Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 is an issue of the series Crisis on Infinite Earths (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1985. It was published on April 4, 1985.
Contents
Synopsis for "And Thus Shall the World Die!"
As Supergirl joins a despondent Batgirl on top of a city building on Earth-One, trying to encourage her before she is called to rescue a plane that falls apart approaching the anti-matter wave, Pariah arrives on Earth-6 where he confronts the royal superhero family of Lord Volt, Lady Quark, and Princess Fern as the anti-matter wave destroys their world as well. Lady Quark watches helplessly as both her husband and daughter are consumed in the wave while Pariah transports her safely out of the universe.
Meanwhile, the Monitor prepares to create a new hero to help him in his quest. By firing an ion-based energy ray into an unstable star in the Vegan system in the Earth-One universe, he causes a powerful flare of solar energy to travel to Earth. It reaches the observatory of Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi, who berates her staff as she uses the telescope to observe the destructive phenomenon present. She screams as the flare strikes her and then mysteriously transports her out of the lab, leaving her fellow workers and her father wondering what happened to her.
In the dark place where the Psycho-Pirate is taken prisoner, the shadowy figure watches on the screen the Red Tornado in action and uses his power to teleport him to the same place.
On Earth-Two in the time of Camelot, Firestorm and Killer Frost (still under the love thrall of Psycho Pirate) get help from Shining Knight to protect the cosmic tuning fork planted there in that time period, as Vandal Savage watches from a window. The three heroes engage the Shadow Demons in battle, but it is all for naught as they merge and form a giant Shadow Demon. This also happens in the other time periods that the cosmic tuning forks and the Shadow Demons appear.
In the present time of Earth-One in Metroplis, the superheroes see yet another cosmic tuning fork appear, though this time with a female in a costume similar to that of Dr. Light. She tries to warn the heroes approaching her to stay away from the tower, and blasts them away with a burst of light. Katana, who understands Japanese, realizes that this Dr. Light is not their enemy, but an ally. Superman, who is able to converse in Japanese, tells Dr. Light that he knows the situation they are in and they only want to help.
As the Monitor on board the satellite watches the heroes valiantly but vainly try to protect the cosmic tuning forks, Pariah emerges to find that the Monitor was expecting him. He reveals to Pariah that he was responsible for his survival when he should have died for his deeds, but before he could say anything more, Harbinger appears, obviously not in control of herself. She strikes the Monitor with a powerful blast that sends him hurtling down platforms until he finally lands dead. Pariah mourns as he realizes that with the death of the Monitor came the death of all hope.
At that moment, the heroes of both Earths 1 and 2 can only watch as their worlds, consumed by anti-matter, fade into nothingness.
Appearing in "And Thus Shall the World Die!"
Featured Characters:
- Monitor (Final appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- All-Star Squadron/Justice Society of America
- Easy Company
- Infinity, Inc.
- Justice League of America
- Legion of Super-Heroes
- New Teen Titans
- Outsiders
Antagonists:
- Anti-Monitor (Behind the scenes)
- Harbinger
- Psycho-Pirate (Roger Hayden)
- Shadow-Demons
- Vandal Savage
Other Characters:
- Air Wave (Hal Jordan)
- Alexander Luthor
- Amazons
- Arion
- Athena (Behind the scenes)
- Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
- Bat Lash
- Blue Devil
- Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi) (First appearance)
- Doctor Polaris
- Dolphin
- Green Lantern (John Stewart)
- Jeb Stuart
- John Constantine
- Johnny Thunder (John Tane)
- Jonah Hex
- Kamandi
- Killer Frost (Louise Lincoln)
- Lady Chian
- Lady Quark (First appearance)
- Lord Volt (Single appearance)
- Lori Lemaris
- Mento (Steve Dayton)
- Pariah
- Princess Fern (Single appearance)
- Queen Hippolyta
- Ronal
- Scalphunter
- Swamp Thing
- Supergirl (Earth-One)
- Winged Victory
- Jiro Hoshi (Single appearance)
- Professor Tazu (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Anti-Matter wave
- Medusa Mask
- Trident of Lucifer
Vehicles:
Notes
- Includes a letters column with pin-up illustrations of the Monitor by George Pérez.
- In the five-part television adaptation of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the events of this issue, the death of The Monitor and the apparent destruction of the entire multiverse, occurs in Part 3 (an episode of The Flash).
Trivia
- In the original print version of this story, the caption to the right of panel 6 of page 4 reads, "After that, only four others remain." At this point in the story, Earth-1 is being attacked, and seeing that plans for using the Charlton Comics heroes of Earth-4 in the upcoming Watchmen mini-series were up in the air at that time, it is assumed that the "four others" means Earths 2, 6, S, and X. This has been changed in the collected versions of Crisis On Infinite Earths to correctly read, "After that, only five others remain".
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Crisis on Infinite Earths series
- Images from Crisis on Infinite Earths Vol 1 4
Recommended Reading
Links and References
- Dick Giordano/Executive Editor
- George Pérez/Cover Artist
- Marv Wolfman/Writer
- George Pérez/Penciler
- Mike DeCarlo/Inker
- Anthony Tollin/Colourist
- John Costanza/Letterer
- Robert Greenberger/Editor
- Len Wein/Editor
- Marv Wolfman/Editor
- John Constantine (New Earth)/Quotes
- Monitor (Earth-One)/Appearances
- All-Star Squadron (New Earth)/Appearances
- Danette Reilly (New Earth)/Appearances
- Alan Scott (New Earth)/Appearances
- Justin Arthur (New Earth)/Appearances
- Kal-L (Earth-Two)/Appearances
- Theodore Knight (New Earth)/Appearances
- Easy Company (New Earth)/Appearances
- Horace Canfield (New Earth)/Appearances
- Franklin Rock (New Earth)/Appearances
- Infinity, Inc. (New Earth)/Appearances
- Jennifer-Lynn Hayden (New Earth)/Appearances
- Norda Cantrell (New Earth)/Appearances
- Todd Rice (New Earth)/Appearances
- Justice League of America (New Earth)/Appearances
- Ronald Raymond (New Earth)/Appearances
- Katar Hol (Earth-One)/Appearances
- Shayera Thal (Earth-One)/Appearances
- Red Tornado (New Earth)/Appearances
- Kal-El (Earth-One)/Appearances
- Diana of Paradise Island (Earth-One)/Appearances
- Zatanna Zatara (New Earth)/Appearances
- Legion of Super-Heroes (Pre-Zero Hour)/Appearances
- Querl Dox (Pre-Zero Hour)/Appearances
- Dawnstar (Pre-Zero Hour)/Appearances
- Thom Kallor (Pre-Zero Hour)/Appearances
- Jo Nah (Pre-Zero Hour)/Appearances
- Salu Digby (Pre-Zero Hour)/Appearances
- Teen Titans (New Earth)/Appearances
- Garfield Logan (New Earth)/Appearances
- Victor Stone (New Earth)/Appearances
- Joseph Wilson (New Earth)/Appearances
- Kole Weathers (New Earth)/Appearances
- Richard Grayson (Earth-One)/Appearances
- Koriand'r (New Earth)/Appearances
- Donna Troy (New Earth)/Appearances
- Outsiders (New Earth)/Appearances
- Jefferson Pierce (New Earth)/Appearances
- Brion Markov (New Earth)/Appearances
- Gabrielle Doe (New Earth)/Appearances
- Tatsu Yamashiro (New Earth)/Appearances
- Rex Mason (New Earth)/Appearances
- Bruce Wayne (Earth-One)/Appearances
- Anti-Monitor (Antimatter Universe)/Appearances
- Lyla Michaels (Pre-Crisis)/Appearances
- Roger Hayden (New Earth)/Appearances
- Thunderers of Qward/Appearances
- Vandar Adg (New Earth)/Appearances
- Harold Jordan (New Earth)/Appearances
- Alexander Luthor, Jr. (Earth-Three)/Appearances
- Amazons of Paradise Island/Appearances
- Ahri'ahn (New Earth)/Appearances
- Pallas Athena (New Earth)/Appearances
- Barbara Gordon (Earth-One)/Appearances
- Bartholomew Lash (New Earth)/Appearances
- Daniel Cassidy (New Earth)/Appearances
- Kimiyo Hoshi (New Earth)/Appearances
- Neal Emerson (New Earth)/Appearances
- Dolphin (New Earth)/Appearances
- John Stewart (New Earth)/Appearances
- Jeb Stuart (New Earth)/Appearances
- John Constantine (New Earth)/Appearances
- John Tane (New Earth)/Appearances
- Jonah Hex (New Earth)/Appearances
- Kamandi (Earth-AD)/Appearances
- Louise Lincoln (New Earth)/Appearances
- Chian (New Earth)/Appearances
- Tashana (Earth-Six)/Appearances
- Karak (Earth-Six)/Appearances
- Lori Lemaris (Earth-One)/Appearances
- Steven Dayton (New Earth)/Appearances
- Kell Mossa (Pre-Crisis)/Appearances
- Liana (Earth-Six)/Appearances
- Hippolyta (Earth-One)/Appearances
- Ronal (Earth-One)/Appearances
- Brian Savage (New Earth)/Appearances
- Swamp Thing (New Earth)/Appearances
- Kara Zor-El (Earth-One)/Appearances
- Victory (New Earth)/Appearances
- Monitor's Satellite/Appearances
- Earth-AD/Appearances
- Earth-One/Appearances
- Atlantis/Appearances
- Gotham City/Appearances
- Japan/Appearances
- New York City/Appearances
- Long Island/Appearances
- Hamptons/Appearances
- Paradise Island/Appearances
- Skartaris/Appearances
- Texas/Appearances
- Earth-Two/Appearances
- England/Appearances
- Camelot/Appearances
- Earth-Six/Appearances
- Vega/Appearances
- Medusa Mask/Appearances
- Trident of Lucifer/Appearances
- Comics
- 1985
- 1985, July
- April 3, 1985 (Publication)
- 1985, April (Publication)
- Crisis on Infinite Earths Vol 1
- Copper-Age
- Synopsis Written
- Crisis on Infinite Earths