File #10: Crisis Of The Lame

Final Crisis # 2

Story by Grant Morrisson
Art by J.G. Jones
Coloring by Alex Sinclair

So here it is, yet another "crisis crossover", this time, DC's Final Crisis. DC have spent at least 2 years (?) promoting and tying in books to lead in to this. Any DC book you open up in the last 6 months has some advertisment with a splash page of their A-List Rouge's gallery grining like it drunk sorority chicks at a strip club with the tagline: "The Day Evil Won," or something like that. To cut to the chase, DC has dumped a TON of money into promoting their Final Crisis crossover, luring fanboys and non-fanboys alike to this epic.

Why did they bother, I don't know.

Maybe I'm missing something, but when a major crossover event is planned, shouldn't there be some kind of hook to lead in readers who aren't major fans of the franchise? May it a be a simple concept, decent action or comprehensible writing?

Final Crisis seems to toss those ideas out, this book is strictly made for ultra fanboys, the ones who know 60 + years of comic lore inside and out and would not mind shelling out four dollars an issue for something as boring as this.

Two issues in, I still don't know what's going on other than the Martian Manhunter and D grade hero Orion getting killed, Hal Jordan getting framed for beating up John Stewart, Batman getting experimented on in an "evil factory" and Barry Allen, (the third Flash) runing from the Black Racer harder than a crackhead in a looting spree.

Throw in subplots about the Super Society of Super Villians going on a membership drive and a group of Japanese supers (without the sentai or the giant robots? I don't buy it) upsurping their older American counterparts (hoo boy, is it 1941 again?) and you get a very mediocre exposition story that strangled me with bordom and a hell of a lot more questions then answers that can only be solved by a relaible wiki.

Grant Morrison's dialog is okay but not anything to shake a stick at. However, his handling of the plot flat out sucks. All of this could've been compressed in issue one with some of the more lame subplots dropped or pushed to a later issue. The only saving grace is the art by J.G. Jones and Alex Sinclair. The art and the epic covers save this book from going completely into the crapper.

Part two ended with Barry Allen runnig for his life and a epic reunion of three of the Flashes. Hopefully part three will pick things up, or at least, become more comprehensible.

2.5 out of 5 Stars