Comic Book Reviews: Week of 01/28/2009
SPOILERS!! So, you know, be forewarned!
Final Crisis #7
Written by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy
The Final Crisis is now averted. Over the course of seven issues, the main idea of Final Crisis was the resurrection of Darkseid. By using a human host, Darkseid was able to enter our world. His main goal, as always, is to enslave the human race using the Anti Life Equation. Basically, the Anti Life Equation is the negative version of a Life Equation. Life Equation is essentially the idea of free will. Upon learning this, Darkseid basically deduced that there must be an opposite, negative form of this equation, The Anti Life Equation.
So in Final Crisis, Darkseid’s plan is to be born again on Earth and unleash his spoken version of the Anti Life Equation. In earlier issues, Darkseid unleashed the Anti Life Equation through the media, via emails, TV, internet, whatever people were sure to use. So sure enough, it works and he gains control of the world. Enter the heroes. They aren’t too happy with Darkseid’s plan, but are crippled by his might due to the fact that Darkseid created an army using the world’s population and even some of the heroes themselves. So not only are the DCU fighting Darkseid, they are also fighting amongst themselves. Last issue, Batman confronted Darkseid and went against his “no gun” code and shot Darkseid, killing him, but not before Darkseid hit Batman with the Omega Sanction. The Omega Sanction is a weapon that forces the target to live in alternate lives, with each life progressively getting worse. This helps explain the ending to Final Crisis 7. Cut to this issue. Everything has come together. The heroes have regrouped, and they plan to recreate the Multiverse using the Miracle Machine shown in earlier Final Crisis issues.
You know what? Fuck it. I don’t have enough energy to type out this huge explanation, but most likely, if you have read Final Crisis, you are confused. So I’m gonna help you out. It’ll cost you money, but what do you care? You read comics, so obviously you have a disposable income, so what is another $20? Ok, so go out and buy Final Crisis Revelations and Final Crisis Superman Beyond 3D. Revelations is good, Superman Beyond 3D is half good. I reviewed Issue 1 a few months ago. It sucked hardcore, but it at least explains where the fuck Superman was during the first 6 issues of Final Crisis. Issue 2 is actually alot better. It also helps explain the last issue of Final Crisis. So yeah, if you really want to know, you can go get those issues, or hell, just wikipedia it.
So, in conclusion, NO MORE BIG EVENTS THAT NEED WIKIPEDIA AS A REFERENCE GUIDE!
And Grant Morrison shouldn’t be allowed to write all this twisted shit in a mainstream book. Save it for the niche titles, Grant.
And lay off the fucking acid, too. Jerk.
Captain America 46
Written by: Ed Brubaker
Art by: Steve Epting
Let me preface the review by saying this: Steve Epting, I’m glad you’re back. Luke Ross did a good job at a fill in role, but Steve Epting’s pencils cannot be denied.
So, here we are. Captain America 46. So not to spoil anything, but Captain America is dead. ZOMG!
So, Bucky, AKA Winter Soldier AKA James Barnes, is continuing in his quest to stop the evil mad scientist, Zhang Chin. Chin is rebuilding the original Human Torch, and not the Johnny Storm kind. The original Human Torch was an android.
Earlier in his life, Chin was rescued by Cap and Bucky. During their escape, with the help of Namor and the Human Torch, Chin witnessed the technological wonder that was the Human Torch. He became fascinated by him. We find out that Chin was a genius, but he also became twisted and started weirding people the fuck out. Cut to years later, we find out what really happened between Bucky and Chin. Bucky was sent in to assassinate Chin, but fucked it up. So now we learn, that Bucky has given it another shot, in hopes of stopping Chin once and for all. But he is not alone.
We are shown an earlier team up between Cap and Namor. Their teamwork is uncanny. Now that Bucky is teaming with Namor, their teamwork is a little rocky, but still friendly. It really highlights the fact that Captain America was a true leader and could rally even the most unlikely of allies. Bucky is the opposite. While he is friendly with Namor, their conversations are very awkward at best. It provides some comedic elements. Mostly to show that Bucky is NOT Captain America, but he is at least trying his best to fill Cap’s shoes.
Brubaker, again, knocks it out of the park. It really is something amazing that 20+ issues have passed since Captain America was really in his own book and yet it still doesn’t miss a beat. Brubaker can really write interesting stories with characters that would normally not be featured as much. Brubaker has proven that Bucky can be interesting, in ways that Steve Rogers might not have been.
Also, like I said before, it’s good to have Steve Epting back on art. His artwork is just amazing. Everything just flows together so nicely. Fight scenes are fluid and easy to follow. Even conversations seem more exciting with his drawings.
If you havent been reading Captain America, now is the time to start. If you are interested in Captain America and haven’t read anything prior to this issue, I highly recommend reading the Captain America Omnibus. It will take you through the first 25 issues of Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America. And after the first 25 issues? You can always pick up the next trade paperback titled The Death of Captain America Vol. 1. From there on out, there is another trade called The Death Of Captain America Vol 2. And then finally, The Death of Captain America Vol 3. But after that, you will have to pick up the remaining 4 issues at your local comic book shop. But I’m warning you, by reading this series, you will lose sleep and love every second of it.
By the way, Hilden did a great review of the Captain America Omnibus a few months ago. So if you didn’t read about it, here is the link to Hilden’s review.
My Next Week’s Pull List
Marvel
Amazing Spider-man 585
Punisher 2
X-Men: Magneto: Testament 5
DC
Nothing. Nice work, DC.
Wrap Up
Thank god. The last few weeks have been raping my wallet something fierce. So I need a breather this week.
So, to make up the possible review lameness for next week, I might throw in some cool retro reviews. It’ll be a toss up, but expect something 80′s or 90′s. Possibly something with some guy with huge muscles and a giant gun to be on the cover. Oh, and maybe even a cool radical hologram on the front or something cheesy tubular.
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Tags: captain america, comics, confusion, final crisis, grant morrison
Personally I always preferred the Mario Super Show voice to Charles...
February 2nd, 2009 at 11:44 am
Sweet hell. I just read the Wiki on the whole Final Crisis thing and FUCK THAT. Anything that convoluted just convinces me of the need for an EDITOR.
February 2nd, 2009 at 11:48 am
Or a new writer. Seriously. Like I said, for both Final Crisis and Batman RIP, I re-read the whole thing from start to finish and the wiki page and was still like, “Uh…ok…what?”
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:10 pm
I don’t think the ideas were bad it just needed to be reigned in. For crying out loud, you can only draw in so many arcs, plot lines and minutia from a universe before you just loose all sense of cohesion. Whoever was the editor on this series just gave Morrison free reign and that’s just not a good idea.
February 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 pm
The big problem with Final Crisis is the fact that you almost HAD to have the tie in issues that were branded Final Crisis. They explained the details in between main Final Crisis issues, and that shouldnt happen.
Marvel Civil War did a good job of that. You could read the main book and understand what is going on, but the tie ins added a whole new level of depth to the entire series. Final Crisis did the opposite. The tie ins just cleared up some things that Morrison didnt have time to explain in Final Crisis. Either didnt have to explain or didnt want to. Im not sure.
There is a point where you have to explain things to people, because like Hilden said, you cant expect EVERY person who is reading Final Crisis to know every little thing in the DCU. It alienates the audience, especially the people who see the cover with Batman and Superman on it, and they just want to see a big event that has Batman and Superman fighting off some bad dude. Little do they know, that they will be lost within one page and then get turned off of big events right then and there.
I really should include a rant like this in my weekly reviews or at least give a bigger opinion on it.
Of course, i tend to think that it falls on deaf ears, but it gives the chance for other people to come in and address it themselves.