Friday, January 16, 2009

Final Crisis #6:'How to Murder the Earth'

I’ve been re-reading The Invisibles over the past few weeks, as part of getting the book ready, and I’m in the heart of Volume III right now. That makes it unfortunate timing for the release of Final Crisis #6, an issue that’s solid Morrison, but pales next to the brilliance and progressive feel of late period Invisibles. I love almost all of Morrison’s work, but I do think he’s been trapped in this kind of turned to 11 insane superhero storytelling for a while now, and it could be time to go back to something more introspective, along the lines of “Karmageddon.”

FC #6 is as strong an issue as most of Final Crisis to date, and I’m sure read under normal circumstances I would have been more into it. There are some absolutely fantastic moments, most of them involving the use of the Metron symbol to tie the resistance together and cut holes in Darkseid’s power. I love the moment where the Tatooed Man ignites his symbol and throws chaos into the onslaught of justifiers. Also awesome is the two page spread at the end where Metron tells Nix Uotan about the oncoming fifth world.

The issue is also notable for the ‘death’ of Batman. Again, people say that he’s dead, but even Morrison is making it clear that this is just part of Bruce Wayne’s ongoing evolution. The Omega Sanction is just another version of Thogal, a series of deaths and rebirths that will culminate in Batman eventually being reborn again. Morrison just wrote a lengthy story that made it clear that Batman is always prepared for anything, surely he can overcome the worst that Darkseid has to offer. What I hope is that we’ll get the rumored Bruce Wayne as god of the fifth world story, at least for a little bit before everything eventually resets to the status quo.

But, I’m hoping that after Final Crisis is over, Morrison takes some time off from big superhero comics and does some more restrained comics. I love the intensity and scope of this book, but when I read the incredibly precise ‘Karmageddon,’ or even look at the very specific emotional moments of “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” I want to see more stories like that. During The Invisibles, he balanced the heights of JLA with the more grounded Invisibles, we need that counter now. I’d love to see him do another long form creator owned project, or at least a couple of minis. I’m sure there’s a lot of stories still to tell in the DCU, and I do want to see those, but I want to see something closer to Seven Soldiers or The Invisibles as well.

3 comments:

jeffk said...

Did you read last week's PW interview with Morrison? This is the part that got me:

Then I have a book with Camilla D’Errico. It’s turned into my experimental psycho-sci-fi Western manga and it’s the one I’m most excited about right now as I’m writing the first issue at last and just imagining her incredible artwork brining it to life. It’s aimed at people who like the kind of social-Surrealist work I do when I get the chance, like The Invisibles and The Filth.

I just started on the trades of Morrison's Doom Patrol run last night (I was halfway through the first Fourth World Omnibus and just couldn't handle any more Kirby dialogue). It's really giving me the itch to go back and read The Invisibles again. Also - and I know I'm just asking to be taken advantage of here - I would shell out for an Absolute Invisibles collection in a freaking heartbeat.

Patrick said...

I'd love an Absolute Invisibles as well, preferably with a few more pages of the "art jam" at the end redrawn, but anything would be nice.

And that new series sounds great. It seems like we're heading into a cycle similar to 2004/05 when Morrison wrapped up his long term commitment to X-Men and did some smaller projects before revving things back up again. Since that period produced Seaguy, Seven Soldiers and We3, I'm eager to see what comes out of this one. I'm still liking Final Crisis, but I'm more excited to see what's next.

www.empresas3d.com said...

I totally agree with the article.