| Final Crisis | |
|---|---|
 Cover art of theFinal Crisis hardcover byJ. G. Jones | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | May 2008 – January 2009 |
| No. of issues | 7 |
| Main characters | |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | |
| Written by | Grant Morrison |
| Artists |
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| Pencillers |
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| Inkers |
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| Letterers |
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| Collected editions | |
| Hardcover | ISBN 1-4012-2281-1 |
| Paperback | ISBN 140122282X |
| Absolute Final Crisis | ISBN 978-1-4012-3511-6 |
"Final Crisis" is a 2008 American comicscrossover storyline that ran in books published byDC Comics, consisting of an central, eponymous seven-issueminiseries written byGrant Morrison, and a number of other tie-in books. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely byJ. G. Jones; artistsCarlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy andDoug Mahnke later provided art for the series.[1][2]
The storyline directly followsDC Universe #0 after the conclusion of the 51-issueCountdown to Final Crisis weekly limited series.[3] Promotion about the limited series describes its story as "the day evil won". The series deals with alien villainDarkseid's plot to overthrow reality, and the subsequent death and corruption of various DC characters and their universe.
"Final Crisis" originated from several ideas Grant Morrison had when they returned to DC Comics in 2003. Morrison said, "I pitched a huge crossover event called Hypercrisis, which didn't happen for various reasons. Some of Hypercrisis went intoSeven Soldiers, some went intoAll-Star Superman, some went into52 and some of it found a home in 'Final Crisis'."[4] According to Grant Morrison, work finally began onFinal Crisis #1 in early2006, with the intention of the series being a thematic and literal sequel toSeven Soldiers and52, two projects that Morrison was heavily involved in at the time.[5]
References to the "Infinite Crisis" storyline as the "middle Crisis"[6] gave readers the impression there would be at least one additional major follow-up to "Crisis on Infinite Earths". A May 2007 teaser poster confirmed this speculation with the tagline: "Heroes die. Legends live forever."
"Final Crisis" was preceded byCountdown, a year-long weekly series which was meant as a follow-up to52. Halfway through, the series was renamedCountdown to Final Crisis. However, the artwork met with delays.[citation needed] To keep the release on schedule,Countdown wrapped with issue #1 and its planned final issue (#0) was revamped as a 50 centone-shot special calledDC Universe #0. Besides hyping upcoming storylines such as "Batman R.I.P." and "Blackest Night," the issue was narrated byBarry Allen and featuredLibra leading a group of super-villains in prayer for the "god of evil",Darkseid. The result is, as described by Morrison, that "we're watching him fall back through the present, into the past ofSeven Soldiers where he finally comes to rest in the body of 'Boss Dark Side', the gangster from that story."[5]
To help readers identify events pertinent toFinal Crisis and other major DCU events as the crossover approached, a "Sightings" cover banner appeared on various DC comics as "signposts, marking important storybeats and moments throughout the DC Universe."[7] The first such headers appeared onJustice League of America (vol. 2) #21 andAction Comics #866, respectively (theJLA issue featured Libra's return and his recruiting of theHuman Flame).
The original intent was forJones to pencil the whole series. Due to delays, however,Carlos Pacheco drew issues #4–6 with Jones and issue 7 was drawn entirely byDoug Mahnke. Jones said that "Any problems completing the series are my own. I love Doug Mahnke's art, and he would have probably been a better choice to draw this series in the first place."[8]
In addition to the core limited series the larger storyline includes a number oftie-ins, including one-shots and limited series.
The one-shots comprise "Requiem,"[9] "Resist,"[10] "Secret Files" and "Submit". Also "Rage of the Red Lanterns" is the start of a storyline of the same name, that picks up on events in "Green Lantern: Secret Origin" and continues inGreen Lantern #36–38. It starts as a tie-in because, according to writerGeoff Johns, "events inFinal Crisis have motivated the Guardians to proceed further with their attempted containment of the light".[11]
The limited series compriseSuperman Beyond (a two issue mini-series also written byGrant Morrison),Legion of 3 Worlds (a five-issue limited series focusing on the different incarnations of theLegion of Super-Heroes),[12]Revelations (a five-issue limited series),[13] andRogues' Revenge (a three-issue mini-series focused on theFlash Rogues).[14]
Following the final battle of theNew Gods,Darkseid's spirit tumbles through time itself, coming to rest onEarth, where he, along with the spirits of the other evil gods ofApokolips, manifests himself in the body of a human being. Darkseid's "fall" has sundered reality, creating asingularity at the heart of creation, into which all of space and time are slowly being drawn, setting the stage for the evil god's final victory, to be claimed in his inevitable death. Through his agentLibra, he arranges for ahuge army of super villains to be gathered, who capture and killMartian Manhunter as the opening salvo of the conflict. Coinciding with the Manhunter's death is the arrival on Earth ofNix Uotan, an exiled member of the cosmicMonitors, who has been sentenced to become human as punishment for failure in his duties.
Following the trail of a group of missing child prodigies, detectiveDan Turpin discovers the dying body of Darkseid's son,Orion. TheJustice League of America liaise with theGreen Lantern Corps to investigate the murder, deducing the cause of death to be a bullet of Radion (a substance toxic to New Gods) fired backward through time from the future. New GodGranny Goodness, possessing the body of Green Lantern Kraken, stymies the investigation by framingHal Jordan for the murder; whenBatman deduces her true identity, she captures him and teleports him toCommand D, a government bio-chemical weapons facility beneath the city ofBlüdhaven that has fallen under the control of Darkseid's minions. Slowly becoming aware of the threat the evil gods pose,Alan Scott enacts "Article X", a superhero draft that readies Earth'smetahuman forces for the coming war.
With Batman and Jordan removed from play, the New Gods continue to eliminate the greatest threats to Darkseid's plan.Wonder Woman, while investigating Bludhaven, is infected by the Morticoccus bacterium by aDeSaad-possessedMary Marvel.Superman departs for the future to obtain a cure forLois Lane after a bomb in theDaily Planet building mortally wounds her. The Silver AgeFlash,Barry Allen, is resurrected from within theSpeed Force by powers unknown and races back in time alongsideWally West in an attempt to outrun theBlack Racer and stop the bullet that will kill Orion.
Turpin's search for the missing children leads him to theDark Side Club, where he is confronted by Darkseid's human host, Boss Dark Side. Darkseid transfers his essence into Turpin's body and brings him to Command D, where the detective is subjected to bio-genetic restructuring to transform his body into a replica of Darkseid's original form. Concurrently, Darkseid's agents release theAnti-Life Equation through all of Earth's communications networks, spreading it across the entire planet. The two Flashes, having failed to prevent Orion's death, emerge from the time stream one month after the equation's release and discover that the minds of nearly the entire population have fallen under Darkseid's control, with its super-human victims having been transformed into a military force of "Justifiers".
With the help of theTattooed Man, theSuper Young Team, and former allies of the New Gods ofNew GenesisShilo Norman andSonny Sumo, small cells of super heroes who have managed to resist the equation discover a possible salvation: a symbol from the alphabet of the New Gods that will break the equation's control over minds; it had been gifted to the cave-boyAnthro byMetron in prehistoric times. Meanwhile, a huge battle erupts between the superheroes and the Justifiers in Blüdhaven, during which the equation-controlled Wonder Woman infects the heroes with Morticoccus, which strips the heroes of their powers. However, the loss of these troops is soon mitigated by the turning of Libra's Justifiers, control over whom is usurped byLex Luthor andDoctor Sivana so they can help defeat Darkseid. These twists and turns are observed by Nix Uotan, whose powers and memories of his true nature are unlocked with the help of Metron and a mysterious ape-like figure in a robe.
Escaping confinement in Command D, Batman uses the Radion bullet to mortally wound Darkseid, while Darkseid in turn kills Batman with his Omega Beams. Superman returns to the present and tears Command D apart to recover Batman's corpse and faces off against Darkseid as the Flashes come racing into Blüdhaven, the Black Racer hot on their heels. As the heroes reach super-luminal velocity, time warps around the Flashes, creating the temporal eddy into which Darkseid fires the bullet, sending it back in time to kill Orion. Outpacing Omega Beams fired from the eyes of the humans in Darkseid's thrall, the Flashes lead both the beams and the Black Racer straight to Darkseid, finishing the job Batman had begun to kill him. Simultaneously,The Ray traces the Metron symbol across the face of the Earth in beams of light, liberating all those under the equation's control. The freed Wonder Woman uses her lasso of truth to release Darkseid's consciousness from Turpin's body.
Although physically bested, Darkseid's essence is still dragging all of reality into nothingness along with it. Time and space break down as the effect worsens, until eventually, only Superman is left in the darkness at the end of creation, struggling to complete a copy of the Miracle Machine, a wish-granting machine shown to him byBrainiac 5 during his trip to the future. Darkseid's essence re-emerges to claim the machine, but Superman destroys him for good by using the last of his super-powered breath to sing, countering the vibrational frequency of Darkseid's life force.
With Darkseid's end, however, the evil behind evils emerges: Mandrakk, the Dark Monitor, fallen father of Nix Uotan, who waits at the end of all things to consume what remains. Superman uses the solar energy in his own cells to power the Miracle Machine and makes a wish that is granted by the appearance of an army of Supermen from all across the multiverse. Nix Uotan joins the clash, using his Monitor powers to summon the Green Lantern Corps, theZoo Crew, the Super Young Team, the armies of Heaven itself and more for a final battle with Mandrakk that culminates in the Corps spearing him with a stake made of pure light created by the combined energy of their rings. The heroes drag Earth out of the black hole that is Darkseid, and Nix Uotan returns to being human as the other Monitors cease to exist in accordance with the wish Superman had made: a wish for a happy ending.
In the distant past, Anthro dies of old age in a cave. His body is discovered by Bruce Wayne, who is revealed to have survived and been transported back in time by the Omega Beams. Bruce picks up where Anthro left off, drawing a bat symbol on the cave wall.
The first issue ofFinal Crisis went on sale May 28, 2008.[15]Final Crisis was seven oversized issues released over nine months starting in May 2008.[16] Morrison explained that the sequence of stories in the main series and tie-ins isFinal Crisis #1–3,Superman Beyond #1–2,Final Crisis: Submit,Final Crisis #4–5,Batman #682–683, and finallyFinal Crisis #6–7.[4]
Several one-shots and mini-series were released as tie-ins toFinal Crisis;[17] three series ran in parallel to the main one and theone-shot,DC Universe: Last Will and Testament, was planned to fit in the "break" betweenFinal Crisis #3 and #4.[18]
Morrison, who wrote one of the "final" Batman stories in "Batman R.I.P.," stated, "First it'sR.I.P., and we'll see how that winds up for Batman. Then the two-parter mentioned (Batman #682–683) goes through Batman's whole career, in a big summing up of everything that also ties directly intoFinal Crisis. AndFinal Crisis is where we see the final fate of Batman."[19]
While not an official tie-in, theTerror Titans mini-series takes place during the events ofFinal Crisis and deals with the Dark Side Club and the Anti-Life Equation.
In a moveDan DiDio described as "inspirationally tied toFinal Crisis," in early 2009, the villains took over the mainDC Universe titles and some were featured in "Faces of Evil," a series ofone-shots, all designed to examine the question "What happens when evil wins?"[22]
FourFinal Crisis Aftermath six-issue limited series were announced atNew York Comic Con 2009:[23][24]
In the 1997–1998JLA story arc "Rock of Ages" a future where Darkseid had enslaved the human race using the Anti-Life Equation was shown. This story arc resembles some similarities to events shown inFinal Crisis and was also written by Grant Morrison.
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Crisis | Final Crisis #1–7,Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1–2,Final Crisis: Submit #1 | June 2009 | 978-1401222819 |
| Final Crisis (New Edition) | Final Crisis #1-7,Final Crisis: Submit #1,Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1-2,DC Universe Zero,Batman #682-683 | April 2014 | 978-1401245177 |
| Absolute Final Crisis | Final Crisis #1-7,Final Crisis: Submit #1,Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1-2,Final Crisis Sketchbook,Final Crisis #1: Director's Cut,Batman #682-683 | November 2012 | 978-1401235116 |
| Final Crisis Companion | Final Crisis #1: Director's Cut,Final Crisis: Requiem #1,Final Crisis: Resist #1,Final Crisis: Secret Files #1 | June 2009 | 978-1401222741 |
| Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds | Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1–5 | October 2009 | 978-1401223243 |
| Final Crisis: Revelations | Final Crisis: Revelations #1–5 | August 2009 | 978-1848563513 |
| Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge | Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #1–3,The Flash (vol. 2) #182 and 197 | July 2009 | 978-1401223335 |
| Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns | Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1 andGreen Lantern #26–28, 36–38 | July 2009 | 978-1401223014 |
| Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance | Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #1–6 | February 2010 | 978-1848565456 |
| Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape | Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape #1–6 | March 2010 | 978-1401226084 |
| Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink | Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink #1–6 | March 2010 | 978-1848565470 |
| Final Crisis Aftermath: Run | Final Crisis Aftermath: Run #1–6 | March 2010 | 978-1848566354 |
| Final Crisis Omnibus | Batman #676-683, 701-702,Birds of Prey #118,DC Universe #0,DC Universe: The Last Will and Testament #1,Final Crisis #1-7,Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1-5,Final Crisis: Requiem #1,Final Crisis: Resist #1,Final Crisis: Revelations #1-5,Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #1-3,Final Crisis: Secret Files #1,Final Crisis: Submit #1,Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1-2,Flash #240-241,Justice League of America #21,Superman/Batman #76,Teen Titans #59-60,Terror Titans #1-6 | October 2018 | 978-1401285036 |
Elements of the storyline were incorporated into the 2020 animated filmJustice League Dark: Apokolips War.
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