Infinite Frontier #1 – Infinite Mystery

  • Writer: Joshua Williamson
  • Artist: Xermanico
  • Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr
  • Letterer: Tom Napolitano
  • Cover Artist: Mitch Gerads
  • Variant Cover Artist: Bryan Hitch
  • Variant Cover Colorist: Alex Sinclair
  • Editors: Diego Lopez and Jamie S Rich


Main Cover: As shown above, looming over all is Darkseid. Left to right before him are Obsidian; Jade; Green Lantern Alan Scott; Superman of Earth-23; Roy Harper; Flash; and Cameron Chase.

Variant Cover: On the right we have Green Lantern Alan Scott in the foreground with Obsidian behind him.

Page 1 – Panel 1: Some form of spacecraft escaping an explosion. The caption “Worlds will live…” is a direct reference to the ad copy used to advertise the original CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS and can be seen on this collection of ads for CRISIS.

Page 1 – Panel 2: The craft escaping some conflagration and heading to Earth is an obvious call back to the origin of Superman.

Page 1 – Panel 3: The craft lands in a field, just ahead of a truck.

Page 1 – Panel 4: The occupants of the truck get out and investigate the craft only to find . . .

Page 2: . . . Batman. This is Thomas Wayne, the Batman of the FLASHPOINT event that ushered in the New 52.

Page 3 – Panel 1: In the usual Superman origin, the craft and its occupant are found by the Kents; here we see Ma and Pa Ellis, who realise the Batman in the craft is not the one they are aware of.

Page 3 – Panel 3: Ma recommends they call Calvin, their son, who is also the President of this America, as well as being Superman.

Page 3 – Panel 6: And if it isn’t already clear, the caption of “Earth-23” reveals that we are not on the Earth we know.

Pages 4 and 5: Double spread of the credits.

Pages 6 and 7 – Panel 1: This is the current Multiverse as depicted in the Map of the Multiverse.

Pages 6 and 7 – Panel 2: We zoom in on the Earth shown at the top of the map, which is Earth-0. The text boxes over this and the following panels are online chats or phone messages from people discussing the revelation of the Multiverse and the recent reboot of reality following DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL.

Pages 6 and 7 – Panel 3: Orbiting above Earth is the headquarters of the Totality.

Pages 6 and 7 – Panel 6: Above New York is Extant, a villain from ZERO HOUR and who was originally the villain Monarch from ARMAGEDDON: 2001 and, before that, was the hero Hawk. The object he’s carrying is the Worlogog, originally from the world of New Genesis, last seen being used by Hourman pre-INFINITE CRISIS.

Pages 8 and 9 – Panel 1: Extant’s plan, however, is foiled by the arrival of the Totality, the group of heroes and villains protecting the world from the Multiverse. Left to right are Mr Terrific; Extant; Vandal Savage; Hawkgirl; and Green Lantern (GL) Alan Scott. Behind GL Scott, piloting the shuttle, are Talia al Ghul and Lex Luthor. Both Mr Terrific and Vandal Savage are surrounded by a green glow, meaning GL Scott is providing them with flight.

Pages 8 and 9 – Panel 3: A better look at Talia and Luthor aboard their shuttle.

Pages 8 and 9 – Panel 4: The use of “Crisis averted” is definitely not an accident!

Pages 8 and 9 – Panel 8: The dialogue in black is spoken by . . .

Page 10 – Panel 1: . . . Obsidian, GL Scott’s son.

Page 10 – Panel 2: Obsidian has apparently recently tangled with Mr Freeze, the Batman villain.

Page 10 – Panel 3: Jade is GL Scott’s daughter and Obsidian’s sister.

Page 10 – Panel 4: GL Scott came out as gay to Obsidian and Jade in INFINITE FRONTIER #0.

Page 11 – Panel 1: A one-panel view of the end of DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL. In the sky on the left is Wonder Woman battling the Batman Who Laughs. On the ground, left to right, are Captain Marvel (or Shazam); Bane; Batgirl; GL John Stewart; and Nightwing. Dotted throughout are multiple versions of the Jason Todd Robin that were used by the Batman Who Laughs as foot soldiers.

Page 11 – Panel 2: Jade, GL Scott and Obsidian shown talking in INFINITE FRONTIER #0.

Page 11 – Panels 3 and 4: The pair were separated for most of Obsidian’s early life as GL Scott had no idea he had children for years. The “lost in time” phrase references THE LAST DAYS OF THE JUSTICE SOCIETY which followed CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS and showed the Justice Society transported to a pocket universe, eternally fighting a version of Ragnarok to prevent the end of the Earth. FLASHPOINT and the New 52 erased Obsidian, Jade and GL Scott from existence with either DOOMSDAY CLOCK or DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL returning them back to the main continuity.

Page 12 – Panel 1: A massive green explosion rips through the old Justice Society headquarters; Jade’s power comes from the Starheart and is linked to Green Lantern’s power, hence the colour.

Page 12 – Panel 4: GL Scott calls for “Jennie-Lynn“, Jade’s real name.

Page 13 – Panel 2: In Paris, the phone shows the JSA explosion has made the news. There’s also mention of a Beatles remix called “Across the Multiverse” topping the charts.

Page 13 – Panels 3 to 4: Someone has their meal interrupted . . .

Page 14 – Panel 1: . . . Cameron Chase on the left, and Director Bones on the right.

Page 14 – Panel 3: The “super-god from another world” that Bones mentions is either Perpetua or the Batman Who Laughs, both antagonists in DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL.

Page 15 – Panel 3: Bones is recruiting Chase for the DEO at this point so the cassettes she has compiled shown in INFINITE FRONTIER: SECRET FILES have yet to be completed.

Page 15 – Panel 5: Something he shows her convinces her to re-join the DEO.

Page 16: Each panel shows the point of view of the Thomas Wayne Batman see at the start of the issue as he returns to consciousness. The people coming into view, from left to right, are Captain Carrot of Earth-26; Machinehead from Earth-8; Aquawoman from Earth-11; and Mary Marvel from Earth-5. Aquawoman mentions the “dark multiverse” which was where the Batman Who Laughs and other antagonists of DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL originated.

Page 17 – Panel 1: Batman lashes out at Machinehead.

Page 17 – Panel 3: Batman talks about “other stooges” meaning he’s dealt with others trying to imprison him recently.

Page 17 – Panel 6: He stops as he views The Bleed, the interdimensional region that separates the multiverse’s Earths.

Page 18 – Panel 1: The newest member here is Superman of Earth-23 who was last mentioned back on page 3; everyone else has been noted above.

Page 19 – Panel 1: The Superman of FLASHPOINT was indeed very different, being a teenager who had been subjected to a life of experimentation.

Page 19 – Panels 3 to 6: A nice scene that points out to Batman that not only are there many Flashes, there are many Barry Allens.

Page 20: And talking of Flash, here he is, running through various Earths. As they’re labelled, I’ll bullet point them and note the characters we can see.

  • Earth-2: Huntress; Helena Wayne was last seen taking on the role of Batman (yes, Batman) at the end of EARTH-2: SOCIETY but since the remake of the multiverse, she appears to have reverted to Huntress.
  • Earth-6: Wonder Woman; the Maria Mendoza version from the Stan Lee created “Just Imagine” titles.
  • Earth-9: Green Lantern in the top left; Atom in the top right; Flash in front of him. Earth-9 hosts the heroes from the Tangent imprint.
  • Earth-13: Superdemon.
  • Earth-22: Superman and the Flash; Earth-22 holds the KINGDOM COME heroes.
  • Earth-30: Superman from the RED SON series.
  • Earth-42: Superman, Batman, Flash, and Wonder Woman of the Little League.
  • Earth-51: Kamandi on the left, Tuftan on the right; the world of the Great Disaster.

The “new worlds” that Flash mentions are Earth Alpha (also called the Elseworld) and Earth Omega that were created at the end of DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL.

Page 21: And by picking up the multiversal energy as he runs from one world to another, Flash is able to arrive at Earth Omega.

Page 22 – Panel 2: Where he finds the bodies of the Quintessence who were killed by Darkseid at the end of INFINITE FRONTIER #0. Left to right at the top are (or perhaps were) Phantom Stranger; Hera; Shazam; and Highfather. Below them are the Spectre and Ganthet.

Page 22 – Panel 3: Flash is becoming very upset.

Page 23: Flash goes through some different emotions and also different appearances, showing that his manipulator’s powers appear to be enhanced way past the point of just changing peoples’ feelings. The line in Panel 2 about Flash and he being “witnesses to a great Crisis” refer to the original CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS where Flash was held prisoner of the Anti-Monitor by . . .

Page 24 – Panel 1: . . . The Psycho Pirate who had a makeover courtesy of Darkseid at the end of INFINITE FRONTIER SECRET FILES.

Page 24 – Panel 2: Darkseid’s offers to let Psycho Pirate play with Flash once he’s completed his work echoes the same promise made by the Anti-Monitor, and also that of Alex Luthor Jr in INFINITE CRISIS who promised Power Girl to Psycho Pirate.

Page 24 – Panel 3: Psycho Pirate plans to use Flash to help him find someone for Darkseid.

Page 25 – Panels 1 to 4: A young woman argues with her parents about whether the world actually ended or not at the end of DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL.

Page 25 – Panel 5: The Batman Who Laughs, one of the main antagonists in that event.

Page 26 – Panel 1: At the diner counter, overhearing the conversation, is Roy Harper, recently returned from the dead.

Page 27 – Panel 1: Someone else overhears the conversation and has a different approach, denying the reality of the multiverse completely.

Page 27 – Panel 4: As the man’s temper flares, Roy steps up from the counter.

Page 28 – Panel 1: The side of the diner explodes.

Page 28 – Panel 2: The character in the middle is X-Tract. Her mention of Arsenal, Speedy and Red Arrow are all names Roy has used in his superhero career.

Page 29 – Panel 4: As Roy encourages the other diners to run, X-Tract deliberately targets the annoying man.

Page 29 – Panel 6: Forcing Roy to save him, which leaves him open to X-Tract’s shot.

Page 30 – Panel 1: A massive black hand punches X-Tract through the roof of the diner.

Page 30 – Panel 3: Black figures move towards X-Tract’s soldiers.

Page 31 – Panel 1: And they are sent flying through the diner wall.

Page 31 – Panels 3 to 5: Roy wakes, thanking whoever has helped him only to find . . .

Page 32: . . . it was himself using a Black Lantern ring, something that can only be used by the dead. Surrounding him, left to right, are ring constructs of himself as Speedy, Arsenal, Red Arrow, and the post-FLASHPOINT version of Red Arrow.