Bullet Review: Harley Quinn #67

I was on board for Harley Quinn since way back when Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti reinvigorated her character.

I have been doubly on board since Sam Humphries took over the title. His book has been a perfect mix of comic insanity, fourth wall foolishness, and a modicum of emotional heft.

But in the end, it really is a humor book. And monthly I laugh ... out loud. In this world of dark vicious comics, I could use a few laughs.

In Harley Quinn #67, Harley, reeling from the death of her mother, is trying to get her family together for a Thanksgiving dinner. But she can't get them together. Meanwhile, she continues to struggle with the Year of the Villain and how Luthor promised to cure her mother if Harley drifted back into evil. An offer she turned down.

Basically, with all that happening, Harley decides to fight against crossovers. She can't deal with them any more.

Throw in a Supergirl cameo and I felt I needed to talk up this issue and this book here.

So where does that take us?

Digest Cast: Supergirl

You all have read my thoughts about Supergirl over the years here.

Have you ever wanted to HEAR my thoughts on Supergirl?

Over on the Fire and Water Network of podcasts, I was invited onto the DigestCast to discuss The Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digests #17 - The Many Lives Of Supergirl.

Here is the link for DigestCast so go and listen!

We review this great digest from 1981 showing the different periods of Supergirl's life.
There is orphan and secret weapon Supergirl in The Great Supergirl Mirage from Action Comics #256 (by Otto Binder and Jim Mooney).
There is revealed super-hero in The World's Greatest Heroine from Action Comics #285 (by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney).
There is college student Linda in Supergirl Goes to College from Action Comics #318 (by Leo Dorfman and Jim Mooney).
There is reporter Linda in Crypt of Frozen Graves from Adventure Comics #424 (by Steve Skeates, Tony DeZuniga, and Bob Oknser).
There is drama student Linda in Trail of the Madman from Supergirl #1 volume 1 (by Cary Bates and Art Saaf).
And finally there is Guidance Counselor Linda in Princess of the Golden Sun  from Superman Family #165 (by Elliot S Maggin and Art Saaf).

Whew ... a lot of great stories, many covered on this blog.

Not only do I help with the reviews, I talk about Supergirl's history and my love of the character.

But there is more.

Supergirl Sighting In JSA All-Stars #17; Variant Costume

One of the fistful of comics I currently collect nearing cancellation is JSA All-Stars.

All-Stars has always been a sort of fringe title for me, one that I enjoy just enough to keep buying. I definitely like Power Girl, Star Girl, and Cyclone as characters. But I could not care less for Wildcat 2, Citizen Steel, or King Chimera. On the JSA side, I love Wildcat, Jay Garrick, and Dr. Fate.

Matt Sturges has concocted some fun stories for the All-Stars and I have enjoyed the down time scenes he has written for the team such as sparring, training, and having strategy meetings. But the big draw for me on the title and really the reason why I have stuck around has been Freddie Williams III's art. I just think it is great, stylish and energetic.

So how could I not post about a brief Supergirl sighting in JSA All-Stars #17?

In the issue, a super-being called The Prince tries to convince Power Girl that he comes from an alternate timeline. In the other timeline, the greatest hero was someone named Regal who led the Justice Guild and made a perfect world. A villain named Dr. Hate, the Prince's mother and Regal's mortal enemy and lover, has changed history such that Regal never existed, the Guild never eradicated evil, etc.

The Prince is sad because he is stuck in this absolutely flawed world when he knew the paradise of the Regal-led world. In that timeline, he and Power Girl were friends, he was married to Judomaster, and everyone was on this massive super-hero team that looks like a mix of the JLA, JSA, Titans, and a couple of others. It is nice that most of his discussion about his predicament is with Power Girl who actually might understand his feelings and simply wants the Prince to relax so they can talk.

Anyways, Freddie Williams III gives us this great double page spread of this mega-team. Just spectacular stuff. And look on the top left.

Yep, that's Supergirl on the team! And in a different costume. It is a sort of mix of Silver Age (blue dress) and Matrix (pointy belt). One thing I do know, if I ever run into Freddie Williams III at a convention, I am definitely getting a commission.

And as a fan of the Matrix costume and the red dress, I actually thought this looked very nice.

Another thing that I think is interesting is how this costume (full shirt and blue dress) or some close version of it keeps popping up here and there. Could the belly shirt be on the way out?

Just a couple of months ago I showed this panel from Red Robin #19 where Marcus To had the Supergirl avatar in the UnterNet leading an future JLA and dressed like this.

Or this one I posted from Titans #30 by Fabrizio Fiorentino? This is, in theory, in continuity.

And then there was this version from Supergirl #32 by Ron Randall ... again, a Supergirl from the future.Yes, there is no belt here and the cape is different, clasping on to the S-shield but the full blue dress is similar.

And while those are all timeline twisted or future versions of Supergirl sporting the full shirt and blue dress, the current Kara has at least thought about it. Remember this great panel from Final Crisis #3 where we got a look into Supergirl's apartment. Here she seems to be designing new versions of the costume.

There in the lower left is a very rough sketch of the solid blue dress.

I doubt that any costume change is going to happen any time soon. But it is interesting that we keep seeing this particular motif pop up every so often. After being a staunch supporter of the red skirt, I have to say the blue skirt look is growing on me.

2009 In Review And the Top Ten Supergirl Comic Moments

Happy New Year to everyone! Welcome to 2010, my second full year of blogging. For everyone who stops by and comments on my musings, thanks so much. It is really great to talk to other fans of Supergirl and Superman.

Like last year, I thought I would do a' best of' review of Supergirl's comic book moments of the year. A year is a long time and Supergirl has been very busy so this is a very lengthy post.

Overall I would say that 2009 was an unbelievable year for Supergirl fans as the character really solidified her place as a premier character in the DC Universe.

First off, her own title stabilized under Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. Critically praised with improved sales, Supergirl suddenly became a great and noticed title. She grew tremendously and really left behind the characterization that we had seen early on in the book. For a Supergirl fan, the quality of the main title has to be a high point of the year.

On top of that, Supergirl:Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade was a truly spectacular Johnny DC mini-series, introducing the character to a whole new generation. Like the best all-ages books, Cosmic Adventures was stuffed with moments that appealed to the adult fan with more Easter eggs hidden in six issues than I could count.

But Supergirl also was a major player in all the Superman titles, starred in a well received strip in Wednesday Comics, played a key part in Final Crisis, wrapped up Superman/Supergirl Maelstrom, joined the Justice League: Cry For Justice team, helped set up the R.E.B.E.L.S. team, and continued to appear in Tiny Titans.

And so ... onto my favorite comic moments of 2009. Because there were so many noteworthy moments, I couldn't keep it to just ten.

Here are the three Honorable Mentions, the three moments that almost made the cut.

Honorable Mention 3: Action Comics #881 - 'Little Fortresses'

With the world's military chasing down the 'Metropolis Three' for their alleged role in the Metropolis Sewer system disaster, Supergirl takes Nightwing and Flamebird to an apartment she keeps in Paris. As Kara happily twirls around, she talks about how she keeps lots of little fortresses around the world.

This reminded me of the famous 'Supergirl's apartment' scene in Final Crisis last year, a little peek into what Supergirl would call home. I also thought it was such a stark contrast to Superman's fortress, a reminder of their differences. Kal probably doesn't have a happy face pillow in the Arctic.

Honorable Mention 2: Cry For Justice #2- "The Arrival"


While the Cry For Justice comic has had its ups and downs, there is no denying that Mauro Cascioli's art has been absolutely stunning. This panel really was jaw-dropping as Supergirl arrives on the scene of a League battle and swiftly eliminates the few remaining villains. This was a powerful almost goddess-like rendition of Supergirl. Wonderful.

Honorable Mention 1: Superman Secret Origins 2009 - "The Tinkerer"


This one was put in and removed from the top ten so many times, it really should be on the 'best of list' as number 11. This was a flashback story looking at the Kara/Thara friendship back on Krypton.

I thought this added to the back story of Supergirl as we really haven't seen much of what she was like in her early years on Krypton. So to see her wearing goggles, wielding an arc welder, and reprogramming a baby-sitting robot was fascinating. It helps explain her decision... her ability to join the Science Guild; she is sort of a tech-y.

This story also showcased Thara's religious faith nicely.

And now on to the Top Ten Best Supergirl Moments of 2009:

Number10: Supergirl Cosmic Adventures in the Eight Grade #2 - 'Belinda Zee'


I cannot put into words how great I thought Belinda Zee was as character. She was the perfect foil for the Cosmic Linda. She was as popular and confident as Linda was shy and awkward. As the title goes on you sense that Belinda actually has feelings and is tired of her empty life compared to Linda who has a true friend.

Here is the moment she first arrives, telling Linda she is an upgrade. This 'Bizarro Supergirl' stirred the drink of the Cosmic mini-series, adding action, humor, and emotion to the story. I loved Belinda so she had to be in the top ten.

Number 9: Supergirl #42 - 'Strongest Girl On Two Planets'


The events of the New Krypton storyline kept Supergirl busy and pushed the Lana/Linda relationship on to the back burner. I was hoping on seeing this relationship grow in this title.

So this small moment in the aftermath of the Superwoman story arc was really appreciated. It showed that Lana and Linda have a great rapport. With Kara heading home to investigate Lucy's presence on New Krypton, Lana tells her she is the strongest girl on the planet. Supergirl playfully responds 'two planets'. There is an easiness about the discussion and Jamal Igle's art really connotes the comfort the two women have with each other. These panels are followed with one where Kara tells Lana to call her Linda from now on, another great moment in their relationship.

Number 8: Superman:World of New Krypton #3 - 'Faster than a Speeding Bullet'



With the Labor Guild revolting, Commander El decides to try some negotiation as a way for the standoff to end peacefully. Knowing that Zod and his crew would try to end the impasse through violence, Kal gives Supergirl an important part in his plan, keep the Labor Guild leader safe. In this scene she stops Commander Gor's assassination attempt by being faster than a speeding bullet and plucking it from the air. It is great to see both Supergirl beaming with pride as well as Superman letting her know he is proud of her efforts as well.

Pete Woods draws a great Supergirl too!

Number 7: World's Finest #3 - 'Hang In There, Catsy.'


This issue just came out but I liked how it re-envisioned a Supergirl/Batgirl friendship so much it warranted a spot on the 'end of year' list. The story shows just how easily Supergirl and Batgirl would become friends. In this early scene, I love how the 2 heroes look at each other and convey how they feel ... to leave Catwoman imprisoned. With that simple glance they know they are both in agreement. So much of that nuance - the expression and body language - is evoked from Jamal Igle's great art.

They both trained with Batman, they both wear the symbol of a legacy hero, they are both trying to figure things out for themselves. They should be friends.

This issue was the beginning of what I hope are many adventures together.

Number 6: Superman/Batman 62 - 'I Am Going To Destroy You ...'


This might win my favorite panel of the year as I loved everything about its composition. This scene takes place in Superman/Batman #62 in which Supergirl and the Tim Drake Robin are called upon to stop an inmate uprising in Arkham. As the story is a flashback, this is probably one of the first times Supergirl is exposed to the madness of Batman's rogues as she walks in to a room with the Joker eviscerating a staff member.

Her quick response ... her anger and actions ... are spot on here. She would (and some might say should) destroy a deviant murderer like him. And that depiction of her in the shadows as she contemplates dark deeds in this dark place is about as perfect as comics' art can get.

I can only hope that I get to see Rafael Alberquerque draw the Girl of Steel again.

Number 5: Wednesday Comics #2 - 'I'm Gonna Put A Stop To It'

I suppose I could have picked the whole Wednesday Comics strip as a moment. It lasted a brief 12 weeks but was a great, sweet, and fun story. This Supergirl seems just older than the Cosmic Supergirl with the same mix of innocence, exuberance, and awkwardness.

This scene from the second strip captures all of that. Here she works efficiently to save a news crew endangered by the maddened super-pets. At the same time she is embarrassed that she needs to do so, biting her lower lip and blushing slightly.

The Supergirl strip in Wednesday Comics was a joy to read. This was a young Supergirl as eager to pig out and watch TV as she is to fly to the sun and face aliens. Jimmy Palmiotti really captured that youthful energy. And Amanda Conner's art was simply adorable.

As an added bonus, Supergirl sported a 'Matrix' style costume here ... my favorite costume.

Number Four: Final Crisis #6 - ' Eat This Bus'

It is hard to believe that Final Crisis wrapped up within this year. It feels so long ago!

Grant Morrison had a very strong interpretation of Supergirl, describing her in some interviews as the sweetest girl in the universe. She was the exact opposite of the depraved, twisted, and perverted DeSaad-possessed Mary Marvel.

That clash of character and morality reached a fever pitch in Final Crisis #6 where the two go toe to toe in a shattered city. Kara more than holds her own, frying Marvel with heat vision and pummeling her. While the whole fight is really the 'best of' moment, my favorite in-battle moment is when Supergirl force feeds Mary a bus after Marvel calls her a slut. Buses as projectile weapons is one of my favorite things to see in comics.

Final Crisis had a lot of big moments hidden in its confusing plot. This was one of them.

Number 3: SupermanBlackest Night #2 - 'You're Not My Dad'



One of my concerns with the character of Supergirl is that her 'emotional vulnerability' can be overused as a plot point. I can remember comics in the 70s and 80s where Supergirl would break down and cry for mundane reasons like not getting a date. So when there is a prime opportunity for it to be overused and it isn't, I am very pleased.

In Superman:Blackest Night, Zor-El rises from the dead as a Black Lantern to threaten his wife and daughter. He unleashes a diatribe against Kara calling her a failure in every way. He probably is saying all the things Kara fears in her heart. It would have been very easy for James Robinson to have Kara crumple into a maudlin heap crying. And yet she overcomes that psychological assault.

Instead we see a strong determined Supergirl face this abomination of Zor-EL and lash out. That panel of her split between will and rage is fantastic. There is no fear or love or compassion here; she realizes this simply isn't her father and deserves none of those feelings. I think this scene also shows how much the character has grown over this last year.

Number 2: Supergirl #40 - 'I Know First Level Klukor'

Reactron had a significant presence in the main title over this year, facing off against Supergirl multiple times. For some reason, this moment in Supergirl #40 stood out.

Depowered by Gold Kryptonite and battered, Supergirl still shows strength and resolve. She faces off against the super-villain with nothing but her training and a hunk of rebar. I thought it was great that the continuity of her Amazon training and her training with Batman are brought up. Those are huge reasons why she would be able to survive in this fight for the 15 seconds she needs before she repowers. (The first level Klukor comment is the cherry on the sundae for a Silver Age guy like me.) Supergirl not only stands her ground but is victorious in this fight, ripping the gold K from Reactron's chest.

And while I always vow never to bring up the bike shorts controversy again, it was this panel that seemed to set the internet on fire about the topic as they are so prominently displayed. I prefer them red with gold trim but I have seen them colored all red, all blue, and blue with gold.

And the number one Supergirl moment in 2009 ...

Number 1: Supergirl Cosmic Adventures In The Eighth Grade #6 - 'The Krona Hand'



I suppose I tipped my hat with my choice a couple of weeks ago when I said I was planning a 'best of' post. But this was the best Supergirl moment of the year for me. I actually said 'awesome' out loud when I was reading the book for the first time.

For an old school guy like me, I have seen the 'hand of creation cupping a galactic swirl' in DC Comics many times. It is best known (and most seen) as the beginning of creation as seen by renegade Oan Krona. But that scene has been replayed in many places. Heck, it is on the cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #11.

So when I was reading Cosmic Adventures #6 and saw the hand emerging from that swirl, I knew just what Landry Walker and Eric Jones were referencing. I knew this was 'the hand that Krona saw', the hand of creation. And then we see that the hand belongs to Supergirl!! It was the best mix of DC history and Supergirl that this DC history/Supergirl fan could ask for. Perfect! Readers who don't know the Krona connection probably did not get as big a bang for this scene as I did. But I had a silly grin on my face for a while after reading it.

Well ... that is the year of Supergirl as I saw it. I would love to hear other people's favorite moments or any comments you have on my picks.

I have another 'best of' post coming up next week ...

Dan Didio Talks Streaky!

Is it just me or does Supergirl get a lot of play on Dan Didio's Q&A sessions over on Newsarama? He has answered questions about Linda Danvers and Cosmic Adventures recently.

And then there was the most recent column: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/091116-DiDio-10-Answers.html

1) ICleverMan wrote:
Yes, I am one of those freaks who adore the Legion of Super-Pets -- I own every appearance of each of them, including all Krypto stories.

Since Krypto's return has been such a success, what are the possibilities we can see reinterpretations of Streaky, Comet and even some variation of Beppo (totally discounting the Peter David attempt at Comet)?

Wow ... a question about Streaky! The little guy sure has been getting a lot of publicity recently! Here is Didio's answer.

DiDio: I never like to say never on anything, because there's always a writer who tends to surprise me. The funny part about Streaky is they showed Streaky in Wednesday Comics. Amanda Conner did a beautiful job with Streaky and Krypto in that book. And I think anybody would love the character except for the character's name, which always seems to get more giggles than anyone wanting to embrace the little kitty.

On Beppo, probably not. I think what happened is that, we start to get a little too deep. One or two of those characters is interesting to see, but I think once you get a little deeper into a list of characters, it starts to weaken the brands or weaken the franchise too much because it doesn't seem like you're taking yourself too seriously.

Because of Comet's origin and the way Comet was played, in the last incarnation of Supergirl, Peter David found an interesting way to make Comet work. But at this time, there's no particular plans to do that again.

I can understand the decision to exclude Beppo. And I like that again the Peter David Supergirl gets a shout out. I did think that PAD's Comet was a very interesting and unique character.

But Streaky has become something of a mainstay in the DCU. Yes he (there she) was a big star in Wednesday Comics.


But he also made his reappearance in the Supergirl title and was even in Final Crisis!

Streaky deserves to be a small part in the Supergirl world. I don't need him to don a cape and have powers, but I think he should be a pet for Kara.

I still can't believe that Didio talked Streaky!!

Review: Superman #685

The build-up to Superman:World of New Krypton and another year without Superman in the super-titles finally came to an end with the release of Superman #685 on Wednesday. Written by James Robinson and drawn by Javier Pina, it moves all the pieces into proper position for the new stories to unfold.

The last several issues have basically been prologue to this year's major arcs. Superman will be on New Krypton. Mon-El and the Guardian will be in charge of Metropolis. Flamebird and Nightwing will be hunting whatever they are hunting.

The last issue ended with Mon-El ripped from a collapsing Phantom Zone only to begin dying from the sudden exposure to lead.


With Mon-El turning an unseemly shade of gray, Superman comes up with an idea. Why not go into the future for Brainiac 5's cure serum? Superman knows that Mon-El is safely active 1000 years from now.

But when he tries to use his Legion ring to go to the 31st century, it doesn't work. Superman sums it up pretty ominously. "Something's wrong ... with tomorrow."

My guess is that we haven't quite reached the post-Final Crisis DCU. The problem with tomorrow is that the events of Final Crisis:Legion of Three Worlds are still bubbling to the surface.

But seriously, not to pick at the finaly scabbed over wound of Final Crisis, when will the DCU move to the post-FC reality. The DCU titles have been moving forward without even a glance at the trauma of Final Crisis. And assuming that each title moves ahead with current storylines will there even be a mention of Earth nearly dying, the death of some friends, the restructuring of the orrery? Hawkman and Hawkwoman and Batman all died in Final Crisis and yet all three are in the current Justice League of America issue. Heck, Hawkwoman stars in the 'Origins and Omens' back-up. Is she dead? Did New Krypton get created before Final Crisis? If so, why weren't 100,000 Kryptonians mentioned? Aftewards? Well where does Final Crisis fit in the timeline of the super-titles. I just think that after a major event .... the last Crisis ... there should be a new feel to continuity. As it is, outside of the impact on the Bat titles, I feel like Final Crisis could have been an Elseworlds mini-series.

Yikes, that's a lot of bile to spring forth from one panel in Superman. Sorry for the tangent.


Realizing that an answer from the future won't come easily, Superman rushes to his lab to try to cobble some cure together last minute.

When he arrives he discovers this 'Alice in Wonderland'-like flask, the 'drink me' label festooned with a Legion symbol. Feeling he has no choice, Superman administers the serum to Mon-El who is miraculously cured.

So this save felt a bit too much like a deus ex machina. However, there aren't many people who could have sneaked into the Fortress to leave it there. My guess? Flamebird and Nightwing. There is a theory floating on the web that Nightwing is Cosmic Boy. He could have brought the anti-lead poisoning serum from the future.

If Nightwing is Rokk, then who is Flamebird? What about Officer Schvaughn Erin?

Now that the immediate crisis of Mon-El and the Phantom Zone is over, Superman can go back to worrying about the ongoing crisis of New Krypton. He simply doesn't trust General Zod. Superman feels his people, the Kryptonians, are in danger and he needs to be there to protect them.

One thing I did like was Robinson showing us Superman's reaction to the UN resolution banning Kryptonians (outside himself) from Earth. He looks pretty shocked and he should be. Things aren't going well with the Terran/Kryptonian relationship. More then ever, he probably feels the weight of setting things right, of being a arbitor between the two sides of his life.

Robinson does give a glimpse of the Guardian as well. Harper has been receiving telepathic messages from Tellus in the form of dreams. Tellus keeps telling the Guardian that he is fine and that the Science Police will arrive. But Harper seems to ignore the advice. After seeing visions of battles with Superman villains Riot and The Atomic Skull, Harper says that he is coming to the rescue.

The rest of the issue is actually a nice character study of Clark. He knows he needs to go to New Krypton to watch Zod, save his people, and hopefully bring an end to the animosity between his two cultures.

But he cannot do it without the blessing of the two women in his life, Ma and Lois. He begins to lay out his reasoning to them. One thing I did not like is Clark saying that he felt Kara was under the sway of her mother. While she may be living on New Krypton, Kara has seemed concerned about her mother's actions as much as anyone. She has never fallen in line with Alura's thinking like a good little soldier.

I did like the little split panel theme seen above. He truly is half Clark and half Superman. It is a nice little visualization of that, as both sides of him are in anguish about how things have unfolded.

I love the support that Lois and Ma give him. When Superman states that he doesn't know what to do, they both say 'yes you do'. They both know he needs to leave Earth and go to New Krypton.

The issue's main story ends with a tender goodbye between Lois and Clark. I am happy that Robinson took the time to show this, as well as Lois' tears after this goodbye. Superman is flying into the lion's den. Lois doesn't even know if he will ever return. And yet, she still knows his place is there. She has faith in him, sure, but that still requires bravery in her part.

The issue ends with a nice 'Origins and Omens' story reviewing Mon-El's history succinctly and setting him up for the next year in Superman.

First off, he gets an identity for Metropolis. He will be Jonathan Kent. Nice touch.

And he looks like he will be busy too. Fights with Atlas and Sodam Yat? Tangling with Lex Luthor? And what looks to be a kiss with Natasha Irons?

I have to say that I am most intrigued with Superman:World of New Krypton. Of all the directions of the super-books, Superman starring Mon-El and The Guardian is the one that I am least optimistic about. Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised.

As for this issue, Robinson does a fine job of aligning the characters so next month will start smoothly. It still felt more like set-up than story progression, but you have to get to the beginning of a story somehow.

I don't know Javier Pina but his work was serviceable. Certainly it is much smoother than the dark stuff we saw by Jesus Merino and Pable Raimondi recently. Raimondi's stuff looked much better in this month's 'Origins and Omens', less blotchy and thick.

Overall grade: B

Review: Final Crisis #7

This is a very long post with lots of scans ... so brew a cup and settle in.

I read Final Crisis #7 on Wednesday afternoon and was absolutely thoroughly confused. But rather than rush to post a review, I decided to wait a bit and see if anything settled in. I am glad I did. I reread the issue last night and it suddenly made a lot more sense. Not that I think I understand it all ... but at least the timeline of the events made more sense.

Now I am sure that there will be a great debate about Final Crisis for a while. Morrison is not for everyone and this was Morrison at his most Morrison-iest. So there will be plenty of people who will hate it.

For me, when you put the whole thing together, there is no denying that are more original ideas and concepts sown in this 7 issue mini-series than in any other 7 issues I can think of. Hell, there is more here to think about than in some titles' years of runs.

My one problem (if it is a problem) is that given the sheer number of ideas and plot threads stuffed into the book, many do not get explored or explained as much as I would like. Others get explored much more than I care for. For example, I would have liked the Mandrakk threat fleshed out much more than it was. Mandrakk was the big threat in this book and yet he only appears for 5 pages of the whole series. So why devote so much time to the asian super-team or the kidnapping of children in the early series? Pages devoted to Nix Uotan's job as a pizza delivery boy?

If you can't figure out what's going on, it's frustrating. Long sections or splash pages of things that in the end don't matter *a lot* can feel pretty lousy when you are starving for some exposition. As a reader of Morrison, you just have to let the ideas wash over you and try to piece it all together in the end.

Okay Anj ... get off the soap box.

The big thing for me with this issue was understanding that this issue was being told from 4 pretty discrete time points.

Point A - the immediate aftermath of Batman's death. Point B - a period of heroic preparation in the watch tower. Point C - the big battle. And Point D - the post big battle reality. Making sure I understood what point in time a panel was from helped me tremendously. I will be referring to these points throughout the review.

The issue starts at Point B. The Question, the new Global Peace Agent, is riding in the Ultima Thule ship from Final Crisis:Superman Beyond gathering up the Supermen equivalents from the 52 universes, forming an army that will eventually face Mandrakk. Remember at the end of Beyond, Superman tells Captain Marvel to be like 'Paul Revere' and warn everyone that Mandrakk is coming. Looks like he is doing just that.

The first one we see them recruit is an African-American president who also happens to wear the big red S. That's a nice touch given the recent election.

We also see the Watchtower during Point B as well. An amalgam of the JLA satellite and the Fortress of Solitude, here the surviving heroes and villains are busy working on the ultimate solution to the problem ... a veritable miracle machine. Swirling around the Watchtower is simply a morass of chaos, a universe of Darkseid as he dragged reality to the pit with him.

So already I was a bit confused. How did we get there? Who is doing the voice overs? And while it was cool to see Kara wading in against the suddenly crazed 'Metal Men of Earth 44', why did there arrival and attack warrant this space? Was it just to show how cool an idea of a Metal Men/JLA would look like from Earth 44?

This is what I call 'a throw away idea'. We will never see these guys again. But I bet Morrison thought of them one day and said 'let's put them in somewhere.' And while they are an interesting concept, I would much rather hear more about how the Watchtower got there, how is it safe, who is on it?

Well, we eventually learn that the voice-over is from Lois Lane who is writing 'the last story', the events around the end of this conflict with the plan to rocket it into the chaos around them in case Superman's plan fails. Maybe that way someone may find it and eventually read about the strength of humanity.

We are suddenly brought to Point A - the end moment of Final Crisis #6. Superman confronts Darkseid but realizes that the dark god controls all the humans on Earth. There is no way to fight Darkseid without harming innocents. Darkseid actually loads the Radion bullet into a gun with the plan to shoot Superman.

He fires and misses just as the Flashes show up with their piece of the plan. Barry at some point learned that the best way to defeat Darkseid is to bring death to him. Barry and Wally outrace the Black Racer leading him right to Darkseid.

Darkseid shoots the Radion bullet but misses Superman; the bullet flies into the time stream the Flashes have opened up moving into the past ... where it will kill Orion. That is the very bullet that Batman later uses to shoot Darkseid, an interesting time loop.

The Black Racer seems to claim Darkseid, ripping him from Dan Turpin's body. We know this because we see the physical body of Turpin but with human eyes, rather than the glowing red eyes we have seen since Darkseid manifested. Again, this is not explained outright ... just inferred and could easily be missed.

Was this a worthy story for the return of Barry Allen? The idea of outracing Death and leading him to your enemy is very cool ... no doubt. But Barry was such a small part of the overall series. I didn't want him to return in the first place thinking it cheapens his COIE sacrifice and suddenly turns back the clock on Wally. While this was a huge part of defeating Darkseid, it was touched upon in such a small way, I didn't get any of the goose bumps I should have from the return of such an icon.

With that piece of the story done, we are shifted back to Point B where we see Superman and Supergirl looking at the schematics of the Miracle Machine, a blueprint Superman needed to remember from just his brief look at the device with Brainiac 5 last month. Heroes and even villains like Luthor and Sivana are shown helping put the pieces together, a machine to calculate the Life Equation, the obvious opposite of the Anti-Life Equation.

But back to Point A we go and the war on Earth continues.

We see that Checkmate simply gets overrun by the Justifiers.

We see that Lord Eye goes insane and detonates the spatial tunnel the Atoms were trying to create to a new universe.

And we see the JLA satellite out of power and falling to Earth. But we also see that Black Canary's team was successful in their small part in the big picture. The Ray was able to escape the satellite and seems to be broadcasting the Mister Miracle sigil to the whole world thus releasing mankind from Anti-Life submission.

The Question, who was at Checkmate headquarters at the time of the explosion, says that Mister Miracle's mother boxxx was able to boom tube out most people to safety. She sent them to the Kamandi universe where they could then begin their mission of finding the Supermen.

The Question tells Overman about the death of Overgirl. While the panel to the right obviously cannot have happened, it does show the grief Overman would have for his cousin's death. It is yet another riff on The Pieta and (I thought) a little nod to Kara's death in COIE #7.

The power of story is a running theme throughout many of Morrison's book including this one. We see that the events of Point A, the war with Darkseid on Earth, are being told like oral history to the surviving children on the Watchtower by Supergirl and Wonder Woman. Good old Streaky seems interested too.

Can you imaging the Loeb-written or Joe Kelly-written Kara telling stories to kids? No way ...

Thank goodness that characterization of Supergirl is over. I thought Morrison really made Supergirl a powerful symbol of strength and goodness in this series. She is caring. Wonderful.

And we see more of Superman's preparations. It looks as though he is shrinking and freezing the survivors on the Watchtower in hopes of reviving them later. Why should they be part of the warfront with Mandrakk?

Shrinking Earth's population in ice cube trays! Another Morrison throw away idea, one that I rather like.

But we still haven't heard the last of events of Point A on Earth. After suffering through a whole series of being Darkseid's slave, Wonder Woman finally has a brief moment. Freed from the morticoccus bacterium (I guess by Frankenstein somehow), she crushes her Fury mask in disgust and binds Darkseid in her lasso.

This is one area where I truly felt lost. How did she get free? Why the need to bind Darkseid if he is already dead at the hands of Black Racer?

The piece of this crisis on Earth is over. But the Darkseid is still falling, ripping the guts out of the multiverse as he falls.

We are now at Point B. The humans frozen, the Miracle Machine built, Superman confronts the remnants of Darkseid at last. Darkseid has basically manifested as surrounding environment of chaos, a vibration of doom. Superman tells Darkseid that every vibration has a counter-vibration that will cancel each other out. Superman then sings ... disintegrating Darkseid, collapsing what little is left of time/space around him.

Superman sings to defeat Darkseid's universal plot. Say that again. That is wonderful Morrison looniness ... a mix of genius, Silver Age fun, and insanity. Many won't like such a bizarre end. I thought it was wonderful. What other hero could sing to victory?

Sitting in the void, Superman finds Element X, the fire of the gods, in Metron's seat and puts it into the Miracle Machine.

Alone, exhausted, Superman sees Mandrakk finally arrives. This is the end of stories. With Superman's defeat, the multiverse will simply collapse on itself. With no beings to tell or live stories, the universe will revert to the immaculate state the Monitor Overmind originally protected. Remember it was "story" which corrupted Dax Novu, made him Mandrakk, and created the Monitors to begin with. (Again, the story of 'story' is seen.)

Well, maybe Superman isn't alone. It looks like he planned to have Kara at his side. But she has been defeated by the vampiric Ultraman.

But while alone now, the cavalry is about to arrive. Mandrakk's destroyers arrive to Earth (to be honest I thought Earth was destroyed here ... but I guess it still exists) and their arrival provides a path for the Green Lanterns circling Earth to enter the fray.

And then Nix Uotan, the newly appointed Judge of All Evil, arrives. And with him, three animals from Earth-35 which he mutates to Captain Carrot, Pig Iron, and Yankee Poodle. And he also has brought an angelic army ... the Pax Dei.

And the Green Lantern Corps arrives.

And the multiverse's Supermen arrive.

Wait a minute .... Captain Carrot on the front line with Superman to face off against the Dark Monitor!? Again, you either think these flashes of Morrison are genius or idiotic. I think the former.

Tawky Tawny guts Kalibak. And Pig Iron helps save the universe. Unbelievable. Simply fantastic.

And here is the crazy part. This whole mini-series was built with the expectation of a showdown with Mandrakk. And that showdown took 3 panels, 75% of one page. The Supermen burn Mandrakk with complete heat vision annihilation. The Green Lanterns deliver a stake through Ultraman's heart.

Did we really need pages of Turpin beating on the Mad Hatter if this ... the climax ... gets 3 panels? It depends on what you want in comics ... a slow and maddening build to a crescendo of a single cymbal clash .... or pages of slugfest action. Both have their allure.

Finally, we reach Point D. With Mandrakk defeated, Superman activates the Miracle Machine (off screen, of course) and saves the multiverse. Lois says it best: 'we saw the best' of humanity as they struggled to victory. "We rebuild ... we continue. Earth endures."

Nix Uotan takes his place as the head Monitor. The Orrery is being repaired. The New Gods will go to Earth 51 to guide that destiny.

He then declares that the Monitors will now cease all contact with the germ worlds. No more interference.

And it is true. There will be no interference. This was the final crisis of their culture.

Superman's wish was for 'only the best for all of us'. Somehow that means the dissolution of the Monitors and their world. We see the panels slowly moth eaten away by whiteness. And then we see Nix Uotan awaken again as a human in bed.

The last pages show an elderly Anthro finally passing away.

And yes, we see Batman in Anthro's cave ....

If anyone is still reading ... bless you for wading through my rants. Just a bit more I promise.

So what do I think of all this? In the end, I am going to say that I liked Final Crisis. I desperately wanted to love it. But I can't go that far.

First off, how is this post-FC universe different? We are still existing in a world with 52 universes and the same characters. Sure there is no J'onn. No Batman. No Monitors. No New Gods. And Barry is back. But really all of those things could have happened outside of a big event. The DCU does not feel that different now. And isn't that what Crisis events are supposed to do? Really shake things up?

But was it a good story ... really that should be the ultimate question.

Wild concepts, multiple overlapping storylines that eventually knotted, general craziness with unreal innovation, mining the depths of the DCU (Yankee Poodle??), the ultimate hero Superman saving everyone with an earnest wish... that part was good.

Incomprehensible pieces, threads given heavy emphasis that shouldn't have (the kidnapped kids, the Chinese super teams), threads given heavy emphasis early and dropped later (the Libra one particularly was vexing), threads that should have heavy emphasis but didn't (the return of Barry freaking Allen) ... those things were bad. And they weren't just bad, they were frustrating.

And the industry issues ... delays, Jones unable to keep up with art, multiple inkers on this last issue, mini-series playing key roles still not finished ... those things were also bad.

But for a grizzled reader like me, a guy who has been reading comics for 3 decades and seen it all ... well, when I get surprised or caught off guard or when a moment is so powerful or vivid that I am moved a little ... well that is good art. And there were those moments here ... plenty in this issue alone.

And let's not forget, Supergirl really shined here.

Overall grade (issue): B+

Overall grade (series): B