Final Crisis

I really don’t know what to say about this one.  It’s just….wired.  I mean, just wired.  And this is the final part of my Final Crisis Trilogy but just…what the hell did I just read?  Immediately after reading this comic I looked at the reaction other people had and found that I was far from the only one who thought this comic was strange.  I mean it’s an odd, wired and messy story that defies description at some points.  So where do I even begin with this mess?

            Well, I guess I would start with the plot but to be perfectly honest, I’m not even sure what the plot of this story is, as it takes so many different turns.  At first it seems like it’s a battle against Darkseid as he starts implementing the Anti-Life Equation on Earth but then turns into some kind of cosmic battle where the fates of all the universes are linked and I honestly have no idea.  This book was just confusing as hell.

            Before I actually get into what’s wrong with it let me go into the pros of the story.  For one thing I read it from the hard cover edition so some of the stuff is actually is filled in in this version.  But sense I never read the paperback version this was inconsequential to me and the stuff that was added only further confused me.  But as far as pros go, the dialog is still pretty well written and believable.  The drawing style is also pretty good and like the last two comics I mentioned, between it and the coloring everything look the way it should. 

The first fourth of the story was actually really good.  While I’m still not entirely sure what happened, it starts off when the New God of Genesis, Orion is killed and starts off the whole event and the buildup to a certain point is really good and the concepts were actually fantastic and incredible.

Things, however, really start to get wired the moment Barry Allen comes back from the dead and the series starts to bring in all these contrived elements that make next to no sense and various things that are ultimately inconsequential to the plot. 

From what I gathered, the general consensus of the story is this: when reading this story most people tend to think that they keep flipping over pages.  And that’s pretty damn accurate.  Everything seems like it was glanced over and there were more details that were supposed to be included but weren’t.  To put it simply the story needed a lot more exposition then it was willing to give and it just confused the hell out of readers including myself.

            Right alongside this is the way things were put together.  For one thing, it seemed like entire issues were missing from the story and again it had me flipping back to make sure I hadn’t missed something.  Then there was the way the panels were actually arranged and, my God was it off.  At times it seemed like entire panels were missing or that they were out of order.  There were also a lot of events, particularly towards the end where events just seemed to be thrown in together out of order, especially dealing with the “solution”, (which I’m still trying to figure out and was the weirdest part of the book). 

Then there were the action panels.  While much of the last two thirds of this book were dealt with the superheroes of Earth fighting back the people who had fallen to the Anti-Life Equation the action was very poorly managed.  I guess the best comparison I can think of is comparing it to the action of the Lord of the Rings films, mainly the way you would see a few minutes of the fight and then it would cut to something else entirely.  With Lord of the Rings however, it worked.  Here, it just pisses you off and by the time you cut back to the fight, it is, for all intents and purposes, over.

Spoiler alerts for those who haven’t read it on this paragraph and the next but there are also two other plot elements that I just found completely unnecessary and feel that I have to mention.  For starters, is the death of Batman which came completely out of nowhere.  Throughout most of the event, he had been Darkseid’s captive and then just appears and fatally shoots him, before being zapped with Darkseid’s eye beams.  I mean what the hell?!  He was in the series for maybe a total of ten pages and is then quickly killed off at the end.  What a bullshit way to end one of the greatest superheroes of all time, (yes I know he comes back but it still came completely out of nowhere and it’s still irritating).

The second is the “true” villain, apparently some creature known as Mandrakk.  Why does this irritate me?  Well, mainly because he wasn’t a necessary villain.  Darkseid was really all this comic needed and if it wasn’t for all the wired crap that happened throughout the event he would have been a more then suitable villain and bringing this guy in just seemed to downplay Darkseid as a villain.  And even after he’s revealed, we still have no idea what he was after or know anything about him or his motivations so he just seems to come out of nowhere.  Not to mention we have no idea what his role in all of this was.  Was he manipulating Darkseid?  Was he commanding him?  Was he just waiting for everyone to kill each other?  Explanation please!!!!

Finally, we have the resolution.   Again I still have no idea what the hell happened and I’m not sure if was something that was supposed to be Deus Ex Machina or something that was supposed to have a deeper meaning.  Either way, it was just beyond confusing and even after reading the Wikipedia Article on it I’m still not sure just what the hell happened.

All around this book was just a mess.  It had good ideas for sure but the way things were ordered, explained and executed you’ll just find yourself wondering just what the hell happened.  I may like Grant Morrison’s other work but this one was just bad.  It is the definition of a story with great ideas but was ultimately too big and too complex for its own good.  It is not one that I would recommend and the only purpose it should have in any one’s house is as kindling.

All Around

4/10

And those are my thoughts on Final Crisis.  I actually went into this thing knowing next to nothing about the event and boy was it a shock to find what I found.  In a nutshell, I would recommend The Injustice League and say to go ahead and read Sanctuary if you care, but this story?  Save yourself and keep as far away from it as possible.  You have been warned.

So until next time, this is The Illusive One saying,

ANTI-LIFE JUSTIFIES MY HATE!

Justice League of America: The Injustice League

            Around the same time I was reading The Killing Joke and Across The Universe: The D.C. Stories of Alan Moore I came across a more modern comic, revolving around The Justice League entitled Justice League of America: Sanctuary.  The premise of the story was that most of the supervillains in the D.C. Universe had been abducted by Task Force X, a.k.a. The Suicide Squad and the few that remain go to The Justice League for protection which put them at odds with Task Force X.  While the premise was good, the comic just left me confused and I only later found out that it was actually a continuation of another comic called The Injustice League and seemed only to be a bridge between it and the Final Crisis crossover event. 

            Now, I'm just going to be very honest about this.  Story ordering with comics confuses the hell out of me.  With this, I wasn't sure if this comic was supposed to be a direct predecessor to Final Crisis, if it took place before Countdown to Final Crisis, or in a parallel dimension to Countdown Final Crisis, at the same time, or if the writers were just flat out lying to me by ending Sanctuary with it's To Be Continued in Final Crisis bit.  It was just a nightmare trying to figure this out. 

            On top of that, just trying to figure out which Crisis they were talking about was a bit of a challenge.  When they said Final Crisis I honestly wasn’t sure at the time which Crisis event they were talking about.  Was it Crisis on Infinite Earths?  Was it Infinite Crisis?  Crisis on Earth-Two?  Identity Crisis?  I just couldn't figure it out because there were so many damn spins on the Crisis title that it made it difficult to figure out just which one they were talking about.  Finally I did the logical thing and looked on the last page of Sanctuary where it said To Be Continued in Final Crisis which sort of cleared it up for me but the brought about the questions stated above.  To put it simply there are just to many events with Crisis in the title and it's annoying and confusing and everything mentioned above are more or less the reasons I've had such a hard time getting into comics.

            So now that I've gotten all that out of my system, you’re probably wondering what the hell am I trying to get at.  Well, I just wanted to state how confusing comics can be for me before I actually get into today's review and why I do so few of them.  So what shall I be reviewing today?  Well, the comic Justice League of America: The Injustice League, the first in what I would like to call, The Illusive One's Final Crisis Trilogy.  Over the next few days I shall be reviewing this comic, Sanctuary, and finally Final Crisis.  I'm not going to get into Countdown or any of the other Final Crisis buildup because again, that would just be way too confusing for me and Linkara has already made it clear that I should stay as far away from that crap as humanly possible.  So for now it’s time for part one of The Final Crisis Trilogy.  This is the Illusive One's Review of Justice League of America: The Injustice League.

            The plot involves Lex Luthor, The Joker and Cheetah as they form an alliance of supervillains with the purpose of taking down the Justice League and, you guessed it, take over the world. 

Couldn't Resist

           

            And that's all you really need to know about the story so let’s start digging into the pros and cons.

            On the positive side, there was a lot of great dialog.  Most of it consisted of simple exchanges between the characters but the conversations were extremely enjoyable and there were a lot of really cleaver moments that really stuck out.  The most notable of which was a lot of Batman's dialog and an exchange between Hal Jordan and John Stewart, where they directly address the issue of having two Green Lanterns on Earth.  It was also interesting to see just how Lex Luthor controlled all these villains.  Usually alliances like these rarely work out but it was interesting to see how he kept it all together.  On the same note, I also really liked the traps Luthor set up for the Justice League and how the heroes keep falling into them.  Most of them were really clever and kept the reader on his or her toes and wondering just how they would escape said traps or how Luthor would trap them.

I also really liked the general drawing style of this comic.  To put it simply, I thought everything was really well drawn, colored and looked the way it should look.  Right alongside that, I felt that the action panels were well done as well and did a good job depicting the action.

            On the negative side, it didn't really seem like much more than an excuse then to get a lot of the super heroes and villains in one room to beat the crap out of one another.  There were a few moments that had a lot of depth at the beginning but after that it became pretty shallow and just a typical hero verses villain type story.  I also felt that the climax was a tad underwhelming and there were a couple of plot holes at this point that you could drive a truck through.  Not to mention a lot of the villains you see in the Injustice League never actually fight or have any dialog and that might irritate some people.

           

            All around, I'd say this was a comic definitely worth reading.  The dialog was enjoyable, the writing was all around good, the action was well depicted and it was just cool to see the way the villains all worked off one another.  If you're a comic book reader, then definitely check it out because it's worth your time.

All Around

7.75/10

            So that's it for part one.  Check in next time my thoughts on the follow-up to this story, Sanctuary.  So until next time this is The Illusive One signing off.

Batman: The Killing Joke

            Over the past couple of months, I've found myself repeating that I'm not much of a fan of comic books, yet lately I can't stop talking about them in some form or another.  And I've found yet another comic book I want to review.  Even though I don't read too many comic books, anything with Alan Moore or Batman in the title always grabs my attention.  The final push I needed to read something like this was a single cover that could draw me into its 46 page book.  And not too long ago I found something with all three qualities.  This is The Illusive One's Review of Batman: The Killing Joke.

            Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland in 1988, The Killing Joke is often considered to be one of the greatest Joker themed Batman Story ever made and changed the entire cannon of the Batman series as well as serving as a major inspiration for the 1989 film Batman and the 2008 film The Dark Knight.  But how well does it hold up today to a relative new comer to the area like myself?  The plot of it revolves around the Joker as he has once again escaped from Arkham Asylum, (WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO LEARN THAT THAT PLACE CAN'T HOLD HIM?!), kidnaps Commissioner Gordon, and tries to prove that it only takes one traumatic experience to bring people to his level while flashing back to his apparent past.

            On the positive side, the majority of the drawing style was great.  The coloring was great, the blood was great, and the attention to detail was great.  It was also a well written story with good dialog and decent plot structure.  I also felt that some of the ways they decided to take the story were bold and welcome, (such as having Barbra Gordon crippled by the Joker).  Although a lot of people didn't like the ending of this comic, I loved it and found myself laughing my ass off with The Dark Knight and the Joker, (although I'm not entirely sure why).  Even though the Joker's past was a major part of the story I like the way they kept it a bit ambiguous; by the end you're not sure if the flash backs you saw were real or just part of the Joker's insanity.  I also loved how insane the Joker was in this comic, as he constantly killed and shot people almost at random.  His ultimate goal of trying to prove that only one bad day stands between the average person and insanity was something that actually got under my skin.  The last but greatest thing about this comic was how it analyzed the relationship between Batman and the Joker.  It showed their deadly rivalry and how it would probably escalate until one of them killed the other but also showed a kind of kindred spirit between the two; how traumatic events changed both of their lives and how they adapted to them.

            On the negative side, I honestly felt that this comic was too short.  To me, it almost seemed like it should have been thirty to sixty pages longer but was somehow cut short.  As a result, the Joker's plan of driving Gordon insane seemed a bit underwhelming.  I also felt that there was a little too much focus on the Joker's past and not enough directly on the rival of Batman and the Joker.  While I do know that Batman’s blue and gray outfit is his classical look it's not one that holds up very well today and I couldn't help but be distracted by it.  The last negative thing I have to say about this comic is that I didn't particularly care for the way the Joker looked in it.  His face just seemed way to long and his neck seemed way to thin.  Maybe that's nitpicking but it's something I couldn't help but be distracted by.

            All around, this was defiantly a comic that was well worth my time.  While I found the Joker's plan to be slightly underwhelming, it made up for it with its themes and analysis of the characters.  What else can I say?  I don't read too many D.C. Comics but this one certainly makes me want to read more.  If you're like me and don't read to many comic books and are a fan of Batman and the Joker I'd recommend at least picking it up at a library and take the time to read it.  It was well worth my time and I'm sure it will be worth yours.

All Around

8/10

  

So until next time this is the Illusive One saying There were these two guys in a lunatic asylum and one night, one night they decide they don't like living in an asylum any more. They decide they're going to escape! So, like, they get up onto the roof, and there, just across this narrow gap, they see the rooftops of the town, stretching away in the moon light... stretching away to freedom. Now, the first guy, he jumps right across with no problem. But his friend, his friend didn't dare make the leap. Y'see... Y'see, he's afraid of falling. So then, the first guy has an idea... He says 'Hey! I have my flashlight with me! I'll shine it across the gap between the buildings. You can walk along the beam and join me!' B-but the second guy just shakes his head. He suh-says... He says 'Wh-what do you think I am? Crazy? You'd turn it off when I was half way across!

GAH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Star Wars: Threat of Peace

            Whenever I tell someone that I’m not much of a fan of comic books they always give me a funny look; like it was the last thing they were expecting to hear from me.  And honestly, I can’t blame them because I do look and sound like someone who keeps stacks of comic books in his closet.  But in truth, I haven’t read that many in my lifetime.  I recall reading some kind of Hulk/Dr. Doom/Silver Surfer book when I was about seven, skimming through The Death of Superman while in Middle School, reading the Sin City book The Hard Goodbye in High School, and getting about of a third of the way through Watchmen later on.  That’s about it.  With that in mind it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I haven’t reviewed a single comic book throughout my time on this blog.  But I think I’ve finally found one that I want to give my thoughts on.   This is the Illusive One’s Review of the webcomic series, Star Wars: Threat of Peace.

           

            The series had three acts with each act containing nine issues and reached its conclusion on March, 2010.  It takes place before the events of the upcoming MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic and takes place about three hundred years after the events of the Knights of the Old Republic games.  The plot, more or less, revolves around various events that threaten to shatter a recent peace treaty between the Republic and the Sith Empire and a number of characters who will either preserve or shatter the peace.

            On the positive side I was pleasantly surprised by the plot.  It was a well thought out story of political intrigue and espionage and the pacing of events leading towards the climax was well done.  There were also a few twists towards the end that I really enjoyed and didn’t see coming.   It also had a really good collection of characters that ranged from Jedi Knights, to Sith Lords, to infantry soldiers, to bounty hunters and all were interesting and diverse and I honestly would like to see their stories expanded on.

            On the negative side, the written dialog was not that great.  It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t top notch either.  I also didn’t care for the drawing style used in this comic series and the action panels weren’t particularly well done.  Granted I have seen a lot worse, but from what I know, the average comic’s drawing style is a lot better than this.  Even though I loved the characters in this comic, some of the interactions between them just didn’t seem right.  If you’ve read this series you’ll know exactly what I mean by that.  The final criticism I had with these comics is that at times it seemed rushed.  Some of the events in the series, such as the battle on Coruscant or the peace negotiations between the Jedi and Sith were omitted completely, despite the fact that half of the events of the series revolve around them.  It was something I found not only disappointing, but confusing as well as half the time you weren’t sure what was going on.        

           

            All around, I would only recommend reading this web comic series if you’re going to play Star Wars: The Old Republic because all it really does is serve as a direct prequel to it.  It doesn’t explain when this Sith Empire came from, how it gained so much power, nor does it explain what became of Revan or the Jedi Exile and I found that a bit disappointing.  But still, it’s good for what it is.  If you like Star Wars then you’ll definitely like this but don’t expect anything mind blowing.  If not, then don’t bother with it.  So until next time, this is The Illusive One and don’t expect too many more comic reviews.