DCU Comic Book Reviews

FINAL CRISIS: SUBMIT

Submit

December 2008

Written by Grant Morrison

Pencils by Matthew Clark

Inks by Norm Rapmund, Rob Hunter, Don Ho

Covers by Matthew Clark and Rodolfo Migliari

Synopsis

In a world in which Darkseid rules everyone via the anti-life equation, Jefferson Pierce (aka Black Lightning) is on the run from the Justifiers who want to control him.  He is able to escape, briefly.  He then runs into trouble again, but is saved by Mark Richards (aka The Tattoo Man).  Black Lightning convinces Richards and his family they need to head towards Blüdhaven.  Richards is skeptical in accepting help from a hero, but when the Justifiers appear, Richards and his family flee along with Black Lightning.  When they reach the city, Richards sends his family to safety while he and Black Lightning fight the justifiers.  Black Lightning then asks Richards to memorize a drawing that will help the fight against the anti-life equation.  Thinking his father is fighting Black Lightning, Richards’ son shoots Black Lightning.  Wounded, the Justifiers get to Black Lightning and take control of him.  Meanwhile, Richards decides he needs to help others at the Hall of Justice.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This does not feel like a Grant Morrison script.  It is so bland and unoriginal, leading from Point A to Point B with such predictability, that I’ve got to wonder what Morrison was thinking (“I make electricity dance like Beyonce”?) when he was writing it.  Was he so involved with “Batman R.I.P.” and the main Final Crisis series that he didn’t have the time to delve deeper into this script?  I could almost believe this is a first draft, just waiting for Morrison to give it a little bit of polish to it.  Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad issue, but given the name on the cover, I somehow expected something a little bit more off-kilter that the straight narrative we received.  Maybe it is my own expectations that colored this issue for me, I don’t know.  But with an issue called “Submit” I thought I might see more of a fight against the Justifiers instead of Black Lightning running away from it.  I suppose, again, I was expecting something different than what we got.  So, to actually review the issue itself, rather than what it wasn’t, as I said before, it isn’t a bad issue.  However, it wasn’t all that good.  This is probably the first Final Crisis tie-in that fails to deliver.  

Technically, this issue takes place before the events in issue #4 of Final Crisis.  However, the original solicitations placed this issue after issue #4, indicating it was supposed to be read afterward.  Given the fact that there really is no set-up for the future post-apocalyptic world, it makes sense.  This is not meant to be part of the Final Crisis narrative, but rather just a colorful sidebar.

 

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