Book Review: Final Crisis by Grant Morrison

First off, look at that cover. Just how striking is that? I predict it’ll be quite memorable in twenty or thirty years. Of course, the stance itself is an allusion to “Crisis on Infinite Earths” where Superman is carrying Supergirl’s dead body. Only now it’s one of his dearest friends in his arms.

There are times when the whole interrelated aspect of the DC Universe appearing in the pages of “Final Crisis” works for me. It’s breathtaking in its scope, certainly, but at times it seems too disorganized and chaotic. The ending itself is a throwback to a dozen characters from corners of DC Comics I have only the vaguest idea of. Also, there doesn’t seem to be very much direct action here. “Final Crisis” is an exercise of tone, setting, and atmosphere. There is little room in the cramped pages for an exploration of the more traditional, and perhaps integral, aspects: characters and plot.

Nevertheless, the story is wildly and momentously enjoyable. Morrison is an expert that creating a dark, gritty atmosphere and for filling a scene with tension and drama. He is a master of an epic scale, as seen when Dan Turpin succumbs to Darkseid’s influence coupled with his terrifying internal monologue and when Superman thunders back to Earth as the skies burn red to claim Batman’s corpse from Darkseid’s bunker.

Most issues end in a cliffhanger of sorts and they only add to the building tension that underlies the story. I only wish we could see more of the action that goes on instead of seeing two-or three panel snapshots and moving on. It’s like taking the 12-hour “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and clipping it into a single hour movie, beginning to end. It almost feels like a trailer.

But for any diehard DC Comics fan, I recommend reading “Final Crisis” and letting your mind (and some time for the reading to settle) decide how you feel about it. This was certainly a hit-and-miss for others, and my views seemed to fluctuate around for a while. I can understand the disgruntled views towards this book. Of the Crisis events, “Final Crisis” is not the best, but I think there is value in reading it and studying it to see just where DC is today and perhaps what tone their stories are going to take tomorrow. I could also argue that the other value in reading this is to evaluate the general ‘incoherence’ of “Final Crisis” and compare that to his other credited titles. Generally, I think this falls somewhere in the middle. “Batman RIP” is still a harder mess to follow.

I only write this review because I’m almost certain my opinions about it have settled down now. Oh and for anybody who liked Final Crisis, or are exploring the DC Universe, I recommend “Identity Crisis,” “Infinite Crisis,” Blackest Night,” “Final Crisis: Revelations,” and “Crisis on Infinite Earths” for material in the same vein. Read it in order of publication and you can see the evolution of the Crisis events since they launched their first one.