First, the great: the art by J.G. Jones on Final Crisis #1 is, for the most part, a real treat. He seems to have the most fun with non-superhero stuff like the caveman sequences, in which his work really shines.
Second, the meh: Don't get me wrong, Grant Morrison is a great writer. But this is not his best work. It's not terrible. But it's "meh." I wasn't drawn in emotionally. In the parts with the Monitors, my eyes glazed over; they were opening their mouths and speaking, but in my mind all I could hear is "blahblahblahmultipleearthsblah." The "death" of one character was done in an anti-climactic, throw-away fashion that you could have missed if you blinked. And the assumption that the reader has been following DC continuity for the last three years is still there.
That last point is probably why I wasn't drawn in emotionally. Final Crisis #1 certainly might be a treat for a regular DC fan. But where does that leave new or returning readers?
Faced with Final Crisis #1, I have three choices:
1) Buy a number of trade paperbacks so I can understand what is going on better.
2) Struggle with the series without knowing the background, thus greatly reducing the emotional resonance the series might have for me.
3) Give up and buy the Starman Omnibus, showcasing a series that knew perfectly how to integrate the rich history of the DC Universe with a narrative that new and old readers could enjoy.
Well, I've already bought the Starman Omnibus.
I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, it is clearly using many concepts not only from countdown, but also from Morrison's own Seven soldiers and Alpha lanterns (I think it was originally his idea, not Geoff John's), so it is not the most accessible thing; on the other, he seems to have taken this into account. I mean, I've barely followed DC main continuity events in the last years, but between the odd issue I've read here and there and the two or three sentences used to introduce each concept I think I'm getting the essentials. The lanterns? Some special section inside the GL corps. The villains? Once again getting united, this time by some misterious dude with a hood and a stick. The New Gods? Something happened, they are all dead, the evil ones seem to inhabit terrestrial bodies. And so on.
ReplyDeleteStill not the ideal situation, but some improvement over the "Read Countdown to understand any of our series/Read twenty series to understand any of Countdown".
To me, there was some sense of urgency in the issue; and even if it was mainly a recap of previous plots to establish the framework of the story, Morrison always reads better on the long run. If they keep J G Jones (great art AND great colouring IMO) I'm willing to let DC convince me with the second issue.
I completely stopped countdown. So yeah, I was a bit confused with where things were in final crisis.
ReplyDeleteI was really confused with superman having to explain who Orion was to the justice league. Is this new orion? Didn't he die in DotNG?
Well....Starman = greatest super-hero series of the 90s. It's really not a fair fight, now is it?
ReplyDeleteFC #1 - It was okay, definitely a set up issue. I know folks have been complaining that there's been 3+ years of build up, but really only one of those was supposed to lead directly in. And that (Countdown) was utter tripe that lost its way early.
One thing that was a little annoying - the scene where the villians are gathered with Libra, which actually started in JLA the week and then continued here. Well, I don't get my comics every week, so of course I read them out of order.
Critical? No, just annoying - as it seems this "Sightings" thing is really just another way to do what they said they wouldn't do with lots of small, almost "red skies" crossovers. It just has potential to create some choppy storytelling.
"I was really confused with superman having to explain who Orion was to the justice league."
ReplyDeleteMe too - especially since he was in Morrison's Justice League. I felt the same way in the scene w/ the GLs, just a little bit like John had to be explained to about the New Gods and Orion. Cosmic Odyssey? :-)
Option number 3: All the stuff you don't know is discussed online, so don't bother buying the comics, just read the synopsis on blogs, from Scans Daily, the DC boards, download the scans of the issues from P2P networks - Final Crisis seems to be in denial about the existence of the alternatives to getting off your ass, going to a store and actually buying a comic book, which is something that only happens with event-jaded readers when they can't believe the spoilers they're talking about online or in the 'real' news.
ReplyDeleteCivil War showed how you do these things - you either loved it or hated it, but Civil War engendered an emotional response to the material. Final Crisis is by-the-numbers, and for my money, Morrison did this kind of thing much better in DC One Million, which was just big, dumb, apocalyptic fun.
Why FC is so low-key and uninvolving, I'm not really sure, and I wouldn't describe it as terrible - just underwhelming.
Getting the Starman Omnibus and Final Crisis #1 on the same day highlighted something VERY important to me: the DCU I fell in love with and the DCU which currently exists are two very, very separate things.
ReplyDeleteI was a very big fan of Grant Morrison. I still believe he's hugely talented, and I count much of his work as some of my absolute favorites (JLA and Animal Man!)...that was great writing that worked with DC continuity without being too bogged down by it. His compressed storytelling worked, because it was big and action-y.
THIS, however, was a mess. Pure and simple. I did not enjoy reading it. It did look nice, that's true, but the story really didn't make any damn sense. I've been reading DC this whole time, since before ID Crisis, even, and the simple fact that I dropped 52 shouldn't make me feel lost and bored like this. 52 sucked.
But wasn't DC Universe #0 "the primer" for Final Crisis? Well, I read that, too. And that was garbage. And this is more garbage on top of it.
It's a shame, because DC's got some really fantastic books: I've been loving Johns's Superman, Green Lantern, GL Corps, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Checkmate (until that last issue), and on and on...but why does this thing even exist? Is there something WRONG with DC continuity that it needs another event?
Much as I hate to say it, Secret Invasion is just way better. And I'm only reading the main book at the shop...I'm not even buying it, OR any of the peripheral books. And it's just head and shoulders above this. I think you said it best, Val, when you described SI as a simple concept that you could explain in a sentence (at least I think you were the one to say this). Could anyone describe Final Crisis in a sentence? A paragraph? I literally have no idea what's happening, why it's happening, or why I should give a rat's ass.
Because I don't.
Understandably, I'm very annoyed about it, and I think I'm going to drop it.
Sorry for the mind-dump. Happy Friday!
PS - If anyone wants to see the article I wrote on Val, you can check out a scan of the pages I posted at my website, www.brianprubin.com. Hooray!
Ehhh, you know it's only a matter of time 'til _________________ is brought back to life as an albatross.
ReplyDeleteIn the parts with the Monitors, my eyes glazed over; they were opening their mouths and speaking, but in my mind all I could hear is "blahblahblahmultipleearthsblah."
ReplyDeleteIn my head, all Monitors are voiced by Miss Othmar of the Peanuts cartoons.
It had...some moments. At the same time, the Moniters? YAWN.
ReplyDeleteI am stunned that people here don't have the same complaints about Secret Invasion. It may just be that you seem to enjoy the company you read the most.
ReplyDeleteI do find that DC gets hammered a lot here.
But here are my thoughts:
1) "And the assumption that the reader has been following DC continuity for the last three years is still there."
As has been brought up, I think this did not follow continuity at all. The facts that people needed to be told about the New Gods, that the New Gods are around when they died JUST LAST MONTH, and that the GUardians are stunned by orion's death when all sorts of New Gods died JUST LAST MONTH, made me think Morrison was simply starting from scratch.
If anything, Invasion demands some knowledge for the past 3 years as Bendis admits he has been placing clues throughout a bunch of titles since New Avengers 1, which came out in 2005.
2) "That last point is probably why I wasn't drawn in emotionally. Final Crisis #1 certainly might be a treat for a regular DC fan. But where does that leave new or returning readers?"
I had the same feeling after reading Secret Invasion. I can't feel betrayal about jarvis or confusion about Sue Storm when I simply haven't read those titles.
As a regular DC fan, I did think there was some good stuff here, especially the Turpin/Question scene.
3) "Faced with Final Crisis #1, I have three choices:
1) Buy a number of trade paperbacks so I can understand what is going on better.
2) Struggle with the series without knowing the background, thus greatly reducing the emotional resonance the series might have for me.
3) Give up and buy the Starman Omnibus, showcasing a series that knew perfectly how to integrate the rich history of the DC Universe with a narrative that new and old readers could enjoy."
Same feelings about Marvel. I can;t follow all the titles/trades which Invasion effects, I can struggle through a partial story, or I can buy Brubaker Captain America in hard cover.
The bottom line is that most mega-events just don't work very well. Secret Invasion just seems like a mess to me, and it doesn't have the art of JG Jones.
Anj
http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/
Actually, I didn't understand it either and I follow a couple DC titles. The whole thing gave me a feeling of disconnect. I wouldn't be surprised if Morrison pulls a curb ball and reveals its happening in an alt. Earth or something.
ReplyDeleteThis made me sad, because I normally love anything Grant does.
ReplyDeleteI think knowledge of the New Gods has been wiped out somehow. I got the impression that a few people remember, but most don't. And no one remembers Darkseid. Which goes to that line about the greatest trick the devil ever played....
to the person who just posted three separate comments I had to moderate --
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to post your pro-FC anti-SI commentary --
but we can't have "I hope you get f**king murdered" directed at specific posters, and we can't have torrent links posted.
I understand you are passionate about the books you like, and I respect that, but I can't post that type of stuff. But your feelings about why you like SI rather than FC are fine, so if you want to repost go ahead.
"But your feelings about why you like SI rather than FC are fine, so if you want to repost go ahead."
ReplyDeleteor rather, why you like FC more than SI.
FC didn't have quite as much Explodo as SI did coming out of the gate, but I honestly didn't expect it to. I have a feeling it will truly jell when collected, and if I had any sort of willpower at all, I would have skipped the monthlies and went straight to HC.
ReplyDeleteAs for Starman, while it is one of my favorite series of all time, I don't know if it's as new reader friendly as you think. In college, I convinced a lot of my friends to read the first TPB, and many of them were put off by all of the Golden Age references.
That, and I think it requires a fannish mind to read the words "cosmic rod" and not snicker...
starman yay! i never read it but i am loving it.
ReplyDeletefinal crisis was totally BLAH!
and Batman RIP is confusing as hell.
Morrisson is such a choppy writer I have NO idea what is going on at all. It's just so all over the place and quick transitions and edits, it doesn't make any sense.
I am loving loving loving Secret Invasion though.
I for one went the Starman route. Mostly because I LOVED that series and I'm ecstatic that it's being collected in a full library worthy volume.
ReplyDeleteI read Final Crisis, but I honestly had trouble understanding half of what was going on. And not in the good way like Morrison usually pulls off. Instead of not fully grasping crazy ideas and concepts from other planes of reality, I'm missing chunks of history I'm largely indifferent to. The best example being is that the guy at the end is Kamandi... someone I've never heard of, but was apparently published in the seventies at some point.
And I actually don't have a problem using historical references like that. But the problem is the entire thing was presented in a way that assumes I'm deeply familiar with the characters fictional history AND his publishing history within the DC Universe.
I don't know any of this. I don't know what happened in Countdown, I don't know what happened in whatever New Gods miniseries just came out. I picked up some references to the Mister Miracle Seven Soldiers mini... but that was about it. I'm sorry, I don't know who the shlubby detective guy is, can I get a character introduction? a quick caption box telling me who this is and why I should give a damn?
Not to get into cross company rivalry, but Secret Invasion... I know what's happening. For about two pages right at the beginning, Iron man tells us "There are aliens that can change shape, they've been infiltrating us for years, we can't detect them, I think they're about to invade, and we can't trust anyone." BAM. I know exactly what's going on. Commence the explosions.
So yeah, Final Crisis seems like another of a long line of exercises where DC crawls up it's own history to the point of alienating anyone who started reading after 1980. And I want to read good DC stories. I love my Starman. I love my Morrison JLA. Mark Waid on the Flash. The Batman, Superman, and Justice League cartoons are SO GOOD. Why is it that DC comics fails so miserably and continually in living up to those?
As you probably have guessed, this fanboy (errr, fanman?) liked FC as the setup issue it is meant to be. However, to be fair, I've been re-reading some of Starlin's massive crossovers from the 90's recently, so I kind of have a taste for those stories. "My creed is LUTHOR!" is a great line, completely in character. I'll say this much, ________'s death would have meant alot more if this were 1998. These days, he's somewhat of a throwaway character, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, if you have a choice? Dude, Starman Omnibus would win over most books on the shelf. That book honestly made me tear up a few times.
Hey, speaking of Morrison - anyone here ever read his 90's work, Mystery Play? If so - can anyone explain it to me? Preferably in small words. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you, Val, about the Monitors. Why DC decided it needed its own version of the Watchers is strange. I'll still read this issue by issue because I do want to see where this goes.
ReplyDeleteThis certainly is not a jumping on point for new readers, either.
throaway character?
ReplyDeletebut he's ________, man! don't diss the m_____, please. :(
*sniff* :(
"throaway character?
ReplyDeletebut he's ________, man! don't diss the m_____, please. :("
I didn't say he was a throwaway character, I just thought the way he was dispatched was kinda anticlimactic. I wasn't even sure he was really killed, but then you get that one panel with the TV screen at the end and it's like "he was really killed; heroes pissed." And then everything else that goes on in that scene sort of undermines the death, like maybe he's not dead.
As much as I think the Maxwell Lord shooting Blue Beetle thing was way too violent for that type of book, it had a sort of clarity and finality (or, at least in comic book reality, a convincing temporary finality) to it. Blam! "The dude is dead & it was horrible." It had more emotional resonance to me.
"I didn't say he was a throwaway character,"
ReplyDeleteoh, ok, I'm reading up the comments line now and I see it was somebody else who said that.
Dan, I agree that a lot of the edge of m_____ had been taken out of the character as of the last 10 years. I think the thing to do would be to take a page from The New Frontier's take on the subject.
Why an albatross? Given his powers, he could come back as anything.
ReplyDeleteI read few Marvel titles, and certainly haven't read enough over the years to think "Gasp! Not that guy from the background of page 3, panel 7 of Secret War! He can't be an alien because it undermines everything I believe to be the case with the Marvel Universe - up is down now!" but I thought Secret Invasion took me by my dull, underinformed hand and spelt everything out for me shortly before things exploded and men dressed in clothes that the average gay parade would think twice about started throwing buses at each other.
'Long haul' storytelling is fine, but I've always preferred event titles to be eventful. Secret Invasion - while not earth-shattering - delivered.
I loved FC's atmosphere. Felt like a building storm to me, esp the way the New Gods were handled. Very much a teaser/into chapter, but one that I really dug, even to the point where I found the Monitors, whom I had assumed were permanently besmirched with ""meh" from COUNTDOWN, interested be.
ReplyDeleteI did not read CD (and reading Death of New Gods may actually be slightly detrimental to "getting" FC), but I don't think much in the way of set up is needed here, aside from a nodding familiarity with the New Gods concept, as well as a multiverse that is monitored by beings with cosmic cornrow 'doos.
I think FC will wind up rocking, as most of GM's books do.
I agree with you on the way you know who was dispatched. It just seemed a little weird.
ReplyDeleteImagine if Captain America had been shot off-panel or Sharon Carter showed up saying "I killed Steve Rogers."
Bizarre, and I agree, I don't believe _____ is dead. Still bugs me, though.
"I think the thing to do would be to take a page from The New Frontier's take on the subject."
ReplyDeleteVery much agreed. In and of him/herself, ________ is an interesting character, but the lack of attention or anything interesting for the character to do has made him/her a throwaway, I think. Its not a personal affront. Besides, this IS comics - when someone finds something interesting to do with the character, you will see the resurrection.
I thought [character X's] death was handled horribly...I'm really hoping he's not actually dead like that. As much as people complained about Blue Beetle's and Firestorm's deaths being handled inappropriately, neither compare to this marginalized death. It's borderline obscene. I don't have a particular love for the character either, but considering [his/her] place in the DCU, it should have been handled better. Here's hoping that [he/she] makes an appearance before final crisis is over.
ReplyDeleteAs for the first issue..."Meh writing" just about captures it all. Some series set you up to get excited for the next issue...others get you in the mind-set that the next issue/rest of the series has a lot to prove. Definitely the latter here.
Now, folks, let's not fight. Trust me, I'm living proof that you can hate Secret Invasion ("Is he a Skrull? Or isn't he a Skrull? ...um, folks, that's really all I got for eight solid issues with forty or fifty characters. Not counting the tie-ins. Hope you're into that.") and still think Final Crisis was underwhelming and dull!
ReplyDeleteSee? We can all get along...
hmm. Well first off I will not lie and say that I thought FC was the greatest thing since slice beatles. But I did enjoy it. I think that what Morrison is trying to do (and why the unexpected bromance with Mark Waid and Geoff Johns) is restore the grandeur of the Silver Age while side stepping the lactose intolerant levels of cheese. But I think he's been stretching himself too thin.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that I do think it's a tad unfair to judge FC based on only one issue.
Also I think I'm starting to disagree very strongly with the notion that all the continuity of DC and Marvel are bad things. I mean look at the twists and turns and switchbacks in classic mythology. No one whines that say Norse mythology is to convoluted and should be streamlined to attract new readers. Personally I feel that the super hero universes of both companies really are inheriting the mantle of mythology. Complete with all the contradictions, reverses, and out and out weirdness that mythology brings with it.
Personally, I've been completely underwhelmed by both "events" so far. SI has an interesting concept, but has so far gone nowhere fast, and I still don't know why I should be interested in FC.
ReplyDeleteI've actually been so nonplussed by comics in general lately that I have about a month's worth of issues sitting by my bed waiting to be read. Maybe someday...
J'onn J'onzz deserved better.
ReplyDeleteThat was the ultimate betrayal.
Cat! Out! of! Bag!
ReplyDeleteI thought the shock value was solid (no build up, just STAB and the fat lady sings Martian hymns).
I am sure Dead Character X will be back soonish enough.