So, despite the issue of the art team, Final Crisis continues on, and in a week or so, it’ll be over. We’ve got all three of the major artists, J. G. Jones, Carlos Pacheco, and Doug Mahnke doing the work. And a ton of plotlines suddenly ram together, and we’ve got a shocking ending. So what’s going on? Well, Darkseid seems to have made the populace of Earth a literal extension of himself. They are all Darkseid. Why? Perhaps because he’s so badly injured, because Orion left him off so badly in Countdown to Final Crisis (yes, continuity!), and Dan Turpin can only be so good a host. Anyway, it’s in this situation that we find ourselves. There’s also two kick-ass fights, with Shazam, Black Adam, and Supergirl versus Mary Marvel, and Tawky Tawny versus Kalibak. And somehow, the good guys win both. Go Tawny!
So, that all makes sense. And Batman is the one to deal the final blow to Darkseid at the cost of, well… his life. Or at the very least a lot of time until he can escape multiple crappy lives. And Superman carrying his body is just shocking. But then I look at the other plotlines, and I’m more confused. What was the purpose of the Brainiac 5 and Superman scene? What does that have to do with anything? What is Mr. Miracle trying to do? Isn’t there no purpose behind his actions now that Darkseid is dead? Same with the Flashes. What did the Anthro/Kamandi/Metron scenes at the beginning of the series have to do with anything? And who is Mandrakk the Dark Monitor, and why is he the final villain instead of Darkseid? I assume the Multiverse is still falling apart because of him. Many questions, to be sure. The whole idea of the Black Gambit is really cool, and Nix Uotan seems to be taking his role as the new guardian of the Multiverse, appointed by Metron, trying to put everything back in its place. Cool, huh? My only complaints at this point are that I wish that the art was more consistent and that the plot was a smidge less confusing. Aside from those, this is how to right an event book. It’s better than Secret Invasion, World War Hulk, and dozens of other events in the last few years. Grant Morrison is earning his title as one of the best comic book writers ever with these pages.
Plot: 9.3 Art: 8.8 Dialogue: 9.0 Overall: 9.1
