Legends of the DC Universe Crisis on Infinite Earths – 1

Synopsis

Numerous earths of alternate realities are destroyed by a wave of anti-matter controlled by the Anti-Monitor. From his station in the Antimatter Universe, The Anti-Monitor and the Psycho Pirate watch as Pariah rescues Lady Quark from destruction on Earth-Six.

Elsewhere, in the 30th Century, Barry Allen lives happily with his wife Iris, having somewhat reluctantly retired from superheroism and moved to the future to be with her. However, a sudden change in the weather makes him suspicious, and he decides to don his costume, and investigate. He soon discovers that the world is being consumed by the wave of anti-matter. Without thinking, he slows his body down so that it will travel back to the present, and he can warn the Justice League. He manages it just as the wave passes over him.

He finds himself not in the present of Earth-One, but on an alternate earth known as Earth-D, where Tanaka Rei is the current Flash. Without being seen, Barry follows Tanaka home, and watches him meet with his own wife, and embrace happily. The scene reminds Barry that he left Iris to die back in the 30th Century, and he despairs.

In Earth-D’s New York City, the Justice Alliance of America fights with a giant squid controlled by Medulla. The tone of the Alliance is significantly more positive and family-oriented than their Earth-One counterpart’s. Meanwhile, Pariah and Lady Quark are transported there, and they watch from afar as the Alliance takes care of things. Seeing the Alliance handle Medulla in a somewhat lenient fashion, Lady Quark becomes angry, and blasts him with energy. The Alliance is outraged, and confronts her. With their attention, Pariah takes the opportunity to warn them that Earth-D is soon to be destroyed by Antimatter.

Back in Central City, Barry knocks on Tanaka’s door, and introduces himself. Tanaka realises that Barry Allen is the same Flash that he read about in his earth’s comic books. Barry explains his situation, and begs Tanaka for help getting back to Earth-One. Tanaka offers his help, and when a gets a signal from the Alliance he decides to take Barry to ask the rest of the team for help.

In the Alliance’s underwater headquarters, Pariah explains to the assembled that the red skies and aberrant weather are the first signs of the coming wave of antimatter, and that the wave erases anything it touches from existence. He admits that his presence there is signal enough that Earth-D will soon be destroyed. Just moments later, an earthquake damages the integrity of the structure, and the HQ is flooded. Aquaman aids everyone’s escape to the surface with the help of some dolphins.

They travel to the Fortress of Solitude, where Flash convinces Pariah to go to Earth-One, and beg the Justice League for help. The return shortly, but seeing their attempt to band together, the Anti-Monitor sends his Shadow Demons to distract them. The heroes battle valiantly, but their powers are ineffective against the shadows.

Earth-D’s Hawkgirl is crushed under a pillar, and in his grief, Hawkman is murdered by the shadows. In trying to save his wife Kara, Earth-D’s Superman is zapped by the shadows, as he desperately cries out for them all to escape, and use the Phantom Zone Projector to get rid of the shadows. He is not killed instantly, but the projector is destroyed along with the rest of the Fortress, and he dies not long after. The heroes hold a funeral for him on a nearby mountain. Following the funeral, most of Earth-D’s heroes return to their homes to make peace with their own families.

Elsewhere, in Brazil, José Hernandez discovers the crashed ship of Green Lantern Tagin Sur. As the alien dies, he gives José a Green Lantern Ring, which briefs him on the situation. He rushes off to join the Justice Alliance.

In New York, the Alliance and the League attempt to keep the citizens from panicking, despite their own inability to do anything about the coming wave of antimatter. In the process of saving an elderly woman, Earth-D’s Robin is erased before his father’s eyes. Wonder Woman is erased while saving a young boy. Green Lantern John Stewart nearly loses a child to the antimatter wave, but a last second save by José serves as their introduction.

Tanaka decides that they should create a new Cosmic Treadmill, one large enough to take much of the remaining population of Earth-D to Earth-One. All of those with some form of super-speed board the treadmill, while the remainder fights off the oncoming shadow demons. The heroes open a portal which allows the citizens of Earth-D to travel to Earth-One, where they will presumably merge with their alternate universe counterparts.

Watching the heroes’ efforts, the Anti-Monitor decides that he has a use for Barry Allen, and at great cost to the heroes on the Cosmic Treadmill, he teleports Barry to him, depriving the heroes of their fastest runner. Without Barry to help them, and with the other heroes quickly tiring, Tanaka takes it upon himself to take on the whole effort alone, while the other heroes fight off the shadows.

José is killed by shadows, saving Kara from the shadows. John Stewart is outraged, knowing that it was only José’s first day as a Lantern. As Tanaka gets more and more exhausted, there is little time left, and he begs the Justice League to return to Earth-One and save their people, rather than staying behind and dying with Earth-D. The League leaves through the portal, and soon after, Tanaka collapses, closing it behind them. Earth-D’s remaining heroes choose to go down fighting.

Meanwhile the JLA finds themselves aboard the Monitor’s Satellite. There, Alexander Luthor briefs them on the scenario, alongside Harbinger. The Crisis on Infinite Earths is well underway.