Final Crisis #1 - Mobile Edition

DC Comics
Final Crisis #1
By Patrick Bérubé
June 1, 2008 - 10:01

DC Comics
Writer(s): Grant Morrison
Penciller(s): J.G. Jones
Colourist(s): Alex Sinclair
Letterer(s): Bob Leigh
Cover Artist(s): J.G. Jones
$3.99 US

Orion, a New God, is found lying dead in the street. Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan are mandated by the Guardian of the Galaxy to seal off the crime scene until Alpha Lanterns can make it to Earth. But who could kill such a powerful being? Even the Justice League is worried of what this death means. Meanwhile, Libra tries to convince other super villains to take part in his great experiment by granting them whatever their heart desires and by showing what he can do by killing a member of the JLA. Other things happen too. But honestly, I just can’t understand it.

Grant Morrison is a great writer. I don’t doubt that. But what he is doing here might be a bit too centered on the recent events of the DC Universe to be comprehensive. If you truly want to appreciate this series, I guess that you have to follow a lot more DC Comics title than I do because I didn’t understand everything. I do not know who are Libra, Metron, that guy named Turpin or even the New Gods. And they are not properly introduced either which mean that you have to guess who’s who most the time. Except for that, the series seem interesting and I really feel that there is a climax building up. It will be interesting to follow the upcoming issues for this reason.

The art is on the exact opposite of the plot: very enjoyable and easy to comprehend. J.G. Jones really shines with his interior sequences. To my knowledge, his implication so far in recent DC universe projects was to provide covers only for various 52 and Countdown related title. So this was with great expectations that I was waiting to see what he was able to do inside a comic book. I have to say now that after reading the whole issue that I was not disappointed. His pre-historic scenes are probably the most impressive with his too short depiction of the Justice League of America coming in second.

Final words, I suggest this title only if you are a devoted DC Comics readers. If you are a new reader looking for your favourite character to shine I strongly recommend that you try something more streamlined than this insider-only title.
Rating: 6/10