Infinite Crisis: Reverberations of Earths Past 5

Thought we were all done with reverbs, eh? So did I, until I read Infinite Crisis Secret Files. Despite my problems with the mini-series, this one shot is actually very compelling. It's my pick of the week and it's written by Marv Wolfman, who looks at life in the limbo-realm with Superman I, Alexander Luthor, and Superboy-Prime. Each character gets a chapter, and Wolfman uses a first-person viewpoint to make us sympathize with each one. I like this special for the rich characterization, something that is missing from the main Infinite Crisis series. However, something I am not sure that I do like, is how they use the device of Superboy having temper tantrums. Everytime the boy of steel pounds on the wall--I think he really just needs to get laid, because there are no teenage chicks in limbo--it screws up reality in the DC Universe. It's not just limited to Jason Todd. Here's an excerpt of Judd Winick's script from Batman Annual #25:

...with each fit rage, his fist colliding with the wall of his proverbial cell...he sent a ripple across time that would alter events. The strange truth of this anomaly, this wave that set so many bits of time on a different path did not change history...but set it right.

Infinite Crisis Special Pounding Page 1: Superboy causes the Legion of Superheroes to be reset to the new Mark Waid and Barry Kitson version. In Wizard 174, Waid says that "...issue #1 of the new series was, in fact, our first glimpse into the post-Infinite Crisis DCU." Clockwise from the Kitson-Brainiac picture, we see three different versions of Superman's rocket from Krypton. First one looks like Golden\Silver Age, second one is clearly the Byrne version, third one is Superman: Birthright? Next we see Batman holding a dead Jason Todd, then Jason alive in Hush mode. After Power Girl, we have three versions of the Doom Patrol: Byrne's version, Grant Morrison's version with Rebus, and the classic Silver Age DP. In Wizard, Johns says that none of the previous DPs have been erased--Superboy simply caused Rita Farr to survive the explosion. The DP should remember everything that's every happened to them. What about the Chief going bad and losing his head?

Infinite Crisis Special Pounding Page 2: The many modes of Wonder Girl, the most fucked up character in DC's history. We see little Wonder Babe (too young), Wonder Girl in Nick Cardy's wonderful red-stars costume (now we're talking), Perez's Troia costume, Donna's Darkstars uniform, then her outer-space uniform when came back to Earth (you can see they had to redesign for a cleavage split in the middle). Then it's Hawkman's turn--the second most ravaged DC character. Two versions of Metal Men--I have a theory about this. In one, Doc Magnus is human--I think the colorist fucked up and made his skin silver instead of pink. In the other picture, Magnus is Veridium, the robot form he assumed during the horrible limited series written by Mike Carlin (where the Metal Men were discovered to have been human). If that story is retconned, I'll be happy.

Infinite Crisis Special Pounding Page 3: If I interpret this correctly, then the reason that Hal Jordan became a drunk in Emerald Dawn is because of Superboy. Not only that, but that awful Hex series, where Jonah time-travelled to that future Mad Max version of Earth, is a result of Superboy as well! Or maybe I should I see it like Hex is no longer in the future, Jordan is no longer a drunk, because Superboy rectified it. The Challengers of the Unknown are next in line, and this is where my DCU knowledge ends. Who is the family in the middle? What's that scene with Batman and Dick referring to? And on the left, isn't that Gog on the bottom, but who are the two guys on top of him? Please help identify them if you can.

There you go, everything you ever hated about the DC Universe since the Crisis was either caused by Superboy, or rectified by him. I'd like to have this power. Pound the wall a few times, bam, Neal Adams finished the entire Kree-Skrull War in the Avengers. Bam, Jack Kirby did New Gods at Marvel and got partial ownership of his artwork and characters. Bam, Alan Moore retained the rights to Watchmen and did his prequel called the Minutemen. Bam, Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra make the R-rated sequel to Bound. Oops...better quit now while I'm almost ahead. Nuff said.

See also:
Infinite Crisis: Reverberations of Earths Past 4
Infinite Crisis: Reverberations of Earths Past 3
Infinite Crisis: Reverberations of Earths Past 2
Infinite Crisis: Reverberations of Earths Past 1

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