Wih Final Crisis #4 hitting the stands today, I thought I would ask the question:
Do you still care about Final Crisis?
Follow up questions:
Were you collecting it?
Are you still collecting it?
If you are collecting it, would you buy the hardcover?
and,
Do you want another DC event after this, or do you want them to wait for awhile to let things settle?
I'm not too interested any more. It's been too convoluted and uninteresting for me. I'll probably still read it but won't rush out to the store to pick it up today and definitely won't waste the money on the hardcover.
ReplyDeleteI still care! It seems like it's going to do something intriguing. I have to say sometimes it's not written as clearly as it should be. And having the artist change at the end is annoying.
ReplyDeleteI was and will be collecting it (the main book and the Legion of Three worlds (Perez art, for which I am a sucker) and the Superman one-shot (which was very cool actually) but none of the other spin offs.
No, I wouldn't buy a hardcover. I'd only buy a hardcover (well, I'd wait for a trade) if i *wasn't* collecting it.
No, NO MORE EVENTS! "FINAL" crisis, please!
I don't think I ever cared about Final Crisis. Before the first issue came out I had decided to trade-wait on it, but after the editorial snafus decided against even that.
ReplyDeleteIf everyone is going "Final Crisis was the best thing evah!" once the final issue comes out, I'll consider at least Byrne-stealing it at the bookstore.
I think both DC and Marvel need to lay off the events for a while. I can't even work up interest for DC's mini-events like New Krypton and Blackest Night.
I stopped caring with issue 2. Truth be told, I stopped caring after issue 1, but was obligated to pick up the next one just to see...but yeah, I have gotten ZERO of the tie-ins or crossovers. I care not a whit. I don't even know what the damn thing's about.
ReplyDeleteThat's what Wikipedia's for, I guess.
I do care. Although Issue 4 needs to show needs to start delivering the payoff. We have all the setup we need.
ReplyDeleteI was and am collecting it. I don't know about the hardcover, because I haven't read the whole story yet, but I would lean that way, especially if is produced with appropriate premiums.
I'm okay with "events", but I don't need anything as sweeping as a "Crisis" for a while. The Green Lantern event coming up, for example, has me interested. The JSA Gog/Kingdom Come Superman "event" is working for me.
In fact, to overanswer your question, I liked the old Legion formula where in a year you had one big storyline payoff that took a fair chunk of the year to work up to, then a few months of epilogue and small stories, then the slow workup back to the big event.
Marvel's best stories tend to work that way. (Note, best written stories. Not necessary best selling)
Nope.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is coming from a hardcore Grant Morrison fan.
I honest to god went and bought the first issue and re-read it about 6 times. I felt stupid since i had no idea what was going on in. Last time I felt like that was when I first saw Mission Impossible I (Tom Cruise version).
ReplyDeleteArt was great but the story was too out of whack to get into. Sorry but if you want new readers to get into it you need to give them more meat to savor before the feast.
I was collecting it, and am collecting it still. I'm actually finding myself pretty excited for part 4.
ReplyDeleteI don't expect to buy the hardcover, but that's no different from any other stories I've bought in floppies.
As for another DC event, I'm of two minds. I'd like some big stories, like the Sinestro Corps War, that are focused on a small family of titles. It looks like the Kryptonians story will work like this; I'm a little worried about the scope of the Black Lantern story, though.
im not really sure what is happening anymore. i have totally forgotten the first three.
ReplyDeletegrant morrison = stab myself in the eye.
What's Final Crisis?
ReplyDeleteI thought more of this had come out than just four issues, but the one with the kinky Wonder Woman page at the end kinda lost me. I think it was actually the preceeding Mary Marvel vamping up to become 'more interesting' bit that lost me entirely, as I don't care for the character (never have) and struggle to see how turning her into an identikit leather-clad 'bad-girl' is somehow more interesting than a virginal, wholesome, idealised 1950s-era superhero - the latter is practically unique in comics, the former pretty much the norm, so why should I suddenly care about Mary Marvel now?
ReplyDeleteWhich pretty much sums up my opinion of Final Crisis - too much build-up left me cold and I don't see why I should care. Perhaps one day when it finally finishes I can get the back-issues from a discount bin and see what all the fuss was about, but for now it doesn't feel essential.
In fairness, neither does Secret Invasion.
Do you still care about Final Crisis?
ReplyDeleteNo, but I've been waiting to care about FC since the first issue. As a Grant Morrison book, I expected it to be interesting but not have much humanity: an artistic exercise more than pure entertainment. I'm still waiting for it to become interesting.
Were you collecting it?
Yes.
Are you still collecting it?
Right before FC came out, I made a personal decision to not cancel any non-miniseries books on my pull list, but also to begin being more careful about what I add. So I'm in for the long haul, but this is the last time, as I'm starting to move my reading habits towards trades.
If you are collecting it, would you buy the hardcover?
I doubt it.
Do you want another DC event after this, or do you want them to wait for awhile to let things settle?
The format of the Event is only a problem if you're some kind of insane completist that must read all the tie-in issues, even if you know you're going to hate them. I don't read Secret Invasion because I knew I'd hate it, but I still read the tie-ins that I knew I'd enjoy. I read FC but none of the tie-ins because I just don't care that much about DC continuity. So I have no problem with events if they make for a good story.
Honestly, I've found the high-concept of DC events more compelling (especially One Year Later) than Marvel's, but the execution sorely lacking (again, see One Year Later) in comparison.
No.
ReplyDeleteMy only concerns regarding it are it's effects on the Green Lantern and Batman titles, which are all I really care about in mainstream DC. Other than that, it looked like a dumb idea from the start and the first few volumes I read confirmed that to me.
So, to reiterate, no. Don't care.
So far, I'm very much enjoying FC right now. I can't say that it will continue to be this awesome by issue 7, but right now, it's looking great. I never buy any tie-ins, but I was surprised to see that I got each one (minus the Tomasi-Requiem.). How can you not read the tie-ins when you have such great creators and amazing concepts? I don't really buy "events" outside of the main series. I bought SI, NA, MA, but no SI tie-ins, except for the Incredible Hercules (such an organic integration) and the Inhumans (love anything Kirby-ish). For me, it's all about the quality of creators. Since I'll have all single issues and I've never bought a hardcover, I doubt I'll buy one for this. I'd prefer if they slowed things down for as bit, but honestly, with all of the amazing events coming up (New Krypton, Blackest Night), I'll continue to get them. Sidenote: Jones was very cool, but Mahnke will deliver something awesome, too. Looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteI like it a lot!
ReplyDeleteDo you still care about Final Crisis?
ReplyDeleteNot really, but I'll still read the mini (and possibly the others if cheap in TPB)
Were you collecting it?
Yes
Are you still collecting it?
Yes
If you are collecting it, would you buy the hardcover?
No.
Do you want another DC event after this, or do you want them to wait for awhile to let things settle?
PLEASE no more events from ANY publisher.
Do you still care about Final Crisis? Meh - as much as I "care" about most comics series anymore (i.e., it's a habit, not a priority).
ReplyDeleteFollow up questions:
Were you collecting it? Yes
Are you still collecting it? I suppose when it comes out again.
If you are collecting it, would you buy the hardcover? Not unless they take all this stuff that's supposed to "fit together" (i.e., FC proper and all the other FC spin-offs) and publish it in one volume.
and,
Do you want another DC event after this, or do you want them to wait for awhile to let things settle? I want a two-year minimum ban on stuff like this. I think it's shotgun storytelling at the expense of character/universe development. This excludes series-based events like "New Krypton" and "Blackest Night" type of stuff.
Frankly, I wish I'd waited for trades, but I got in w/ a couple of issues and I'm enough of a conditioned completion freak that now I have to be the rest of the issues monthly.
No, but I mainly blame Countdown for that. It kind of took all the bits of FC that were going to be interesting or mysterious or cool and bludgeoned them to death with a stupid-stick.
ReplyDeleteWell, currently I have no clue what's going on still after 3 issues, so I figure I'll drop it and just wait for the HC so maybe it will have additional context. Issue 4 is the litmus test for me; if I'm still somewhat lost I'll drop it flip through the HC later to see if it helps.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, event wise, I'm done with DC for a while. Too many bad ones. Secret Invasion is being done much better IMO.
i care, in that i still find it interesting.
ReplyDeletei'm collecting the main seven issues, none of the spin offs, i might pick up "submit" this week though.
pass on the hardcover.
and i honestly don't care about big events, i'm only reading this because it's morisson.
because largely i don't care about shared universes in comics. just makes things a mess.
Yup! I'm still interested. Luckily I'm not invested in picking it up every month. My local shops keep back issues on the shelf so I've been waiting for issue 4 to pick up some of the other ones.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to Carlos Pacheco's artwork on this. I prefer his artwork to J.G. Jones (with absolutely nothing against Mr. Jones!) because he has that fan-vibe that George Perez has. Pacheco pays attention to things like character stance so that each character acts and moves differently. I wish he'd been involved from the beginning.
When I can't remember what a storyline is about, especially an "event" storyline like Final Crisis is suppose to be then you know its getting bad. Its either my event burnout or just really crappy writing and I am starting to come around to thinking its the latter. How can you mess up this big when you have the ENTIRE DC toybox to play with? Am I the only one who is tired of these superstar writers who deliver subpar efforts and we all are suppose to feel stupid because we don't get it. Batman R.I.P. suffers from this hurbris also. I should not have to collect every issue first and read it all in one shot just to keep up. Play around with your Seven Soldiers all you want Morrison but this is BATMAN and anything called "final" should have me on the edge of my seat. You owe me that much.
ReplyDeleteDo you still care about Final Crisis?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see what happens in Final Crisis, but my interest has waned ever since issue one. This series was built up to be a big deal, and it hasn't lived up to that billing.
Follow up questions:
Were you collecting it?
No, I've been downloading the issues and reading them on my computer.
Are you still collecting it?
No.
If you are collecting it, would you buy the hardcover?
I might buy the hardcover if it was priced well, and had some good extras.
Do you want another DC event after this, or do you want them to wait for awhile to let things settle?
No events for at least a few years. The titles I read or buy the most don't crossover too much or at all with other books.
Yes! Yes I care!
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend is buying the floppies, so I will get the trade when it comes out. And the tie-ins. How else am I supposed to get my Question fix?
I really disliked it when it started, because like most Morrison things it started slow. But now I am hooked. Unlike many things in DC today it still makes me care and ponder.
I'm buying it mostly because of Big Science Action and the Super Young Team. (And partly because I think it's brilliant.)
ReplyDeleteI only bought the first issue of Final Crisis and refuse to buy anyhting by Grant Morrison after his insensitive fratboy rape joke about Sue Dibny. His writing is largely problematic with me - I always feel like there are panels missing.
ReplyDeleteI'm tired of big events. They are all plot-driven, and not character driven. Plus, the organization behind them has been awful in the past few years.
I'm still interested, but not as much as I was prior to issue 1. I've dropped all the FC tie-ins and minis, like Superman Beyond and Legion of Three Worlds (except Revelations, but that's more for Rucka and to see what he does with The Question and Spectre, as opposed to caring how it ties into the greater whole). For that fact, over the course of the last year or so, I've pretty much dropped all DC Universe titles (still getting a bunch of Vertigo stuff).
ReplyDeleteThe change in artists doesn't bug me. Final Crisis wasn't a caliber of work where changing artists mid-stream would really change the totality of the finished product. FC isn't bad, but it's no Watchmen. Heck, it's no Secret Invasion, either (though it is much better than Infinite Crisis). I love Morrison, but this isn't his greatest achievement. Which depresses me somewhat. In my mind, Final Crisis was the last chance for DC to turn things around from their downward spiral of the last several years.
-r-
I never cared about Final Crisis.
ReplyDelete1. No.
ReplyDelete2. Yes.
3. Yes, came this far may as well play it out.
4. I don't usually fork out money for hardcovers where I have the floppies. In fact, the only hardcover I did shell out for was Ghostbusters: Legion which, hehe, never came out (ordered two copies, one was supposed to be a wedding present for a GB fan...ah well). Eventually I'll finally get the damn Heroes one, though...
5. Read my lips: No. More. Events. Period. I want good done-in-one tales with building subplots like the old days.
Because I like to answer questions that are generally not aimed at people with reading habits like mine...
ReplyDeleteDo you still care about Final Crisis?
I'd love to read it when it's done. No serial for me, please.
Were you collecting it?
No. But I would have bought at minimum the first issue had it been available at retail...which Final Crisis emphatically has not been.
Are you still collecting it?
No.
If you are collecting it, would you buy the hardcover?
If I was collecting it, whether or not I buy a collected edition depends on the quality of the pamphlets.
Do you want another DC event after this, or do you want them to wait for awhile to let things settle?
Doesn't matter. If the story is good when it stands on its own, and I enjoy it, I'll buy it when its collected. It's not as if the state of perpetual crossover has any relevance to my real reading happens.
Grant Morrison is great as a "free-spirt" in comics. He is a really good writer. I dug Invisibles, WE3, The Filth, but he really tears continuity apart. He's even stated a couple times "F"word continuity. And, that's the fun of the mythos.
ReplyDeleteI'm stickin' with it, cuz a good ending can always redeem a story, at least somewhat. If they were to have a big event RIGHT afterwards, I honestly wouldn't care. If it turned out to be good, I'd just back-issue. Like Trinity, I hear it's good, but I just didn't wanna go through another year-long, weekly comic.
Again, Grant Morrison is a good writer, he just gets to surreal sometimes, and that doesn't quite work with a mainstream universe that has established decades of continuity. Giving him the reigns of the entire universe, in my even good opinion of him, was a pretty bad idea.
I'll wait for the Wikipedia summary, then see what comes from the aftermath.
ReplyDeleteHaven't purchased a DC miniseries since Identity Crisis.
I did buy the 52 trades, and felt they were worth it. (When will the origins be collected?)
I *might* read the trade, but won't buy it. Events should be kept to one title or line, like "No Man's Land".
Meh. I've got serious Grant Morrison burnout, between FC and Batman RIP. As I've said about a number of films, "just because people can't understand it doesn't make it deep." The tie-ins are actually better than the main series in my opinion, particularly the one with the Rogues.
ReplyDeleteI actually feel this series would have been better off being released as a complete work, with the ancillary mini-series being released over the course of the 2-3 months following it.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I second kevenn's disgust at Morrison's joke about Sue Dibny. And shall we start predicting when Morrison will pen his next great Adventure In Writing Big, Midlife Crisis?
Never was interested, only bought the J'onn J'onnz special that Mahnke drew.
ReplyDelete"Do you still care about Final Crisis?"
ReplyDeleteYeah. It's been problematic and had too many tangents, but it isn't terrible or anything. I still see potential, but Morrison is usually more about the journey than the destination.
"Were you collecting it?" Yes.
"Are you still collecting it?" Yes.
"If you are collecting it, would you buy the hardcover?" Absolutely not.
"Do you want another DC event after this?"
I doubt very seriously I will be buying any more DC events, at least as overpriced floppies. Wait for the reviews, and based on them, the trade.
After buying issue 4 and reading FC: Submit... oh, yeah, I still care about it! Yeah, the first three issues seemed a little... bleh, but I think someone whacked Grant Morrison with a clue stick, since suddenly everything is making sense and it's high action. The Anti-Life troops and their slogans are nicely original, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteDo you still care about Final Crisis?
ReplyDeleteI'm giving it the old college try, but it's really hard to follow what's going on. I dumped Countdown after a few issues way back when. It's just really hard to follow what the hell is going on. I don't get how the tie-in issues are supposed to tie-in for the most part. I think what bothers me most is that Final Crisis doesn't feel as cohesive an event as Infinite Crisis did (and I really liked Infinite Crisis).
Were you collecting it?
Yes.
Are you still collecting it?
Yes.
If you are collecting it, would you buy the hardcover?
No.
Do you want another DC event after this, or do you want them to wait for awhile to let things settle?
I'm looking forward to The Blackest Night, but that's only because I'm a huge Green Lantern fan, and I know that Geoff Johns can tell a story in a way that makes sense to me, unlike Grant Morrison who make me feel like a moron for not "getting it."
Maybe this is their ploy: make this "final" one convoluted and late and ultimately meaningless, allowing them to justify not doing them anymore? Nah, even I don't believe that.
ReplyDeleteI just read FC #4. It finally clicked for me. Somehow that "missing pages" feeling the first three issues gave me were gone in this issue. It finally seems to be building to something. I'll keep buying it.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that he used the Ray is flippin' awesome. And Submit kinda blew my mind. I get the feeling that he is methodically making C listers important again and Just trying to make the whole thing stronger. He's got my vote. Also the Flash super kiss made me feel warm inside.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been too interested in it. I also was expecting it to be this awesome amazing thing, but the first couple of issues were just "meh". Not collecting it, likely will not start collecting it, and I might buy the trade, but definitely not the hardcover. I will, however, buy the hardcover of All Star Superman. That book redeems FC and RIP, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAs for events... no. I've seen far too many events that were supposed to "change everything" that ultimately changed nothing. Here's a thought: how about accessible comics that tell a complete story in one or two issues, and don't rely on completely altering the character?
I honestly haven't really given much of a toss about Final Crisis.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's because I'm a bit burnt-out and cynical about big comic book events. Yeah, "The Day Evil Won" sounds all epic and dark and all that, but it also sounds exactly like something which has a big reset button or Deus Ex Machina waiting right at the end of it, or a retcon lurking in the near distant future for anything that people can't deal with what happens in it. I'm also not convinced that the DC universe needs to be 'darker'.
But I don't think this will end big events. They'll just go on and on, getting ever more bloated, convoluted and impenetrable.
Do you still care about Final Crisis?
ReplyDeleteYes, this is the most intelligently written mainstream superhero comic for years. Morrison is at his best when he is allowed to do what he wants. Even reigned in by DC, he has still produced a really good story. I do feel that trade will be the best way to read this though but I feel that about most comics.
Yes I was and still am collecting it. I have also been buying the tie-ins even though they have little to do with the main story they are enjoyable in their on way (unlike Secret Invasion where the tie ins are essential to understand what is going on in the main event - Bad Marvel). The one tie-in I really havent enjoyed is Revalations, not sure why. I have bought the first 3 issues though, so will be in till the end.
I wont be buying the hardcover since I have the floppies. I may buy the trade at some point down the line but hardcovers are way too expensive (Ironically if I had downloaded the issues illeagally, then I would have saved enough money to buy the trade!!)
Once this is over I would prefer no events for events sake for a long time. If they are good stories, then I have no problem but I have no interest in the Kryptonians next year and only a passing interest in Blackest Night.
I bought the issue yesterday, I'm going to try to get through it & give you all my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for contributing your opinions!
I bought one issue and immediately lost interest. I think I felt too burnt out after Infinite Crisis and 52 and all of that. It just felt like a marketing ploy more than anything.
ReplyDeleteI dropped this after issue #2, mainly because I became unemployed. That said, I doubt if I would have stuck with it even if I still had the income to buy it. I just find it too confusing, and I don't think my problems with the book are because of a lack of knowledge of the DC universe. In fact, for a book like this, you shouldn't need to in order to follow the story.
ReplyDeleteNo.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping issue 4 would do it for me but no.
The only bright part was Carlos Pacheco.
Imported comic prices just sky rocketed over here so no, I don't. That doesn't mean I will stop buying comics but , my pull-list will be kind of frozen at the moment as I will only buy the titles I really like, and probably go retro as stock that came before won't change prices.
ReplyDeleteI tend to read Marvel rather than DC but started with Final Crisis because it promised to be a pivotal tale and, therefore, a way back in to the DC Universe but I am finding it incoherent (possibly because of my lack of knowledge) and slow. I am enjoying Batman RIP a lot more.
ReplyDeleteA) No, I'm not reading Final Crisis
ReplyDeleteB) See A.
C) No.
D) Given how bad DC's events are and how poor their solo titles have been lately. I would rather DC focused on fixing their solo books and wait a while before going into these wide spanning events. They are sinking into the toilet and no one seems bothered by it.
Vaaaaaaleriiiiie! I know there's been all sorts of stuff going on to distract you but I'm reallllly wanting to see what you thought of the latest Final Criiisis.
ReplyDeleteDo I care about Final Crisis? I'd have to say... vaguely. I seem to have gotten into the habit of following DC's "uber-stories" since the advent of the one-issue-per-week schtick. And I am a huge Grant Morrison & JG Jones fan, so Final Crisis would seem like a no-brainer.
ReplyDeleteBUT...
The storyline seems haphazard so far. The villains seem scary, but in a vague sort of way... nothing really *connects* with me right now. And the print schedule hasn't been helping the series hold my interest! I'll stick around to the bitter end, mainly because I'm stubborn and want to see how things play out.
But I won't be buying the hardcover. And I need a break from "Big Events" once this finishes. Especially ones that meander like this one does.
In the order of asking: Yes, yes, not sure yet, and not sure yet.
ReplyDeleteThat last in particular's going to depend on a number of things, including how The Blackest Night works out, I suspect.
I still trust in all things Morrison and while it would be dishonest to say that I completely follow everything that is going on, I will say that I am still following the basic story and I hope the whole thing comes together by the end.
ReplyDeleteWhat appears most odd about all of DC's big events is the way the company seems to want to ashoehorn story elements for half a dozen other unrelated stories into their event books and peripherals,