Comics of the Week (1/28/09) part 1

Trinity #35 - we get some more details about the past of the E-3 Edward Nigma which really helps provide the motivation for this character in the series. Meanwhile, the "remembering six" (Alfred, Dick, Donna, Nemesis, Lois, Supergirl) learn more of the tribal legends. The story keeps moving which is what a weekly needs to do. It is like reading a novel and we're smack dab in the middle of the second act. Things should pick up again nicely as we get closer to the final issues.

Final Crisis #7 (of 7) - well, that was an unenjoyable conclusion. The appearance of the deux ex machina last issue played out this issue as expected. All got cleaned up nice and neatly, making the mini series have very little lasting effects. The only things changed were a) the New Gods getting a new home even if it totally ignored the Death of the New Gods mini, b) Batman being "away" for awhile - you know he'll be back, c) the return of Barry Allen (for which I am very happy), d) the death of J'Onn remained in place and e) the return of the Zoo Crew (which needed to be reversed). I think my big problem with this issue and this whole mini in general is how Grant Morrison presented his narrative. There is a lot of jumping about - mostly to get reaction shots. There is little exposition, little narrative to explain things. Things just are - with no details on what happened. They just did. I expect a writer when they tell me a story to tell me the story, or at least give me enough details so I can figure out how we got from A to B to C. He also spends too much time on "cool scenes" when he could have used those pages for provide clarity. In hindsight, I wish I would have skipped this main mini and only read the tie-ins. I would have gotten all I needed from them and save $28.


Final Crisis: Revelations #5 (of 5) - now this was one of the tie-ins I really enjoyed. It featured the Spectre, the Question and a battle against Vandal Savage/Cain. In five issues, it told a story of the rise of darkness, of sacrifice, of redemption and of triumph. It told it in a clear, concise manner and evoked the mood that the main mini should have as Darkseid's reign over Earth took hold. It filled in details via dialogue and narrative what a reader might have needed from other books so that the story could be enjoyed if one just read these five issues. It focused on characters and allowed the reader to feel for them, understand them and experience what they experienced. Greg Rucca knows how to tell a good story, and the artwork fit well with the tone and mood of the book. This is the type of stuff Final Crisis should have been telling, just like Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge and the couple one-shots did.