DCU Comic Book Reviews

FINAL CRISIS:  SUPERMAN BEYOND #1

Superman Beyond

October 2008

Written by Grant Morrison

Pencils by Doug Mahnke

Inks by Christian Alamy w/Rodney Ramos, Tom Nguyen, Walden Wong & Mahnke

Covers by J. H. Williams and Doug Mahnke

Synopsis

While keeping vigil of his wife Lois at the hospital, Clark Kent is approached by the Monitor Zillo Valla. Zillo knows he is Superman.  She stops time and then offers him the chance to save Lois, but only if The Man of Steel helps.  Superman agrees.  They are then joined by other Supermen, including Captain Marvel, Overman, and Ultraman, of the multiverse.  They then enter the Bleed and traverse through various universes until they crash in Limbo.  The ship, however, is damaged and there is no way to leave.  There, they are shown a single book, which they realize contains all of the books ever written in the multiverse.  They realize that the ship they used to get to Limbo has infinite memory, so they decide to get on the ship so it can use the book to repair itself.  However, they cannot lift it.  But in touching it, Superman gets a glimpse of Mandrakk.  Zillo Valla tells Superman that the dark monitor has risen.  Then Ultraman picks up the book and tells Superman there is nothing he can do.  Evil wins in the end!

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Color me confused.  This was a tough comic to get through.  Part of that is the 3D effect, but part of that is the writing, which lacks focus in getting the characters to where they need to go and then lacks a solid foundation when it gets to Limbo.  I think Morrison intended for the narrative to be a little off kilter, but the effect doesn’t work.  Instead, I was confused, trying to figure out what was going on.  Granted, I was able to gain some semblance of understanding, but only after I gone through it a second time.  This is not a story that can be read once and then forgotten.  Well, I suppose it could and probably will by those confused in the reading, but I really think that multiple reads through this issue will illuminated much of what Morrison is trying to say.  Essentially, this issue builds upon what Morrison first attempted to do in his Animal Man series in which the DC Universe are simply stories being told.  However, in this issue Morrison takes it a step further, proclaiming the stories important and proclaiming Superman is important, perhaps even the most important hero of them all.  It begins with the Monitor telling Superman only he can save the universe.  It continues with the assembly of the different Supermen analogues for the mission and ends with the First monitor (or the monitor God or Creator) explaining how Superman is the key to existence.  And we get Mandrakk the Dark Monitor trying to squelch all of stories and putting an end to all heroic tales. 

Billy gets blasted enough to forget the magic word to become Shazam, but seemingly has the Wisdom of Solomon.  Or is it a reference to Solomon the Monitor for the Countdown to Final Crisis series.  Billy states the “thing most despised will save the most beloved.”  Could it be Solomon’s actions, making Nix Uton an outcast, be part of a larger plan to save the multiverse.  Or is it just a coincidence since Solomon is part of SHAZAM?

Since Morrison not only wrote this tie-in, but also the main mini-series this ties into (Final Crisis, ‘natch) there are some connections between the two that are now making sense.  In the main series, Nix Uton was shown drawing pictures of Overman, which connects to the ending when Zillo Valla uses the life blood of Overman to save the others.  Or to turn evil.  Or something.  Not sure what is really going on there.  Plus, Overman mentions his cousin, Overgirl, who had fallen to the sky and was found on the street by the Question. 

If this makes any sense, I liked the 3D effect and I think it is pretty cool to read it, but I didn’t like here at all.  I think part of it is the fact that the book switches back and forth from 2D to 3D, meaning you either read the entire issues with the strange glasses or you are constantly putting them on and off.  And it doesn’t help the glasses feel weird on your head and actually have limited vision (at least compared to wearing no glasses).

It looks as if Earth-6 is meant to be the Marvel Universe, perhaps in the middle of Civil War.  Or a Secret Invasion of some sort.

 

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