Finally, Crisis

Finally, Crisis

Dec 15

So I spent some time this weekend re-reading all of Final Crisis to date, and then reading a CBR file of issue 5, since my physical copy is currently winging its way toward me in an envelope from Arlington, MA. Some notes:

I think it’s definitely true that a lot of Grant Morrison’s work tends to make more sense as a totality than as specific chapters published in incremental installments, but Final Crisis actually works pretty well from issue to issue, when you slow yourself down and concentrate enough to adjust to Morrison’s unique sense of pacing. He really does clip off the beginnings and endings of scenes, compressing each bit of action and dialogue until only the barest essentials remain. It requires a level of discipline as a reader that frankly most comics don’t need.

So on the second reading, I understood everything better, but not just because it was the second time I’d read it–I also slowed myself down enough to consume the story morsels I was being rapidly fed, instead of speeding through them with the expectation that at some point all the heavy lifting would be done for me and I’d get some kind of breather to process what I was seeing.

This fifth issue really does tighten the noose quite a bit–the threads are being pulled taut and we’re past the “what the fuck” moments and into the “oh, that’s what the fuck” moments big time. Finally, this does feel like a Crisis, beyond just the touchstone moments that Morrison gave us in rapid succession over the past four issues.

Am I right in assuming that we don’t know exactly what the battle was all about that involved the fall of Darkseid? Or was that covered in Death of the New Gods, or Countdown, or some shit? There’s all these references to some big battle that resulted in the New Gods having to take these imperfect human forms. Or maybe the battle was in Seven Soldiers? I dunno. Not essential to understanding the story, but I’d sure like to know what it means, if it means anything at all.

The conclusion of this bad boy will truly be something fast and near-incomprehensible given all the remaining plot bits to sort out–I’m especially curious as to how Libra will factor into all this. I’m guessing he’s really Glorious Godfrey or something, one of the evil New Gods dedicated to lining up all the villains to help prepare the way of Darkseid. However it shakes out, I think it will be a magnificent read in trade paperback or hardcover.

I did try to read the Morrison-penned spinoffs, but after making my way thru Superman Beyond #1, I decided to skip Submit, as it seemed pretty inconsequential. After putting some time and concentration into reading Final Crisis proper, I thought the same technique would help me understand Superman Beyond. It didn’t–that is one fucking incoherent comic book. In a good way, I guess, although I prefer Morrison’s weirdness when I feel like I have some prayer of someday understanding it.

I’m very interested to see where Morrison heads next–not so much with the story here, but with comics overall. There’s a definite sense that he’s tying up his loose ends as best as he possibly can, bringing together connections from all his various DCU stories into one giant megaepic Morrison opus. Combined with the uncertainty of Morrison’s status on Batman, and I wonder if he isn’t really making more of a commitment to Vertigo and creator-owned.

It’s part of a general trend I’ve noticed, one that makes a hell of a lot of sense–creators like Rucka, Morrison, Brubaker, etc making time for creator-owned properties instead of just slaving away in the pits of corporate superhero comics. Because as Hollywood continues to strip mine the medium for story ideas, a really good Batman run isn’t going to help Morrison much–it’s his creator-owned material that will mean prestige, paydays, and new creative opportunities.

Other than the truly die-hard company men like Bendis and Johns, I wonder how many more creators will say “fuck it” to the exclusives system and just play the field, focusing more on their own ideas than on making sure some flagship corporate title sells gangbusters for six months before the next meaningless event comes along to derail everything they’ve done.