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The Fall and Redemption of Hal Jordan
Final Night
For the first time, The Final Night mini-series-along with the Parallax: Emerald Night one-shot that accompanied it-is collected in a single trade paperback volume. As skies darken, Superman's sun-based powers begin to fade, and the people of Earth begin to suffer food shortages and frozen conditions. When attempts to rekindle the sun fail, Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner seeks out former Green Lantern Hal Jordan-now known as Parallax-for help, setting events in motion that play out in Parallax: Emerald Night. Hal reconciles his past life as Green Lantern with his current role as Parallax, and, in the final chapter, makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the Earth.
Collects:
The Final Night (1996) Preview
The Final Night (1996) #1
The Final Night (1996) #2
The Final Night (1996) #3
The Final Night (1996) #4
The Final Night: Parallax: Emerald Night (1996)
Collects:
The Final Night (1996) Preview
The Final Night (1996) #1
The Final Night (1996) #2
The Final Night (1996) #3
The Final Night (1996) #4
The Final Night: Parallax: Emerald Night (1996)
144 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1996
12 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Ron Marz
1,644 books122 followersMarz is well known for his work on Silver Surfer and Green Lantern, as well as the Marvel vs DC crossover and Batman/Aliens. He also worked on the CrossGen Comics series Scion, Mystic, Sojourn, and The Path. At Dark Horse Comics he created Samurai: Heaven and Earth and various Star Wars comics. He has also done work for Devil’s Due Publishing’s Aftermath line, namely Blade of Kumori. In 1995, he had a brief run on XO-Manowar, for Valiant Comics.
Marz’s more recent works includes a number of Top Cow books including Witchblade and a Cyberforce relaunch. For DC Comics, he has written Ion, a 12 part comic book miniseries that followed the Kyle Rayner character after the One Year Later event, and Tales of the Sinistro Corps Presents: Parallax and Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Ion, two one-shot tie-ins to the Green Lantern crossover, The Sinestro Corps War.
His current creator owned projects include “Dragon Prince” (Top Cow) and “Samurai : Heaven and Earth” (Dark Horse).
Photo by Luigi Novi.
Marz’s more recent works includes a number of Top Cow books including Witchblade and a Cyberforce relaunch. For DC Comics, he has written Ion, a 12 part comic book miniseries that followed the Kyle Rayner character after the One Year Later event, and Tales of the Sinistro Corps Presents: Parallax and Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Ion, two one-shot tie-ins to the Green Lantern crossover, The Sinestro Corps War.
His current creator owned projects include “Dragon Prince” (Top Cow) and “Samurai : Heaven and Earth” (Dark Horse).
Photo by Luigi Novi.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
April 5, 2021
This was an interesting event from the 90's in that there were no villains. The sun goes dark and Earth's heroes have to figure out how to save everyone while stopping people from looting and other end of the world type behavior. I do think that some of the more interesting stories from this event happened outside of this trade in the individual titles of the time. It was great that a certain character gets a moment of redemption.
September 20, 2022
This has gotta be one of my favorite stories ever!
So we have a Sun eater whose come and trying to eat the sun and we know what happens when the sun is not there and so the heroes have to deal with this threat and what will happen when all they try fails? Its the final night of the heroes and of humanity but in those moments we see Hal Jordan now Parallax do something which might just save them and we see his redemption and Hal being one of my fav characters in fiction.. well this was hard for me to read and it felt so emotional like every page of it and in particular the end and the eulogy by different heroes or people he knew, just what an amazing writing.. a redemption and a great tribute to the hero he was!
So we have a Sun eater whose come and trying to eat the sun and we know what happens when the sun is not there and so the heroes have to deal with this threat and what will happen when all they try fails? Its the final night of the heroes and of humanity but in those moments we see Hal Jordan now Parallax do something which might just save them and we see his redemption and Hal being one of my fav characters in fiction.. well this was hard for me to read and it felt so emotional like every page of it and in particular the end and the eulogy by different heroes or people he knew, just what an amazing writing.. a redemption and a great tribute to the hero he was!
August 18, 2021
A interesting 4 part event in the mid-90's that you can tell was mostly made to redeem a certain hero gone villain but still a fun little story none the less.
A alien name Dusk lands on earth to warn everything of the dark times to come. Soon the sun is blocked out and everyone is slowly going crazy and everything will eventually freeze over and die. Putting main heroes like Superman even at risk without the sun you come up with some neat ideas. One having Lex work with the heroes is always cool, Superman being a badass hero even without powers, and all the new legacy characters at the time like Kyle, Wally, and more working with the OG heroes to save everyone.
Overall this was pretty enjoyable. The dark art by Inman made for some really cool moody atmosphere. I enjoyed the side two issues too which mostly focused on Hal's redemption and then funeral (This is 20+ years old people so don't tell me spoilers!) and you have a lot of neat moments with heroes saying goodbye, even when still pissed at what the once hero did. But the way he went out is admirable. I also enjoyed everyone working together and eventually showing the better side of humanity.
I won't say it was mind-blowing but it was a solid event you can read completely by itself. A 3.5 out of 5, I'll bump it to a 4.
A alien name Dusk lands on earth to warn everything of the dark times to come. Soon the sun is blocked out and everyone is slowly going crazy and everything will eventually freeze over and die. Putting main heroes like Superman even at risk without the sun you come up with some neat ideas. One having Lex work with the heroes is always cool, Superman being a badass hero even without powers, and all the new legacy characters at the time like Kyle, Wally, and more working with the OG heroes to save everyone.
Overall this was pretty enjoyable. The dark art by Inman made for some really cool moody atmosphere. I enjoyed the side two issues too which mostly focused on Hal's redemption and then funeral (This is 20+ years old people so don't tell me spoilers!) and you have a lot of neat moments with heroes saying goodbye, even when still pissed at what the once hero did. But the way he went out is admirable. I also enjoyed everyone working together and eventually showing the better side of humanity.
I won't say it was mind-blowing but it was a solid event you can read completely by itself. A 3.5 out of 5, I'll bump it to a 4.
July 23, 2021
I have to say that I liked this story more than I though I would especially the last 3 issues. The big three heroes. However it did give one of my other DC heroes a chance to shine (pun intended).
I am not a great fan of the artwork, but that is how it was at the time. That story is great the Suneater a force of nature has come for the Earth's Sun. The greatest heroes are powerless to stop it. Now heroes and villains must unite, even this is not enough. Now a desperate call goes to a to an infamous fallen hero.
I really the the them of redemption in the second half of this book.it was a more emotional boom that I was expecting at the end. It is what makes this book for me. A very good story. I also like the other legacy and new heroes have a chance to step up.
I am not a great fan of the artwork, but that is how it was at the time. That story is great the Suneater a force of nature has come for the Earth's Sun. The greatest heroes are powerless to stop it. Now heroes and villains must unite, even this is not enough. Now a desperate call goes to a to an infamous fallen hero.
I really the the them of redemption in the second half of this book.it was a more emotional boom that I was expecting at the end. It is what makes this book for me. A very good story. I also like the other legacy and new heroes have a chance to step up.
November 17, 2017
Reread after twenty years; pretty good for an event miniseries, thanks to writing by Kesel and fine drawing by Immonen.
January 28, 2020
A very interesting and unique concept, awfully executed with poor art.
At least, it gave us some very good tie-ins.
At least, it gave us some very good tie-ins.
October 29, 2024
It's an interesting idea and some of the stories within are good but overall not my favorite. That may be due to Hal Jordan not being my favorite lantern and this whole story just being his redemption arc.
August 11, 2022
Kind of a charming 90s comic, weirdly small-scale for a story about the end of the world.
January 2, 2025
This was one of the better DC crossovers. A creature known as the Suneater is attempting to eat the Earth's sun, and all of the heroes (and some of the villains) band together to save the world. It all ends up as a redemption story for Hal Jordan, who needed it after the events of Emerald Twilight. A highlight of 90s DC comics.
April 12, 2021
A seminal work of superhero storytelling.
The ‘90s were an interesting time for the medium. At times it felt like all flash no substance, and at others there was real effort to build on the late-80s milestones like Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen. For DC that meant leaning ever more heavily into lineage, commonly thought in terms of James Robinson’s Starman, Mark Waid’s Flash, his Kingdom Come. There was also Ron Marz’s Green Lantern, the result of another trend from the decade, a tumultuous personal crisis introducing new faces behind familiar names, in this case Kyle Rayner replacing Hal Jordan, who had gone down a dark path as Parallax, both in the pages of that comic (“Emerald Twilight”) and Zero Hour, which resumed the company’s yearly “event comic” efforts in 1994.
Event comics get a bad rap. The most famous DC event comic will probably always be Crisis on Infinite Earths, but many more followed over the years and decades. Perhaps the most unique (other than the weekly 52, which in hindsight almost feels like a spiritual sequel) was The Final Night.
Waid’s Kingdom Come perhaps stole all the thunder with a remarkably similar playbook, a big superhero epic that’s grounded in human-scale storytelling and realistic art. Of course in Waid’s comic that meant the painted work of Alex Ross. In Final Night it’s Stuart Immonen’s.
Immonen, and writer Karl Kesel, were part of the “triangle era” of Superman comics, what came to be known as the post-“Doomsday” era increasingly known for its own regular crises (there was even a “Death of Clark Kent,” naturally!). Immonen himself doesn’t seem to see his work during this time as overly special. He and Kesel (though his best work was as artist and writer, and you can tell his opinion based on the fact that Immonen hasn’t really written since) were “just another team,” one of four on four separate but frequently interrelated titles.
But they were the best. Immonen’s simple approach was especially easy, for me, to appreciate in an era such as the ‘90s, which often, in art, seemed to define itself by bombast at the expense of everything else. There was precious little a reader could relate to, even at Marvel, where Immonen would eventually migrate and of course tamper with his style, losing some of his gentle touch.
Anyway, Final Night is concerned with the big picture, and the many small ones that bring meaning to it. There are powerful moments throughout. Among the first is Lex Luthor shaking hands with Superman in the first issue, and then in the last one, Superman taking a moment to write a farewell letter to Lois...There was never a better Lex than in this era, especially as Immonen wrote him later, and no better an encapsulation of Superman’s spirit than in these pages, without drawing too much attention to it.
Because the big swerve isn’t about him at all, but Hal Jordan. After Geoff Johns brought him back as Green Lantern, the whole arc Hal traveled in the ‘90s threatened to become trivialized, but it would be a mistake to let that happen. Final Night, with the inclusion of a one-shot sketching the important points of his later misadventures and the funeral from the pages of Green Lantern, read like what Robinson spent so much time chasing in Starman, what even Waid never got to do in Flash, which was to give that definitive send-off for the elegy they were writing all along. Which is to say, if you want to understand ’90s DC, Final Night is essential.
It’s the kind of comic that doesn’t seem to draw attention to itself. So we have to do that for it.
The ‘90s were an interesting time for the medium. At times it felt like all flash no substance, and at others there was real effort to build on the late-80s milestones like Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen. For DC that meant leaning ever more heavily into lineage, commonly thought in terms of James Robinson’s Starman, Mark Waid’s Flash, his Kingdom Come. There was also Ron Marz’s Green Lantern, the result of another trend from the decade, a tumultuous personal crisis introducing new faces behind familiar names, in this case Kyle Rayner replacing Hal Jordan, who had gone down a dark path as Parallax, both in the pages of that comic (“Emerald Twilight”) and Zero Hour, which resumed the company’s yearly “event comic” efforts in 1994.
Event comics get a bad rap. The most famous DC event comic will probably always be Crisis on Infinite Earths, but many more followed over the years and decades. Perhaps the most unique (other than the weekly 52, which in hindsight almost feels like a spiritual sequel) was The Final Night.
Waid’s Kingdom Come perhaps stole all the thunder with a remarkably similar playbook, a big superhero epic that’s grounded in human-scale storytelling and realistic art. Of course in Waid’s comic that meant the painted work of Alex Ross. In Final Night it’s Stuart Immonen’s.
Immonen, and writer Karl Kesel, were part of the “triangle era” of Superman comics, what came to be known as the post-“Doomsday” era increasingly known for its own regular crises (there was even a “Death of Clark Kent,” naturally!). Immonen himself doesn’t seem to see his work during this time as overly special. He and Kesel (though his best work was as artist and writer, and you can tell his opinion based on the fact that Immonen hasn’t really written since) were “just another team,” one of four on four separate but frequently interrelated titles.
But they were the best. Immonen’s simple approach was especially easy, for me, to appreciate in an era such as the ‘90s, which often, in art, seemed to define itself by bombast at the expense of everything else. There was precious little a reader could relate to, even at Marvel, where Immonen would eventually migrate and of course tamper with his style, losing some of his gentle touch.
Anyway, Final Night is concerned with the big picture, and the many small ones that bring meaning to it. There are powerful moments throughout. Among the first is Lex Luthor shaking hands with Superman in the first issue, and then in the last one, Superman taking a moment to write a farewell letter to Lois...There was never a better Lex than in this era, especially as Immonen wrote him later, and no better an encapsulation of Superman’s spirit than in these pages, without drawing too much attention to it.
Because the big swerve isn’t about him at all, but Hal Jordan. After Geoff Johns brought him back as Green Lantern, the whole arc Hal traveled in the ‘90s threatened to become trivialized, but it would be a mistake to let that happen. Final Night, with the inclusion of a one-shot sketching the important points of his later misadventures and the funeral from the pages of Green Lantern, read like what Robinson spent so much time chasing in Starman, what even Waid never got to do in Flash, which was to give that definitive send-off for the elegy they were writing all along. Which is to say, if you want to understand ’90s DC, Final Night is essential.
It’s the kind of comic that doesn’t seem to draw attention to itself. So we have to do that for it.
March 18, 2025
Chrises on Infinite Earths: One Care Bear
This is a great crossover in the classic DC event tradition. Big stakes and All The Heroes.
This is a great crossover in the classic DC event tradition. Big stakes and All The Heroes.
September 27, 2012
Reprints The Final Night #1-4 (November 1996). An alien named Dusk arrives on Earth with a warning: the Sun-Eater is coming! Dusk tells the heroes of Earth that the Sun-Eater cannot be stopped and that the Earth is doomed. A last ditch effort to stop the Sun-Eater and save the sun is underway, and heroes like the Legion of Super-Heroes, Batman, and Superman find themselves working hand-in-hand with Lex Luthor to try to save humanity. Heroes like Ferro arise but to save the Earth a true hero might fall.
Written by Karl Kesel, The Final Night was a big crossover event released weekly in 1996 with multiple issue tie-ins. Parallax: Emerald Night #1 (November 1996) also ties in with the story (falling between issues The Final Night #3 and The Final Night #4). The series was met with mostly positive reviews.
The Final Night really just serves to bring back Hal Jordan to the super-hero fold. After the events of Green Lantern (3) #48-50 (January 1994-March 1994) and Zero Hour #0-4 (September 1994), the fan favorite was a villain, and fans didn't like it. Unlike Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November 1985) which sent Barry Allen off in style and replaced him with the popular Wally West, the Green Lantern that people remembered was replaced with the less popular new character Kyle Rayner.
Kyle Rayner worked for the most part, but people didn't want to think of Hal Jordan as a villain. The Final Night was a chance to redeem Hal Jordan, but it also killed him. Still not happy, Hal Jordan had a long path to returning to Green Lantern which included a bad stint as the Spectre. His death here however was pretty good and it at least led to his return.
The Final Night is very ’90s. Superman has the bad the Return of Superman mullet. The story feels a little jerky and unexplored with so many tie-in that effect the overall story, it seems like it needed to be longer than four issues. Ferro whose story is told in Legion and Superman seems really random in this collection and underdeveloped.
The Final Night is ok, but not great. I wish it had been a six issue series to smooth out the bumpiness. I wish the stories leading up to the big conclusion of The Final Night #4 were more concise and blended together. I also wish they would have put Dusk more in the story as the harbinger of the Sun-Eater (she’s kind of the Silver Surfer of DCU!) and I wouldn’t mind seeing her back.
Written by Karl Kesel, The Final Night was a big crossover event released weekly in 1996 with multiple issue tie-ins. Parallax: Emerald Night #1 (November 1996) also ties in with the story (falling between issues The Final Night #3 and The Final Night #4). The series was met with mostly positive reviews.
The Final Night really just serves to bring back Hal Jordan to the super-hero fold. After the events of Green Lantern (3) #48-50 (January 1994-March 1994) and Zero Hour #0-4 (September 1994), the fan favorite was a villain, and fans didn't like it. Unlike Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November 1985) which sent Barry Allen off in style and replaced him with the popular Wally West, the Green Lantern that people remembered was replaced with the less popular new character Kyle Rayner.
Kyle Rayner worked for the most part, but people didn't want to think of Hal Jordan as a villain. The Final Night was a chance to redeem Hal Jordan, but it also killed him. Still not happy, Hal Jordan had a long path to returning to Green Lantern which included a bad stint as the Spectre. His death here however was pretty good and it at least led to his return.
The Final Night is very ’90s. Superman has the bad the Return of Superman mullet. The story feels a little jerky and unexplored with so many tie-in that effect the overall story, it seems like it needed to be longer than four issues. Ferro whose story is told in Legion and Superman seems really random in this collection and underdeveloped.
The Final Night is ok, but not great. I wish it had been a six issue series to smooth out the bumpiness. I wish the stories leading up to the big conclusion of The Final Night #4 were more concise and blended together. I also wish they would have put Dusk more in the story as the harbinger of the Sun-Eater (she’s kind of the Silver Surfer of DCU!) and I wouldn’t mind seeing her back.
July 9, 2021
Honestly just average. Art is meh, writing for the first half is just stagnant. Once you get to Ron Marz (who is one of my all time favorite writers) section at the end though it gets good. Kinda redeems the whole book with that last section. Required reading only if you care about completing the Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner stories.
April 5, 2016
Definitely not the best I've read so far.. Missed a bit of the magic here I guess... But I liked the way things were developing and how it all turned out.. Pretty eager to go start on the next chapter ;)
August 17, 2023
I loved the concept, the art is quite nostalgic and the ending was amazing!
November 4, 2023
This was a little different from most DC crossover tie-ins, not to mention a little disjointed. I assume I'll get further details in the monthly books I read for Superman soon and for Batman eventually. A sun eater has shown up in the solar system, and nobody knows what to do with it. Lex Luthor has an idea, and this is what I assume gets him back into the good graces of the world. (He'd been on the lam for some rather heinous crimes.) It's also a Hal Jordan/Green Lantern/Parallax redemption story... kind of. This is confusing since I thought he was dead, but as we all know, nobody is ever really dead in the comic book world. He also destroyed the Cyborg in this, but as we all know, nobody is... Oh, I just said that. I reckon we'll see the return of the Cyborg at some point down the road.
Anyway, I got this in 1996, and I read it then, though I remembered absolutely nothing about it at all with this reread other than the fact that something blotted out the sun. I almost always recall scenes from major crossover stories such as Panic in the Sky (which is really a Superman story though it has everybody and their mother in it), "Zero Hour" (linked above), and Underworld Unleashed. I remember parts of the "Emperor Joker," "Marvel/DC Amalgam" crossover, "DC One Million," and "Millennium Giants" stories which are eventually coming up. But "Final Night?" Nothing. There's a good reason for this. "Final Night" isn't that remarkable. There's no big baddie to fight. It's mostly the superheroes dicking around, trying to keep the Earthlings from freezing to death while Superman turns into a normal man since the sun isn't there to give him his powers. As expected, he still gives it his all and does what he can with what he's got.
This wasn't a bad story at all, but neither was it anything to write home about. (The artwork was pretty good, though.) This is about as mediocre as it gets. I expect the Superman/Batman tie-in issues will be more satisfying since I'm invested in those characters. I reckon I'll find out soon.
Anyway, I got this in 1996, and I read it then, though I remembered absolutely nothing about it at all with this reread other than the fact that something blotted out the sun. I almost always recall scenes from major crossover stories such as Panic in the Sky (which is really a Superman story though it has everybody and their mother in it), "Zero Hour" (linked above), and Underworld Unleashed. I remember parts of the "Emperor Joker," "Marvel/DC Amalgam" crossover, "DC One Million," and "Millennium Giants" stories which are eventually coming up. But "Final Night?" Nothing. There's a good reason for this. "Final Night" isn't that remarkable. There's no big baddie to fight. It's mostly the superheroes dicking around, trying to keep the Earthlings from freezing to death while Superman turns into a normal man since the sun isn't there to give him his powers. As expected, he still gives it his all and does what he can with what he's got.
This wasn't a bad story at all, but neither was it anything to write home about. (The artwork was pretty good, though.) This is about as mediocre as it gets. I expect the Superman/Batman tie-in issues will be more satisfying since I'm invested in those characters. I reckon I'll find out soon.
September 18, 2025
🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦
The Final Night
1996
GN
Rating: 3.5/5
The Final Night is a crossover event that leans toward storyline and atmosphere than traditional superhero action. The premise is interesting, a cosmic entity known as the Sun-Eater engulfs the sun, plunging Earth into darkness and rapidly declining temperatures. This sets the stage for a rare kind of superhero story, one that focuses less villains and more on how humanity, and its heroes, cope with impending extinction.
The book isn’t a standard superhero storyline and instead of centering the story on one hero, writer Karl Kesel uses the ensemble structure to explore the crisis. Characters like Superman, who is rendered powerless without the sun, are forced into vulnerable and unfamiliar territory, while others, such as lesser-known heroes and civilians, step into the spotlight. Perhaps the most impactful arc belongs to Hal Jordan, the fallen Green Lantern, who finds a measure of redemption in the final issue.
The pacing, while deliberate, can at times feel sluggish, particularly in the middle issues where the plot stagnates under the weight of multiple subplots. Some character arcs feel underdeveloped or unnecessary, likely a result of trying to balance too many moving parts within a limited four-issue narrative. Visually, the artwork captures the bleakness of a world without sunlight. For a story hinging on global catastrophe, some scenes feel surprisingly static or underwhelming in scope.
The Final Night is a mixed success. It excels as a character-driven event with a strong emotional core, particularly in its treatment of Hal Jordan. But it falters when stretched too thin, attempting to serve as a cosmic disaster narrative. It’s not a perfect event, but it’s a memorable one.
#thefinalnight#1996#comics#comicbooks#comicbookcommunity#comicbooklover#booklover#bookworm#comicbookreview#comicbookcollection#comicbookcollector#comicbookcollecting#dupreewenttothemovies#books#bookrecommendations#readingtime#readingaddict#readingcommunity#readinglist#readingbooks#readingisfun#alwaysreading#ilovereading#lovereading#readreadread#readersgonnaread#karlkesel#book#dc#graphicnovel
The Final Night
1996
GN
Rating: 3.5/5
The Final Night is a crossover event that leans toward storyline and atmosphere than traditional superhero action. The premise is interesting, a cosmic entity known as the Sun-Eater engulfs the sun, plunging Earth into darkness and rapidly declining temperatures. This sets the stage for a rare kind of superhero story, one that focuses less villains and more on how humanity, and its heroes, cope with impending extinction.
The book isn’t a standard superhero storyline and instead of centering the story on one hero, writer Karl Kesel uses the ensemble structure to explore the crisis. Characters like Superman, who is rendered powerless without the sun, are forced into vulnerable and unfamiliar territory, while others, such as lesser-known heroes and civilians, step into the spotlight. Perhaps the most impactful arc belongs to Hal Jordan, the fallen Green Lantern, who finds a measure of redemption in the final issue.
The pacing, while deliberate, can at times feel sluggish, particularly in the middle issues where the plot stagnates under the weight of multiple subplots. Some character arcs feel underdeveloped or unnecessary, likely a result of trying to balance too many moving parts within a limited four-issue narrative. Visually, the artwork captures the bleakness of a world without sunlight. For a story hinging on global catastrophe, some scenes feel surprisingly static or underwhelming in scope.
The Final Night is a mixed success. It excels as a character-driven event with a strong emotional core, particularly in its treatment of Hal Jordan. But it falters when stretched too thin, attempting to serve as a cosmic disaster narrative. It’s not a perfect event, but it’s a memorable one.
#thefinalnight#1996#comics#comicbooks#comicbookcommunity#comicbooklover#booklover#bookworm#comicbookreview#comicbookcollection#comicbookcollector#comicbookcollecting#dupreewenttothemovies#books#bookrecommendations#readingtime#readingaddict#readingcommunity#readinglist#readingbooks#readingisfun#alwaysreading#ilovereading#lovereading#readreadread#readersgonnaread#karlkesel#book#dc#graphicnovel
January 8, 2021
This was one of those major events which ran rampant throughout DC and Marvel. Every year it seemed some new event swept across all the various series, meaning that at least one - if not two - issues of your favorite comic was interrupted by some overarching plot which you may or (more likely) may not care about. The collection of The Final Night series contains only the original series without the cross-over issues. As such the focus from issue to issue is a little haphazard, shifting this way than that
Unlike other crossover events published by DC, the conflict of The Final Night did not revolve around a conventional villain. It was primarily a story of survival that focused on the main characters performing disaster response, while attempting to prevent impending mass extinction of all life on Earth. At the end of each issue was an in-story website feature written by S.T.A.R. Labs, giving information updates and emergency support to residents of the DC Universe as the crisis progressed.
There is quite a lot of background needed to understand this book. Superman's enemies destroyed his home city, driving Hal insane and causing him to destroy the Green Lantern Corps, giving up his role as Green Lantern and becoming the nigh-omnipotent Parallax in the process. In a few years, Hal went from being an iconic hero to a murderous villain. Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern, suddenly went nuts and destroyed the Green Lantern Corps and seemingly half the universe in Emerald Twilight. Jordan turned up as the master villain behind Extant in Zero Hour. With Final Night, this cycle comes to a merciful close.
Basically this book was the attempt to redeem Hal Jordan while giving him a swan song. The plot is weird but basically revolves around an old Legion of Super-Heroes villain called the Sun Eater coming to devour Earth’s sun. The world is saved in the end, of course, and by an unlikely hero.
Unlike other crossover events published by DC, the conflict of The Final Night did not revolve around a conventional villain. It was primarily a story of survival that focused on the main characters performing disaster response, while attempting to prevent impending mass extinction of all life on Earth. At the end of each issue was an in-story website feature written by S.T.A.R. Labs, giving information updates and emergency support to residents of the DC Universe as the crisis progressed.
There is quite a lot of background needed to understand this book. Superman's enemies destroyed his home city, driving Hal insane and causing him to destroy the Green Lantern Corps, giving up his role as Green Lantern and becoming the nigh-omnipotent Parallax in the process. In a few years, Hal went from being an iconic hero to a murderous villain. Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern, suddenly went nuts and destroyed the Green Lantern Corps and seemingly half the universe in Emerald Twilight. Jordan turned up as the master villain behind Extant in Zero Hour. With Final Night, this cycle comes to a merciful close.
Basically this book was the attempt to redeem Hal Jordan while giving him a swan song. The plot is weird but basically revolves around an old Legion of Super-Heroes villain called the Sun Eater coming to devour Earth’s sun. The world is saved in the end, of course, and by an unlikely hero.
March 15, 2024
(Zero spoiler review) 3.75/5
Good gracious, a DC event that wasn't a horrendous, preachy bore. But then again, DC seem to be nothing but a continuously evolving event these days, so desperate are they to try and massage their pitiful numbers in any way possible. But enough about their miserable present and more about their rather glorious past.
This is an era of DC that I have little understanding of, seeing as how DC's hardcover release lineup from this time could be printed on the inside of a condom wrapper. I.E, basically non-existent. So to find this little blast from the past at my local library meant I was able to delve into a more enjoyable and enticing time for the publisher, even if I had little understanding of the events occurring around this story.
My main quibbles come at the start, where the initial impetus see's every DC character to ever feature anywhere, ever make an appearance. Trying to keep a consistent, logical narrative during the worlds biggest game of musical chairs is an impossible task, and as well as Kesel does when things settle down, successfully navigating a hundred or more characters in such a way is like herding greased black cats in the dark. You're on a hiding to nothing, and it shows. But as I said, once it settles down and we spend some time with what comes to be the main cast, things improve dramatically, and by the end I was hooked.
Immomen's art was good, without being great. Not sure if the inker let him down or it was early on in his career, but I kind of thought the name was representative of higher quality. That said, it was fine. The Mike McKone issue kind of showed who the daddy was, however.
I think an absolute may be a stretch, but if DC ever do a deluxe edition, I would buy the shit out of it. It may not be revolutionary, but it was bloody good. And given the state of comics in 2024, Bloody good is the new great. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
Good gracious, a DC event that wasn't a horrendous, preachy bore. But then again, DC seem to be nothing but a continuously evolving event these days, so desperate are they to try and massage their pitiful numbers in any way possible. But enough about their miserable present and more about their rather glorious past.
This is an era of DC that I have little understanding of, seeing as how DC's hardcover release lineup from this time could be printed on the inside of a condom wrapper. I.E, basically non-existent. So to find this little blast from the past at my local library meant I was able to delve into a more enjoyable and enticing time for the publisher, even if I had little understanding of the events occurring around this story.
My main quibbles come at the start, where the initial impetus see's every DC character to ever feature anywhere, ever make an appearance. Trying to keep a consistent, logical narrative during the worlds biggest game of musical chairs is an impossible task, and as well as Kesel does when things settle down, successfully navigating a hundred or more characters in such a way is like herding greased black cats in the dark. You're on a hiding to nothing, and it shows. But as I said, once it settles down and we spend some time with what comes to be the main cast, things improve dramatically, and by the end I was hooked.
Immomen's art was good, without being great. Not sure if the inker let him down or it was early on in his career, but I kind of thought the name was representative of higher quality. That said, it was fine. The Mike McKone issue kind of showed who the daddy was, however.
I think an absolute may be a stretch, but if DC ever do a deluxe edition, I would buy the shit out of it. It may not be revolutionary, but it was bloody good. And given the state of comics in 2024, Bloody good is the new great. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
February 1, 2023
Ever since Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC continued to try to put out universe-encompassing events whenever possible. This graphic novel contained the four core issues of its 1996 event, which thankfully wasn't as long or huge as some of the other events, along with a couple of the most important additional issues, as opposed to all the single appearances across various titles. I don't know if reading the individual title issues would have made this feel bigger or better, but the best thing I can say is, at least this event was relatively short. The Sun-Eater, some unknown massive black nebula thing, is making its way across the universe devouring suns and destroying worlds. Now it's come to Earth and the planet's heroes are helpless to stop it. A harbinger of sorts arrived before it to warn everyone, mainly telling the heroes, they'll be helpless to stop it. Honestly, this felt like they were out of ideas so they culled and reworked Crisis and other events for a mini-rekindling of the sort of thing that happened way too often by this point. They didn't even use their best artists, although I had stopped reading comics at this time, so maybe the so-so artwork was among the best they had to offer at the time. The best part of the story is the follow up "Funeral for a Hero" where everyone mourns Hal Jordan's sacrifice to stop the Sun-Eater. It served well to give some redemption to Hal Jordan after DC totally fucked him up in the preceding years, and, unbeknownst to anyone at the time, would plant a seed for the rebirth of Green Lantern and DC in 2004 that (at least temporarily) reinvigorated Green Lantern and the whole DC universe. Not as bad an event as Zero Year, but nowhere near as good as some of the other major events at DC.
January 10, 2022
Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this one for a random pickup from the library. Honestly, it feels like a unique story in many ways considering all of the corny and purely random stuff DC put out in the 1990s. While the art is nothing special (and at times laughable), there is a lot to love for me. Sometimes I do just need some of that random and corny, a enjoyable blend of a special event with high stakes and the strangeness of 90s comic lore.
The key to creating an event of this magnitude for DC's writers always comes down to one thing: If you are going to bring together virtually all the heroes (as you do), how do you effectively challenge the "big guns", mainly the Supermans of the world, and the interdimensional force of The Sun-Eater does just that (no sun...no powers for Supes). Additionally, we have the wrapping up (and genuinely heartfelt redemption) of Hal Jordan's time as Parallax. And I'll always give bonus points for a DC event involving The Spectre and Phantom Stranger in some way. If you're looking for a quality 1990s comic book event for a quick read, go ahead and grab this, as it is a solid choice for entry-level readers. Although you'd probably benefit reading the Hal Jordan wiki to at least remind yourself why the heck he's kinda evil now? (3.75 out of 5)
March 21, 2025
Final Night is a four-issue DC crossover event released in 1996, written by Karl Kesel and illustrated by Stuart Immonen. It was first published as a trade paperback in 1998. My copy is the expanded edition, which came out in 2021.
This is not your typical DC event. Here, an interstellar force has enveloped the sun, and it’s going dark. It reminds me more of No Man’s Land, where the heroes confront a catastrophe—but this time, on a much grander scale. As with most DC events, this one brings together characters from across various titles. Everyone is stepping up, and even the most unlikely alliances are being forged. But in the end, it all comes down to a single act of sacrifice. Is it redemption, or just a fleeting glimpse of a fallen hero’s former light?
It may not be one of the most talked-about DC events, but I thought it was surprisingly good. Immonen’s art and Lee Loughridge’s colors are equally impressive. However, Batman fans may want to sit this one out—his role is minimal at best. Green Lantern fans, on the other hand, will definitely want this in their collection.
The expanded edition collects The Final Night Preview, The Final Night 1-4, Parallax: Emerald Night, and Green Lantern (1990) 81.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
This is not your typical DC event. Here, an interstellar force has enveloped the sun, and it’s going dark. It reminds me more of No Man’s Land, where the heroes confront a catastrophe—but this time, on a much grander scale. As with most DC events, this one brings together characters from across various titles. Everyone is stepping up, and even the most unlikely alliances are being forged. But in the end, it all comes down to a single act of sacrifice. Is it redemption, or just a fleeting glimpse of a fallen hero’s former light?
It may not be one of the most talked-about DC events, but I thought it was surprisingly good. Immonen’s art and Lee Loughridge’s colors are equally impressive. However, Batman fans may want to sit this one out—his role is minimal at best. Green Lantern fans, on the other hand, will definitely want this in their collection.
The expanded edition collects The Final Night Preview, The Final Night 1-4, Parallax: Emerald Night, and Green Lantern (1990) 81.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
April 6, 2025
A very unique story, but also a very important one for anyone who is a Green Lantern fan. Most of the story is the heroes (and some villains) of Earth trying to keep the planet alive and orderly after a space entity eats the Sun. Most of the first part half is the Justice Leagues and Lex Luthor trying to damage control everything.
The second half is the real gem of the story. Hal Jordan aka Parallax has finally, in his mind, completely avenged Cost City by killing Cyborg Superman. Now that his personal mission is done, he becomes aware of the danger Earth is in, and even though he has attempted (and nearly succeeded) in killing the Justice League and the known universe in previous stories, he wonders if Earth is still worth saving, even if the majority of people, his former teammates and friends included, hate him. Most of the second half of the book is Hal checking in with his former teammates, Green Arrows grave, and Carol, trying to give them all some form of closure and reassurance before sacrificing himself to kill the Sun Eater and reignite the Sun.
If there wasn’t a huge cluster of characters in the beginning this would easily be a five star review
The second half is the real gem of the story. Hal Jordan aka Parallax has finally, in his mind, completely avenged Cost City by killing Cyborg Superman. Now that his personal mission is done, he becomes aware of the danger Earth is in, and even though he has attempted (and nearly succeeded) in killing the Justice League and the known universe in previous stories, he wonders if Earth is still worth saving, even if the majority of people, his former teammates and friends included, hate him. Most of the second half of the book is Hal checking in with his former teammates, Green Arrows grave, and Carol, trying to give them all some form of closure and reassurance before sacrificing himself to kill the Sun Eater and reignite the Sun.
If there wasn’t a huge cluster of characters in the beginning this would easily be a five star review
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2021
Despite many references to this book in other comics - not least of which is the essential Green Arrow: Quiver - I'd never actually read this before. While it's not essential, it's a solid part of the bridge between Zero Hour and Hal Jordan's eventual return in Rebirth. The basic premise is simplicity itself: the Sun Eater has, well, lived up to nominative determinism and the world is thrown into cold and darkness. Like many of the crossover events at the time, it's a mini-series that serves as a jumping off point for tie-in issues. Unlike those stories, the heroes aren't fighting a single bad guy but rather just dealing with the crisis. Yet what fascinated me the most was the last half of the main book, where Hal Jordan/Parallax has an extended moral dilemma. It's a minor hit, but worth reading to fully understand how Jordan becomes the Spectre down the track.
NB: Read as part of my DC Crisis and Beyond Journey: #14
NB: Read as part of my DC Crisis and Beyond Journey: #14
May 16, 2024
The first half of this book is a drag, heroes see a new crisis and are unable to stop it. Every hero has to be shown in action, but the reading experience suffers due to this, similar to Crisis on Infinite Earths or Zero Hour.
Then the event is tied into the Green Lantern ongoing and becomes much more focused and interesting. It has a good/fitting ending.
I do have something to rant over though:
This is a very small trade paperback and it can be read on its own, but it should actually be read during the ongoing Green Lantern run. It's 2024 and I find these small paperbacks so shallow. This should be part of large Omnibus and not be printed anymore on its own. Yet DC just prints these small paperbacks, or decides to make Compendiums, which should be Omnibus editions instead (Green Lantern, Robin, Nightwing, Starman, etc.)
So all in all, I do not recommend to pick this up, unfortunately.
Then the event is tied into the Green Lantern ongoing and becomes much more focused and interesting. It has a good/fitting ending.
I do have something to rant over though:
This is a very small trade paperback and it can be read on its own, but it should actually be read during the ongoing Green Lantern run. It's 2024 and I find these small paperbacks so shallow. This should be part of large Omnibus and not be printed anymore on its own. Yet DC just prints these small paperbacks, or decides to make Compendiums, which should be Omnibus editions instead (Green Lantern, Robin, Nightwing, Starman, etc.)
So all in all, I do not recommend to pick this up, unfortunately.
February 13, 2020
This is an interesting story of man vs nature. The nature being an unknown entity/force that goes around eating suns. It’s come to earth and the heroes attempt several plans to stop it and in the end Hal Jordan has to come to the rescue.
This was another crossover story back in the day. For some reason DC didn’t collect all the stories together to make a cohesive story. Instead they just collected the main story so you can tell while reading that you’re missing a lot.
If you’re really interested in the story wait until DC creates an omnibus. Otherwise borrow it from a friend or library.
This was another crossover story back in the day. For some reason DC didn’t collect all the stories together to make a cohesive story. Instead they just collected the main story so you can tell while reading that you’re missing a lot.
If you’re really interested in the story wait until DC creates an omnibus. Otherwise borrow it from a friend or library.
April 20, 2018
This is a very boring story. The sun goes out and we follow a bunch of heroes around as they help people. Reading Rebirth era DC comics now, it's pretty amazing to see how bloated their cast was in the nineties. Also, Superman has the worst hair ever. I also thought it was funny how Kyle Rayner kept disappearing/possibly dying and no one gave a shit.
The only worthwhile moments in this whole book were the ones with Hal Jordan.
The only worthwhile moments in this whole book were the ones with Hal Jordan.
March 4, 2019
I bought this book because of a footnote in Superman Transformed. The 97-98 story run where Superman becomes and energy being.
Well final night has little to do with Superman, other then setup that the sign is dying and Supes is powerless to stop it.
This is really a Green Lantern and Parallax story. And it's a good one!!!
Art is its weak point but I just love this book because it leads into Superman Transformed and that is one of my favourite runs ever.
Well final night has little to do with Superman, other then setup that the sign is dying and Supes is powerless to stop it.
This is really a Green Lantern and Parallax story. And it's a good one!!!
Art is its weak point but I just love this book because it leads into Superman Transformed and that is one of my favourite runs ever.
May 30, 2022
El sacrificio de Hal Jordan. Argumento: "¿Tienes miedo a la oscuridad? Los héroes del Universo DC se unen de nuevo para enfrentarse a una amenaza capaz de devorar el Sol, quitándole toda la energía. Sin luz. Sin calor. ¿Qué harías si se hiciera de noche... para siemrpe? Ésta es la historia que Karl keser y Stuart Immonen presentan en La noche final, una saga que sobresale como una de las mejores de cuantas se han publicado a lo largo de los años y merece un puesto de honor en esta colección".
January 5, 2021
I enjoyed this a lot, this brings the Hal/Parallax story to an emotional conclusion. Something known as the sun eater takes away earth’s sun leaving the planet to freeze over. This is an interesting story because the conflict isn’t solved by the heroes punching a villain rather they have to try their best against an unbeatable foe. It’s nice seeing all the heroes work together helping people.
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