Crisis on Infinite Earths Issue 11

## "Aftershock"

"*Gr-great Scott! Th-there's nothing out there. No Earth-2... no universe... nothing!*"
―Superman (Earth-2)

## Synopsis

### "Aftershock"

Creation occurs. One universe is born. In Metropolis, Kal-L, Superman of Earth-2, wakes in an apartment at 344 Clinton Street. He has dreamed of the end of all Earths. Now he finds the decor of his apartment changed and Lois gone, and so he leaves for work. He enters the editor's office of the Daily Planet, where Perry White asks him to leave. Clark Kent enters, and rights the situation. Realizing that he must be on Earth-1, the Earth-2 Superman accompanies his counterpart to the "warp zone" between Earths in New York, so Kal-L can return home, but once there, they find the zone is gone. When they ask a cop what happened to it, he says that nothing was ever there.

They decide to visit the home of Barry Allen in Central City, to use his Cosmic Treadmill. There, they find that Central City and Keystone City (formerly of Earth-2) now exist side-by-side. When they reach the home of Jay and Joan Garrick, she recognizes the Superman of Earth-1, but not the Superman of Earth-2, who had been a fellow Justice Society member of her husband. Jay Garrick recognizes both, and takes them into his lab, where Wally West waits. Jay tells them that the world still knows about the other Flash, Barry Allen, and remembers his trial, but that everyone also maintains that he, the original Flash, has lived on this Earth all his life, Wally changes to his Kid Flash costume, and Jay assumes his Flash identity.

Then, with the two Supermen, they board the Cosmic Treadmill, and reach the correct speed and vibration rate to enter Earth-2's universe. However, they behold an endless sea of blackness where a cosmos had once existed. Feeling lost, without a past or a homeworld, Superman of Earth-2 tries to leap into the void, but his counterpart holds him back, as the Flash and Kid Flash bring them back to the lab.

In the timestream, Rip Hunter's time sphere, carrying Rip, Dolphin, Captain Comet, Animal Man, Atomic Knight, and Adam Strange, emerges in space near Brainiac's craft. They board it, and find the robotic villain slumped in his command chair. Of these heroes, only Rip remembers the multiple Earths.

At Titans Tower I in New York, the Teen Titans host an assembly of heroes who formerly occupied six different Earths. Captain Marvel and Uncle Sam report that they have tried to return to their home worlds, but found them nonexistent. Slowly, they come to grips with the fact that only one Earth now exists, not many.

Suddenly, Harbinger appears. She has regained her powers with the rebirth of the universe, and states that many realities have been changed. When Kal-L asks why he still exists in the new universe, while his Krypton "never even existed," she tells him that he was spared because he "stood before the rebirth." The Huntress, shaken by her experience, tells of how she found herself without a law practice, an office, an apartment, or even a recorded identity on the new Earth. Robin of Earth-2 says that the only Dick Grayson of whom he could find records was 19 years old, and lived in Manhattan, not in Gotham City. Even the grave of the Earth-2 Batman was missing from the cemetery. Harbinger explains that a new universe, not a Multiverse, was born from the battle against the Anti-Monitor. There is, and was, only one Earth, one history, even only one World War II, in which Uncle Sam led the Freedom Fighters to victory over the Axis. Krypton exploded and Kal-El came to Earth. Only one Batman came to exist from the murder of his parents. All the heroes are stunned by this revelation, and none more so than the Earth-2 Superman. Not only did his Krypton never exist, but now his wife is also gone forever. He soars off in frustration and anguish, and Kal-El follows him.

Somewhere in a spirit dimension, Deadman and the Phantom Stranger watch over the Spectre, who was rendered immobile after the battle with the Anti-Monitor.

In Las Vegas, a detective convention is interrupted when Angle Man's body is found, along with his Angler weapon.

In Salem, Dr. Fate and the Demon magically observe Amethyst being attacked as a witch by a mob. Dr. Occult stops them, but then shadows appear and attack. Dr. Fate and the Demon join in the battle. However, Amethyst has been blinded, and when Fate looks into her eyes, he finds something incredible, and takes her back to Gemworld. Above New York City, Kal-El has succeeded in calming the older Superman, reminding him of his own loss with Kara's death. Kal-L weeps, not knowing where he belongs.

Back at Titans Tower, Wonder Girl tells of how Queen Hippolyta reacted when the Earth-2 Wonder Woman and her daughter Fury appeared on Paradise Island. None of the Amazons remembered the Multiverse, even though the "new" Paradise Island had elements from both Earths.

Power Girl questions why she is remembered, but her cousin forgotten. Harbinger replies that she does not know yet. Batman appears with the younger Robin and Alex, and tells the assembly of their recent interview with Lex Luthor in prison. Luthor had no knowledge of participating in the crisis, and angrily denied that he would ever help super-heroes. Therefore, says Alex, none of the villains remember fighting alongside them. However, danger still besets the Earth, as shadows continue their assault, and the uncanny weather persists.

Far below the surface of Peru, Cave Carson's crew reports an awesome flux of energy, and transmits the news to Titans Tower. There, the heroes observe the electrical storms becoming worse, and Pariah feels his pre-teleportation symptoms again — but, with no place to teleport to, he remains in painful stasis.

Alex glows with the antimatter effect, and the Earth is drawn into a titanic space-warp. On a rooftop in New York, the Supermen realize that the Earth has been drawn into the antimatter universe. Then, they are confronted by a huge image of the Anti-Monitor, welcoming them to his home, and to their deaths.

## Appearances

### "Aftershock"

#### Individuals

* Adam Strange
* Alexander Luthor, Jr.
* Amethyst
* Animal Man
* Aquaman
* Atomic Knight
* Batman (Earth-1)
* Blue Beetle
* Captain Comet
* Captain Marvel
* Cave Carson's Team
	+ Bulldozer Smith
	+ Cave Carson
	+ Christie Madison
	+ Johnny Blake
* Changeling
* Cyborg
* Deadman
* Dolphin
* Dr. Fate
* Dr. Occult
* Demon
* Elongated Man
* The Flash (Earth-2)
* Fury
* Geo-Force
* Green Lantern (Earth-2)
* Harbinger
* Harlequin
* The Huntress
* Jonni Thunder
* Kid Flash
* Kole
* Lady Quark
* Obsidian
* Pariah
* Peacemaker
* Phantom Lady
* Phantom Stranger
* Power Girl
* Robin (Earth-1)
* Robin (Earth-2)
* Rip Hunter
* The Spectre ***(Dormant)***
* Star-Spangled Kid
* Superboy (Earth-Prime)
* Superman (Earth-1)
* Superman (Earth-2)
* Uncle Sam
* Wildcat
* Wonder Girl
* Wonder Woman (Earth-1)
* Wonder Woman (Earth-2)
* Zatanna
* Zatara
* Hippolyta (Earth-1)
* Jimmy Olsen (Earth-1)
* Joan Garrick
* Lois Lane (Earth-1)
* Perry White (Earth-1)
* Angle Man ***(Dies)***
* Anti-Monitor
* Brainiac
* Joe Chill ***(Flashback Only)***
* Lex Luthor (Earth-1)
* Shadow Demons
* All-Star Squadron ***(Flashback Only)***
	+ The Atom (Earth-2)
	+ Commander Steel
	+ Doll Man
	+ Firebrand
	+ Guardian
	+ Hawkgirl (Earth-2)
	+ Liberty Belle
	+ Plastic Man (Earth-2)
	+ The Ray
	+ Robotman
	+ Tarantula
* Amazons
	+ Helene
* Angel O'Day
* Anthro ***(Flashback Only)***
* Bat Lash ***(Flashback Only)***
* Black Condor ***(Flashback Only)***
* Blackhawk Squadron
* Challengers of the Unknown
	+ Ace
	+ Prof
	+ Red
	+ Rocky
* Christopher Chance
* Detective Chimp
* Easy Company ***(Flashback Only)***
	+ Sgt. Rock
* Enemy Ace ***(Flashback Only)***
* Harvey Bullock
* Jonny Double
* Sam Simeon
* Solovar
* Thomas and Martha Wayne ***(Flashback Only)***
* Tomahawk ***(Flashback Only)***
* Viking Prince ***(Flashback Only)***

#### Locations

* Krypton ***(Destroyed in flashback)***
* New Earth ***(First Appearance)*** (see note below)
	+ Gorilla City
	+ Keystone City
	+ Las Vegas
	+ Metropolis
		- Daily Planet
	+ New York City
	+ Peru, South America
		- Titans Tower I
	+ Salem, Massachusetts

#### Items

* Angle Man's Angler
* Cosmic Treadmill

#### Vehicles

* Kryptonian Rocket ***(Flashback Only)***

## Notes

* New Earth history is still in flux. At this point in time, it is more or less identical to Earth-1's history with events from the other worlds simply added on. For instance, Earth-1 Superman states he found a reference to Kara dying in a battle, and the Earth-1 Wonder Woman still exists, but in proper New Earth continuity, neither ever existed. The new timeline will not be fully in effect until *The Man of Steel* #1 introduces Superman's rebooted history several months later (or one could argue it's not until *Hawkworld* #1 introduces Hawkman's rebooted history several *years* later).
	+ Either New Earth hasn't settled down or there is a typo in *Convergence* #0 as it lists the *next* issue as the first appearance of "Pre-Zero Hour Metropolis".
* The Cosmic Treadmill is supposedly destroyed beyond repair, but it shows up later in New Earth history. Perhaps simply a new Treadmill was built in its place.

## External links

* *Crisis on Infinite Earths* Issue 11 on DC Wiki
* *Crisis on Infinite Earths* Issue 11 on Comic Vine