Final Crisis, Final Thoughts

[Leo656]

Nobody here seems to really care about this book, but now that it's all over (Except Superman: Legion of 3 Worlds) I was just wondering what (if anything) people thought.

I know it kinda seemed off the rails at points, but... did anyone else "get" it?

After reading an interview with Grant Morrison I'm pretty sure I did, but I don't know if too many other people did...

[Anarky]

Honestly, as disjointed and confusing as this was, I'd be surprised if Morrison "got" it himself.

Besides, I don't think it's too good an idea to have 2001 mix with superheroes.

EDIT: Also, you gotta love how DC thought "Meh, **** it!" in the end and just threw everything at us.

[Leo656]

:lol: :lol: :lol: It DOES make sense though... It DOES... just not in a comic book story way...

I'm probably not gonna be able to avoid spoiling some stuff, but whatever. Here's how I read it...

OK, we're all used to stuff like Secret War, Infinite Crisis, etc. etc., stories that unfold beginning-middle-end in a clear structure, with a definite narrative, and at the end things are neatly resolved and the story fits neatly in a TPB or two. Morrison said from the start that this story went beyond standard structured storytelling due to its cosmic dealings, and the story itself is told in many shifting layers. The story collapsing in on itself reflects the collapse of reality itself. Plus, the most important subplot got shifted to Superman Beyond 3D, and if you didn't read that you won't understand anything else.

Basically, if "comics as action movies" are your thing, this ain't it.

To start, don't dwell on Countdown and Death of the New Gods b/c they're not crucial. The recommended reading order is (I think) FC #1-3, Superman Beyond #1 and 2, Submit, FC #4, Resist, FC#5, the two Batman FC issues (682 &683?), then FC 6 and 7. The other minis are only tangentially related. But Superman Beyond is crucial.

There are two main arcs in the story: Darkseid's fall and the ensuing collapse of all reality, and Superman fighting "behind the scenes" of all existence in the Monitor dimension to preserve all existence. Now hang on, because it gets pretty metaphysical and metaphorical. The "real" story of Final Crisis is about the Monitors, who through their actions have gone from simply monitoring the Multiverse, to destroying it. The Multiverse in this story is a metaphor for ALL fiction, ALL stories, and the Monitors are basically us, as they represent the "keepers" of these stories. The Monitors keep the Orrery of Worlds functioning in a perfect clockwork order... in a bottle. This represents how in trying to preserve things as they are, we often choke the life from them and don't allow them to grow. Especially ideas.

Kind of like how there used to be an infinite number of universes, but then the 80s happened, strict continuity became en vogue, and everything got erased from comics history in the name of "simplifying". Get it?

So now there's a Multiverse again, but only 52 universes. Growth, but still a structured, "trapped" idea. More metaphors later.

Meanwhile, the First Monitor became corrupted through contact with the "germ worlds" and banished. Enraged, Mandraak the Dark Monitor vowed to arise at the darkest point of all history and take revenge on all existence for his banishment. That's where Darkseid's story comes in, the stock "comic book plot" of "Evil God takes over existence, good guys fight back". But Darkseid enslaving everything was really the cradle of life (or Anti-Life) through which Mandraak was reborn. So while the heroes struggle to topple Darkseid and free Earth, Superman battles Mandraak to keep him from destroying the all and the everything beyond.

OK, more metaphorical stuff. Morrison's explained that, as a metaphor in this story, Darkseid represents sort of the old, tired ideas that maybe need to take a rest. That's shown clearly in his plotline, the tired old "Evil God Takes Over" angle. Superman, as it's almost plainly stated within the story, represents the power of pure, unbridled imagination. His, the story tells us, is the ultimate story of unstoppable good, and therefore, he is the only one capable of being the hero. So if Superman represents imagination, and Darkseid a lack of imagination, and the Monitors represent the limits of our imagination, then Mandraak represents the opposite of imagination, the death of ideas.

"There's really only one story," we're told in Superman Beyond, "Luckily it has all the other stories in it." This is the story of Everything. And if Mandraak wins, it ends. On the page you can see how the story becomes more disjointed as reality collapses on itself over time. Again, metaphorical.

It ends with Superman winning, of course, because, as the story tells us, that's what the idea of Superman does. And in about the most bald-faced metaphor that really shouldn't need an explanation, Superman wins with a literal "deus ex machina". Really. He wishes on the "God Weapon" for simply, a happy ending. And it unfolds. Maybe not the most logical of ways, but this ain't logic, it's comics. And it's Morrison blatantly exposing that ALL these stories end with a "deus ex machina" in one way or another, they just don't literally call it a "God Weapon", usually.

So at the end, the Monitors basically seem to "erase" themselves from existence, because their "Monitoring" was killing everything. So what Morrison is saying here is that imagination, the act of creation and ideas, does not need to be held in any kind of check or balance, it should simply be allowed to be. I could be wrong, but I suspect instead of just 52 we'll be back to having an infinite, unending Multiverse again, too.

Basically, this was a story about the power of stories, myths, legends, and imagination, not a "good guy vs bad guy" comic book mega-event. We expected the latter, and we didn't get it, and that's why it's "confusing". Remember the original tagline, "Heroes Die, Legends Live Forever"? Now it makes sense. Especially at the end, when Anthro the First Boy finishes scripting his stories in the sand, then dies, and... "someone else" picks up where he left off, even though that "someone else" was clearly supposed to have died.

Because they don't die. It's a story, like all of them are. And like the last panel illustrates, stories don't end, they just pass to a new teller.

Whew, that was exhausting. Yeah, it's complicated. And a little pretentious. But it DOES make sense. Just try and think less "Identity Crisis" and more "Never-Ending Story", and you'll see where that Scottish lunatic was coming from. :lol:

[Anarky]

I completely disagree on most points and will illustrate on them at some point, but you should totally be a writer for my site. Because this is wasted as a forum post.

[ZariusTwo]

FC was more than the average bear could handle...and eventually it'll be appreciated in that way Miller's "All Star Batman" is now

[Leo656]

((shrugs))

Maybe I just read too much in general, or too many comics specefically (currently about 5500 and counting in my collection), but I honestly never had too much trouble with this story, I'unno. Part of it probably has to do with the fact that in high school my Creative Writing teachers used to just bury us in all this exact stuff, all the heavy metaphors and characters representing specefic things. So I kind of new what it all mean in FC, then I looked around and found a few Q and As with Morrison where he spelled a lot of it out really plainly. So as far as what it "means", I'm pretty sure I'm about 90% on the mark, at least.

But there's not a lot of that stuff in comics anymore, so this book just was probably really obtuse, abstract, and pretentious for people who just wanted to see JLA vs. Darkseid. That I will grant.

I also agree that art is subjective, and that people can see things however they want, and that reading comics shouldn't need to be so complicated as to require instructions. I half liked/half hated Brian Azzarello's "For Tomorrow" run on Superman because I had to read it four times to get it. But I did get it. It was a good story. Something doesn't have to be simple to be good, nor does it need to be incomprehensible to be "deep".

Final Crisis isn't incomprehensible, but it is deep. It takes a little work. Maybe that's bad. But it didn't bother me. Seemed pretty epic. And it was definitely different than most stuff out there.

I don't wanna sound like I'm the last word on this subject, it's just that it seems like I'm the only one who liked it. Which is fine, but I really dig in-depth discussion on stuff this controversial. The fact that everybody has a different view of it is a perfect reason to discuss it.

When did I become Grant Morrison's official PR guy anyway? Next I'll be sticking up for Frank Miller of all people...

[Andrew NDB]

I thought FC was pretty brilliant, but didn't have a lot of emotion on the page. It felt like too much too quickly... in the course of a 12 issue mini it would have really flourished.

Superman Beyond was badass.

[Leo656]

I can barely remember a single other time you and me agreed on anything in the 6 or so years I known ya, and THIS we agree on. Grant Morrison doesn't know just what power he holds, apparently!:lol:

And I totally agree, even though I totally understood the "jump-cuttiness" of the story it sure didn't leave much time for heartfelt emotion. Twelve issues at least, if not more, would have allowed some breathing room, as it is it does read like pieces are missing. Intentional on the part of the writer, but a little disorienting.

Superman Beyond ended up being my favorite part of the whole thing, just because that's where you finally see what's really going on, and Superman doesn't often get to go on these mind-bending cosmic adventures much since the 80s. Total retro throwback to the spaced-out Kirby stuff, which I didn't always like, but I get this as an homage so it totally rocks on that level. I even liked the hyperbolic dialogue more than I would normally, since it's obviously trying to mimic the over-the-top feel of those Kirby stories.

Ultraman: "There is a God, and HE HATES US ALL!"

Gotta love that kinda stuff...

[Leo656]

Newsarama has a couple interviews with Morrison where he explains the ending and everything else in greater detail, and confirms that I wasn't crazy after all and did get it after all.

People are still resisting it, but eh, whatever, let 'em go read X-Men...

[Andrew NDB]

I've read interesting evidence to suggest Morrison wrote the Monitors in FC as metaphors for DC's upper brass (revealed as cosmic vampires that leech off the lifeblood of the Multiverse), and Mandrakk is intended to represent Dan Didio himself.

[Leo656]

I wouldn't doubt it. :lol: A lotta people aren't in love with DiDio it seems.

My fiancee and I read FC together over the weekend and she loved it. She doesn't read anywhere near as many comics as me but she wasn't very confused at all and even got all the metaphorical stuff. We did have the same HS English teacher, but still.

I like comics that aren't afraid to be different and mess with your mind, I'unno.

[Lord Nightwalker]

Anyone else think that anyone other than Bruce in the suit isn't Batman? Or is it just me? My Money is on Grayson as (temp) successor.

[Andrew NDB]

Anyone else think that anyone other than Bruce in the suit isn't Batman? Or is it just me? My Money is on Grayson as (temp) successor.

Morrison has pretty much flat out indicated that it's Bruce there. That scene -- and he claims this was the only tampering from up above -- was added at the behest of Dan Didio, who didn't want the public to think even for a couple of weeks that Batman was really dead.

But bottom line... anyone who's read Kirby comics know exactly what the "Omega Sanction" is (not to be confused with just the generic "Omega Effect")... and it's not death.

[Leo656]

Yeah, I'm a bit fuzzy on my Kirby-verse, I mean I have a passable knowledge of most of the important stuff, but I do remember that there is a difference. Doesn't the Omaga Effect teleport, disintegrate, and/or resurrect those who have recently been disentegrated? I'm pretty sure The Sanction does something different...

I do wonder where Battle For The Cowl is gonna go, I'm looking forward to it. We all know Bruce'll be back, but a couple years of Nightwing as Batman would be a cool change of pace. Grayson needs to stand and be recognized as one of the pillars of the DCU, and that won't happen with Bruce always being around.

Anyone else see in a few of the books how they're using subtle tricks with the mask and Nightwing's expressions to make him look like Batman? Especially when he snarls in close-up. I wonder if that's a bit of foreshadowing, or just a red herring...

[Anarky]

In the whole "Dick looks like Bruce"-thing, my money's on "mostly coincidence and some overanalyzing by fans."

[Andrew NDB]

Doesn't the Omaga Effect teleport, disintegrate, and/or resurrect those who have recently been disentegrated?

Yeah. Or just purely kill, or transform (I remember how he zapped Cyborg Superman once with the Omega Effect and converted him into a tiny little orb).

I'm pretty sure The Sanction does something different...

Yeah, it forces whoever it hits to live out a series of tortuous lives, each one worse than the last. Mr. Miracle escaped it before... should be a cakewalk for Bruce, especially with what else he's been through the past year.

[Leo656]

I wonder if what you're saying has anything to do with the first part of Gaiman's "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?" that just came out. The events as shown in that book seem oddly similar to what you're describing.