In what's both a fine example of corporate synergy and a clever nod to comic-book history, last night's season finale of Fringe included a handful of Easter eggs that should make any DC fan smile.

Fringe, which is co-produced by DC Entertainment corporate sibling Warner Bros. Television, features a parallel universe where the people, places and technology aren't quite like their counterparts in ours. So it's especially fitting that the series should embrace DC Comics, whose Multiverse has delighted and frustrated readers for decades.

We already knew that the second part of "Over There" would feature an alternate-universe version of the classic cover of Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76 -- called, fittingly enough, Red Lantern/Red Arrow. But how many expected to catch glimpses of such "other side" comic milestones as Superman: The Man of Steel Returns and Justice League #1, featuring Jonah Hex?

In case you missed the scene, the DC Universe blog has all five covers as illustrated by Ivan Reis, Carlos D’Anda, JJ Kirby, Michael Lopez and Oliver Nome under the direction of Larry Berry and Ed Roeder. There's also an explanation of how the alternate-universe covers came about from DC Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and Wildstorm Productions Vice President Hank Kanalz.

(The Fringe screencap above is borrowed from Bleeding Cool.)