Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!amdcad!lll-crg!topaz!uwvax!pfeiffer From: pfeiffer@uwvax.UUCP (Phil Pfeiffer) Newsgroups: net.comics Subject: A summary of Crisis (Spoilers, of course) Message-ID: <635@uwvax.UUCP> Date: Tue, 11-Feb-86 15:42:19 EST Article-I.D.: uwvax.635 Posted: Tue Feb 11 15:42:19 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 12-Feb-86 02:52:21 EST Distribution: na Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept Lines: 166 Keywords: obituaries Some time ago a contributor to net.comics mentioned that a summary of the changes that the Crisis imposed on the DC Universe ought to be posted to the net. I'm not best person to do this, but I feel I owe this group a debt of gratitude. I'm only going to try to summarize the deaths and what I know of the changes, because it's been years since I've read comics, and I can't properly say what new characters the Crisis introduced. I think we must assume any characters who died at any point in Crisis before the recreation of time stayed dead afterward, Harbinger excepted. Deaths: ------- The Earth-III Crime Syndicate -- Power Ring, Ultraman, SuperWoman, Owlman, Johnny Quick, et. al. -- and the heroic Earth-III Luthor wiped out when their universe is destroyed by anti-matter. (Crisis #1) The Losers (Sarge, Navajo Ace, Gunner, Captain Storm), Flower (of Easy Company), killed by shadow demons (Crisis #3). Nighthawk (a wild west hero), killed by shadow demons (Crisis #3). Kid Psycho killed by shadow demons (Crisis #3). The Monitor blown away by Harbinger (Crisis #4). Supergirl totaled by the anti-Monitor. (Crisis #7) Barry Allen, aka the Flash, dies wiping out the anti-Monitor's anti-matter cannon. (Crisis #8) Earth-II Luthor murdered by Braniac. (Crisis #9) Nightshade, a Blue-Beetle-earth-whatever hero (?). (Crisis #9, p. 9) Tula (Aquagirl), killed by villian-induced water pollution, and the polluter (Chemo), in turn, destroyed by Negative Woman (Crisis #9/#10). Psimon, top blown off by Braniac (Crisis #10). Reported dead in passing: Starman, Immortal Man (Crisis #10). Killed by shadow demons in Crisis #11: The Dove, [of the Hawk and the Dove] Lori Lemaris (Aquawoman?) Robin-II Kole the Huntress Prince Ra-Man Clayface Bandit Green Arrow-II Sunburst, presumably by shadow demons (Crisis #12). The anti-Monitor totaled, finally, by Superman II. (Crisis #12). Tomar-Re, one of the long-standing minor characters in the Green Lantern series, himself a Green Lantern, is killed (described in GL #198, which I haven't read). About a third of the Green Lantern Corps is reported wiped out. (GL #200) Changes: -------- A new Earth-V (?) hero, Lady Quark, incorporated into the DC continuum (you might not see much more of her, however). (Crisis #4). A new, heroic, edition of Dr. Light, created by the Monitor. (Crisis #4). Red Tornado "liberated" from robot body, reverting to elemental force; robot body destroyed (irretrievably?). (Crisis #5, JLA crossover, Crisis #8) The old Earth-whatever(?) Wildcat incapactitated saving a child; a woman of Hispanic descent takes over for him. (Crisis #5/6) A bunch of Earth-II characters and settings incorporated into the reconstituted earth; probably the most important of the lot are Flash-II (and Keystone City), Green Lantern-II, Dr. Fate, (another) Captain Atom and the Blue Beetle. (Crisis #11) Barry Allen's "Cosmic Treadmill" destroyed (Crisis #11). Wally West takes over as the new Flash, with severely circumscribed powers (Crisis #12) Superboy of Earth-Prime, Alex Luthor, Superman II, and Lois II disappear from the known DC universe (Crisis #12). (Ah, but will they return?...) Wonder Woman of Earth-I returned to clay (Crisis #12). Wonder Woman-II adopted by the gods of Olympus (Crisis #12). Guardians give up their guardianship, and disappear off into the ozone with the Zamorrans, to make new baby immortal guardians. (GL 200) Unresolved Issues: ------------------ Steel teleported "to a place from which he will never return". (Crisis #9) Hawkman-II reported near death after being ignited by Dr. Phosphorus. (Crisis #9/#10). What will DC do with the characters of Pariah and Harbinger now? What happens to Star Sapphire, now that her patrons, the Zamorrans, are gone? Will Solivar recover? (left unspecified in Crisis #11). (... should you care?) ============================================= Some other points I'd like to raise: 1. Has anyone summarized ALL the characters who appeared in Crisis yet? I was going to try, but I don't think I want to take the time [even the Ambush Bug appears on a poster in Crisis #9, p. 13, and I've been away too long to recognize the characters]. Better question: how many important DC characters didn't appear in Crisis? Were there any? I know there was an issue of Ambush Bug dealing with the characters who were absent (Inferior Five, Bat-Mite, et. al). Was there anything ever said about the absence of the Bizarro worlds? 2. INCONSISTENCY? Crisis #1 and #2 features a female character, a vintage WWII superheroine named Firebrand. There's a scene in Crisis #7, p. 17, involving a similarly-costumed character named Firebrand; only, Firebrand appears to be male. What's going on here? 3. The Marvel family heroes came off rather worse than one might expect, failing to defend Brazil, failing to prevent the deaths of the Huntress et al. ... I think Changeling's remarks about quitting if and when kid Marvel, baby Marvel, and fetus Marvel showed up on the scene summarized the series' attitude toward Golden Age excesses. 4. I didn't like the offhanded way that the new Flash's powers were defined in Crisis #12. Do you suppose that the people at DC felt that the Flash stories would be better if their new Flash had severely circumscribed speed limitations? 5. I thought that Darkseid was bumped off by Desaad in a recent DC miniseries. If so, how do the events of Crisis fit into the DC time continuum? -------------------- "You see, I like to remember the past because those were better times than now. I mean, I'd rather live in the past than today, wouldn't you? I mean, nothing's ever certain anymore. Nothing's ever predictable like it used to be. These days ... y-you just never know who's going to die ... ... and who's going to live." -- -- Phil Pfeiffer ...!{harvard,ihnp4,seismo,topaz}!uwvax!pfeiffer (608) 263-7308