Crisis On Infinite Earths #5 Satellite Scene Redux

Last year, for its 30th anniversary, I did a deep dive into Crisis on Infinite Earths, specifically Supergirl's part in that epic story. Included in those reviews was a look at the famous satellite scene in Crisis on Infinite Earths #5, a tremendous collection of DC characters, brought together on the Monitor's orbiting headquarters. I showcased not only the original scene but also places where it was reshown, crossover issues and one shots. Here is that link:

http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2015/05/30th-anniversary-crisis-on-infinite_23.html

A side project I am working on has recently had me thumbing through long boxes and looking at a diverse group of back issues. That search included All-Star Squadron back issues. Is was surprised to see the Crisis satellite scene show up in #53 and #54. I didn't recall them being there when I did my review last year and felt I should cover them here for completion sake.

Both issues list Roy and Dann Thomas as writers and Mike Clark, Arvell Jones, Tony DeZunuga and Vince Colletta on art.

The Crisis completely  eliminated Earth 2 and changed the early DC history. I don't envy Roy Thomas for being given the job of rewriting and streamlining that part of continuity. I get the sense that Thomas knew this was something of a last hurrah as we see panels dedicated to the earliest incarnations of heroes including the yellow gloved Earth 2 Aquaman as well as notions about to be obsolete like Earth-S.

DC certainly gave Thomas all the space he needed to wrap it up. All-Star Squadron got 7 Crisis crossovers! Infinity Inc. got 8 crossovers!

But let;s get to that satellite scene!

All-Star Squadron #53 is about as good a crossover issue as you can get. The main storyline for the book at that time was the Squadron fighting Mr. Mind and his Monster Society of Evil. The first half of the book covers that storyline including the Earth 2 Superman joining the fray and the Monster Society risking everything to feel The Dummy from prison.

But the back half is all Crisis, starting with that Satellite scene again. As usual, Kara is one of the heroes represented there.

There she is flying around!

But afterwards, we get a ton of scenes from the Crisis either told from a character's viewpoint or fleshed out a little. So we see Wildcat get his legs broken by lightning. We see the Legion mingling with the team to fight the Anti-Monitor controlled Red Tornado. And we get this page with villains being around (we see those three disappear in a panel in Crisis) and the Squad worrying about their fates.

So this isn't like many Crisis crossovers where a passing remark about red skies earned the cover banner. This was neck deep in the Crisis story

In the following issue, All-Star Squadron #54, the team is still fighting the Monster Society of Evil.
Once again, Thomas comments in the Crisis with red skies and characters disappearing mysteriously. The story again winds about with the villains losing. But with terrible storms pounding the planet, we are again brought onto the Monitor's satellite for that famous scene.

There is Kara in the lower right.

This issue ends with a very Crisis scene, Firebrand leading a crazy crew of characters from all time periods in an assault on Cape Canaveral.

So this probably concludes my look back at the Crisis and that satellite scene from the fifth issue. Sorry I missed this last year!