Superhero Times: a service of Action Online
Check out Premier Collectible Auctions for your chance to own an amazing assortment of high-end collectibles.
For a great selection of superhero action figures and collectibles, check out fine retailers BigBadToyStore.com, CornerStoreComics.com, WhiteWizardToys.com, ToyWiz.com, ToyRocket.com, Alter Ego Comics, HobbyLinkJapan.com, StatueToys.com, HEO.com, Urban-Collector.com, and Elm Street Online.
For a great selection of superhero and pop culture apparel, check out TShirtGurus.com and 80sTees.com.
The DC Comics premier event of the year has begun and I must say that while Grant Morrison's storytelling is superb (as is to be expected), the story that is actually told is a tad underwhelming.
The book opens on Anthro, The First Boy, who was the first Cro-Magnon man born in the stone age. Metron, the seeker of knowledge from the New Gods universe, brings Anthro fire to further the development of early man. This leads to Anthro taking dominance over his contemporaries.
The story then shifts to modern day as a bizarre storm covers North America. The sky turns red (blood red?) and Metropolis P.D. Detective Dan “Terrible” Turpin stumbles upon the body of Orion, warrior of the New Gods, who is on the verge of death after his battle with Darkseid in the “Death of the New Gods” mini-series. Turpin leaves Orion for the “space cops” and continues on with his investigation of kids disappearing off of the streets of Metropolis. His investigation leads him to The Dark Side Club, where he finds a group of humans whose names and actions sound suspiciously like the New Gods who recently perished.
Meanwhile, Libra and his group of super-villains continue to try to win over the super-villain heavy weights like Lex Luthor and Vandal Savage to their alliance. Picking up the thread from Justice League of America 21, Libra promises any villain that joins his team their “heart’s desire.” Libra snatches The Human Flame’s nemesis, The Martian Manhunter, and stabs him with a flaming staff while the The Human Flame films with his cell phone.
On the Monitor Satellite, the Monitors work to protect “New Earth” from the loss of Earth-51, destroyed in “Countdown to Final Crisis.” Nix Uotan, the Monitor sent to protect the planet, is made mortal and banished. Weeja Dell, the female Monitor he has fallen in love with, laments his banishment tries to deal with the changes the Monitors have dealt with ever since the multiverse was reborn.
Finally the book closes on Kamandi, The Last Boy, who appears to live in the post-apocalyptic world of Earth-51. Anthro appears on Kamandi’s world and Kamandi says that Metron gave Anthro a weapon against the New Gods. Upon hearing this, Anthro appears to go into a trance and trace a design on his face. He then wakes up in the present day in a different body while his TV shows a news report on the murder of the Martian Manhunter.
There are some appearances by The Question, The Green Lanterns, and The Guardians, but they don’t seem to play major roles in any of this. And while the story seems to offer little that hasn’t been seen in comics before, it’s told very well. Characters them should seem flat on the surface, come across as real entities. Grant Morrison is also able to weave the story together in a manner that makes it interesting, even if it’s almost impossible for non-DC regulars to understand everything that is going on.
JG Jones has been endlessly praised for his work on the covers of DC Comic’s series “52” and here he has been given a chance to do sequential work. His art doesn’t disappoint and he handles the most iconic characters with ease.
While Final Crisis may be a little too dense for readers who don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the DC Universe, it is a well written story that presents itself as something greater than the sum of its parts. Final Crisis 1 has a cover price of $3.99 and is available at your local comic book shop.