Judo-Master (who should only exist in Earth-4’s World War II days, but must be here on present-day Earth-4 due to time anomalies). The Earth-4 hero Captain Atom dispatches the alien Azrael, but is then mind-blasted by the Martian Manhunter. Jay Garrick proves that Peter Cannon, the so-called Thunderbolt, can’t match his speed at all when he stops the Earth-4 hero from racing headfirst into the anti-matter wall.
Any true fan of Peter Cannon AKA Thunderbolt will realize there is something wrong with this scene. Although he operated at the peak of human efficiency, Cannon was not a speedster and never had a hope in matching even half of the speed of a Flash. Wolfman and Perez simply weren't familiar with the character and assumed from his name that he was a speedster. This is also why you don't see Cannon's face in the comic.
Aboard his aerial attack ship the Bug, the hero Blue Beetle and his friend The Question realize that something is mentally forcing them to act as they are. But knowing it isn't enough to help them completely fight it off.
Meanwhile, on Earth-1, another time flux happens. The Atlantis of ancient times (back when Arion was still protecting the place) is suddenly transported into the present day, whereas the present-day versions of the underwater Atlantean cities Tritonis and Poseidonis are suddenly missing from the ocean floor. As Aquaman searches for his home and his wife, he is watched by his enemies Black Manta and Ocean Master who are planning an ambush. Before they can do anything though, someone teleports them away (kinda like how Luthor was unexpectedly teleported away, wink, wink).
Meanwhile on Earth-S, another team of heroes arrives, composed of Supergirl, Black Canary, the Earth-1 Wonder Woman, the Teen Titan called Changeling (who also uses the name "Beast Boy" depending on his mood), and the Teen Titan called Kole. These heroes find themselves fighting the Marvel family of Earth-S. Supergirl tries to reason with Captain Marvel (they’ve met before and Cap even fought her cousin, Superman), but it doesn’t work. Wonder Woman tries to use her magic lasso to soothe Mary Marvel, but the girl resists long enough for Capt. Marvel to sucker punch Wonder Woman from behind (note: if you own the original publication of this issue, Cap is miscolored in this panel to look like Capt. Marvel, Jr.). Uncle Marvel is also involved, but since he's an overweight middle-aged man with no powers he obviously doesn't affect the battle much.
Finally, the fighting stops as Habinger uses the energies she’s harnessed to draw all three universes of Earth-4, Earth-S and Earth-X into the netherverse, protecing them from the anti-matter. As soon as this happens, the Psycho-Pirate screams. Since all his powers were focused on the three Earths, he is now vulnerable to the fear and shock of the populations on all three worlds. His mind shatters.
Minutes later, Lyla wakes up on a floating asteroid and is greeted by Alexander. He explains, "You're Lyla now … Harbinger is gone. You sacrificed everything to save those universes." (This won’t prove to be true, as Lyla will take on the name of Harbinger again later). Lyla says she expected to die from the strain of harnessing the Monitor’s life energies that had been left behind in his satellite (her alternate plan, remember?).
Alexander comments that although all five universes are now in the netherverse, they’re still not safe because the vibrational frequencies between them are slowing down. What was happening with Earths 1 and 2 is now happening with all five: the universes are trying to merge. Alexander says they must figure out a solution, but in the meantime "there’s only ONE other question ... How do we get OFF this floating rock?"
I personally would have also asked “how are we breathing in open space and not being destroyed by the pressure of the void?”, but perhaps that tiny asteroid had an atmosphere … or something.
On Earth-2, Alan Scott, Power Girl and Johnny Quick (the speedster hero, not the now-dead Earth-3 villain) are traveling alongside the Earth-2 time-villain Per Degaton and the Earth-1 baddies Star Saphire and Deathbolt. As they ponder what to do about the merging Earths, the villains are suddenly teleported away.
Elsewhere, in Wildcat’s hospital room, Yolanda Montez looks over her uncle and then leaves, donned in a female version of his costume. "This is for YOU, Ted Grant … I’m the NEW Wildcat!"
CRISIS – Chapter 7: "Beyond the Silent Night"
This comic is graced with what has since become one of the most famous covers of all time. Rather ironic considering a the event it depicts is not exactly in continuity anymore. More on that later.
As Lyla and Alexander continue to sit on their floating rock, Pariah appears again and, for what seems the hundredth time now, explains that he is drawn to parallel Earths as they are about to die. He then asks Lyla why the Monitor has kept him alive and immortal all this time to continously witness the deaths of different realities and Lyla decides it’s time for explanations. She says that on the five Earths below are representatives of six universes who should hear this as well. Alexander then teleports them all away, which means that his question of "how do we get off this floating rock" must have been a very poor joke since he has the power to go nearly anywhere it seems.
On Earth-S, Captain Marvel approaches his enemies Dr. Sivana and Ibbac. But suddenly, the two villains are teleported away and find themselves aboard Brainiac’s headship. Back on Earth-S, the Teen Titan called Changeling meets Uncle Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr. and gives one of the funniest lines in the world. "Captain Marvel! Mary Marvel! Captain Marvel Junior! Now Uncle Marvel? If Kid Marvel, Baby Marvel and FETUS Marvel show up, I quit!"
On Earth-2, Yolanda Montez watches members of the All-Star Squadron as they talk and plan. I only mention this scene because it bugs me to read her thought balloon as it reads "I am un poco asustada, scared they won’t accept me." I'm a Latin-Irish guy who is fairly fluent in both English and Spanish and I certainly don't translate my thoughts to myself. While I love Wolfman in general, this seemed like the typical comic writer's bad habit of making sure we knew a character was of a different background by having them make an exclamation in a different language (Chris Claremont did that a lot with the X-Men after he introduced several international characters into the group).
As the time anomalies continue going wild, Alexander, Pariah and Lyla gather representatives from each Earth, including
Lady Quark whose universe no longer exists. Returning to their floating rock (cuz what the Hell, it's as good a place as any for a meeting), Alexander speaks before Lady Quark, Superman of Earth-1, Uncle Sam, Captain Marvel, the Earth-2 Superman and Blue Beetle.
Alexander addresses the six representatives like this: "Lady Quark, sadly the only survivor of her universe. Superman of Earth-1 … greatest of ALL heroes. Uncle Sam, the embodiment of hope and peace. Captain Marvel, without doubt the world’s mightiest mortal. Superman of Earth-2 … the LEGEND from whom all others have come. And Blue Beetle, who - "
At this point, the Beetle interrupts him to demand they get the show on the road already. But let’s think about this for a second. Just what adulation was Alexander about to give the Beetle that would have nearly equaled how he’d just described the others? I think if he’d been allowed to continue, Alexander might have said something like this: "And Blue Beetle, who comes from Earth-4 and is … well, is a mortal, obviously, though not very mighty. Nor is he among the greatest of heroes … nor a legend … nor an embodiment of America or hope or anything … No super-powers at all, really. He's funny, though. I mean, not as funny as Elongated Man. But inventive … not quite as inventive as Batman … nor as good a detective as him or as Elongated Man or as the Question ... not a marksman like the Green Arrow. And certainly not on the power level of Captain Atom, the most powerful champion of Earth-4 … maybe I should have gotten Captain Atom instead? Yes, that would make more sense in retrospect. Um, I’m sorry, Mr. Kord, MY mistake, really …"
Seriously, you know that's what he was going to say. Also, why is Uncle Sam chosen to represent Earth-X? Yeah, he's lived there for years, but he’s really a native of Earth-2. Ah, well, whatever.
Lyla begins her explanation. Although the story seems familiar at first, she adds many details that were unknown to readers and just about everyone else in the DC multiverse.
She begins by saying that long ago, there was a race of immortals on the planet Oa and that their scientist Krona tried to find the secrets of how the universe began. As we knew before, his computers showed a giant hand holding a star cluster and then the machines blew up.
Lyla continues, "The universe SHUDDERED … and the evil anti-matter universe was formed. But more than that, the single universe was REPLACED. What was ONE became MANY. At that moment, was born the anti-matter universe and the multiverse."
This was Marv Wolfman’s little retcon. In the original story of Krona’s experiment, it was said that he unleashed EVIL into the universe, making the story a sort of cosmic version of original sin. Here, the "evil" unleashed is really the anti-matter universe and the fact that by splitting the main reality into many versions, he made each one weaker than the original had been. Not a bad story idea.
Lyla explains that all the planets were replicated in each universe, except for Oa. It only had a counter-part existing in the anti-matter universe, the planet Qward. Lyla goes on to recite what many readers, particularly GL fans, knew. How the Guaridans and the Controllers were founded, how the Manhunter robot army was created and later replaced by the GL Corps. But then she reveals something new.
"Qward and Oa, anti-matter and positive matter. Both with newly created satellites … and on those moons, newly burgeoning life. A creature, a blasphemous parody of humanity, was born in that dark and evil universe … the Anti-Monitor! And then, as if in protest to some cosmic imbalance, its doppelganger was spawned on that lifeless moon of Oa. That was the day the Monitor was born … The Anti-Monitor … grew to power … He took control of Qward. Then, as if possessed by some racial memory … he created an army of warriors … Not Manhunters or Green Lanterns but an evil army of unstoppable Thunderers … And those among the Thunderer elite … he changed … and made his personal guard .. the shadow demons …
"His evil hunger was insatiable … He sensed the presence of his other self … his positive matter self, and the positive matter universe in which he lived. The Monitor had spent his life in silent meditation, learning the secrets of the universe … But he sensed his evil shadow, and knew it wanted him dead. And so they began a war which lasted one million years … until a simultaneous attack rendered them both immobile and unconscious. And that’s the way they remained for more than nine billion years."
The older Superman of Earth-2 asks what woke the Anti-Monitor up and Pariah now jumps in. He explains that he was a scientist on his version of Earth, brilliant above all others. After discovering the existence of the multiverse, he wished to learn the origin of everything. Other scientists told him legends that if such a thing was learned, it would destroy their universe, but like Krona he ignored this. He built an anti-matter chamber that would shield him as he witnessed the origin of all existence. Like Krona, he saw a hand holding a starfield. But then, the machines went awry and positive matter met anti-matter, creating a chain reaction that destroyed his entire reality. Only he survived, protected by his chamber. And then, he saw the Anti-Monitor awaken.
"You see, when my positive matter universe was destroyed, the anti-matter universe expanded to fill the void … and the Anti-Monitor fed upon that power and grew stronger … in that moment, the Anti-Monitor realized that as each positive matter universe died, he would grow more powerful."
So it seems that the destruction of Pariah's universe caused a chain reaction of death that is spreading throughout the multiverse and the Anti-Monitor, being the opportunist he is, is merely taking advantage of the phenomenon. Pariah blames himself for the death of all the universes, as does Lady Quark who swears she will have vengeance for the deaths of her husband and daughter.
Lyla explains that the destruction of a universe also shocked the Monitor into waking up, ready to defend the postive matter universes. She tells Pariah, "Using his power, he fashioned an energy globe and saw you floating in your netherversal chamber. And he knew what had happened and how you could be used to save the universe. The Monitor created a ship … no longer would he be rooted to this moon of Oa … Somehow, you could SENSE where evil was to tread. And the Monitor could follow you to where his brother would strike next. But as the Anti-Monitor destroyed universe after universe, expanding his power, the Monitor became weaker with each loss."
It’s decided a team of various heroes will journey into the anti-matter universe and confront the Anti-Monitor at his base on the moon of Qward.
The team that will fight the Anti-Monitor head-on is as follows: Mon-El and Wildfire of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Lady Quark, Captain Atom, the Martian Manhunter, Dr. Light II, Firestorm, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman of Earth-1, the Ray of the Freedom Fighters, Alan Scott (the Green Lantern of Earth-2) and his daughter Jade, Supergirl and both Supermen.
While this conversation is happening above, the various champions of the Earths below also discuss the situation. Several express worries over their friends who are going to join the assault on the Anti-Monitor's fortress. In a scene reminiscent of Batgirl and Supergirl confiding in each other earlier, we see the Earth-2 vigilante the Huntress (Helena Wayne, daughter of the Earth-2 Batman) trying to console Power Girl, who doesn't like waiting on the sidelines while her cousin goes into battle.
Also discussing the situation are three mystical allies. There is Boston Brand, a pasty-faced Earth-bound ghost who operates under the nickname of "Deadman" and occasionally takes possession of people in order to help others or fight criminals (he's teamed up with Batman quite a bit). There's also the immortal Phantom Stranger, who usually offers advice and information rather than directly aiding in the fight against evil. And finally, standing with the Stranger and Boston Brand is the Spectre, the ghost of dead cop Jim Corrigan whose spirit has been merged with the "wrath of God", making him the angel of vengeance (and he was also a founding member fo the Justice Society of America).
As they watch, Boston complains that he and his two allies should be helping the heroes who are going into the anti-matter universe. But the Phantom Stranger and the Spectre explain that since the universe of Qward is not their home reality, their mystical energies would not work properly and they would just be a liability.
Back with the group of assembled heroes, Alexander Luthor explains that the Monitor trained him in using his unique powers (exactly when the Monitor had time to do this considering how quickly Alexander aged and how busy the big guy had been dispatching heroes and villains and what not, I have no idea). Alexander then uses the positive and anti-matter energies within him to open a massive portal into the anti-matter universe.
The group flies forward, crossing through the barriers between universes, their bodies altering so that they don't immediately explode when they arrive (which is what happens when you mix anti-matter and matter, natch). Pariah leads the way. He can sense the Anti-Monitor's presence due to his psychic ability to be drawn towards death and evil. The heroes reach the villain's orbiting fortress, which looks like a city carved directly out of a small stone planet.
Upon their arrival, the Superman of Earth-2 exclaims, "In all my years … I-I've never seen anything like it before!"
The Anti-Monitor sees the heroes approaching and tells the Psycho-Pirate to take care of them. But the Pirate explains that he still needs time to recharge. He was seriously taxed after using all his powers on the three Earths and then suffered incredible strain when Lyla ripped them away from him. The Anti-Monitor curses his poor planning and strikes the Pirate, deciding that against his better judgment he must take matters into his own hands finally.
As the heroes split off into small groups, Supergirl remarks to her cousin, the Earth-1 Superman, that her X-ray vision no longer works. Superman says "It must be the anti-matter universe … physical laws are different here." The two Kryptonians and the energy-weilding Captain Atom wonder how vulnerable they are now and if any of their powers will work properly.
Pariah then warns he senses oncoming danger when suddenly the stone city itself begins to attack the heroes. All over, the walls and colors come alive as stone creatures attack, either directly with fists or by firing energy beams. Superman of Earth-2 is shocked when one of the stone creatures strikes him so hard that it draws blood. He realizes that in this universe he’s not invulernable.
Elsewhere, Superman and Supergirl are glad to find out they still have strength and heat-vision at least, if not as much invulnerability as they're used to. Captain Atom seems less affected than they are and is able to do more damage to their attackers. Firestorm is trying his best to fight but his powers aren’t working quite the way they should.
Pariah and Dr. Light II decide to go deeper into the Anti-Monitor's lair as the heroes provide cover and Superman of Earth-1 follows. Pariah is quickly dispatched by a stone assault. Thinking that the man's just been killed, Dr. Light II swears to avenge his death. She quickly finds the Anti-Monitor’s solar collector, a machine she realizes is used to reduce the vibrational frequencies between Earth (though it seems strange an Earth scientist would recognize the function of such advanced technology).
Dr. Light wishes to study the machine, believing its secrets could greatly benefit mankind, but Superman intends to destroy it immediately in order to stop the five universes from completely merging. The Anti-Monitor then shows up and strikes the Kryptonian with a blast from behind. Superman cries out in pain and his cousin Supergirl hears him from a distance. Immediately, Kara Zor-El breaks off her attack and goes off to help her cousin.
The Anti-Monitor is having fun as he beats Superman around. Dr. Light tries to blast him, but the villain is too strong for her powers. He continues his assault on Superman, who’s still too dazed by the initial sucker punch blast to properly get his bearings right and fight back. Nor is the Anti-Monitor giving him chance to catch his breath, as he repeatedly punches the Kryptonian into several walls and the floor. Suddenly, Supergirl bursts through the wall and surprises the Anti-Monitor as she delivers two devastating blows. She cries out against the villain, demanding to know how he can care so little for life, how he could have destroyed countless planets and universes. Dr. Light II watches in amazement. Supergirl knows she's not invulnerable, knows this universe makes her weaker than the Anti-Monitor, yet still the girl fights on and on. Hoshi is inspired by Kara Zor-El’s example, realizing she’s wasted her life on selfishness and putting herself above others.
Supergirl and the Anti-Monitor rage against each other back and forth for another couple of minutes. To the Anti-Monitor’s horror, Kara actually succeeds in cracking open several parts of his armor. He cries out "You have destroyed most of my body! I feel my energies waning! Thus I can wait no longer. You are DEAD!"
As the Anti-Monitor’s body starts energizing, preparing a full-out attack, Kara tells Dr. Light II to get Superman (who’s still very dazed) and take him out of danger. She tells Hoshi to warn the other heroes to leave as quickly as they can, it's too dangerous to remain. Then, without waiting for an answer or protest from Dr. Light, Supergirl then flies back towards the Anti-Monitor. But she doesn't bother fighting him. Instead, she grabs him in a flying tackle him and hurtles them both directly into his giant machines, destroying them in the process and putting an end to this part of the villain's plans.
Despite their injuries, the two continue fighting. Seeing that Supergirl is wounded and weakening from the energies unleashed by the Anti-Monitor's machines, and from the fight itself, Dr. Light II cries out, "I have to help you!"
Kara turns away from the Monitor to shout "NO! GO – GO NOW!" The Anti-Monitor takes advantage of the distraction and gets Supergirl into his grip. "You turn in battle, girl? That is a fatal mistake!"
Superman finally clears his head and looks up, just in time to see the Anti-Monitor unleash almost all his energies into a single powerful blast, firing it at Supergirl at point-blank range. Supergirl falls to the ground, limp and broken. Superman screams "KARA!" as the Anti-Monitor then quickly retreats to a small space-ship and escapes.
The heroes gather as they see Superman cradling his bruised and bloody cousin. He begs her, "Please stay with us." Kara responds, "I … I can’t … but it's okay … I knew what I was doing … I wanted … wanted YOU to be safe … you mean so
much to me … so much to the world … Y-you're crying … please don't. You taught me to be brave … and I was … I … I love you so much for what you. For how … good you are …"
… and then she died.
Superman howls in pain and then stands up, screaming that it should have been him, shouting that he'll kill the Anti-Monitor for this. But then Kal-L, the Superman of Earth-2, grabs him and says that now they have to retreat before Alexander's inter-universe portal closes and they're trapped her without a plan or reinforcements. He explains that Kal-El can’t let his vengeance ruin the chance that Kara gave them all by forcing the Anti-Monitor to hide and destroying his work here. Superman of Earth-1 finally agrees and carries Supergirl's body with him as they all leave the anti-matter reality. Moments later, the Anti-Monitor’s fortress self-destructs.
Time passes. With the time anomalies mostly gone (there are still a few areas here and there that are in flux) and the universes no longer merging thanks to Supergirl, the heroes have a couple of days to pause and reflect. If you were reading the comic series Infinity, Inc., you'd find out that on Earth-2, the heroes took this time to have a wedding as Hector Hall AKA the Silver Scarab finally married his girlfriend Lyta Trevor AKA Fury. If you're a fan of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, both those characters should mean something to you. Also on Earth-2, Hourman's son Rick Tyler became the second Hourman and Dr. Beth Chapel, friend to Dr. Charles McNider (the original Dr. Mid-Nite) simultaneously chose to become the new Dr. Midnight. So Earth-2 now had three new versions of classic Golden Age heroes (the third being the previously mentioned Yolanda Montez AKA Wildcat II).
Meanwhile, on Earth-1, people are stunned to learns about the death of Supergirl and of the sacrifice she made to save Superman and the different Earths. Batgirl speaks in Chicago to a gathering of mourners, saying that Kara was a hero not because of powers but because of her courage and love. Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Super-Heroes weeps over the death of Kara, who was not only his friend but whom he had feelings for.
And outside his Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic, Superman kneels before Kara herself, her body wrapped up in a red shroud with the S-shield emblazoned on it.
"I will miss you. The days will seem shorter now, the nights that much longer. Sometimes I forget how MORTAL we really are. I don’t believe I’ll ever forget that again. I remember when you landed on Earth, a girl of fifteen, filled with life and hopes. Linda Lee, hidden in that orphanage, secretly practicing your powers each night. Lord, I remember how PROUD I was the day we revealed your presence to the world.
"And now, Kara, you are gone. And I grieve. I live on, hurt, but not disillusioned. Sad, but still hopeful that the dreams shared by you and me and all those others – those with special powers and especially those with none … Those dreams of peace and hope can still come true. We live on remembering and honoring the past, but always looking to the future.
"Good-bye, Kara … Linda Lee … Supergirl. I will miss you forever."
At the end of this issue, we see Superman carrying Kara's body away and heading off into space for parts unknown. In his own comic, readers found out that he took Kara to be buried on New Krypton, where she could be watched over by her native people.
The issue then ends with a quote from Declaration of the Free. "Is there beyond the silent night an endless day? Is death a door that leads to light? We cannot say."
I have something to say about Kara’s death in my AFTERTHOUGHTS section.
INTERLUDE - DC COMICS PRESENTS #87: Introducing Superboy-Prime!
Outside of the main Crisis story, DC took us back to Earth-Prime in DC Comics Presents #87. The story introduced us to that universe's Krypton. With their home about to die, Jor-El and Lara use a teleportation unit to send their child to Earth 
for his own safety. Before they can join him, an enemy screws with the machine and finally their planet falls into its own sun. Thus, this version of Kal-El, like others across the multiverse, is orphaned.
On Earth, the child Kal-El is adopted by Jerry Kent and Naomi Clarke Kent. Naomi calls the boy Clark, despite Jerry's protests that people will compare him to the Superman comic book (people on Earth-Prime read about the exploits of the Earth-1 characters in comic books, believing them to be fictional characters and not realizing that the writers of these books are actually inspired by a subconscious connection to the parallel universe).
Young Clark Kent grows up, made fun of by other children quite often due to his unfortunate name. He does have one friend though, a young girl named Laurie who he grows feelings for (coincidentally, Clark Kent of Earth-1 dated a girl in college named Lori Lemaris, a mermaid from the underwater city of Tritonis).
One night, while he is a teenager, Clark and Laurie go out together to a costume part. Clark dresses up as Superman and Laurie dresses up like a mermaid. While walking on the beach that night, Clark finds himself entranced by the stars and Haley's comet, which he is impossibly able to see suddenly despite its distance. Despite how absurd it seems, he impulsively leaps up and reaches for it, saying the comet looks close enough to touch ... and to his and Laurie's amazement, he actually takes off and starts flying.
This Earth-Prime version of Clark Kent is amazed to realize he actually has powers when another shock arrives. Out of the sky comes Superman of Earth-1, accidentally transported onto Earth-Prime due to the weakening dimensional barriers. He examines this new Superboy of Earth-Prime (or just "Superboy-Prime") and realizes that the boy is indeed Kryptonian, from this universe's version of Krypton. The younger Clark can't believe that he's really superpowered and has the time of his life as Superman shows him the basics of how to use his abilities.
With the chaos going on in the Crisis, Superman asks Superboy-Prime to help him. The younger Clark Kent agrees to do so, telling his family and Laurie that he will be back when the battle is finished. But soon after they arrive on Earth-1 and go past the Daily Planet, a vortex appears and pulls Superboy-Prime through it. The boy vanishes through some kind of vortex and Superman wonders if he has lost another kindred spirit so soon after losing Kara.
The story of this new character Superboy-Prime was suprisingly touching and very human. The scenes of him exploring his new abilities under Superman's guidance is something we don't often see in comics, where instead of a deeply serious training session it's actually just two folks having fun with their unique abilities and enjoying the knowledge that they are not alone.
CRISIS – Chapter 8: "A Flash of the Lightning!"
The final fate of one of my favorite super-heroes lies within this issue.
Inside the Anti-Monitor’s escape ship, the Psycho-Pirate freaks out while the Flash watches him from a gelatinous cage. The Psycho-Pirate is actually hoping the Anti-Monitor is dead rather than face his wrath at not being able to help him when the team of heroes arrived. The Anti-Monitor then appears, garbed in a new containment suit.
The Anti-Monitor says they will land on Qward and from there they will continue their assault on the remaining universes. He decides not to kill the Psycho-Pirate, since the heroes are sure to attack again and he might need help. He tells the Pirate, "Be pleased I have not the time to find or create another of your ilk."
On the hellish planet known as Apokolips, the torturer Desaad asks his lord and master Darkseid what he intends to do about the Anti-Monitor. Darkseid claims he will wait to see what happens for now. If the heroes defeat the Anti-Monitor, fine, the status quo is restored. If they don’t, the anti-matter villain will no doubt be weakened by the final battle, enough so that Darkseid can easily claim victory over him immediately afterwards.
Concerning this scene, two minor problems. First, Darkseid refers to the Anti-Monitor as simply “the Monitor”. Again, Wolfman makes a nasty habit of never deciding whether to call the villain Anti-Monitor or Monitor II. Second, Darkseid’s dialogue balloons constantly use quotation marks over words he wishes to emphasize and it’s slightly jarring since quotation marks shouldn’t be used for emphasis. Aside from that, a good scene that both makes sense and shows how Darkseid is, above all else, an opportunist even if he is quite powerful.
On Oa, several Green Lanterns and Guardians wake up finally, following the two previous attacks. Young Green Lantern Arisia and long-time veteran GL Tomar Re ask why the incredibly powerful Guardians didn’t seem to know about the oncoming Crisis and why the GL Corps wasn’t summoned earlier (about time someone asked!). One of the Guardians responds that while they sensed the disturbance, they could not tell the extent of it and thus were waiting until they had more information. The GL named Ch’p (who is essentially an alien talking chipmunk who wears a bow-tie half the time) protests that several Green Lanterns demanded an investigation into the matter much earlier but were refused by the Guardians.
Rather than discuss this reasonably, the Guardians then argue amongst themselves (as usual). Some of them did indeed want to combat the Crisis, but the majority voted that it was not a proven threat and thus no action was taken. The smaller group of Guardians decides to secede from the council and pursue its own plans, believing their brothers have become too passive.
On Earth-1 in the 30th century, Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Super-Heroes notices that although the five Earths are safe, they still overlap in some small areas, causing minor time distortions to occur in localized "warp zones." The LSH try to get their friend to take a break from his analysis and monitoring, feeling that he’s over-compensating due to his grief over Supergirl’s death, but he doesn’t listen.
In the present day of Earth-1, everyone seems to think that, while yes there are still a few loose ends to take care of (such as the warp zones), the Crisis itself is over and the Anti-Monitor must be defeated after what Supergirl did to his machines. So everyone's taking the time to rest up and reflect on the situation. Two heroes who are doing so are Firestorm and the similarly powered Firehawk (she and Firestorm are buddies).
While the two nuclear-powered heroes are talking, Firestorm is summoned to the JLA satellite by the Martian Manhunter and Cyborg, who tell him to bring the mad scientist Dr. T.O. Morrow (the same guy who created the Red Tornado’s android body) with him. Firestorm, Morrow and Firehawk arrive on the satellite base (or what's left of it) and see Cyborg and the Martian Manhunter looking over the now inert body of the Red Tornado, trying to figure out some way to repair him.
Morrow needs to get a quick microscopic view of Reddy's insides if he's gonna figure out the problem. To help out, former
Justice Leaguer Dr. Ray Palmer (the Earth-1 hero called the Atom) arrives. Ray used to be pretty active in the super-hero community but around this time he'd decided to retreat from society and took up residence with a secret community of six-inch people with yellow skin. No longer using his size-controlling belt, Ray had gotten used to being six-inches at all times, protecting his new neighbors with his scientific intellect and a neat sword he got (why DC felt the need to turn such a sci-fi based hero who was also a physicist into a mini version of Conan, I don't know). Nevertheless, Ray returns to help out his old JLA buddies in this, their time of need. He shrinks down and journeys into the Tornado’s body, feeding what he sees to the satellite video monitors thanks to his "vision-scan" goggles. This scene was strangely reminiscent of a scene from the Marvel comic book series The Avengers in which the size-changing Ant-Man entered the body of his android teammate the Vision.
Looking at the video screens, Morrow is stunned to realize that the Tornado’s insides have changed and been replaced with technology he doesn’t understand (obviously, this tech was part of the Anti-Monitor's upgrades and changes). Deciding they need more help, the heroes gathered around Reddy summon the hero called Blue Devil to join the party. Before becoming a demonic-looking hero, Blue Devil (AKA Dan Reilly) was originally an actor/special effects genius who created the advanced bio-suit that later became his true outward appearance. Thus, the JLA boys figure he might have some insight that can help them out.
Moments after the Blue Devil arrives, parts of Red Tornado's body start blowing up and a massive fire is set on the satellite. Firehawk gets caught in one of the blasts and has her costume burned away by the explosion (how convenient for the guys present). Using her powers over energy and matter, she quickly whips up a new costume around her body (which she kept wearing from then on).
As the satellite breaks apart, T.O. Morrow is teleported away to Brainiac's headship. At the same time, another space-time distortion happens and a wormhole appears that sends the Blue Devil off to the Vegan star system. As he actor-turned-hero gets his bearings, he finds himself in the company of the DC Comics space heroes known as the Omega Men. As the scene ends, readers are told to check out the latest Blue Devil comic to see what happens afterwards.
As said before, I dig this series for the most part, but little scenes like this irk me. If Cyborg, a leading expert in robots, Dr. Morrow, the creator of the Red Tornado, and the Atom, a brilliant physicist and technician, can’t all figure out how to fix the android before them, why contact a special effects expert of all people? Wouldn’t Dr. Magnus, creator of the robotic Metal Men, be a better choice? It just feels too much like an excuse to throw in a plug for Blue Devil’s own comic that tied-in to the Crisis in only a very minor way. Instead of spending four pages involving Blue Devil with the boys, why not spend that time focusing on how one of the major heroes is dealing with things? Or explaining why the Anti-Monitor didn’t think to get some superhuman hirelings until the very last minute? I mean, why he can’t just teleport several villains to his side like he did with the Psycho-Pirate and his two heroic captives?
And if you’re going to plug a book that ties-into The Crisis, mention one that actually has high stakes and a big conflict that relates to the events. For instance, in the Green Lantern comic, there was a pretty big storyline going on that would eventually have Hal Jordan reinstated as a GL after a long absence, would feature the death of a longtime GL and would pit the Corps against a small army of their enemies. Yet with the exception of one plot point (namely that Guy Gardner was given his own permanent ring, as we’ll see later), none of this storyline is mentioned during the main Crisis series. Hal Jordan doesn’t even make a cameo, yet we have four pages of Blue Devil just hanging around and getting himself into trouble? I like him too, but come on!
Anyway, back to the story. On Qward, the Anti-Monitor surveys his warriors, the Weaponers and Thunderers who have fought the Green Lanterns for millenia. Now, these same troops are building a new anti-matter cannon that is the size of a building. Once completed, the Anti-Monitor will use the cannon to destroy the five remaining universes with one powerful assault.
The Anti-Monitor's second body.
Meanwhile, the Psycho-Pirate feels his abilities finally returning and goes to gloat over the Flash, who’s still suspended in his gelatinous prison. Hayden laughs, saying he can make the Flash want to kill himself or whimper like a baby. But Barry Allen doesn’t look scared. He just squints his eyes and then says, "EAT JELL-O!" as he suddenly spins like a tornado, tearing the prison apart. The Pirate reels back, not understanding how this could be possible. Barry explains that his powers have been slowly returning ever since he was first imprisoned and that this whole time he's been steadily increasing his body’s vibrations until he was able to free himself.
The Psycho-Pirate panics and unleashes his abilities on Barry, trying to force the hero to become terrified. In an incredible display of willpower and determination, Barry actually fights off the Pirate’s power and starts beating the living crap out of the villain, punching him again and again and again with fists thare are moving at super-speed. "You want HATE, Psycho-Pirate??" Barry shouts. "I’ll SHOW you what HATE is all about! I – I was convicted once of a murder I DIDN’T commit – What DIFFERENCE would it make if I committed it now?"
Strange. He actually did commit the crime of manslaughter and wasn't convicted for it, so I’m not sure what Wolfman was talking about here.
The Psycho-Pirate, bleeding and bruise, his right eye squeezing shut as it swells, begs for his life, saying he’ll do anything the Flash wants. Barry says, "Have I got plans for YOU! I’ve got nothing to LOSE, but you, my friend – can lose EVERYTHING."
FLASH FACT #1: Never screw with Barry Allen!
Showing just how cunning he can be, Barry then takes the Psycho-Pirate and races him around the entire base at super-speed, making the criminal use his emotion powers on each individual Qwardian warrior, forcing them all into thinking that they want to kill the Anti-Monitor. The Psycho-Pirate begs the Flash to let him go, that he’s still too sensitive to absorbing the emotions of others and this is putting a strain on his mind, but Barry doesn’t listen. Instead, he makes sure the entire Qwardian army beings attacking the Anti-Monitor. All by himself, Barry Allen is giving the villain quite a hard time.
Satisfied that all the bad guys are now distracted. the Flash then races to check out the new anti-matter cannon. The Psycho-Pirate begs for protection from the hero, saying that the Anti-Monitor will be sure to kill him now. Barry says "Tough!" and slugs the whimpering villain across the face. "You were willing to join the Anti-Monitor despite the fact you knew he already destroyed THOUSANDS of universes … and was intending to destroy OURS as well! You DESERVE whatever happens to you."
Barry then uses his vibration powers to phase through the walls of the anti-matter cannon and enter its core. He sees a power source of concentrated anti-matter energy surrounded by a mechanical circuit that’s emitting a containment field.
As a scientist with years of experience in fighting super-villains and aliens with advanced tech, Barry realizes that running at the speed of light against the flow of anti-matter energies will create a feedback loop that will force the energies in on themselves and cause it all to blow up. He knows that doing this will likely kill him, since nothing can survive beyond the speed of light and because he can feel the concentrated anti-matter energies already infecting him and weakening him. By the same token, he also knows he can’t spend time figuring out a safer way, because as the anti-matter energies slowly weaken it will also decrease his speed and if he waits too long he'll kill any chances of his plan working.
"… I have no choice. More than MY life is at stake. Everything that’s ever mattered to me … Everything that’s ever been important … the lives of everyone on Earth and throughout our universe … in the present and in the future … that’s what I’m fighting for now!"
The Anti-Monitor becomes enraged as he sees energy escaping from his cannon and realizes the outer casing has been destroyed. Inside, as Barry continues racing, his body begins to break down. He’s now aging rapidly, but he keeps pushing himself to not slow down. He says, "The Monitor’s opening some temporal portal … keep running …" This temporal portal is the Anti-Monitor’s back-up plan to go back to the dawn of time, which will come up later.
To continue, Barry’s eyes widen as he sees an image of his nephew Wally, a vision of something that hasn’t happened yet (more on this in CRISIS – Phase 12). He realizes he’s moving close enough to the speed of light now that he’s moving through time. He sees Batman and the Joker fighting (CRISIS – Phase 2).
As Barry’s body begins to break down and disintegrate, he says, "Th-there's hope … there is always hope … Time to save the world! Time … back in time … Do what you have to … we must save the world … we must save the world …"
And the Anti-Monitor screams in fury as his entire anti-matter cannon explodes into rubble, no doubt killing any Qwardian warriors within the blast area as well.
In the center of the rubble, Barry’s empty costume lies on the ground next to his signet ring. The narration says, "He is gone now, this Flash … Barry Allen … Gone saving more than one universe from more than certain doom. He has died fighting for what he believed in … And thus, he died … without regret. Though his death is unknown to all but one, he will be mourned … Trust us, he will be mourned."
Infuriated, the Anti-Monitor draws energy from his very own universe, destroying more than one million planets in the process as he absorbs their essences. Now, he is more determined than ever to win.
Our scene switches to Earth-1. Specifically, our view shifts to Challenger Mountain, headquarters of the group of adventurers known as the Challengers of the Unknown. The Challengers are a team of human specialists with no powers. All four of them were on a plane flight that crashed. Miraculously and inexplicably, all four survived and didnt' even suffer a single injury. Believing they were now living on "borrowed time", the Challengers decided to combine their phenomenal skills to investigate the fantastic and protect the rest of the world from things too bizarre to be discovered and fought by ordinary enforcement agencies.
As we watch, the Challengers are looking over their computer monitors and notice that there’s an energy flux somewhere in space. What could be causing this massive surge of activity?
The answer lies beyond the realms of normal space. On the edge of reality, the Spectre, an agent of Heavenly wrath, senses the Anti-Monitor’s plans and that time is becoming chaotic and in response he can only scream.
And at the bottom of the last page, Flash is commemorated with an excerpt from Knox's "Song of Israel" under the simple banner of "THE FLASH - 1956-1986."
"Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud? LIke a fast-flittering meteor, a fast-flying cloud, a flash of the lightning, a break of the wave, he passes from life to his rest in the grave."
This is continued in Chapters 9 - 12. Just CLICK THIS LINK.
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