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Crisis on Infinite Earths <span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>  Crisis on Infinite Earths was a twelve issue limited series that crossed over into almost all the DC Comics titles in 1985 and 1986. The entire series has been collected in trade paperback, and can be purchased from most comic book stores. It was a land-mark phenomenon in the history of superhero comics for several reasons. First, it was the first such series of its time, beginning a precedent of “limited crossover series” that the comic book companies, particularly DC Comics and Marvel Comics, can’t seem to produce enough of. Second, it signaled the first major conscious change in the DC Comics universe continuity, a move that was always controversial and, the effects of which, are still being felt as the company continues to update and introduce retroactive continuity changes (often called “retcons” by fans) where character histories, backgrounds, and origins are changed or “re-imagined” again and again. Third, it was the key event which marked the beginning of the Modern Age of Comics, an historical landmark in comic book history. Fourth, it ended the lives of several long-time and favorite characters, such as the Kara from Krypton Supergirl and the Barry Allen Flash. This made room for other updated versions of Flash and Supergirl. Finally, it changed the very structure of the DC Universe.
Historical BackgroundWhen famed comics creator Julius Schwartz began re-creating the superheroes of the Golden Age of Comics anew, he did not create them in a world where the Golden Age heroes ever existed. So, the Barry Allen Flash was the world’s first Flash. When he appeared on the scene, nobody said, “Hey. There’s another Flash, like the one in the 1940s”. He was the first one they’d ever seen. The same was true for the Silver Age of Comics versions of Green Lantern, Hawkman, and the Atom. It was later revealed that the Golden Age heroes were known in the DC Universe as mere fictional comic book characters, and that Barry Allen had read about the Golden Age Flash (Jay Garrick) as a kid, and used the idea to create his own Flash identity. In the story “The Flash of Two Worlds”, Barry Allen travels to a parallel universe he egocentrically names “Earth-Two”. On Earth-Two, the 1940s superheroes indeed appeared in the 1940s, and were now mostly retired. Here Superman and Batman started their careers in the late 1930s, and the rest of the heroes of the Justice Society of America came soon after. They were still alive, but older, with graying hair, and married to their long-time comic book love interests. Superman had finally married Lois Lane and, as Clark Kent, became editor of the Daily Planet. Batman had married Selina Kyle, the now reformed Catwoman. Dick Grayson was now an adult Robin, and a name partner in a law firm. And, of course, Jay Garrick had married his long-time girlfriend Joan, and the two had settled down for retirement. Central City was located on Earth-One, while Keystone City was located on Earth-Two. And so, Barry Allen of Central City met Jay Garrick of Keystone City, and the two Flashes shared an adventure together before Barry went back to what he now called “Earth-One”. This began a wave of stories where the heroes of these two Earths would meet. In the story “Crisis on  Earth-Two” beginning in Justice League of America #21 (1963), the Silver Age Justice League of America would team up with the aging Golden Age Justice Society of America to stop a team-up of villains from both Earths. This began an annual tradition, in which the heroes of these two parallel universes would meet and team up. Earth-Three was soon introduced in a story called “Crisis on Earth-Three”, a universe where the Justice League heroes were evil, calling themselves the Justice Syndicate. When DC obtained the license to the Fawcett Publications characters, Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family’s adventures were said to take place on “Earth-S”. There was even an “Earth-Prime”, where the Silver Age heroes were fictional comic book characters, and Julius Schwartz and DC Comics published them. The problem with all this is that comic book creators liked the Golden Age heroes almost too much. Stories set on Earth-Two became a more numerous. Soon, whole comic book series were set up to take place there. Characters like the Black Canary crossed over from Earth-Two to become a permanent part of the Earth-One Justice League. The whole thing became confusing and awkward and, in 1985, DC Comics took a fateful step to bring it all together and clean it all up (they thought) once and for all. The series “Crisis on Infinite Earths” was supposed to wipe out all the parallel Earths and combine them all into a single universe where the Justice Society, the Justice League, and even Captain Marvel all existed together. In this world, the modern Flash of Central City could visit the Jay Garrick Flash in Keystone City, living now in semi-retirement with his wife Joan. Ketstone City and Central City were now "twin cities", located next to each other like Minneapolis and St.Paul. In order to make all this work, many characters, such as the Golden Age Superman and Batman would need to be wiped from the continuity, since there could only be one Last Son of Krypton and millionaire Bruce Wayne to a universe. The same was true of the Golden Age Wonder Woman, as there could also only be one Paradise Island with a Princess Diana. Characters such as the Huntress, who was the daughter of the Earth-Two Batman and Catwoman, would also need to be similarly erased and, perhaps, brought back with an entirely new origin. Over in Marvel Comics, the limited series crossover Secret Wars had been published just before Crisis on Infinite Earths. While published first, it is acknowledged in the industry that it was created as an anticipatory response to the well-publicized upcoming DC series, and so, while technically published first, is considered by many merely the second series of its kind.
The StoryAnd so, a plot was developed that would accomplish all this. It’s a complicated story, recounted in detail elsewhere, so here is the company’s own historical summary of the event from JLA in Crisis Secret Files #1 (1998).
  “It was the end of everything! Countless universes were erased from existence in a spreading tide of anti-matter unleashed by the Anti-Monitor, a being of undiluted hate birthed at the moment of creation. Salvation lay with the Monitor, the Anti-Monitor’s positive number, who rallied the surviving defenders of the infinite worlds to spare the doomed Multiverse. Valiant heroes—the Flash and Supergirl among them—died battling the Anti-Monitor and his Shadow Demons. At the dawn of time, the champions of five remaining earths made their stand, guided by the Monitor’s enigmatic protégé Harbinger. Watching helplessly as the other-worldly Spectre grappled with the Anti-Monitor, those heroes witnessed the birth of a single universe, with one Earth and one unified reality. In the final conflict, the Anti-Monitor sent this Earth to the anti-matter universe, where the greatest assemblage of super-humans ever known ended his threat for all time—though continuity in the DC Universe was forever altered in his wake.” The events and characters of the Crisis on Infinite Earths would be revisited in the 2005 event Infinite Crisis, which would again change the continuity and structure of the DC Universe, restoring some of the elements that were left behind in the coming of the Modern Age of Comics. For example, the creation of 52 parallel universes has been established in the new DC Multiverse. And so the pendulum swings again. Related Terms and ArticlesCategories: 1980s Comics | Limited crossover series | Crossovers | DC Comics series | Limited series
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