Legion of Super-Heroes #18 – “Has Anyone Noticed a Crisis Going On?” – Paul Levitz/Greg Larocque/Larry Mahlstedt
This one starts at the Time Institute, with Rond Vidar losing it when he realizes the Crisis has been going on for weeks (or went on for weeks in the distant past, I’m not sure how that works for a series set a thousand years in the future) but nobody seems to have noticed, even though Supergirl and Kid Psycho were killed. Vidar goes to see Brainiac 5, but he’s freaked out too because he also can’t remember anything that happened in the Crisis, even though he participated in some of it. And it’s not just them: Shadow Lass, Mon-El, and Element Lad are preparing a memorial for Kid Psycho when they suddenly realize none of them can recall how he died. Apparently the effects of the Crisis are being
felt in the future, as a wave of anti-matter hits the prison planet Takron-Galtos, freeing a bunch of the prisoners. Luckily, a contingent of Legionnaires (Lightning Lass, Tellus, Dawnstar, Star Boy, Ultra Boy, Sun Boy, and Magnetic Kid) arrive to restore order. The prisoners include members of the Fatal Five and the Legion of Super-Villains, but the Legionnaires force most of them into prison ships to evacuate the collapsing planet. Lightning lass and Sun Boy wonder what caused the anti-matter wave and Sun Boy is freaked out because he feels like he should know, but can’t remember. At the Time Institute, Brainy and Vidar 
find out the destruction from the Crisis is affecting the entire universe and wonder why they’re aware of it while everyone else forgets as soon as it happens. Circadia Senis posits an answer: the Time Beacon at the Institute, which was developed as a chronological anchor for time travellers (and to keep time travellers from creating historical paradoxes) might be deflecting whatever chronal energy is causing people to forget the Crisis. Brainy figures they may be able to expand the Beacon’s reach and protect everyone from the effects of Crisis. On Takron-Galtos, Tellus is searching the cells to make sure nobody is left behind when they evacuate the planet. He accidentally releases Validus, who goes wild (as usual). The Legionnaires can’t capture him, so they leave him.
But someone else (Darkseid maybe?) opens a space warp for Validus to go through. On Earth, Brainy directs the Legionnaires in an attempt to expand the Time Beacon’s protection, but his plan backfires and ends up releasing Infinite Man. (Infinite Man was condemned to endlessly circle through time back in issue 233.) Since Brainy and Rond Vidar are the ones responsible for Infinite Man’s imprisonment in the timestream (and kinda responsible for creating him in the first place), he focuses his rage on them. On Takron-Galtos, the Legionnaires round up the last few prisoners they can find and prepare to evacuate, but 
they wonder if they’ve missed some prisoners (and they still think Validus is trapped below ground). On Earth, Dream Girl leads some reinforcements (Blok, White Witch, Invisible Kid, and Quislet) to help fight Infinite Man, who has reached into the past to bring minions to fight for him. At Takron-Galtos, the Legionnaires and Science Police watch the planet explode and figure Validus is dead. On Earth, the Legion holds back the summoned beings while Brainy figures out a way to beat Infinite Man. He gets White Witch to cast a spell that drains Infinite Man’s energy, sending it back to wherever it came from. (Apparently that energy came from the beginning of time and had something to do with the Anti-Monitor, so it looks like that’s what was
deflecting the effects of the Crisis, not the Time Beacon.) Since Mon-El and Wildfire are holding Infinite Man, the energy is lost but the man is left behind. He’s now human again, as plain old Jaxon Rugarth. Later, Brainy and Rond discuss whether Jaxon’s mind will ever return to normal, but Brainy has another concern. If Infinite Man’s energy was really what was responsible for protecting the 30th Century from the effects of the Crisis, what’ll happen now that the Infinite Man no longer exists?
New Teen Titans #16 – “The Night Before” – Marv Wolfman/Chuck Patton/Romeo Tanghal
This one starts on Tamaran in the middle of a big fight between the Omega Men and three Titans (Nightwing, Starfire, and Jericho). Why are they fighting each other? They’re being manipulated by Auron, who is working with Blackfire. Blackfire wants Auron to push Starfire’s emotions over the edge to she kills her brother Ryand’r, then kills their parents so Blackfire can rule Tamaran. Jericho finally figures out something’s wrong and in habits Kalista’s body. She uses her dream power to stop Auron (by showing him a vision of his mother X’hal) and Auron takes off. Once everyone’s mind has gone back to normal, the Omega Men explain how X’hal (and Auron) went nuts and tried to destroy
all the Vegan planets (which happened in the Omega Men’s own series). Dick (Nightwing) Grayson is still bothered by the fact that Starfire is marrying Karras to cement a peaceful alliance between her family and Karras’s. Starfire assures Dick that the marriage is in name only, that she still loves him and wants to come back to Earth with him. But Dick can’t accept her being married to anyone else, ceremonial or not, so he tells her it’s over between them if she goes through with it. Starfire isn’t sure what to do, since refusing the marriage could start a civil war that would rip Tamaran apart. Meanwhile, Blackfire is planning to march on the capital and take over and 
she seems to have quite a bit of support. Tamaranians are naturally aggressive, so a lot of them aren’t happy with King Myand’r’s actions lately (giving Starfire to the Citadel to avoid being conquered and now arranging a marriage to avoid fighting). In the capital, Ryand’r tells Jericho much the same thing, that people are tired of his father’s conciliatory ways and that giving in to every threat won’t quell dissension. Dick is still pissed off, but Jericho convinces him to come for a ride with him and Ryand’r. Inside, Starfire overhears Karras talking to his girlfriend Taryia, telling her just what Starfire told Dick about how the marriage is meaningless and he still loves her. Taryia isn’t sure, believing proximity might stir up some feelings between Karras
and Starfire (especially if they’re expected to produce children from this union). While on their outing, Dick, Ryand’r, and Jericho run across Blackfire and her invasion force. Before they can get away to alert the city, she blasts their skimmer out of the sky and sends troops to capture them, since she recognized her brother Ryand’r. In the city, Starfire prepares for her wedding, still unwilling but resigned to her duty. As Blackfire marches toward the city with her prisoners, Starfire heads to the altar, wondering where Dick is. There’s a short back-up story about how Blackfire survived her fight with Starfire in Annual #1 
and how she recovered from her injuries afterward. She was found by a guy named Dor’ion, who took care of her and trained her back into fighting shape. Dor’ion was one of those who thought Tamaran had gotten soft and figured Blackfire would be the perfect one to restore its glory, so he pushed her to be ruthless and ignore any tender feelings. They fell in love, but Dor’ion tricked Blackfire into killing him to remove any sentimentality from her nature; apparently, it worked.
All-Star Squadron #53 – “Worlds in Turmoil” – Roy Thomas/Mike Clark, Arvell Jones/Vince Colletta, Tony DeZuniga
This one starts with Nyola, Ramulus, Mr. Who, and their new leader Mr. Mind (who’s still giving orders through the speaker in his tiny ship) trying to bust someone out of prison. Superman shows up and fights with them, but they manage to free the prisoner and Mr. Mind teleports them all away. The arch-criminal they freed from prison turns out to be the Dummy, Vigilante’s old foe. I guess since Mr. Mind found out his hero Charlie McCarthy was just a puppet, he figured he’d recruit a real animated mannequin to the Monster Society. Superman goes to an All-Star meeting at the Perisphere, where he meets Dr. Occult (who was also created by Siegel
and Shuster). Superman hears about how some of the All-Stars fought the Monster Society (which we saw last issue) and learns that not only has JSA gone missing, but several All-Stars have vanished into space warps. Being a bit short-handed, Robotman puts out a call to other heroes (all of whom are technically All-Stars) for help. Meanwhile, as usually happens with super-villain teams, the Monster Society have been plotting to get rid of Mr. Mind and run things themselves. They bring back the monster Oom, who quickly scares Mr. Mind away and claims leadership for himself, although Oom’s plans for the Society are much like Mr. Mind’s … he wants to take over Earth. Mr. Mind flees through a space warp (passing some lost All-Stars on the way) and 
winds up on Earth-S, Captain Marvel’s home world. Green Lantern, Johnny Quick, and Liberty Belle were returning from Earth-S, but they end up getting shanghaied to the Monitor’s satellite, where they find themselves surrounded by other heroes (and a few villains) from various time periods and Earths. The all-Stars end up going to Earth-1 (in 1985) to prevent some destruction and run into the modern-day versions of some JSA members. Johnny, Power Girl, and Green Lantern end up being sent to Earth-2 for another mission, with Per Degaton, Deathbolt, and Star Sapphire helping them … which they aren’t thrilled about. Liberty Belle wonders if anyone will end up where they’re supposed to be when this is all over. Or maybe it was Roy wondering the same thing.
Infinity Inc. #22 – “Uncivil Wars” – Roy Thomas/Mike Clark, ToddMcFarlane/Tony DeZuniga
Continuing from last issue, most of the Infinitors (Jade, Nuklon, Obsidian, Star-Spangled Kid, Fury, Northwind, and Silver Scarab, plus Brainwave Jr.) find themselves on the Monitor’s satellite, surrounded by other superheroes (and a few villains too). They look for familiar faces and find some JSA members, who don’t know what’s going on either. There are some cases of mistaken identity (Fury takes the Earth-1 Wonder Woman for her mother at first, and Silver Scarab mistakes the Earth-1 Hawkman and Hawkwoman for his parents), but things soon get sorted. Among the villains present are Helix, which the Infinitors aren’t happy about, but Mr.
Bones keeps his team from starting a fight and the Infinitors manage to control themselves too. Star-Spangled Kid meets a woman named Jonni Thunder (who we’ll be seeing again) and tries to put the moves on her, but she’s too disoriented to be interested. SSK then hits on Wonder Girl until she informs him she’s married. Solomon Grundy is there too and instinctively attacks Green Lantern and Jade, but a voice inside Grundy’s head (I assume it’s the Monitor, or maybe Harbinger) calms him down. Pariah, Harbinger, and Alex Luthor show up to inform everyone about the Crisis and how every world in the multiverse is at stake, saying they assembled everybody to help fight the Anti-Monitor. Meanwhile, back on Earth-2 in 1985, the new Hourman and Dr. Midnight (Rick Tyler and Beth Chapel) are still in Orangeburg, trying to 
save citizens from the effects of the Crisis. Due to the weird side-effects of the Crisis, a bunch of Civil War soldiers end up in the present and assume Hourman and Midnight are spies. These are Northern troops, but they seem to be just as racist as Southerners when it comes to Dr. Midnight (who’s black). They end up capturing the two heroes when some car headlights blind Dr. Midnight (who can see in darkness but is blind in bright light thanks to her injuries last issue). They’re taken to a cave where the soldiers plan to have some “fun” with Beth before killing her and Rick. Thanks to his Miraclo pills, Rick busts loose and frees Beth and they fight the soldiers. They get in trouble, but the soldiers are wasted by a renegade dinosaur. Rick tries to fight the dinosaur, but Beth ends up blowing up some nitro to take it down once and for all.