Status Updates From Final Crisis

Lex Luther and other so-called Supervillains rebel against Darkseid. Throughout their arc, they observe that this war is not about bad guys vs good guys or heroes vs villains. It is about free will vs control, autonomy vs singularity, and Life vs Anti-Life.

In this war, even heroes and villains are on the same side. Even after Darkseid is defeated, they collaborate to pick up the pieces, displaying their humanity.

Incorporating the lore of the black racer/black flash into the way that Darkseid is defeated is clever, satisfactory, yet will probably alienate some readers who haven’t read Jack Kirby’s New Gods.

Any other way of killing Darkseid would have likely come off as convenient and too easy considering how powerful he is at this moment.

Incorporating flash lore and resurrecting BA is a plus for creativity too.

It’s difficult to kill off such a beloved superhero in a way that is actually significant. I critiqued Final Crisis for this in the first issue when J’onn’s death is barely even addressed or given any emotional weight. The death of the main hero in #6, however, was done well. Reading BM #682-3 helps to add more emotional weight to his death too, seeing him break out of a mind prison.

This crisis is not about stopping evil from taking ive the world, but about addressing what do heroes do when evil has already taken over the world and already one. This is one constant theme that makes it so unique.

Morrison does a great job showing humanity fighting until the bitter end, even after Darkseid has won the battle, never losing hope.

I read Batman 682 & 683 in the Batman R.I.P paperback that I had, although it makes so much more sense as part of Final Crisis.

Not sure why it was included in Batman RIP, since it’s completely out of context without Final Crisis. It’s actually really good in Final crisis, showing Batman’s psychological fight against anti-life and how powerful he is mentally.

I guess that why they included it in Batman RIP.

Transforming Turpin into a host for Darkseid is a really good twist. Corrupting a “proud, noble spirit” into authoritarianism incarnate is pretty interesting.

Final Crisis Submit tie-in was a great issue. I’m unsure of whether it will have any lasting significance for the story, but it was a great subplot.

Morrison consistently demonstrates that Superman does what should be impossible. Feels nice to see all-star Superman level optimism come out in a crisis story.

Morrison incorporated Ultraman into the heroes side pretty convincingly considering his is clearly evil. Making him become a vampire Superman after what he did is a pretty creative and well-done story.

Okay, the idea of Superman and Ultraman being combined as symmetries rather than dualities is actually pretty cool. One of the few bright ideas in what has been a tough comic to get through so far. I’m hoping this pays off.

I feel like I need to read each page 2 or 3 times before I really understand what’s going on. Not sure if it’ll pay off in the end. I know this is how Grant Morrison writes a lot of his stuff, but it really is difficult to follow.

One major flaw to Final Crisis is the sheer amount of prior reading you have to do to even understand it.

Even if it involves characters from a lot of different stories, it doesn’t do a good job of getting the reader up to speed. It kind of just expects the reader to know what’s going on, making the on-ramp more difficult for casual readers, not great for a crisis.

I didn’t really appreciate the way they killed Martian Manhunter so easily. I get it that Libra is proving his skills and worth, but for one of the most powerful beings in the universe, J’onn went pretty easily.

Not only that, but it only takes one panel. There was no emotional buildup to make it feel like devastating blow that it really is.

Classic trope of an unknown villain pitching his case to a familiar rogues gallery that he can give them what they want if they go with his plan.

I don’t mind it, it’s just comical how often this shows up at the beginning of a lot of stories involving the justice league.

Grant Morrison, especially in his Batman run, has a somewhat psychedelic style. You’re confused reading it, but you’re supposed to be.

Despite this being his intention, it doesn’t make the reading experience any easier. I’m rereading the first two issues to try to grasp what I’ve been reading before I move on.