The following article contains spoilers from Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1, on sale now from DC Comics.
In an effort to defeat the recently returned Anti-Monitor, Barry Allen/The Flash delivers the "mightiest punch in the multiverse" in DC's Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1.
Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 comes from writer Mark Waid, artists Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund, colorist Federico Blee and letterer Troy Peteri. In the issue, Barry Allen and Wallace West/Kid Flash take to exploring the multiverse after Pariah officially brought back an infinite number of Earths in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Barry is initially worried about the return of the Anti-Monitor, the main antagonist from 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths (by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez), and finds his suspicions are confirmed when they come across the villain on Earth-28.
When the Anti-Monitor grabs Wallce, Barry knows he has to act fast and quickly starts racing around the world. "I can't take on the Anti-Monitor like I would Captain Cold," he narrates. "Wallace and I are both gnats to him. But -- Flash Fact -- the faster the body moves, the more its mass increases. And I am the fastest man alive."
Barry continues to explain the stunt is "incredibly dangerous" given that he could mutate space-time if he's not careful. "I can't hold it for more than an instant," he narrates. "But when I back it with just the right amount of vibrational energy -- it becomes the mightiest punch in the multiverse!" The hit is so strong that it sends the Anti-Monitor spiraling into several other realities before he eventually lands on Earth-49. Barry continues knocking the villain into different realities so that the Anti-Monitor doesn't have a chance to recover; however, the Anti-Monitor does eventually get his bearings and nearly kills Barry until Wallace arrives with a team of heroes from across the multiverse he's assembled. The battle eventually ends with the Anti-Monitor being punched into the Antimatter Universe.
Dark Crisis: Big Bang Is More Than Just a Travelog
Speaking with CBR in an exclusive interview, Waid touched on how Dark Crisis: Big Bang gives Barry justice for his interactions with the Anti-Monitor in Crisis on Infinite Earths. "I knew I didn't want it to just be a travelog," he said. "I needed it to be a story. You need to have a purpose and a heart. When I think about those things, I drill down on the characters and what makes each one of those characters unique. Barry is able to look at the entire multiverse and see a crime scene because he's a forensic cop. That suggested crime and the answer was the Anti-Monitor and what he did to Flash, and that fell into place.
Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 features cover art by Mikel Janín and variant cover art by Ariel Colón, Freddie E. Williams II, Crystal Kung and Nathan Szerdy. The issue is on sale now from DC.
Source: DC