Final Crisis #2

Posted by Graig on June 26, 2008

(DC)

I said at the end of my two and a half Viking review for the first issue that Grant Morrison “always has a plan, but it’s anybody’s guess how clear the story will be by [Final Crisis'] completion.” Well, as much as I’d love to spout Hannibal’s popular refrain “I love it when a plan comes together”, it’s just not time yet. I will say, however, that things are definitely looking up.

The first issue was a head scratcher, disparate threads strewn about the pages, hardly a single transition amongst them. This issue, comparatively, is tight. Oh it’s not a wicker chair yet, but there’s a leg starting to take shape at least as Morrison weaves his tale of gods, villains, murder and mystery.

Is this issue any less confusing than the first? Yes, noticeably so. A bit of a puzzler still, sure, but at least now we’re starting to get a sense of momentum. Looking back a little bit to his JLAdays it would seem Morrison is hinging much of his story around the big guns, currently Martian Manhunter (and his death), Green Lantern (and the interstellar police Corps), The Flash(es), Batman and Superman all taking a prominent place in the story. Detective Dan Turpin continues to provide the man-on-the-street perspective of the events unfolding, but of course, his role to play is so much larger than he understands, although we the reader are privy to more of the details than he.

This issue kicks off with a bit of a side-step into practically unexplored territory in the DC Universe, that is Japan, and Morrison in a few quick pages, establishes and entire superhero culture different from virtually all other superhero landscapes, flirting incredibly with the popularized image of the consumerist, marketable, trend-conscious Japanese youth culture. It’s an imaginative and stimulating (if brief) diversion from the existing story threads that dovetails nicely back into the fold, while acting as a pause the series needs to intrigue the readers who may have dismissed it after the first issue.

All the gripes I had with the series after the first chapter haven’t disappeared completely, but things like trying to figure out how Death of the New Gods or Countdown fit are now pretty much pointless. The story tried (barely) to bridge them last issue, and failed, and now it’s moving on. A New God is dead, and Martian Manhunter murdered. How? Why? The Justice League wants to know. And now the gods of Apokolypse are manifesting in human form on earth. Uh oh. And Libra is out to prove the bad guys are in control, which bad news for all. While I don’t think a new reader will be feeling any more at ease with this second issue, I think a casual DC comics reader will start to get a sense of the overall picture. Sure, there’s a bunch of little details that still have me furrowing my brow (like why was Turpin’s ear bleeding, and what did Batman’s comment “John has one hell of a right hook, doesn’t he” mean?) but chances are these do have some logic behind them (or I’m just dense and missing something).

I’m still finding J.G. Jones’ figures and details to be astounding, but his storytelling still leaves something to be desired. I’m not sure if it’s his fault or the writer’s (or editorial for that matter), as a few captions regarding changes in locale, time or setting would prove incredibly useful to the story’s fluidity.

Now that I’m comfortable in my belief that Morrison has things under control, I’m going to stop second-guessing him, I’m going to avoid convention buzz and internet debates and on-line annotations and corporate hype, and just see how this unfolds over the next six (or seven or ten) months. I’m convinced more now than I was last month that Final Crisis isn’t meant to be an event, not of the cross-over kind, but a contained story, akin to the non-event status of Identity Crisis. Elements from DC’s past will trickle in, sure, but it’s written to work both as stand alone and part of the greater continuity, and when it’s over the status quo will be altered, just how much remains to be seen.

3 and a half out of 5 Vikings

Filed Under: Rack Raids

Tags: 3.5/5, dc, Event, Final Crisis, grant morrison, jg jones, superhero

Gyuss Baaltar said,

I read this one through twice and I can’t believe I liked it. I was really ready to hate it. But I liked it.

Dang, maybe this is actually turning into a tale worth telling.
Adam said,

I’m pretty sure Turpin was possessed by Darkseid at the end of last issue, which explains a number of things (like why he seems to have forgotten everything that happened to him in the club, why Don King/Glorious Godfrey welcomes him so gladly, and, presumably, why his ear was bleeding).
Bad said,

Seemed pretty straightforwards to me. In #1, I think, Darkside mentions that the bodies the Gods inhabit burn out quickly. Kraken is clearly possessed in some way by a bad god (Granny?) as she reveals right before attacking Batman. Turpin is housing Darkside: that’s why Don King talks about “Turpin’s” son Kaliback (i.e. Darkside’s son).

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Final Crisis #2

Filed Under: Rack Raids

Tags: 3.5/5, dc, Event, Final Crisis, grant morrison, jg jones, superhero

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