Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities FINAL CRISIS (Official Thread)

You know, I really do love the ideas Morrison plays around with and the grand scope he achieves here. I loved Kirby's works, too, for the same reasons. But, forgive me for being an annoying fanboy, but the at the heart of the story (like the multiverse) is a big black hole. Why DID all this happen, anyway?

There are 2 parallel stories happening here: Darkseid's "downfall" to earth and his "plan" to "control" all creation. Then, there is the story of the Monitors and Mandrakk, who is apparently the original Monitor from COIE, corrupted and evil.

Why 2 parallel stories? Both are plenty big enough for one event comic, for goodness sakes! To use both, you kinda need to have them linked, and they really aren't. For all my reading of this stuff, they happen coincidentally. Just because it would be cool.

Furthermore, the whole place and role of the New Gods is now more muddied than ever. What ARE they, exactly? What is their relation to the Multiverse? These weren't even questions in Kirby's day, or in the post-Kirby use of the 4th World. But, by conflating these 2 parallel stories, Morrison's leaves me the reader horribly confused. I am perfectly comfortable with the idea of the 4th World ending. After all, Kirby showed how the 4th World proceeded from an earlier pantheon of gods, so you are not surprised when Ragnarok befalls this group. Again, I'm pretty unclear how and why it happens when and how it does. Morrison totally punts this one: "war in heaven, evil won." Ooookaaayy. No how or why, or why now? Again, it just happens, 'cause it'll be cool.

But okay, somehow Darkseid is the last god standing, and uses that opportunity to try and take over the universe, starting on earth, of course. But the end of the 4th World eventually comes for him, with mortal heroes as the standard bearers. It has a certain predictable flow to it, but that's okay. Predictable stories can still be good ones. But how and why does Darkseid relate to the multiverse? It seems pretty obvious that New Gods, Darkseid and 4th world stuff are specific to "earth-0," since none of the other multiverse earths glimpsed in Final Crisis seem to have Darkseid problems. So we are back to one of the most nagging problems in integrating Kirby's creations into the DCU -- why are they specific to the main DCU? And why does Darkseid's fall, or indigestion, or kidney stones, have ANY affect on the multiverse? "It's cool" just isn't a good enough explanation.

Finally, the monitors. The one monitor and has anti-part had an origin in COIE, and an ending. Morrison wanted to play with the toys some more, though, and I DO love the idea of the monitors as a corrupted embodiment of the formless, changeless "bulk" from which the multiverse springs, corrupted by the seduction of creation, change and destruction in that multiverse. What should be changeless, unaware and unemergent becomes entangled with the temporality it birthed, sets it self up as gods, overseers, caretakers, but is really parasitically destroying that creation. That, my friends, is a sprockin' awesome story, with all sorts of fun meta-references to creators, readers, fans, editors, and the like, but it happens mostly in the margins here. Sigh.

So, in the end, Darkseid is dead, really dead(?), the monitors have dissolved back into nothingness, having overstayed an invitation that shouldn't have been issued in the first place. There's a 5th World that don't look no different from the 4th, 'ceptin' it's missing the bad guys. I mean, who cares? The best thing you could say for all of this is that Darkseid is really, really dead, so we won't see him again. His final appearance was genuinely evil, worthy of the most evil of evil gods, and now he's gone. Who really believes that will last long? The monitors are gone, but they shouldn't have come back anyway, and who's gonna miss them after this mess and that Countdown dreck? And the New Gods seem to be exactly where they always are, just out there, now with no purpose at all, since their main purpose was to always stalemate Darkseid. If we see them again (and I really hope we don't), unless Morrison is writing them, they'll be as mediocre as they have been since DC forced Kirby to abandon them.

This was all just too much, even for Morrison. There were potentially good stories to tell here, but they didn't belong together, and they tripped all over each other by the end of it.

And a couple of final rants. First, Batman. I really liked RIP, and I plan on re-reading the whole Morrison run now because now that I see what's going on, it's cool. But c'mon, Morrison's Batman (like his Superman), always finds a way. And yet his Batman SHOOTS Darkseid?!?!? With a GUN?!?!?!?! Was that really the only way? Second, Darkseid. He's shot with the radion bullet. He's Black Racered. But he's still not dead? Still hangin' around taunting Superman, and Superman sings him to oblivion?!?!?? Again, just a teeny tiny bit of narrative might have made sense of this. But I sure can't.

Sings?
You have got to be kidding.
O.
M.
G.

[snark]
I figure Paula's a sucker, she likes good looking guys, but either Randy or Simon must have given Clark a free pass.
When's his CD coming out?
[/snark]

Crap.
I was considering buying this, I haven't got a clue who Overgirl is and she sounds kind of cool (in a limited one-shot way) but you just might have convinced me to save my money.

Overgirl is the Supergirl of Earth-10. She isn't Overman's ACTUAL cousin, but she's the only kid who survived the Nazis experiments to seed a human child with his DNA.

psst, anyone else not care at all about nazi superman? i think that whole concept is dumb, i just get so annoyed when i see nazis in things like.. ugghhghg @______@ that just makes me hate that superman really hard. guhh *whinewhinewhine*

i think superman should use his singing power more often.

ok seriously? someone explain what's up with batman. i...i am so angry at how bewildering that is. EXPLAIN TO ME, BEER. I MEAN, FRIENDS. i will give you a dollar.

At least Overman wasn't doing it for "za fahzahland!"

And besides, at least he's better than the LAST Overman.

Beer?

Oh wait. I get it. I'm not much enamored with the Nazi Superman either. I'd rather read an Ultraman story any day.

But singing? Aaarrrggg. Batman sings, I saw it in a cartoon. Why not make Supes do a comedy routine instead? Tell Darkseid terrible jokes until Omega beams shoot out his nose, granite face cracks a smile and literally cracks and crumbles to rubble.

"Hey, is that power absorbtion rod in your pocket or are you happy to see me?"

"Yo mamma's so fat she makes her own gravity well."

"So, you ever get caught spankin' the monkey in a Fire Pit? Good hiding place isn't it?"

Cripes. Have Johns give me a call, we may be able to work something out.

Re the singing - I don't ever know what Morrison's up to but maybe it's a reference to Kirby's original 4th world story. Izaya's wife Avia implores him to sing and he replies that he can't yet ... i.e. he's devoted to war and singing is for peace. Then Darkseid or his uncle (I forget exactly) appears and kills Avia, and the war begins that will end with Izaya turning into Highfather. So maybe the singing thing represents the triumph of peace over war, and good over evil.

Thanks FC. If that's what it all meant then that's kinda cool. Too bad that couldn't be referenced/explained in the actual series.

This helps me in my therapy regarding last week's books.

The Omega Sanction doesn't kill you it forces you live out increasingly more difficult and horrific lives, often in different points throughout time. Mr. Miracle went through it and escaped (in Seven Soldiers: Mr. Miracle), and the original Sonny Sumo went through it and was sent back to Feudal Japan where he died (although his mastery of the Anti-Life Equation may have let him die peacefully). So Batman, hit with the Sanction, has been sent back to pre-historic Earth. If Shiloh found a way out, than batman probably can too (no doubt around the time Morrison and Quietly start working on Batman later this year).

I should clarify. I thought the singing was kind of cool, and if anyone's singing can destroy Darkseid, it's Superman's. FC, thanks SO much for reminding us of the original New Gods source material. My main complaint was that there wasn't enough story to make clear what was happening. First, Batman shoots Darkseid with the radion bullet (did radion come from the original Kirby? I can't remember). Okay, the poisoning from Radion doesn't kill quickly, especially with Darkseid, the story DID make that clear. But then, the Flashes go to ALL THIS EFFORT to direct the Black Racer at Darkseid. Always and before, Black Racer means instant, irrevocable death for a New God. But THEN, Darkseid's still hanging around taunting Superman!?!?!? First, doesn't that just make the Flash's supreme effort absolutely meaningless?!?!?!? Why would you do that to your own story?!?!?! So, you better have some damn explanation for it. One might be that Darkseid's essence had permeated all of what was left of the universe, and Superman's "singing" was the restoration of the multiverse's natural, Darkseid-free vibrations--the good "music of the spheres" referenced at the beginning with the totally cool black Superman president. Thus, the Black Racer killed Darkseid's body, and Superman wiped out his remaining stench on the universe. BUT, if that's the case, why does Superman reference Darkseid as at the last stages of radion poisoning? I love cosmic, trippy stories, and they DON'T have to drown in exposition (I'm lookin' at you, Starlin). But the narrative here is completely lost. I know Morrison would argue, "oh, that's Mandrakk drainin' the story of the multiverse" or something, but THAT'S not an appropriate approach to storytelling. It just looks lazy and contradictory. Just like Hourman showing up wounded on a stretcher on 1 panel in FC #6 and in battle on the next friggin' page! The basic coordination of words and story here (the essential function of EDITORS) just completely breaks down. I don't know how Morrison could be proud of that, especially when we have plenty of recent examples of his work that DO make sense.

I was wondering if there was a 'Life Equation' that would cancel out the Anti-Life Equation and that maybe was the 'tune' that Superman was singing.

I guess I was overthinking things, as usual.

Maybe Darky-poo was just cranky and needed a lullaby so that he'd go nappy-times like a good apocalyptic grumpy-puss up past his naptime...

Ok, it seems to have struck a chord (pun intended) so I'll calm down on the singing issue. To me, the idea of using sound as a weapon just doesn't work well in a print medium. Dazzler, Tyroc, Black Bolt and even Black Canary don't do anything for me at all unless it's a story showcasing their martial arts skills rather than showing off their powerful vocals that I can't (and never will) hear.

I'll admit however that the early set up with the Piper placed the concept strongly into the narrative and does actually make this ending make a kind of sense (whether I like it or not).

OK, everything in the multiverse works on vibrational frequency. In the end, Darkeid's dying essence had infected virtually all of the universe. Since the Universe was set to a certain frequency, Superman destroyed it with a counter-vibration that essentially canceled it out. That counter-frequency is depicted as some kind of "Super Musical Note".

I recall the book specifically mentioning a "Life Equation" but I don't have it in front of me. I'll check tonight. Might have just been my mind trying to make sense of it.

Like any Morrison story, it reads much better as a whole. And yeah, DC should have included the Superman Beyond mini as part of the series. I encourage everyone to re-read again.

So many wild ideas- Super Young Team, the story of the Monitors, Darkseid's fall and rise and fall again, the Life Equation as a song (I'm learning about math in music now) - it's almost too much for 7 issues. And sadly, they won't be used by DC.

I liked FC very much.
Especially the way the story devolved into non-linear and sometimes "didn't really happen because of the end" sections. At first I was majorly confused, and then I realised 'time is breaking... cooool' and all was fine from there.
Of course I needed to read each issue perhaps 4 times to finally get there, but as far as I'm concerned, that's great value for money!

The thing I disliked about it was the wider links and immersion in the greater DCU. Darkseid took over the world, and there was barely a mention in the monthly titles? I understand that crossovers can often clutter a monthly book's run, but... Darkseid took over the world! C'Mon!
The links between R.I.P. and Final Crisis were handled abysmally.
The lack of control over tardy old J.G. should have never happened. And while I liked it, I'm sure Grant's story could have been editorially tightened if DC weren't so scared of losing him.

rouge: oh my god, you're my hero, thanks for explaining that.

unfortunately that also makes me violently sad and angry. !

man i just don't like reading a book where i need wikipedia open, the dc encyclopedia balanced on my knee, and well, resorting to offering a fiver on a message board in desperation.

legion is one of my few minutia riddled nightmares, thank you, and at least legion doesn't necessitate that i know ACTUAL history of the DC-THE-COMPANY as opposed to DC-THE-UNIVERSE.

*weeps* i... i don't care about kirby's characters. at all. and all i see when i look at darkseid is a "really powerful" guy that lives in a cave and only has one outfit and like, one chair.

am i the only one who didn't think writing a love letter to kirby and the 4th world was appropriate for something that RESETS THE ENTIRETY OF THE DC UNIVERSE. i thought, you know, maybe this series should focus on... i dunno, SUPERMAN, BATMAN AND MAYBE WONDERWOMAN (the latter being someone everyone is pretending is a vital character but utterly isn't).

like... superman only showed up for like 8 pages total in this nightmare. where did he go while all hell was breaking loose?!!

now i have to ignore even more batman until all this blows over.

Um... Superman Beyond #1-2 and Legion of Three Worlds #1-5?

Like veryvery I've never been a big fan of Kirby's DCU concepts (not that I don't like them - just that I've never thought they meshed with the rest of the DCU particularly well) so one thing that I'm at least thankful for Final Crisis for is that it has relegated them all to their own Universe (51) where I hope they can flourish on their own.

Which leads me to the next big positive - no more Darkseid in the DCU! YAY! Now hopefully DC can remember that they have other cool intergalactic villains like Starbreaker and Hyathis and Starro and so on out there.

Oh if only Darkseid had taken that other over-exposed to the point of irrelevance character, Joker, with him though!

One thing that still confuses me about Final Crisis however is - what the heck happened to Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Mr Terrific? Morrison seemed to single them out for erasure but - what for? Since no one ever mentioned them again.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19863

Well, Kyle Baker is working on a new Hawkman series, and since Hawkman's always re-incarnating anyway, seems like that one won't last too long (hopefully Kendra gets back to basics too). I'm not too upset by this. I thought Johns' revamp was satisfactory, but I quickly grew bored of "Conan the Hawkbarian" and would really like to see the Thanagarian space-cop back.

Mr. Terrific's another kettle of fish entirely. I really liked the character and thought there was still more to be done with him.

Starbreaker is featured on the "Evil" cover of JLA, and Starro had both a part of the first Meltzer JLA story arc and a big story in Booster Gold. I hardly think they're forgotten.

OK, here is my attempt to annotate the last issue of Final Crisis to see if others read it the way I did or if there’s differing opinions on what happened at different parts of the story. It’s a little long, but I tried to keep it brief without a lot of editorialising. Let me know what you think.

Page 1: We are on one of the other 51 Earths, apparently a “52” equivalent of “Earth D” from Crisis on Infinite Earths 4.5 (see in Legends of the DC Universe) where all the heroes were of different ethnicities. “Vathlo” is an island on the Silver Aged Krypton where the black Kryptonians came from.

Page 2-3: There have been a few different amazons called Nubia in Wonder Woman history, this one is this Earth’s Wonder Woman. The “Music of the Spheres” they are hearing is the sound of the vibrational barrier between worlds in the multiverse (it’s been mentioned by the Monitor’s before), in this case it’s the sound of the Ultima Thule travelling between worlds.

The Ultima Thule is the “Multiverse Ship” from “Superman Beyond” where the Monitor Zilo Valla used it to gather heroes from the Multiverse to stop Mandrakk the Dark Monitor from returning.

Page 4: Captain Marvel of Earth 5 was one of Zilo Valla’s recruits. With her dead, he’s obviously taken command of the Ultima Thule and teamed with the Question of New Earth to gather an even bigger army of Supermen.

Page 5: We’re in the future now, and almost all of the universes have been consumed by Darkseid (We’ll see why later). In the middle of the page are Starman (JSA/Legion), Power Girl (JSA) and Frankenstein (SHADE/Seven Soldiers). In the bottom panel are the Metal Men from Earth 44 who are modeled after the Justice League.

Page 6-7: The top half is pretty straightforward I think, after the Metal Men attack, Lois and Jimmy decide to send out a rocket containing the story of the final Crisis in case there’s anyone out there.

The bottom row of panels show the remaining heroes fighting off the Metal Men before Luthor and Sivanna step in and destroy them. Lois and Jimmy launch the rocket in an homage to Superman’s origin.

Page 8: Back in the past now. Picking up right form the end of FC#6, Superman confronts a wounded Darkseid.

Page 9: Darkseid taunts Superman, letting him know that even when Turpin’s body dies, he’s already spread himself out into others via the Anti-Life equation.


Page 10: As Darkseid prepares to shoot the bullet that killed Orion, the Flashes arrive, still on the run from the Black Racer, who is a New Gods equivalent of the Grim Reaper.

Page 11: Darkseid fires the Bullet while the Flashes lead the Black Racer to Darkseid. I really like the panel where Superman’s standing still and the bullet’s going one way and the Flashes the other.

Page 12: The Flashes bring the Black Racer to Darkseid, confirming he will die from Batman’s bullet. The problem is Darkseid’s already spreading into everything, bringing his death with him. We’re going to see that it’s difficult to killl a god and all the heroes deliver different “Death Blows”. Now Batman and the Flashes have both contributed. Aquaman also comes back in a one panel scene that seems out of place. This is where we begin to see the narrative break down as the story of the Multiverse begins to die with Darkseid.

Page 13: Back in the future, Superman is designing the Miracle Machine, shown to him by Brainiac 5 last issue. He’s having the survivors build it, without letting anyone but him see the whole thing. He’s sitting in Metron’s Mobius chair.

Page 14: Back in the past. Darkseid’s Justifiers are attacking Checkmate’s Headquarters, guarded by an army of OMACs activated by Mr. Terrific in Final Crisis: Resist. The two Atoms are trying to keep the breach they made in the Bleed to Earth 51 open, while Lord Eye goes into emergency shutdown mode, attempting to take the tunnel with it.

Page 15: As Black Canary and Green Arrow lay dying in the ruins of the JLA Satellite, they see that the Ray has managed to draw the Life symbol given to them by the Tattooed Man on the face of the Earth (another brick in the wall against Darkseid). Meanwhile, Super Young Team is trying to get more survivors through the escape tunnel to Earth-51 before it collapses.

Page 16: The top panel is in the future, with Supergirl trying to tell the story of the Final Crisis to survivor children. Below we are back in the past as Hawkman and Hawkgirl die shutting down Lord Eye. Mr. Terrific appears to be lost as time collapses around him and the Super Young Team have one of their soap opera moments in the middle of a life or death situation.

Page 17 – As New Earth is consumed in the collapse, Mr., Miracle Boom Tubes everyone to Earth 51, where we see Kamandi looking on. Earth 51 was destroyed and remade in Countdown. It’s also where Sonny Sumo is originally from, he was brought to New Earth (“Earth 0”) to replace the original who died in Feudal Japan after being consumed by Darkseid’s Omega Sanction. Overman learns about his sister and creates an echoed scene form Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Page 18 – Back on Earth 0, a dying Darkseid calls in the cavalry in the form of his furies (possessing various female heroes and villains) and his Justifier army, unaware that Luthor has assumed control of them.

Page 19 – In the future Wonder Woman joins Supergirl in trying to tell the bedtime story. In the past we see Frankenstein, attack and purge the female heroes of their possession (he’s not alive and therefore poison to Morticoccus the God Virus).

Page 20 – The remaining heroes are miniaturizing the survivors and storing them in the Miracle machine as reality collapses around them.

Page 21- In the past wonder Woman, free from possession uses her lasso to bind Darkseid’s Human body, (another brick in the wall). The line “and no one was hurt” is obviously ironic as the scene shows the multitudes that make up Darkseid no in pain.

Page 22- Darkseid, bound and poisoned continues to bring all of reality down with him. As he gets closer to death he consumes more and more of the universe. He effectively is the universe now, with the exception of Superman and Miracle machine. Superman counters the vibrations of existence with a Single note, which effectively destroys Darkseid (and the universe along with him).

Page 23 – There is now nothing left but Superman and the Miracle Machine. He finds Element X, which powered Metron’s Mobius Chair and uses it to complete the Miracle Machine. Mandrakk is speaking at the bottom of the page.

Page 24- Mandrakk & Ultraman have been biding their time since the end of Superman: Beyond for this chance. Ultraman gave up his humanity to be Mandrakk’s servant after reading the Book of the Monitor. Mandrakk is a “Story Vampire”, who longs to end all stories (and the DC Universe is only a comic book story after all). In the middle of the page we see he has drained both Radient and the Spectre from “FC: Revelations”, while Ultraman has Supergirl, presumably to taunt Superman. Mandrakk notes without a Universe there is no energy to power the Miracle machine. Superman notes that he’s a solar battery.

Page 25 – Superman starts the Miracle machine and makes his one wish. We see the Green Lanterns are still outside the time singularity that Darkseid created trying to get in.

Page 26 – Captain Marvel’s Superman army arrives and fries Ultraman. There are more than 52 Supermen shown, but some are from the same Earth (Apollo and Majestic, for instance). The caption at the bottom on the page belongs to Nix Uotan, the exiled Monitor who Metron restored in issue number 5

Page 27 – Nix Uotan begins to bring allies in to help against mandrakk (similar to how the Monitor did against the Anti-Monitor). HE starts by reviving the Zoo Crew who were turned into “real” animals in their Final Ark Countdown mini-series. He then brings in the Pax Dei host of Angels from Morrison’s JLA and JLA: Paradise Lost runs, and finally the Green Lantern Corps arrives. Mandrakk identifies Nix Uotan as his son. Originally the Monitors were without story until mandrakk introduced narrative into their existence. Now they are beginning to develop their own stories and relationships. That Nix is now Mandrakk’s son is evidence Mandrakk’s plan is failing as new stories are starting to unfold.

Page 28- “Taaru” was the word the Forever people spoke to combine their essences together to form the Infinity Man. Here nix uses it to summon them (if you notice it is Super Young Team who have become the new Forever People). It may also be the word of power Nix lost when he was exiled. Together the heroes vanquish the Vampire.

Page 29 – The universe is restored, though obviously not completely as the humans begin to rebuild earth. Lois narrates again as we pull out to the Monitor’s point of view.

Page 30 – Nix Uotan gives his report of events and cautions against interfering with the humans again. “Zillo Valla” and “Rox Ogama” were killed in the fight with mandrakk in Superman: Beyond.

Page 31 – Here we see how Nix Uotan recreated Earth 51 and has moved the reborn New Gods there. Earth-51 now essentially becomes an “Earth Kirby” with most of jack Kirby’s creations (New Gods, Kamandi, OMAC) existing there.

Page 32 – Here he see Hermuz has usurped power from Tahoteh who has grown senile (another story progression). Nix is offered the chance to rejoin the Monitors, which he declines as he knows it’s meaningless – the Monitors will shortly cease to exist. He instead goes off to say goodbye to Weeja Dell, his lover from issue #1. the skyline of the Monitor’s world is now empty.

Page 33 – as the lovers say goodbye, even the panels of the page start to deteriorate. The Final Crisis of the Monitors is ending and they are fading form existence. Except….

Page 34 – Nix Uotan awakens in his human form back on Earth. The last Monitor in a self-aware mulitverse.

Page 35 – Anthro, gifted with Metron’s Knowledge as a boy in issue #1, nears the end of his life. He has spent his life refreshing stories so they may live. In the first panel we see the time capsule launched by Lois and Jimmy on page 7, implying that anthro has been perpetuating their story as well. As he dies, someone rest their utility belt across his chest.

Page 36 – Bruce Wayne, banished here by the Omega Sanction last issue, continues Anthro’s work and begins preserving his own story. The Omega Sanction, as seen in Mr. Miracle, doesn’t kill you but let’s you live out a series of worse and worse lives. Shiloh Norman escaped the Sanction; presumably Batman will try to find a way in June when Morrison picks up his story.

rogue, THANK YOU.

Grant Morrison owes you money for this.

Keven Church (BeaucoupKevin.com) posits:
So, what WAS that song Superman sang at the climax of [i]Final Crisis[/i] #7?

Yep.

It's sad that it takes this kind of effort to get G-Mo's story, much less appreciate it. I felt like I was expected to know who the hell Mandrakk was, and I hate that. Thanks for the "Cliff's Notes" rouge.