Item Biography
"Death at the Dawn of Time"
*As Psimon attacks Luthor, a recreated Brainiac blasts him from behind and kills him. The living computer then replies that his spacecraft is part of his total being, and thus he knew of the enemy's presence when Psimon thought himself hidden. He had transferred his consciousness into his ship's computers before Psimon struck, and then rebuilt a new body in seconds. Relieved, Luthor announces that their plan to pit the heroes and villains against each other is still in effect.
On Earth-1, in prehistoric times, Anthro is astonished to see the red spiral in the sky, but decides not to tell his fellow villagers about it.
On Earth-4, Chemo has turned the New York Harbor waters into seething chemical waste. In retaliation, Negative Woman destroys him. Aqualad heads for Atlantis, carrying Aquagirl. Meanwhile, in New York, Black Adam smashes Dove and Robotman, and Kole paralyzes him by encasing him in crystal. Elsewhere, Celsius and Cyborg team up against other foes.
On Earth-S, a band of villains, including Despero, Dr. Sivana, and Per Degaton, has bound and gagged the entire Marvel Family, including the three lieutenants, in their mortal forms. J'onn J'onzz and Tina of the Metal Men engage the villains in combat, while the Atom of Earth-1 snips the gag off Billy (Batson), enabling him to call Captain Marvel into the fray.
On Earth-X, similar battles go on.
Brainiac and Luthor are watching all of this, when they feel a powerful energy flux. At this, every hero and villain on the five worlds witnesses a cosmic manifestation of the Spectre, who halts their battles. He says that the Anti-Monitor is still alive, and has traveled back to the dawn of time to change history so that only anti-matter universes will come into being. While the Anti-Monitor remained in the anti-matter universe, the Spectre couldn't attack, but he could see the Crisis coming to completion, and he must now finish the Monitor's work. The heroes and villains of the Earths must now combine their powers; half must go to the dawn of the Creation, while the other half travels to Oa, at the time of Krona's great sin. The Spectre demands their decision on the spot. Not even Luthor or Brainiac refuse the summons; they order the villains' cooperation.
Soon, more than a hundred super-beings congregate in Earth-1's Death Valley. Rip Hunter, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and the Lord of Time have supplied time conveyances. The Earth-2 Superman makes his farewells to Lois, while Alex watches, concealed.
When Superman of Earth-1 protests that history cannot be changed, the Ghostly Guardian tells him that it can be - but only at the very beginning of time. The Earth-Prime Superboy then arrives, having been deposited by a hyper-space vortex.
Gold of the Metal Men offers his body as an electrical conductor to channel power into the machines, as the electrically powered and magnetically powered beings supply the energy. The Lord of Time leads one division to the dawn of time, while the other heads for Oa's past. Above, Brainiac observes the melee, calculating that he has a slim chance for survival - but a better chance than the heroes have for success.
In Atlantis of Earth-1, Aqualad receives the sad news that Aquagirl is dead. Mera cradles the sobbing youth in her arms.
In hyper-time, Superman hurtles forward, ahead of the rest, carrying Alex so that he can open the way, but when the heroes materialize, they find themselves face-to-face with a giant Anti-Monitor. In an energy field suspended between his hands he holds the captive Pariah, who implores them to leave. He deserves this, he says, since he destroyed his own universe. Scornfully, the Anti-Monitor tells him that he did no such thing; he actually did nothing more than open the anti-matter portal to the dawn of time. The Anti-Monitor himself was responsible for the destruction of Pariah's universe and all the others. Lady Quark is stunned by this news. Finally, the Anti-Monitor proclaims that he will use Pariah to destroy all existing life and to rebuild the anti-matter universe in his own image.
The heroes attack, but even their great power cannot rival the energy of an entire universe.
Ten billion years ago on Oa, the super-villains of the five Earths attack Krona's city in hopes of finding the scientist before he can complete his experiment. The Oans, seeing them destroying property, easily immobilize most of them. Maaldor, Mirror Master, and Icicle break into the laboratory and attempt to wreck the Creation viewscreen, but a defensive device reacts, killing the three villains before they can harm it. Krona enters the chamber.
At the dawn of time, the Anti-Monitor repels the heroes like gnats. He had needed their own energies and life-forces, for much of his was consumed in reaching Creation. Having taken their powers, he raises his hand in a nimbus of energy. When Krona activates his viewscreen, he will see this hand, and so will open the gate between matter and anti-matter, and the positive-matter multiverse will be destroyed forever.
Suddenly, the Spectre appears and grasps the hand of the Anti-Monitor. He draws energy from the sorcerous heroes such as Dr. Fate, Zatanna, and the Phantom Stranger to grapple with the over-villain, and resists him. Dr. Fate directs his allies to contain their foe, but not to kill him, since he holds the life-forces of their friends.
Above them, they see the viewscreen appearing; Krona is looking into the beginning of time. As the Anti-Monitor screams to him to complete his experiment, the Spectre calls for more power. Then the energy of an entire universe pours through him, and everything shatters around him. *Source: The Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Index #1 - Published by ICG.
"The Monitor Tapes. . ." (This story runs along only the bottom one-quarter of the first twenty-five story pages in this issue.) - - **Somewhere in a large city on one of the Earths, Lyla sits at the console brought from the satellite. She has appointed herself to carry on with recording the information regarding super-beings since the Monitor's death.
She records the passing of Mibrannu, a peaceful world populated by methane gas creatures, and the survival of the warlike Kallidranes.
Thanagar, having become a militant world, mistook the Crisis for an invasion and has been devastated by rioting.
Takron-Galtos, the prison-planet of the Legion's 30th century, has been destroyed by the Anti-Monitor, and the villains on it were thus freed. After they destroyed a number of worlds, they were enlisted in Brainiac's army.
Elsewhere, Prince Gavyn, the Starman of Earth-1, died to save his people from the anti-matter menace.
In the Vegan system, X'Hal went berserk, and compressed six different dimensional versions of the planet Kuraq into one, trapping Nimbus of the Omega Men between them.
In Tommy Tomorrow's future, the famed Planeteer not only survived, but saved the inhabitants of an entire world from the white curtain of death.
On Adon, the Forever People saved their new home planet from destruction, while Darkseid likewise protected Apokolips.
Amethyst saw the Citadel of Sapphire destroyed, but led the people of Gemworld to safety.
In Olympus, three of the gods were killed and two others gravely wounded in battles with shadow demons.
Immortal Man finally died, consumed by anti-matter after helping the members of a boys' club to safety.
The Swamp Thing was apparently destroyed, but managed to recreate his body in a different location.
Hawkman of Earth-2 was seriously wounded by Dr. Phosphorus, and was taken to Feithera by Northwind.
Lyla reflects on the other deadly battles being waged against the Anti-Monitor in many eras, and affirms that life and sentient beings will survive, while she continues recording the history of the universe. *Source: The Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Index #1 - Published by ICG.