Welcome back to Comic Book Classics Revisited!  We’ve made it to Crisis on Infinite Earths #10.  The story so far has seen the evil Anti-Monitor traveling to the dawn of time to recreate only anti-matter universes instead of the multiverse that was created originally.  Meanwhile, the villains of the DC Multiverse are making their play to take over the remaining Earths.  Now, Psimon is looking to destroy both Brainiac and Earth 1’s Lex Luthor to seize control of the villains…

Before we dig into the issue, I should say that the bottom quarter of each of the first 25 pages is used for a black and white strip called “The Monitor Tapes”.  This strip is basically Lyla going through what recorded history the Monitor recorded before his death.  We get a lot of look ins on the tie-ins that occurred throughout the DC titles before and during the series.  She mentions that she will continue recording history so his work of this total history of the universe will be completed.  One thing of note is that Lyla mentions that “the boy” from Earth-Prime (a realistic world in the multiverse) has survived, but she doesn’t know where he is.  I definitely want to mention this for two reasons.  First, Superboy-Prime is about to make his appearance in the final issues of this series.  Second, Superboy-Prime becomes a massive part of the DC Universe some 20 years later.

Now, onto issue #10!

Psimon psychically attacks Luthor and states that he plans to carry out their plan, but with him in charge.  Unfortunately for Psimon, he doesn’t realize that Brainiac was able to construct a new body and transfer his consciousness to that body before it was destroyed.  That is revealed when Brainiac blows Psimon’s brain out.  Brainiac and Luthor’s plan will move forward now.

On Earth 1, at the dawn of mankind, the evidence of Anti-Monitor’s trip back tot he dawn of time is witnessed by Anthro.  On Earth 4, the monster Chemo is looking over his works of a poisoned sea that is boiling with chemicals of deadly effect.  Soon, the Doom Patrol’s Negative Woman attacks and destroys Chemo.  In that poisoned sea, Tula, the current Aquagirl, is dying from the tainted water.  In the Earth 4 version of New York City, Kole turns Black Adam into crystal to save Robotman, and the heroes everywhere are starting to turn the tide against the villains in control of that Earth.

On Earth S, the Marvel family is saved by Martian Manhunter, Platinum, and the Atom.  Once free, Billy Batson can speak the magic word (“SHAZAM!”) to turn into Captain Marvel which turns the tide on for the heroes on that Earth.  On Earth X, Batman and the Outsiders start to win out over the villains in control.  Brainiac is not terribly surprised that the heroes have fought back to even with his army.  Luthor is disappointed because he expected the heroes to be crushed relatively quickly.

Soon, a massive image of the Spectre appears over the interconnected Earths.  He commands them all to stop and heed his words.  He tells them the Anti-Monitor is still alive and is going to the dawn of time to change every moment of history.  He pleads for cooperation in order to keep everything from being destroyed.  He tells them that half of the combined forces must go to the dawn of time to confront the Anti-Monitor while the other half must go to Oa to change how the events of the past took shape in creating the multiverse.  Luthor and Brainiac agree to cooperate (though Luthor expects to be given “a world or two” in compensation for helping – some real big balls on this fella here, huh?).

Earth 2 Superman says his heartfelt goodbye to his wife, Lois.  Alexander Luthor looks on kind of suspiciously.  Meanwhile, the others discuss what the Spectre needs everyone to do.  Earth 1 Superman claims time cannot be changed as the Spectre says it is, but only at the dawn of time.  Everyone prepares to take off, but before they do, the Superboy of Earth-Prime arrives to join.  Superboy-Prime reveals that he’s not sure how he survived, but he is the last survivor of his universe.  Before they hop in their assigned time machines, Uncle Sam gives a rousing speech about fighting for life and liberty.  Lord of Time calls it corny, but even Lex Luthor agrees that this is exactly what they are fighting for.  See?  Luthor does have a heart and it grew two sizes that day.

Meanwhile, Brainiac calculates his changes for survival, and they aren’t looking so good.  Still, he decides his best chance is to shut down his bio/sensory functions.  In Atlantis of Earth 1, Aqualad is told that his love, Tula, has died from the poison.

The heroes do indeed reach the dawn of time, but they find a giant Anti-Monitor waiting for them, and he has Pariah prisoner.  The Anti-Monitor reveals his plan to use Pariah to destroy all existing life, thus giving the Anti-Monitor the ability to recreate history in his own image.  The heroes have none of this, and, at Superman’s command, attack the Anti-Monitor with everything they have.  The other group travels to Oa on the day Krona viewed the beginning of the universe.  Most of them are villains so they do what comes naturally which is to basically wreck a bunch of stuff.  While the Oans use their mental powers to stop the villains wrecking their stuff, Icicle, Mirror Master, and Maaldor bust into Krona’s laboratory.  However, an explosion goes off killing all three when they approach Krona’s view screen.  So, in other words, they were killed by a booby trap laid by Krona who insists that he wouldn’t leave his stuff unattended when he’s so close to success.

At the dawn of time, the Anti-Monitor reveals that he wanted the heroes to follow him so he can use their energies to complete his task because getting back to this point caused him to expend all his power.  With their power harvested, we see something familiar.  It’s the Anti-Monitor’s hand that Krona will see that created the multiverse and the anti-matter universe.  Suddenly, the Spectre arrives to stop the Anti-Monitor.  The Spectre uses the powers of the mystical people from the multiverse to push back at the Anti-Monitor.  The magical people see that Krona’s view screen has appeared meaning the villains lost.  The Anti-Monitor commands Krona to open the portal and view to the dawn of creation, but the Spectre makes one last, painful push.  Everything around the Spectre explodes, he sees shards of universes that never existed, never will, and concepts not even his master (God) has dreamed up.

It is the end of all that was…

In summation, this issue was basically an action-oriented issue.  It begins with heroes and villains duking it out with one another and ends with one of the very most powerful heroes battling the most powerful villain ever seen in DC’s long history.  There’s a lot here we could look at and covers quite a few elements of interest for comic book readers.  First, the aforementioned action of hero vs. villain.  Next, there are two elements of time travel to different points in the past.  One being the dawn of time where the only chance of changing the future can happen.  The other being the person who viewed that beginning of everything that created parallel universes.  So, we still have the idea of parallel universes in this story, but maybe for not much longer.  Uh…  Anyway, we also have the mystical when the Spectre, an agent of God, but still a mystical/magical being, grapples with an entity that is really more technological.  There’s quite a few things for people to like about the issue, and that’s not even mentioning the running “Monitor Tapes” segment along the bottom of each of the first 25 pages that serves as a brief history lesson.

The best part of all this, though, is to see just how unimaginably powerful the Spectre must be.  If you have the “Absolute Edition” of Crisis on Infinite Earths, you get a cool second book called “The Compendium”.  Within, there are several historical pieces about what the story will be, who these new characters are, and memos and written correspondence between the editors and writers and writers to and from other writers.  There were lengthy letters from writer Roy Thomas, undoubtedly the foremost expert of DC’s Earth 2 history and characters.  I mean he carved out a nice little niche for himself at DC by writing a couple series in the early 80s that were specifically set on Earth 2, All-Star Squadron and Infnity, Inc.

Also, I’m 100% positive we’re going to dive into Mr. Thomas’ works in this series, but when, well, just give it a couple weeks, kiddos.

Anyway, Marv Wolfman and Roy Thomas had a lot of communication.  Wolfman knew he had to include the Spectre, but wasn’t sure how, so he often reached out to Thomas for help as to what to do with this heavy hitter.  Well, Wolfman made the best of this powerhouse.  Previously, the Spectre had cried out in anguish over his fear of what’s happening and who is causing the turmoil in the multiverse.  This cry shook the universes that were remaining.  Then, in this issue, he, alone, ended a feuding war across multiple Earths between heroes and villains to call them to work together against the greater threat.  Then, when they get the plan from him, he intervenes and stops the Anti-Monitor from wiping out all existence.

I guess the only word that comes close to describing the Spectre is “badass”.

Okay, that should do it for today’s edition of Comic Book Classics Revisited.  Next week, we finish out the massive Crisis on Infinite Earths and learn what exactly the words “It is the end of all that was…” actually mean.  Come back and join us, won’t ya?