Infinity, Inc. #20
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeInfinity, Inc. #20 is a pivotal double-debut issue, introducing Rick Tyler — son of the original Hourman, Rex Tyler — and depicting the Crisis on Infinite Earths oxygen-explosion accident that permanently blinds physician Beth Chapel, setting her on the path to becoming Doctor Midnight. These two origin-catalyst moments, unfolding simultaneously inside a collapsing hospital, gave DC two new legacy heroes whose careers would stretch well into the 21st century. The issue also stands as a small but meaningful milestone in Todd McFarlane's career: it falls squarely within the early stretch of his first major ongoing comics assignment, before he became a superstar at Marvel.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
Raw — NM- ▾ $16.5–$32.94 4 listings
Raw — VF/NM ▾ $3.99–$14 8 listings
Raw — VF+ ▾ $8.95–$13.99 2 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $2.29–$30 28 listings
More listings for this title
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was written by Roy Thomas, who also served as editor, with his wife Dann Thomas as co-plotter — the collaborative arrangement that defined the series throughout its 1984–1988 run. Pencils were shared by Todd McFarlane and Michael Bair, with Steve Montano on inks; McFarlane had taken over as the book's primary penciler following the untimely death of artist Don Newton in 1984, and this issue sits in the heart of his two-year tenure on the title (approximately issues #14–37). The issue carried a 'Special Crisis Cross-Over' label on its cover, situating it explicitly within DC's landmark company-wide continuity-reshaping event.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Rick Tyler, son of the original Hourman (Rex Tyler), who rescues a blinded Beth Chapel using one of his father's Miraclo pills — his formal debut as Hourman II follows in issue #21.
- Beth Chapel is permanently blinded by an oxygen explosion during the Crisis on Infinite Earths chaos at her hospital in this issue; she discovers her ability to see in darkness and assumes the Doctor Midnight mantle in issue #21.
- Written by Roy Thomas (script) and Dann Thomas (co-plot), with pencils by Todd McFarlane and Michael Bair, inks by Steve Montano, colors by Adrienne Roy and Anthony Tollin.
- The issue was labeled a 'Special Crisis Cross-Over,' tying it directly into the 1985–86 DC maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths.
- Todd McFarlane's work here is part of his first major ongoing comics assignment — a run spanning roughly Infinity, Inc. #14–37 (1985–1987) — predating his celebrated Marvel work and the founding of Image Comics.
- The story title is 'Crisis on Infinitors' Earth' (Grand Comics Database also lists 'Stormy Weather!' as the issue's story title, suggesting multiple story segments).
- The issue has been reprinted as part of the Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition hardcover series, which collects the tie-in stories to Crisis on Infinite Earths alongside the Infinity Inc. run of that era.
- Beth Chapel was created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, and Todd McFarlane; her first appearance as a character (before the blinding) occurs in the preceding issue #19, making #20 the issue where her defining transformation takes place.
Cast · 17 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Les Défenseurs #8 (1987), Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition #2 (2019)
Key issues in Infinity, Inc.
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.