The Zero Hour event was DC Comics‘ first attempt to address the continuity problems that followed after Crisis on Infinite Earths. The company is honoring the 30th anniversary of this historic event with a new special, by many of the writers and artists who defined the age. However, a preview suggests a new crisis may threaten the DC multiverse that followed it.
Written by Dan Jurgens and Ron Marz, with art by Darryl Banks, the opening scene of the Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special #1 centers around Kyle Rayner. When first introduced in 1994, Kyle was the last of the Green Lantern Corps. However, history has been rewritten since then.
In the Dawn of DC era, Kyle is one Green Lantern of many and currently exiled from Earth. He is stunned then, to be greeted by a familiar face: his former teammate Wally West. However, this version of The Flash does not seem to recognize Kyle, despite taking him to a familiar yet oddly alien Earth.
The first four pages of Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special #1 may be viewed below.
(Image Source: DC / Darryl Banks)
History has not been kind to Zero Hour. The event came at the height of the Dark Age of Comics, when many classic characters were revamped or replaced. Most of these stories, like the Death of Superman, did not lead to lasting changes. Others, such as Green Arrow: Where Angels Fear to Tread, had more lasting impacts.
Zero Hour was the focal point of many of these changes, such as the deaths of the JSA. However, most of the major changes born of it were completely undone by later stories. Chief among these was DC’s Post-Crisis universe being reconfigured into a new multiverse in Infinite Crisis.
Despite this, many of the stories born of Zero Hour are fondly remembered. The era gave birth to many popular characters, such as the Jack Knight Starman and Earthborn Angel Supergirl. Based on the cover art, the book is a tribute to those characters, as well as the story that introduced them.
Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on August 28, 2024.