Just Imagine Stan Lee and John Cassaday's Crisis

Just Imagine Stan Lee with John Cassaday Creating Crisis
Writer: Stan Lee
Pencils and Inks: John Cassaday
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover: Cassaday
Publisher: DC
Released: Sept. 11, 2002

“Crisis” is a loaded word in the DC lexicon. Some might argue it's been over-used since the inaugural “Crisis on Infinite Earths” that rewrote the multiverse in 1985 and 1986. But before “Identity Crisis,” “Infinite Crisis,” “Final Crisis,” “Heroes in Crisis,” “Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths,” “Heroes Infinitely in the Dark About Yet Another Crisis,” “Secret Crisis Wars” and “Crisis: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire,” I believe the next comic to bear this title was, in fact, the very one we're here to discuss.

It opens with Catwoman, who definitely deserved more time in the spotlight, chasing a thief we're maybe not supposed to recognize as Robin stealing one of the hawk totems from way back in the “On the Street” story following Wonder Woman's introduction. He gets away by toppling a massive statue in Los Angeles' Museum of Antiquities.

Diana Prince calls in this Earth's Wonder Woman, who uses the staff that let her preview the Justice League's future allies to summon everybody from the previous issues there. Sandman arrives with a defeated wrong Rev. Dominic Darrk and apparently none too concerned about the giant being that erupted out of the Church of Eternal Empowerment at the end of his issue. It's not the last bit of inconsistency and confusion in this story.

In keeping with tradition, some of the heroes immediately start fighting. Superman thinks Shazam is bad news because he looks like a monster; Sandman gets prickly and announces he senses evil in Robin. Green Lantern and Aquaman try to settle things down. With his dying breath, Darrk announces his chosen heir will obtain the Sapphire Amulet of Ranagar and usher in “the infinite era – of Crisis.”

Another On the Street tale pays off as Madame Xanadu goes to get said amulet, still not sure who the heir really is. She's jumped by her top two suspects – Tommy Tomorrow and Mark Merlin, who she banishes to the Phantom Zone. There, they meet this guy:

That's the Just Imagine Phantom Stranger, who actually turns out to be Adam Strange, Darrk's deceased son. He frees Tommy from a dream demon that was controlling her and tells Mark he's the son of Merlin and was originally destined to lead Shazam against Morgana Le Fey, who also turns out to be Adam Phantom Stranger's mother. Mark grabs the amulet to head to Earth, where Crisis is... somewhere? … destroying stuff and striking villainous poses.

Meanwhile, Melana, who was referred to as an oracle in the Sandman issue, arrives at the museum and introduces herself as Oracle. She tells the expanded Justice League they can defeat Crisis by removing the Infinity Stones- sorry, the five Dreamworld Sapphires, from his armor. Green Lantern assigns two heroes to grab each MacGuffin.

Just then, Mark teleports in to announce the amulet has revealed one of the League is a traitor. Before accusations can fly, Morgana teleports in to announce that Mark is her son and she's going to protect him from Crisis by removing them from reality.

Or maybe Crisis destroys them. He takes credit for it as he appears and attacks the League by showing them their worst nightmares. They're saved, briefly, by the ability of Sandman's gem to do whatever the story requires of it. A scan of the nightmares suggests Robin is the traitor because he didn't move to save his old friend/crush Beth when it appeared Crisis was about to kill her. Superman moves to attack him, and Robin grabs Sandman's gem and sends Supes back to Krypton.*

As Robin and Sandman continue to point fingers, more revelations follow – Robin stole the hawk idol and Oracle is Darrk's ex-wife and Crisis' daughter. Robin wrests Sandman's gem away, which frees Crisis, who absorbs the heroes – minus Batman and maybe Sandman? – into his own sapphires. Then he announces Robin is his grandson and Oracle's son, and even Darth Vader is having trouble keeping up with who's related to who.

Back on Krypton, Superman decides there's nothing left for him there, grabs a hunk of kryptonite, aka the green element that powered the ship that brought him to Earth, and uses it to call up Yggdrasil, the world tree. Yggy teleports him right back to Earth, where he and Batman prepare for one last run at Crisis. Batman uses Wonder Woman's staff to connect with, or maybe summon, a bunch of the supporting characters from those On the Street features. Crisis absorbs Superman into a sapphire, which Superman says he wanted so he could blast him with kryptonite. That apparently allows the heroes to escape and while Crisis is stunned, Robin kills Beth, who is there, and breaks the hawk rune, transforming himself into a monstrous Hawkman.

Still with me?

That makes the match-up two on eight, I think, but Crisis soon gains the upper hand by using his powers to disable the heroes in various ways until Green Lantern summons Yggdrasil, which drags Hawk-Robin into the ground. He emerges transformed into a powerful, glowing being called Atom... who makes Crisis disappear. Then joins the JLA.

So.

This final story is a bit of a mess, and Cassaday's notes in the trade confirm some of what happened. It was done in the Marvel method, where the artist drew the pages based on Stan's notes, then Stan went back and scripted them. Cassaday notes that he and Stan often had very different interpretations of what was going on, and it shows in sequences like Superman “blasting” Crisis with kryptonite, since there's little evidence of him having kryptonite or blasting anything. The planets that surrounded the Phantom Stranger were originally intended to be bubbles.

Sandman's powers being whatever they need to be isn't unique to this comic, but it felt more obvious. And the change in his and Oracle's character and interpretation almost makes you think different writers and editors were handling their issues. The rapid-fire family revelations almost get comical after a while. Catwoman, Aquaman, Flash and Shazam contribute almost nothing to the story. And the bland backgrounds make you forget this battle was taking place in a museum or anywhere at all other than a void of shifting colors.

It really is a disappointing ending that feels less like those involved had a story to tell and more like a goal to reach: a 12^th issue, with all the characters we introduced in the previous 11.**

And yet...

I got these books originally because the idea of Stan Lee reimagining DC's characters was too great to pass up. I remember being a bit disappointed with the results but ultimately glad I bought and read them because it was such a unique event in comics. Having come to the end again... I pretty much feel the same. For all the negatives, it was more fun than not, and the very nature of what it is makes it special.

This wasn't the last time the characters were seen. In honor of what would have been Stan's 100^th birthday, DC released an anthology of new stories with these versions. I've been holding onto it for after my reread, and will post about it in the future. But with football season upon us, it's almost time to kick off a new series.

* - Which wasn't named in Superman's feature.

** - Or 13^th and 12, if you want to count the Secret Files and Origins story.