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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
Wasn't a huge fan of this. See my full review at Multiversity Comics: http://www.multiversitycomics.com/reviews/final-crisis/
This title embodies what seems to be DC's encompassing style: grand tales born of myth that draw on the labyrinthine history of comics to enforce a sense of scale. This book is focused more on plot, and enjoys hitting beat after beat in quick succession, giving the reader little time to mull over the characters, their predicaments, or the thematic elements introduced or discussed, many of which are quite heavy. Despite all of this FINAL CRISIS works. Partially because the plot is so fun, partially because many of the characters are familiar with most Western readers due to their place in the cultural canon, but also because Morrison is a gifted writer who knows just how much he can get away with--how much dialogue to give a character so that her death will resonate, how much dialogue to expend talking about how important free will is, so that the reader thinks about it but doesn't feel like she's reading a sermon. It's a tricky balance to strike, and I could see it not working for some people, but I think it is an effective, entertaining, and thought-provoking entry that is important for anyone who wants to be better read in DC or general comics lore.
By far, the worst graphic novel I have ever read. I did not make any sense from page to page, and sometimes, from panel to panel. For the six people out there who know the DC Universe from back to front, it may make sense.
First off, Grant Morrison is the most overrated writer in the history of comics. He has grand ideas that never come together well. Here, there is so much thrown at the wall that nearly nothing sticks. There are some good things, but they are overshadowed by terrible things. Why, in a giant crossover were a Japanese super team highlighted for no reason? Why was the set up so terrible? Why were there so many missing elements? Why weren't any of the obviously important tie-ins mentioned? Why were Martian Manhunter and Batman treated so underwhelmingly? I could go on. The art, mostly by JG Jones was phenomenal. This book is why DC Comics fails when it comes to crossovers. Overall, a beautiful, yet bloated mess.
Una épica cósmica de DC más que gasta papel en enseñarnos hordas de superhéroes sin argumento, trama, lógica o conclusión. El barullo habitual en las crisis que pretenden sanear y alicatar el complejo universo DC se incremente proporcionalmente a la cantidad de estupefacientes que el pasao de Morrison haya consumido.
Huid insensatos!
Huid insensatos!
This is my first time really reading Grant Morrison. It really feels like he goes out of his way to make his plots nonsensical and silly. I mean, Batman supposedly DIES in this and the way it was written, I could've cared less.
Grant Morrison confuses me once again. It's also possible that because I only read the "core" issues, and a couple of the spinoffs that I missed some key information. I also don't have a lot of knowledge about DC characters other than Justice League and some others.
But really this seemed overly philosophical and then sometimes just plain silly (like those 3 animal superheroes that showed up at the end, but then didn't do anything, other that look really dumb). It was dark and cool, but I would definitely suggest reading all the major comic lines involved with it at the time, because the main/core issues seem like an abridgement of the story.
But really this seemed overly philosophical and then sometimes just plain silly (like those 3 animal superheroes that showed up at the end, but then didn't do anything, other that look really dumb). It was dark and cool, but I would definitely suggest reading all the major comic lines involved with it at the time, because the main/core issues seem like an abridgement of the story.
It's fitting that two tie-ins to this massive, profitable event comic are called "Submit" and "Resist"--this book is either inviting an obsessive, detailed reading or a cold, scrambled mess. If you put in the effort, by pouring over the panels or reading Final Crisis Annotations or other guides, it's a dense but engaging and funny metacommentary on the potential for superhero comics. It sucks you in if you submit. On the other hand, if you want a consume-in-one-sitting pop comic, it's easy to find all the bits that are resistible.
In terms of exploring boundaries and highlighting DC history, continuity, and incongruities, Grant Morrison does a bang-up job. But even then, the overarching plot is hard to wade through. Yes, Darkseid tries to take over Earth, and a not-always linked band of heroes stops him in the nick of time, but Morrison doesn't devote as much of his head space or the book's panel space to the momentum of the story or the emotional link to the audience. The one-issue Submit story is the only time he addresses the emotional quality of Darkseid's Anti-Life Equation meme.
Those qualms aside, Final Crisis can be quite an experience, if you let it. It's open to a bunch of different interpretations, and also opens the doors to a lot of different next stories--How is Batman coming back? How will heroes and commoners feel about the Multiverse? And his myriad, sometimes messianic interpretation of Superman is inspiring. He even gives characters like Green Arrow and Super-Bat funny, winning lines. Give this book hours, and it's at least somewhat rewarding. It's also a story that's only works in the comic medium. It may not always make sense on the page, but it's not even possible on film or prose. There are tons of interesting bits--the channel-switching at the end, Morrison's stand-in Nix Uotan, the fatal bullet--that amount to an impressive work, if not a good story.
In terms of exploring boundaries and highlighting DC history, continuity, and incongruities, Grant Morrison does a bang-up job. But even then, the overarching plot is hard to wade through. Yes, Darkseid tries to take over Earth, and a not-always linked band of heroes stops him in the nick of time, but Morrison doesn't devote as much of his head space or the book's panel space to the momentum of the story or the emotional link to the audience. The one-issue Submit story is the only time he addresses the emotional quality of Darkseid's Anti-Life Equation meme.
Those qualms aside, Final Crisis can be quite an experience, if you let it. It's open to a bunch of different interpretations, and also opens the doors to a lot of different next stories--How is Batman coming back? How will heroes and commoners feel about the Multiverse? And his myriad, sometimes messianic interpretation of Superman is inspiring. He even gives characters like Green Arrow and Super-Bat funny, winning lines. Give this book hours, and it's at least somewhat rewarding. It's also a story that's only works in the comic medium. It may not always make sense on the page, but it's not even possible on film or prose. There are tons of interesting bits--the channel-switching at the end, Morrison's stand-in Nix Uotan, the fatal bullet--that amount to an impressive work, if not a good story.
Probably one of the best comic books ever written. Easily the best of Grant Morrison. If Animal Man is their mission statement, this is the mission statement fully realized: Superman reaching beyond space and outside of time, through a comic book panel, to interact with the reader of the comic book. Such a fantastic comic book. Alan Moore (however much I love him) can suck it.
It was good. As with any of these big event stories, my indifference (and outright dislike in many cases) of many characters means much of the snappy patter falls on deaf ears or comes across as forced and corny, but I found the plot entirely lucid and thought Morrison built the action to a nice crescendo. Really dug the Superman Beyond chapters a lot, most of the art was pretty good for this sort of thing, and the Fourth World stuff was fun. Some of it was a little silly, but overall, solidly entertaining for what it is.