A cold day in Hell is something one shall never see! But for the planet Earth — it might as well be! 
- — Etrigan
The Final Night #3 is an issue of the series The Final Night (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1996.
Synopsis for "Keeping Hope Alive"
With the life-giving energy of the sun depleted, Earth begins to quickly freeze over. Those who can, attempt to quell panicking mobs and civil unrest, but it proves to be a difficult period for all. Guy Gardner turns Warriors into an ad-hoc medical center, and other heroes labor around the clock in an effort to save as many lives as possible.
Etrigan the Demon broadcasts a transmission straight from Hell, offering to save the people of Earth. The cost for such an act however would be the souls of every human being on the face of the planet. Earth is united in its adamant refusal to accept the Demon's help.
The Spectre travels to the spiritual center of Earth to offer comfort and warmth to the Earth-Mother, Gaea.
At the S.T.A.R. Labs command center, the news grows worse. Brainiac 5 determines that the sun is shrinking in size, but not in mass. It will soon go supernova, and the resulting flare of solar energy will turn the planet into an ash cinder.
The Phantom Stranger takes Dusk on an astral journey across the planet, showing her images of hope, and the internal strength of humanity. Fire, Firestorm, Zatanna and Ray reunite a family in a small South American village. Sentinel, Jade and Obsidian save even more people in Kyoto. Wonder Woman uses her magic lasso to repair a damaged bridge, while Warrior rescues even more people with his unique Vuldarian super-powers.
Meanwhile, Superman visits his parents in Smallville. Without the power of the sun to energize him, his powers are quickly fading. He fears that this may be the last time he will ever see his family.
Appearing in "Keeping Hope Alive"
Featured Characters:
- Aquaman (Cameo)
- Batman
- Black Canary
- Blue Beetle
- Booster Gold
- Captain Atom
- Captain Marvel
- Ferro
- Fire
- Firestorm
- Guardian
- Impulse
- Jade
- Lex Luthor
- Martian Manhunter
- Mary Marvel
- Nightwing
- Obsidian
- Oracle
- Phantom Stranger
- Ray
- Robin
- Sentinel
- Spectre
- Superman
- Takion
- Ted Knight
- Tiger-Man (Cameo)
- Warrior
- Wildcat
- Zatanna
- Legion of Super-Heroes
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Sun-Eater (Behind the scenes)
- Etrigan
- Mister Freeze (Cameo)
Other Characters:
- Gaea
- Parallax (Behind the scenes)
- Pope John Paul II
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Hell (On a TV or computer screen)
- New York
- Metropolis
- California
- Kansas
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- The Final Night (Volume 1) was shipped on a weekly publishing schedule.
- This issue is reprinted in The Final Night and The Final Night New Edition.
- The events from this issue continue in Parallax: Emerald Night #1 and concludes in The Final Night #4.
Trivia
- The tagline for this issue is "Week Three: Shallow Graves".
- This issue includes a S.T.A.R. Labs Earthwatch Web Page and timeline.
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
  The Final Night Crossover Core Issues
Tie-Ins
Green Lantern #80 • The Power of Shazam! #20 • Sovereign Seven #16 • Superman #117 • Adventures of Superman #540 • Batman #536 • Green Arrow #114 • Supergirl #3 • Action Comics #727 • Aquaman #26 • Detective Comics #703 • Superboy #33 • Flash #119 • Hitman #8 • Legion of Super-Heroes #86 • Robin #35 • Spectre #47 • Superman: The Man of Steel #62 • Takion #6 • Parallax: Emerald Night #1 |