Version 2.0
Compiled and created by Jonathan Woodward.

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CRISIS HOME - CROSSOVERS - RELATED TEXTS - ATLAS - COVER TO COLLECTION

"Nice to know there are some consistent things in this universe, eh, Lois?"

-Jimmy Olsen, Crisis #11

What was the Crisis? - Why did DC need a Crisis? - Infinite Earths - And now, the end of the world... - Where are they now? - Who died in the Crisis? - Why was the Crisis important? - What about the collection? - Conventions and Abbreviations - Bibliography - Acknowledgments

Crisis on Infinite Earths, and all related characters are trademarks of DC Comics. No threat to trademarks or copyrights is intended.

What was the Crisis?

Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12-issue comic book maxi-series published in 1985 and 1986 in which DC Comics condensed their multiverse into a single universe, thus "simplifying" and "improving" it. Whether they succeeded in that goal is a good question, and one I shan't address. Crisis is, however, incredibly important to understanding DC continuity, as well as being possibly the most significant crossover series of all time. It's also a fine story, in my opinion.

Why did DC need a Crisis?

In the late 30s, 40s, and early 50s the company that would become DC Comics published a great many superhero titles, featuring characters such as Superman and the Flash (Jay Garrick). Many of them were members of the Justice Society of America. This era is now called the Golden Age. In the late 40s, superhero popularity declined, and through the mid-50s only Superman and a precious few other heroes remained in publication. In 1956, a new Flash (Barry Allen) was introduced, inaugurating the Silver Age of comics. Barry Allen was in part inspired to become "Flash II" by the comics he had read as a child; comics about Jay Garrick, "Flash I". Flash II later joined the Justice League of America, alongside Superman, who was, of course, still around.

See the problem? Superman had fought beside Flash I; Superman was now fighting beside Flash II. But, to Flash II, Flash I was a fictional character. The "fictional" aspect was addressed a few years later, in the pivotal story "Flash Of Two Worlds" (Flash #123). In it, Flash II accidentally "tore a gap in the vibratory shields separating [two] worlds", and traveled to an alternate Earth, one where the retired Jay Garrick lived. When asked how Barry could possibly have read about Jay's adventures, Barry replied, "A writer named Gardner Fox wrote about your adventures -- which he claimed came to him in dreams! Obviously when Fox was asleep, his mind was "tuned in" on your vibratory Earth!"

Only a couple years later, Mr. Fox decided to pull out all the stops. In Justice League of America #21-22, he presented us with the stories "Crisis On Earth-One!" and "Crisis On Earth-Two!", in which the Justice Society and Justice League teamed up to foil a cross-Earth group of villains who had found a way to bridge the gap through music and magic. The issue of the "identical duplicates" was ignored - Superman did not appear to remember having been a member of the Justice Society, for instance. The Silver Age Earth of Barry Allen was dubbed "Earth-1", and the world of Jay Garrick, "Earth-2". This is important and counter-intuitive: The older Flash I was from Earth-2, and Flash II was from Earth-1.

At the very end of the adventure, as the heroes are closing in on the villains, their thoughts turn to escape, and the Fiddler cries out, "There is an Earth-One and an Earth-Two! Somewhere there must be an Earth-Three! If we can find the doorway into it -- before the justice champions find us -- we can escape them forever!" They did not find it in time, but the seed of a multiverse was planted.

Infinite Earths

Over the following decades on the order of two dozen Earths, out of a presumed infinity, were discovered or described. Furthermore, the "identical duplicate" problem was explained - there were two Supermen, one on Earth-2, member of the Justice Society, one on Earth-1, member of the Justice League. Several other characters also had identical duplicates, while some merely had "similar" equivalents, like the two Flashes. I've created an atlas of the Infinite Earths on a separate page. Here's a pocket guide to the ones immediately relevant:

Earths Seen in the Crisis

Earth-1

The Silver Age. Justice League, Superman II, Flash II (Barry Allen). Largely identical in history to the real world. Almost all post-Golden Age comics through the Crisis took place here, beginning between 1945 (first appearance of Superboy) and 1955 (first appearance of the Martian Manhunter). First defined in Flash v1#123 (1961), first named in JLA v1#21 (1963).

Earth-2

The Golden Age. Justice Society, Superman I, Flash I (Jay Garrick). Largely identical in history to the real world up through the mid-70s, at which point minor differences creep in (such as South Africa becoming free decades early). Only a few post-Golden Age comics were ever set there, notably Infinity Inc., the second run of All-Star Comics, and All-Star Squadron. "Defined" and "named" info same as for E1.

Earth-4

Charlton Comics. Captain Atom, Blue Beetle. First DC appearance and named in Crisis #1.

Earth-S

Fawcett Comics. Captain Marvel (Billy Batson). First appearance in Whiz Comics #2 (1940), first DC appearance in Shazam! #1 (1973), first named in JLA v1#135 (1976).

Earth-X

Quality Comics. Freedom Fighters, Uncle Sam, the Ray. Noteworthy in that World War II continues into the 1970s. First DC appearance and named in JLA v1#107 (1973).

Earth-3

"Reversed" Earth. Crime Syndicate, Ultraman, Johnny Quick II. First suggested in JLA v1#22, first appeared in JLA v1#29, destroyed in Crisis #1.

Earth-5

Proposed name for the world seen only on pages 2 and 3 of Crisis #1. No apparent superheroes. (Note: The real reason there is no explicitly-named Earth-5 is that "5" and "S" look too much alike, particularly when hand-lettered, so that number was skipped.)

Earth-6

"A cosmic anomaly." Lady Quark, Lord Volt, Princess Fern. Only appearance in Crisis #4.

Earth-K

The name given to the future timeline of Earth-1 which Kamandi inhabited, to distinguish it from the "real" timeline which led to the Legion of Super-Heroes. First appearance in Kamandi #1, last appearance in Crisis #4. (Technically an alternate timeline, not an alternate universe.)

Qward

The antimatter universe which contains the planet Qward is usually called "Qward" itself. It is the home of the Anti-Monitor. First appearance in Green Lantern #2 (1960).

Earth-Prime

In theory, the "real world". In actuality, merely a variant Earth with very few superbeings, in which most DC Comics characters are just comic book characters. Devastated by nuclear war in the late 80s. First appearance in Flash v1#179 (1968), named in JLA v1#123 (1975). Destroyed circa Crisis #10. (Does not technically appear in Crisis, but is referred to.)

Earth-Omega

Proposed name for Pariah's home universe, the first one destroyed by the anti-matter wave. Only appearance in flashback in Crisis #7.

Earth-Sigma

Proposed name for the post-Crisis, pre-Zero Hour universe. "Sigma" for "the sum of what came before". Merger of Earths 1, 2, 4, S, and X, with characters from at least 2 others present. First appeared in Crisis #11, destroyed in Zero Hour #1.

Earth-D

The Earth that appears in - and is destroyed in - Legends of the DC Universe: Crisis on Infinite Earths (1998). It features an ethnically diverse range of heroes, and is rumored to be what Wolfman thought the DC Universe should have been like after the Crisis.

And now, the end of the world...

By 1985, the Powers That Be had decided the abundance of Earths had become unwieldy. They also wanted to discard the "baggage" of continuity that some of their characters had acquired. So, Crisis on Infinite Earths. The title, of course, is in reference to the above-mentioned issues of Justice League. It was written by Marv Wolfman, and penciled by George Pérez.

Where are they now?

Some people occasionally ask about the new characters created in the Crisis.

• The Monitor and the Anti-Monitor are both still dead. They are rarely even depicted in comics.
• Luthor IV has not reappeared (and most likely never will).
• Harbinger was the "narrator" of The History of the DC Universe. She also appeared in Millenium #1-8 (and assorted crossovers), and was a member of The New Guardians for its full run. She has also appeared in Guy Gardner: Reborn.
• Pariah popped up in several titles during War of the Gods, including Swamp Thing and Wonder Woman #53-54 (Pérez series). He also was in Starman #8 (Will Payton series), in which he appeared to have developed an unhealthy fixation on Lady Quark. He was usually cast in the role of doomsayer, and has not been seen in several years.
• Lady Quark attempted to romance Starman (Will Payton) in issue #8 of his series, then left Earth and eventually joined the Licensed Extra-Governmental Interstellar Operatives Network, first appearing in L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 #16. She was killed in L.E.G.I.O.N. '94 #62, and replaced by a parasitic shapeshifter, who was in turn killed in L.E.G.I.O.N. '94 #70.
• Doctor Light II helped the post-Legends Justice League on a few missions (Justice League #1-4, Annual #1, and Justice League America #54-56). She rejoined the League full time in Justice League Spectacular #1 and Justice League Europe #37. She remained a member through JLE's name change to Justice League International (volume 2), and then quit in #67, just before Zero Hour. She has not been seen since.

See also DC Comics Presents #94, which appeared at the very end of the Crisis, and featured Harbinger, Pariah, and Lady Quark.

Why was the Crisis important? Why was it different?

Crisis Was First

It's hard to believe nowadays, but there was a time when comics companies didn't have all-company crossovers every year. There was a time when they didn't have them at all. Sure, the JSA and the JLA got together every year, and they usually invited the Freedom Fighters or the Legion, but that's as big as it got. Crisis was the first series to have a huge cast, with tie-ins to dozens of titles, and long-lasting repercussions.

Crisis Had Scope

Not only did Crisis involve more characters than most crossovers (I count 200 in one two-page spread alone - and they're just from Earths 1 and 2!), not only did it span the Dawn of Time to the 30th Century, but it included Old West characters, war characters, sf characters, historical characters, anthropological characters, and a half-dozen other genres that are absent from modern comics. Further, it was twelve issues long. The modern mega-crossover clocks in at four, six if you're lucky.

People Died

I'm far from a unilateral supporter of character death as a way to boost the perceived importance of a series, but the immense swath the Grim Reaper cut through DC's ranks gives Crisis relevance no matter how you look at it. Nearly two score named (and uncountable unnamed) characters were lost forever.

Crisis Changed Things

To this day, a serious discussion of DC Comics is going to be peppered with "pre-Crisis" and "post-Crisis". You can't get away from it, you can't ignore it, and you can't pretend it didn't happen. It will matter forever.

The Heroes Lost

Sure, the Anti-Monitor was defeated, but the collapse of the infinite Earths into one cannot be regarded as anything but a failure. Dozens of heroes were grief-stricken when their realities, their loved ones, were lost in the merger. An infinite number of people died. The current DC Universe is built on a foundation of corpses.

What about the collection?

In December of 1998 DC released a deluxe slipcased hardcover collection of Crisis on Infinite Earths - and promptly recalled it. A single panel had been mistakenly deleted, resulting in a nasty financial and public relations fiasco for DC, the distributors, and the retailers. DC reshipped the collection in February of 1999.

Fortunately for this site, I managed to get a copy of the imperfect collection. It includes a full-color poster of the cover to issue #7 (the characters in the background are colored individually, instead of being all purple), and a fully-painted cover by Pérez and Alex Ross. It's gorgeous. The cover is amazing, and the re-colored interior art is stunning. It's also noteworthy that the interior reproductions of the covers have the extra design elements removed, such as the barcode, the CCA logo, and captions. Scattered throughout the book are stand-alone pictures of Lady Quark, Pariah, et al. They're Pérez's drawings for those characters' entries in Who's Who.

I've assembled a list of all the characters who appear on the cover. The list, along with big scans of the cover, has been divided into three pages: PANEL 1 - PANEL 2 - PANEL 3

If you own a copy of the imperfect collection, here's a scan of the missing panel. (Special thanks to Carlos Rodriguez for providing this scan.)

Conventions and Abbreviations

All characters will be referred to (where possible) by the name and number given to them in Who's Who, the 1985 edition, with the following exceptions:

The Anti-Monitor, when he first appears, introduces himself as "the Monitor", and he appears as "Monitor II" in Who's Who. He's usually referred to as the "Anti-Monitor" and I will do so throughout.

Johnny Quick of the All-Star Squadron will be "Johnny Quick I", and Johnny Quick of the Crime Syndicate will be "Johnny Quick II". (Who's Who does not number them.)

Note that adhereing to WW85's standard means that I will not be referring to the original Azrael, Steel, etc. as "Azrael I", "Steel I", etc., even though here have been new post-Crisis characters with those names.

Unless noted, characters in a panel will be named left to right, top to bottom, like reading a book.

The Issue.Page.Panel numbering system will be used throughout. Some pages have extremely complicated paneling (like, 1.2 and 1.3... This ain't Watchmen.) in which case I'll try to do it logically, and may ignore tiny panels. Two-panel spreads will be numbered (for example) 1.2-3.1.

The small images of the covers link to much larger JPG images that range in size from 200KB to 600KB.

The scans are taken from the comic book, not the collection. If you think I'm breaking the spine of my collection to get it on the scanner, yer nuts.

In the beginning...

...there was issue one.

Bibliography

• The movie Akira. If you ever wondered what the Crisis would look like animated, watch the last 15 minutes of this flick.
• Escape Across the Cosmos by Gardner Fox. This sf novel by the inventor of the "multiple Earths" idea includes two universes separated by, yes, different vibrational frequencies. Copyright dates indicate Mr. Fox was working on it at the same time as, or slightly after, "Flash of Two Worlds".
• Yeats. "The Second Coming."
• Roger Zelazny's The Courts of Chaos. The Patternfall War is the Crisis, and the Crisis is the Patternfall War.
• Anything mentioned under "Crisis-Relevant Texts".
• A Crisis page in Spanish.
• Unconventional Reading: Comics and Hypertexts. An interesting discussion of the unique qualities shared by comics and dynamic hypertexts, with a sidebar on why the Crisis was necessary.

Acknowledgments

An awful lot of people have contributed bits and pieces to this undertaking, and I simply can't always keep track of them anymore. If I've left you out, and it particularly bugs you, email me and I'll fix things.

So, thanks to Dr. David Stepp and his JSA Fact File for some multiple Earth info. Enormous gratitude to Jim Van Dore for copying all of Amazing Heroes #91 and sending it to me. Thanks also to Michael R. Grabois, Christopher Aruffo, Virgilio 'Dean' B. Velasco Jr., Mr. Purple, RA Kownacki, Michel Bélanger, The Captain, and many others for help and advice.

Many thanks to dino for the most excellent logo!

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