Infinity, Inc. #19

History

Written by Roy Thomas with co-plotting by Dann Thomas — the husband-and-wife team who shepherded Infinity, Inc. from its 1984 debut through the entire run — the issue was pencilled and covered by a then-young Todd McFarlane, whose work on the series during this period represented one of his earliest sustained assignments at a major publisher before his later industry-shaping work at Marvel. The issue even included a short autobiographical piece and self-portrait by McFarlane as a back-matter feature, a sign that the editorial team recognized the arrival of a significant new talent. Roy Thomas also served as the book's editor, giving him unusual creative control over a story that wove his Earth-Two continuity deep into DC's line-wide Crisis event. The cover is credited to McFarlane with inks by Tony DeZuniga, while interior inks were shared between McFarlane, Steve Montano, and Dick Giordano.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance of Mekanique (villain), a time-traveling robot from the 23rd century whose design and fictional origin are drawn from Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis and its Maschinenmensch character; Roy Thomas coined a distinct name for her due to copyright considerations surrounding the character's specific name.
• First appearance of Dr. Beth Chapel, an African-American physician and protégé of the original Doctor Mid-Nite (Charles McNider); she does not yet become a costumed hero in this issue — that transformation occurs in issue #21 — but her origin arc begins here when she treats Jade after an injury caused by Mister Bones' cyanide touch.
• The story, titled 'Last Crisis on Earth-Two!', is the opening chapter of the final pre-Crisis JLA/JSA team-up crossover; the arc concludes in Justice League of America #244.
• Commander Steel (the original, WWII-era Hank Heywood) returns here after having been displaced to Earth-One in 1942 in All-Star Squadron #50, emerging decades later to manipulate Infinity Inc. into battling the Justice League — including his own grandson, Steel (Hank Heywood III).
• Cover date is October 1985; the on-sale date per the Grand Comics Database was June 25, 1985. Written by Roy Thomas (script) and Dann Thomas (co-plot); pencils and cover by Todd McFarlane; inks by Steve Montano, Dick Giordano, and McFarlane; edited by Roy Thomas.
• The issue includes a back-matter autobiographical short piece with a self-portrait by Todd McFarlane, an early career document from a creator then described in series letter pages as 'a young Canadian living in the state of Washington.'
• Reprinted in: Les Défenseurs (Arédit-Artima) #7–8 (1986–87); Justice League: The Detroit Era Omnibus (DC, 2018); Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 2 (DC, 2019); and DC Finest: Justice League of America: The Return (DC, 2025).
• The issue is a numbered tie-in to Crisis on Infinite Earths (#9 of 62 tie-in issues per League of Comic Geeks), placing it squarely within DC's 1985–86 universe-reshaping event.

Cast · 37 characters

Full credits

Key issues in Infinity, Inc.

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#20 1st appearance — Rick Tyler

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#16 1st appearance — Mr. Bones

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#34 1st appearance — Artemis Crock

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#9 1st appearance — Marcie Cooper