Written by Greg Rucka.
Art by Philip Tan; Jonathan Glapion; Jeff de los Santos; Walden Wong; Ian Hannin; Nei Rufino; & John J. Hill.
Final Crisis: Secret Files excerpt text by Greg Rucka.
Final Crisis Secret Files excerpt art by Steve Lieber & Eric S. Trautmann.
Collection Cover Art by Philip Tan; Walden Wong; & Ian Hannin.
SUMMARY:
Released in 2009 by DC Comics, this 168-page hardcover reprints 2008’s Final Crisis: Revelations # 1-5 and material from 2009’s Final Crisis: Secret Files # 1 one-shot. Beginning with a single-page excerpt from the ‘Words of Lilith,’ the prophecy re: the Spear of Destiny is enigmatically revealed. In the present-day, the catastrophic Final Crisis has been unleashed on Earth. Quietly, there is the tragic passing of a terminally ill Sister Clarice in a Gotham City hospital.
Dispatching the wrath of God, Crispus Allen’s Spectre sends the first Dr. Light (who is terrorizing young girls forced to dress like female Titans amidst his monstrous sexual pleasure), Effigy, and then The Hangmen to burn in Hell. Allen’s conscience is already damning himself for having previously killed his elder son, Malcolm, at God’s behest – for fatally avenging his father’s own murder. Hence, the Spectre is stunned that Libra easily defies him while now leaving God’s Spirit of Vengeance inexplicably vulnerable.
Note: Allen’s murderer was corrupted Gotham cop Jim Corrigan (whose name was lifted from the Spectre’s original alter ego).
In a shipboard battle off the English coast, Renee Montoya’s Question tangles with the diabolical Wrack’s legion to obtain the Spear of Destiny. Leaving the Spear behind, Allen’s Spectre abducts Montoya back to Gotham City to face her own eternal punishment for ‘leading’ Wrack’s sinister disciples. Only God’s Angel of Mercy (now channeled through Sister Clarice’s form) saves Montoya from her ex-GCPD partner’s deadly retribution. Elsewhere, Wrack and her forces use the Spear to channel the biblical Cain’s spirit through Vandal Savage as Darkseid’s harbinger of pure evil.
Holed up in a Gotham City church, Allen, Sister Clarice, Helena Bertinelli’s Huntress, and a wounded Montoya make a seemingly futile last stand against Cain/Savage’s vast army of corrupted minions (now including Batwoman, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, & Commissioner Gordon) busily invading Earth. Ultimately, two mortals must defy evil’s champion in hopes that God (or perhaps an spiritual emissary) can restore the world’s balance back to normal.
Note: This title is also available in paperback.
REVIEW:
Half of the equation for a potential masterpiece is easy here: this book’s slick visual quality is top-caliber from start to finish. Final Crisis: Revelations frankly merits consideration among DC’s best-produced 21st Century projects, in terms of its artwork. Yet, trying to digest writer Greg Rucka’s biblically-inspired storyline is another matter.
The good news is that Revelations, no matter how religiously convoluted it becomes, is still more coherent than Grant Morrison’s mind-numbing Final Crisis. For instance, Revelations’ last page wisely spells out Rucka’s poignant endgame in bolstering the Crispus Allen Spectre’s presence in the DC Universe. Though this final plot twist is almost predictable, it’s well-played making readers suspend their disbelief.
Yet, the bad news is that Rucka’s powerful/grandiose storytelling is excessive. His eye-popping over-reliance on biblical allegories constantly bogs down the story’s overall flow — especially how the last pages all too conveniently resolve an apocalyptic nightmare. Further, as heavy-handed as Rucka’s plotting becomes exploiting God, it doesn’t excuse the repulsive inferences made in the (Dr.) Arthur Light scene. There was no need for such trash, as fans already know how despicable this particular villain is, without contributing another sickening new low. DC’s judgment (and, by extension, Rucka’s) is exceedingly poor for depicting Light’s latest crimes, especially without any parental advisory whatsoever.
Aside from scripting flippancy overkill from Montoya & the Huntress, Rucka ought to have reconsidered toning down Revelations from the get-go. Without going into specifics, Paramount Pictures faced a similar dilemma in William Shatner’s original fire-and-brimstone vision for 1989’s Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Even though Shatner’s film still resulted in cinematic dreck, at least producer Harve Bennett and other Paramount executives tried righting the ship, so to speak, mitigating their star/director’s odd extremism.
The same predicament applies here: evidently, DC Comics didn’t bother transforming this supernatural horror storyline into something less pretentious and more conducive to a wider adult audience. Had DC done so, Revelations’ controversial entertainment value wouldn’t then be left as an utter gamble.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Included are all five covers and their ‘sliver’ variants. Each issue’s art squad is also specifically credited. The cover art teams are:
- Issue # 1 (Spectre): Philip Tan, Walden Wong, & Ian Hannin; Libra’s ‘sliver’ variant: Philip Tan & Jeff de los Santos;
- Issue # 2 (Question): Philip Tan, Jonathan Glapion, & Ian Hannin; Batwoman’s ‘sliver’ variant: Philip Tan & Ian Hannin;
- Issue # 3 (Batwoman): Philip Tan & Nei Rufino; Cain/Vandal Savage’s vs. Spectre ‘sliver’ variant: Philip Tan, Jonathan Glapion, & Nei Rufino.
- Issue # 4 (Cain/Vandal Savage) & Huntress’ ‘sliver’ variant: Philip Tan, Jonathan Glapion, & Nei Rufino.
- Issue # 5 (character montage) & Spectre’s ‘sliver’ variant: Philip Tan, Jonathan Glapion, & Nei Rufino.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6½ Stars
