DCU Comic Book Reviews

FINAL CRISIS #3

Know Evil

September 2008

Written by Grant Morrison

Pencils by J. G. Jones

Inks by J. G. Jones

Covers by J. G. Jones

Synopsis

Led by Frankenstein, SHADE tracks down the Question, who leads them to a mummified body with a message that reads, “Know Evil.”  The Question then runs away, but encounters the near-dead body of Berfraulein.  Elsewhere, fallen Monitor Nix is fired from his job.  Elsewhere, Cave Carson finds cave art that resembles the Metron logo.  Meanwhile, Jay Garrick tells Iris Allen that Barry is alive, but caught in the speed force with Wally West, racing against death.  At the Hall of Doom, Libra places a helmet with the anti-life equation on the Human Flame.  Libra then tells others to either swear an oath on the crime bible or wear a helmet like the Human Flame and lose free will.  At the Metropolis Memorial Hospital, Clark Kent is watching over the injured Lois lane when a mysterious person offers the chance to save Lois as long as Superman leaves the world.  Now.  Elsewhere, the Alpha Lanterns escort Hal Jordan back to OA for the trial in the murder of Orion.  Believing Darkseid behind the murder, Wonder Woman suggests they need an army; the need to draft superheroes.  Meanwhile, Shilo Norman and Super Sumo barely escape a bomb, with the help of Super Young Team.  In Blüdhaven, Wonder Woman investigates the city when she encounters Mary Marvel, who attacks the Amazon Princess.  In the battle, Mary injects Wonder Woman with a virus.  Meanwhile, Oracle finds a virus of another type infecting the world’s computers.  In the time stream, Barry Allen Wally West land in 2 weeks into the future and encounter Female Furies who tell them:  “Superheroes. KILL.”

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

S.H.A.D.E. = Super Human Advanced Defence Executive

Taken individually or taken as parts, I am absolutely enjoying this series.  There are scenes that are wonderful to read, either for the humor (the monitor on Earth) or the sheer joy of watching characters in action (the race against death) or the sense of dread (the ending pages), or the beutiful art by JG Jones.  But taken as a whole, I don’t think Morrison is doing a good job of connecting the dots and making me emotionally invested in what is happening.  Part of this is the scope of the series.  There are so many characters, so many plot threads, that there is very little ongoing narrative.  It is a sequence of bullet points, going from here to here to here to here in order to get to the ending that is needed.  When Article X is invoked, I didn’t feel it because the urgency or the need has not been properly conveyed.  The conflict is not properly delineated.  Morrison is doing a good job of showing how Darskeid et al. have infiltrated Earth and are slowly unleashing their evil on the world, but where the story falls apart is that it doesn’t seem bad.  Things seem dire when they happen to the hero, to the main character, because they feel it and experience it.  None of these characters are experiencing it and because of that I am not experiencing it.  On one level, this has been a great series and I look forward to the next issue, but another level I am just not feeling it.

It is amazing how much DC continuity (much of it relating to Kirby’s Fourth World comics) that Morrison crams into each and every issue of this mini-series.  For instance, in Kirby’s world there was a global police agency featuring officers who wore masks that would conceal their faces, much like the Question’s mask.  So when Taleb suggests they need to talk to Renee Montoya about joining such a law enforcement agency, you can see the seeds being planted for Kirby’s creation.  And there are much more type of little tidbits running throughout this series and this issue. 

The scene with Iris Allen and the return of Barry Allen felt false to me.  Ever since his death, Barry has returned at various times.  I don’t know all of them, but one would assume that Iris has been aware of Barry’s various returns.  Even if she didn’t experience it herself, Jay or Wally might’ve told her.  So for her to get so emotional about Barry’s return seemed off, especially when you consider he is still in the speed force. 

A few other random things

·          The mummified corpse at the beginning is the old body of Darkseid seen in previous versions. 

·          The e-mail virus wouldn’t work; there are still millions of people in the world without computers.

·          The armband around Lois’ wrist says either “Louis” or “Louisa.” 

The Female Furies are Batwoman, Wonder Woman, Catwoman, and Elasti-Girl.  Although it could be Giganta in the back, I am going with Elasti-Girl (Rita Farr from Doom Patrol, a book Morrison once wrote) since the others are heroes. 

 

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