365 Days of Defiance, Day 145: No matter what the crisis is / Do it: live it up, live it up, live it up, live it up!

Today's the Twelfth Anniversary of my blog, and what better time than the realization that it is twice as old as I am to present another astounding event and awesome act of defiance from superheroes, one of comics' great moments and as far as I'm concerned, the curtain falling on the Bronze Age of Comics: the defeat of the Anti-Monitor from Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Today's Day of Defiance was suggested by fan and online-pal Preston Major, to whom I give a hearty "Gosh, Thank You!" Award with all the trimmings (stuffing, mashed potatoes, giblets, etc.) Preston's suggestion itself is a lesson in never ever ever giving up, because a couple of weeks ago when I suffered a substantial computer error (i.e., I accidentally deleted all my prepped files for future 365 Days of Defiance, like the dumbbull I am), Preston was one of many who were there to buck me up, and he reminded me that he's earlier suggested the climax of Crisis #12 as a Day of Defiance. Without his help, I wouldn't have remembered he suggested this, so all the 5,000 Hats of Jack Kirby off to him. Thanks, Preston!

So, as you may remember, as we begin Crisis #12, things are not the best that they could ever possibly be, by just a little touch:


Panel from Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (March 1986), co-ploy and script by Marv Wolfman, co-plot and pencils by George Pérez, inks by Jerry Ordway, colors by Tom Ziuko, letters by John Costanza
Oooh, that's not good. Luckily, Superman (of Earth-1) completely destroys the Anti-Monitor! Blam! It's only page six, and comic over!


UH OH! Auntie Em ain't dead yet. Well, surely he can be stopped by the world's greatest heroes, Wonder Woman and Pariohhh geez we're all doomed.


Luckily, Superman's there again to throw a rock the size of Cleveland on top of him. Problem solveOH COME ON NOW COMIC BOOK


Geez, this guy's got more curtain calls than Crosby (as Bob Hope, the only DC character who they didn't let appear in Crisis might have said). Okay, Darkseid and Alexander Luthor, you're up at bat!


Yay! He's gone! Oh wait, he's back! For Pete's sake! This comic has more fake-out defeats than The Terminator!


And here it is: the Ultimate Moment of Ultimate Defiance, and it's a nice touch that it's hammered in by the First Superhero of the DC Multiverse, the Superman of Earth-2. We salute you, Kal-L!


Ah, that does the job. Good work, Supes-2. May you never be used as thea villain in an ill-conceived comics crossover event!

Thanks Superman; thanks Preston; thanks to all of you for reading this little puppet-town cow-blog for twelve years!