SUPERGIRL versus MARY MARVEL

How To Murder The Earth (DC)
Where: Final Crisis #6 When: January 2009
Why: Grant Morrison How: JG Jones

The Story So Far...
The Anti-Life Equation has been unlocked! Orion is dead! Gods walk the Earth as men! This is the final crisis!

The prophesized death of Darkseid could only be but a passing moment - the beginning of something new! The New God of evil could never truly die as he was already reborn in a mortal shell! Embedded as mortals, the evil gods wage their war on the Earth unopposed by their heroic rivals. Anti-Life justifies humanity's enslavement!

Possessed by Desaad; Mary Marvel fights on the front line as a super-soldier against the heroes of Earth. Their numbers dwindling to the Anti-Life Justifiers, the heroes coordinate as best they can against the greatest threat they've ever faced! Targeting the darkened Mary Marvel is a hero every bit her equal. Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird... It's a plane... No - it's Supergirl!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Draw 2 (Average)
Speed: Draw 5 (Superhuman)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Supergirl 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Supergirl 5 (Lasers)


The fight fan in me loves this match-up! Two junior heavyweights - each with a 1-0 perfect record on The Comic Book Fight Club. We've seen their forebears go head-to-head in Superman #216, where Captain Marvel grappled with an Eclipso possessed Superman. It took outside interference to settle that battle. Will it be different here? Let's see if we can separate the men from the girls.

Like their counterparts, both characters are statistically very evenly matched. A certain amount of versatility gives Supergirl a slight edge in the tape, however.

Like her younger cousin, Kara Zor-El's Kryptonian genetics are enhanced by the solar energy of Earth's yellow sun. She possesses super-human strength, speed, endurance and stamina, as well as a range of amazing abilities: flight, heat vision, x-ray vision, super breath and enhanced senses. Arriving much later on Earth than the infant Superman, Supergirl remains youthful and less battle tested. Her only recorded battle on the site is a shared victory with the Green Lantern Corps & Justice Leagues during the Sinestro Corps War [Green Lantern #25]. Not a lot to go on, but showing she can hang with impressive company.

Mary Marvel isn't exactly herself at the time today's feature fight takes place. Typically she possesses the acronymic powers of SHAZAM: The wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. As seen in her takedown of Wonder Woman in Final Crisis #3: the heroic virtues of her pantheon have been perverted by the influence of Darkseid and the evil New Gods. That's the Mary we're dealing with here. Sadistic, unrelenting - evil!

Trickery and the element of surprise were keys to Marvel's victory over Wonder Woman. Supergirl knows what she's flying into at this late stage of the Final Crisis, but can that prepare her for the brutality that awaits? Ordinarily I'd say Mary Marvel has the edge, but there are a lot of x-factors flying around. Earth may have been conquered by Darkseid's Anti-Life Equation, but hope prevails. Lets find out how it went...

The Tape: Supergirl Ranking: Mary Marvel (#139)

What Went Down...

A sickly grey sky hangs over desolate streets. The city is become a war zone. High above the skirmishes - titans clash. Supergirl and Mary Marvel are unlikely opposites of good and evil. Their aerobatic struggle cuts a line of demolition through a skyscraper. The corrupt Marvel has the upper hand.

The pair smash through the roof of a parking tower. Supergirl sends Mary back the way they came with an unseen feat of super-human strength! Mary crash lands amongst abandon traffic. Faster than she can avoid - Supergirl flies overhead with a bus. The hero spikes it down at full force, crushing the Marvel beneath and silencing her wicked tongue - at least for now.

Enraged, the dark Marvel explodes through the wreckage leaving an inside-out mess of twisted metal! Lightning surrounds her, but she no longer serves the thunder of the Wizard Shazam or his successor. She's a play thing for Desaad now!

Skyward; Mary flies into the path of a devastating blast of Supergirl's heat vision! It sends the smouldering Marvel immediately falling back to Earth. This time, somebody is waiting -- the battle damaged Black Adam!

Shazam's original fallen disciple has also been weakened by the incursion of Darkseid's forces. Once fuelled by the ancient gods of Egypt - Black Adam hears only the vile prattling of evil New Gods as his powers fade. He catches Mary in a leg hold and seeks answers, only to be brutally kicked in the face! There is no mercy left in Mary Marvel.

The moment provides sufficient distraction for Supergirl to glide unnoticed with a street light. She swings the post toward Mary, but Mary's able to manoeuvre out of serious harm. She drives her left knee into Supergirl's chin - first blood!

Supergirl retaliates - filling her lungs with air and letting it out in a mighty gust of wind! She blows Mary Marvel across the battlefield as Captain Marvel watches on. The new mighty mortal Freddy Freedman isn't much better off than Black Adam, but thinks he has enough magic left for one final gambit!

Supergirl launches herself at Mary Marvel - pinning her to the road with a bent lamp post. Possessed Mary Marvel taunts Supergirl as the heroine contemplates extreme measures to stop the out-of-control Marvel. As she does, a mob of innocent citizens consumed by the Anti-Life Equation descend upon them. So does Captain Marvel!

The young Captain Marvel swoops in and snatches Mary away from Supergirl! He's fought his surrogate sister in this condition before, but now he has an end game! Summoning the last of his magic he shouts the magic word: "SHAZAM!"

When the flash of lightning fades, a scared young girl replaces the demented agent of evil. In the arms of her friend Freddy, Mary Batson swears to do no more harm. For now, this fight is over.

The Hammer...
For coming in late with a crafty strategy to save the day, I've got to split the victory between Captain Marvel and Supergirl!

As you'll note, this was the period when Freddy Freeman dropped the boy and upgraded from Junior to big red cheese. If you're here for facts, you won't want to confuse this one for the classic Captain. He was replacing the Wizard Shazam as guardian of The Rock of Eternity at the time.

That's all well and good, but Cap Jr is an interloper in today's feature! As noted in a dropped reference during the last Hero of the Week post, there's a whole lot of superheroes on television! NBC are reportedly prepping the DC Universe B-list for their upcoming comedy Powerless, which sounds very interesting, but the show that stands high above them all right now is Supergirl!

Of course, if you told me five years ago there'd be TV shows based on Green Arrow, The Flash, Gotham City PD, Hellblazer, and a DCU mixed bag featuring Atom, Hawkman & Hawkgirl -- I would've been sceptical. If you told me Supergirl would be far and away the most compelling of the lot - I might have actually laughed in your face. Coming out of 2015: the joke's on me!

Like Arrow and The Flash; Supergirl shows signs of a lineage of previous productions. Where the other two harken back to the clumsy, unflattering fears of Smallville; Supergirl recalls the airy prime time drama of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Unlike the Dean Cain/Teri Hatcher vehicle of the 90s, or even 2015 contemporaries, Supergirl seems to go far bolder into the realm of superheroes, representing characters like Red Tornado, Son of Saturn, and Martian Manhunter to thrilling effect!

Everything I've seen from the show has felt like a breath of fresh air. From the Devil Wears Prada flavoured office drama, to the glowing heroism of the lead character -- it all feels pretty on point! Some of the TV diehards may have convinced themselves a handful of references, or CG gorillas and sharks make The Flash the most 'unashamed comic book show' around - but Supergirl is the show that seems to mean it. Cape and all!

The superhero visual has been a running theme on the site in movie & TV influenced updates. The CW's efforts in Arrow, Flash and Legends of Tomorrow fall well short, in that regard. I find the half-in costume design typically much more embarrassing than the looks they're avoiding. It screams the next step in cosplaying for the Smallville kids. No such problem in Supergirl, though.

Melissa Benoist looks every bit the Supergirl in classic red and blue, with gold belt. The basic pattern echoes 1984's Supergirl film, with an upgrade in materials so everything looks a bit sturdier. It's pretty much the definitive Supergirl look, showing up inconsistent designs in the source material, including 2009's exposed mid-riff and blue skirt.

It's not often live-action adaptation gets to show comics how to do their business. That says as much about DC Comics having struggled to really do much of note with the Supergirl character. Attempts to modernize have varied - usually forgettable, or cringe worthy.

Jeph Loeb and the late Michael Turner gave us the streamlined Supergirl seen in Final Crisis, introduced as Kara Zor-El in a very awkward Superman/Batman re-introduction in 2004. Turner probably wasn't the artist to set the right tone, but the general streamlining of the character's origins and relationships helped once it was an accepted moving on. That may be a story to look at another day.

I'm sure we'll revisit more from Final Crisis, as well. If you'd like to get the jump on the full epic and see all of today's feature fight, take advantage of Amazon links provided [embedded right].

Winners: Captain Marvel & Supergirl

(+157) #89 Supergirl
(+218) #99 Captain Marvel Jr
(-149) #288 Mary Marvel
(--) #17 Black Adam [+1 Assist]
(-9) #481 Desaad

MARY MARVEL versus WONDER WOMAN
Know Evil (DC)
Where: Final Crisis #3 When: September 2008
Why: Grant Morrison How: JG Jones

The Story So Far...
Darkseid's death at the hands of his son Orion appeared to fullfil the prophecy of his destruction, but the Death of the New Gods would not end with their darkest ruler. Orion was murdered with a magic bullet, signifying the beginning of a new tale as Darkseid and the evil New Gods were reborn to walk the Earth as gods as men. With the Anti-Life Equation unlocked, Darkseid sets about to realise his goal to create the Fifth World in the ruins of the Earth.

Possessing carefully selected agents; the evil New Gods wear key figures in a bid to eliminate and undermine any potential opposition posed by the world's greatest superheroes. Among the corrupted is the once wholesome Mary Marvel, whose path of darkness had already begun before the spirit of Desaad brought her into the service of evil itself. Though Wonder Woman and the active heroes of Earth suspect the involvement of evil gods, they have little evidence to act upon, and no assistance from the already deceased heroic New Gods.

With Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern incapacitated by a series of unlikely events; Wonder Woman visits the outskirts of the radioactive ruined city of Blüdhaven to aid in Checkmate/S.H.A.D.E. priorities and partake in goodwill toward displaced refugees. Venturing into the contaminated zone, Wonder Woman is unaware that the destroyed city and it's underground genetics laboratory, "Command-D," has already been taken over by the evil New Gods.

Accompanied by S.H.A.D.E. agents of the Atomic Knights, she walks toward the rampaging Mary Marvel, who will threaten to remove yet another of Earth's most powerful players from the board!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Wonder Woman 6 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Wonder Woman 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Mary Marvel 5 (Superhuman)
Stamina: Wonder Woman 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Mary Marvel 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Wonder Woman 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Mary Marvel 3 (Explosives)


- Seperated from her sibling after their parents died; Mary Bromfield discovers a second life when she is discovered by her lost brother, Billy Batson. Secretly the magically powered superhero, Captain Marvel; Batson is forced to rescue his sister upon rediscovering her, but when their roles are reversed, Mary discovers she too can call upon the magic lightning of Shazam to become Mary Marvel.

Mary derives her powers from her older brother, possessing the same SHAZAM pattern of: The wisdom of Solomon; the strength of Hercules; the stamina of Atlas; the power of Zeus; the courage of Achilles; and the speed of Mercury. These skills inspired by gods and legends grant her superhuman strength, speed, endurance, flight, and the ability to call upon the magic lightning bolt of Shazam to switch between identities -- a skill used offensively by her elder sibling.

Mary's pantheon of gods changed recently when she adopted the dark powers of Black Adam, derived from Egyptian myth. Mentored by Eclipso; Mary's corrupted strength continued to grow and despite her efforts to exorcise the evil, she was eventually possessed by the dead New God, Desaad, and transformed into a thoroughly evil servant of Darkseid during his conquest of Earth.

- Commanded by the Greek gods to carve a child from clay; the Amazonian Queen, Hippolyta, bore witness to the animation of this child as her daughter, Diana. The child was enchanted with abilities comaprable to those of the gods themselves; fantastic speed, strength, agility, and endurance. With the teachings of Gaea and the peaceful Amazon warriors to guide her, Princess Diana grew to be their greatest champion, as powerful as she was gentle -- Wonder Woman!

When the Princess was of age she was the natural choice of the warrior women of Themyscira to carry their message of of peace and harmony to the world of man. There, she served not only as a diplomat, but as a founding member of the Justice League whose legend grew to be one of the greatest heroes on Earth.

Math: Draw Ranking: Wonder Woman (#13)

What Went Down...
Accompanied by three "Pony Dog" dalmation riding Atomic Knights; Wonder Woman is confronted with shocking scenes within the radioactively contaminated city limits of Blüdhaven. Brutalized bodies belonging to the duplicating S.H.A.D.E. operative, Replika, foreshadow the arrival of Mary Marvel, whose sensibilities have been radically altered by the taint of the evil New God, Desaad.

Initially disarmed by Mary Marvel's arrival; Wonder Woman fails to mount an adequate defense when the "troubles" she's heard of are credited to the once timid Justice Leaguer.

The young heroine launches herself into an attack with giddy delight. She rakes at Wonder Woman's exposed arm, drawing blood that will take on a far more sinister significance as the fight goes on.

In a single fluid motion the Marvel continues on her flight path, literally flying through one of the Atomic Knights, Marene Herald, whose body bifurcates at the waist, despite her armor. Her over-sized dalmation pony also suffers the same fate, sliced at the neck by the torpedo-like invulnerable body of Mary Marvel.

The corrupted Marvel finishes the arc of her flight with Wonder Woman once more, who finds her warrior's footing. A right hand punishes Mary Marvel for her unjust killing spree and sends her reeling. The Amazonian warrior follows with a rench of her opponent's arm and an offensive strike to the elbow with her own.

Mary swings and delivers a stiff blow with her uneffected arm, crackling with corrupted lightning energy. Wonder Woman blocks the shot inches from her face, using superhuman strength to overcome her opponent with the counter pressure of her own grip. She brings Mary Marvel to her knees, and despite her murderous indescretions, warns the surviving Atomic Knights not to kill her.

Mary confirms Wonder Woman's suspicions of a New God conspiracy, revealing that the evil gods have walked the Earth hidden within the bodies of humans. She gloats in the face of apparent defeat, revealing the imminent release of the Anti-Life Equation across the world, and with a yank of her fist, another cunning gambit to infect Wonder Woman with the Morticoccus virus.

Darkseid's Purifiers arrive as Wonder Woman drops to the ground, feeling the effects of the infection. She is to be the carrier of this plague that will enslave yet more of the great heroes who might oppose Darkseid's rule.

The Hammer...
While Wonder Woman was able to physically best her for the most part, it is ultimately Mary Marvel who is victorious in their battle by fighting a little bit dirty! She picked up a pair of kill stats while she was at it and the assist for Desaad, too, just in case you missed that oh so vital statistical detail.

I was incredibly enthusiastic about Final Crisis as it crossed the threshold of 2008 into the beginnings of 2009. With so much of it's legacy playing out in the events of 2009, I've been disappointed to have not yet elaborated further on the series here on the Infinite Wars, so with a very quiet week in comics, I thought it opportune to revisit the series with the next issue in it's chronological order. [Check out #1 and #2!]

The cultural elephant in the room of this issue, at the time, was the subjucation of Wonder Woman by the forces of evil. For many; the circumstances of the defeat overwhelmed any thematic demands the story placed on a systematic elimination of the greatest and most powerful heroes in the DC Universe.

To this point; Orion and Martian Manhunter were already dead [#1/Requiem]; Batman had been swiftly beaten-up and teleported away by Kraken [#2]; Green Lantern had been fingered for attacking John Stewart in the frame-up that Batman uncovered (perpetrated by Kraken) and arrested by the Alpha Lanterns [#2]; and earlier in this issue [#3], Superman had been extracted by Zillo Valla for the purposes of defending the multiverse from Mandrakk [in Superman Beyond, and Final Crisis #7]. My point? The big guns were all getting taken out pretty early. If anything, at least Wonder Woman got to put up a fight!

The more significant objection probably came from later issues that failed to fully pay-off Wonder Woman's predicament with an equal and opposite success. It's there, but it might not have been the moment some of the other marginalized heroes got. Is that really such a bother, though?

It would be nice to be able to discuss Wonder Woman without the subject turning to how the character can be fixed, but it's obviously something that weighs heavily on the character in all her modern incarnations. Where the Linda Carter television series might've once secured the character's status, we quite reasonably find ourselves routinely reviewing the validity of Wonder Woman's status as one of DC's holy trinity. There's the fact that she's still an instantly recognised pop culture icon, and also the in-fiction qualities that have defined her as a well respected powerhouse of the Justice League, but with Flash and Green Lantern under going hugely successful creative revamps, it gets all the more difficult to justify WW's place among the golden three.

While we've observed quiet promise in some of the recent work of Gail Simone and co., it's safe to say a magical solution hasn't been arrived at in the likes of Genocide or Achilles. The benefits of these stories might not be felt for some years to come, giving the characters and ideas a chance to gain a cache of longevity, and the chance to be reborn through new context. They are, by their very nature, contrived to a point of maintaining the distraction with shake-ups and reinvention that so many Wonder Woman readers are bound to have.

Final Crisis might not have been a defining moment in the Wonder Woman mythos, but it presented the character as a functional part of the DC Universe that manifests not for the design of a new arch-nemesis or key plotline, but as a natural phenomenon that we should, to some extent, arguably take for granted.

[Grant] Morrison later responded to some of the controversy of with an admission of failure to the Wonder Woman character and the intent to possibly explore ideas he'd had for his own take on the character at a later date. While that's a promising result to come from the outcry, I would also argue that it's a legacy that was entirely unnecessary. It'd be fantastic to see the same writer who made Superman populary endearing through All-Star Superman take a stab at her.

Mary Marvel also came off worse for wear from this encounter, but I'd similarly dismiss some of the disdain for the sheer fact that this was another plot-driven circumstance where situations were dictated by events. In this case; Mary Marvel gets a punkish makeover as a result of her possession by an evil god.
Personally, I thought it was a lot of fun, and a great punkish redesign and expression of a saccharine teen queen rebelling. It's probably not something I'd expect on an on-going basis, but for what it was, it was a lot of fun. A vivid concept executed on quite well, which is something that could be said of many of Final Crisis's working mechanical parts viewed individually, or as a whole.

The 'channel changing's tyle that skips around the important bits (and some fun bits, too) services the story well in this third issue to continue the first act set-up of this world succumbing to evil. There's a lot more action in the issue that will have to be reviewed on the Infinite Wars on another quiet week of comics.

I haven't seen or heard many folks revisiting Crisis since confused and distracted opinions settled earlier in the year. I hope hindsight has given some clarity to those who sought to overcomplicate or confuse matters in their own minds. While I can't claim to necessarily appreciate every single subtlty Mr. Morrison enfuses his scripts with, I can certainly be described as reading through them, and enjoying every quirky moment for what it is, and on levels that speak to me.

Having been so distracted by weekly releases in 2009, I've lost my grasp on the energy that Final Crisis put-out when I first read it. Flicking through the pages of the series in the company of loved ones made my 2008 Christmas a special day, and sparked in me an enthusiasm and imagined I sometimes don't have when reading corporate crossover comics. I'd love to elaborate more on it, but that will have to wait for another review. We really must be moving on!

The Fight: 5.5 The Issue: 5.5

Final Crisis is available in collected softcover and hardcover formats along with companion works collecting peripheral stories relevant to the Final Crisis storyline. You can find many of these reviewed in the Secret Archives and on sale in the Infinite Wars Online Shop. By using purchase links provided, you not only benefit from Amazon's prices and service, but also help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars!

QUICK FIX MEGAMIX: FINAL CRISIS #2!
Ticket to Blüdhaven (DC)
Where: Final Crisis #2 When: August 2008
Why: Grant Morrison How: JG Jones

Quick Fix...
So far in 2009, our perspective has been fixed on relatively recent developments in the world of the big two. Nurturing this interest in particular was DC's Final Crisis, a story that has become as infamous for it's reception, as it has the details of apocalyptic turmoil that face the heroes.

For a series that explores the metatextual consequences impacting comic book universes, it's almost a self-fulfilling irony for the book to become slightly overshadowed by the meta-event of it's interpretation. For many, the broad scope of the DCU and the channel surfing delivery of it's doomsday, proved overwhelming, to a point of apparent confusion.

The second issue is far too early in the series to launch any kind of responsive assault on the impressions of less-than-impressive readers. In ways few could have predicted, those claiming confusion from the very first issue actually had some good reason to do so, even if they were completely unaware of why.

The first issue could easily have been mistaken for a more conventional outing, setting up the details of an adventure centred on spotlighted characters; Dan Turpin, Green Lantern, The Question, The Society, Darkseid, and The Monitors.
In hindsight, the conclusion isn't exactly that removed from the beginning, at all, but a conventional linear story, this isn't.

Anyone who did the Infinite Crisis thing a few years ago, probably didn't have any trouble interpreting "Final." While concept drove events to initiate slower than the previous Crisis - and Morrison's choices included smaller details - it is none the less, quite similar in it's basic approach to touching an entire universe. Both tales deal with the congregation of parallel Earths, placed in peril by the emergence of a threat on our central Earth. In the case of the Geoff Johns story; Alexander Luthor Jr's efforts to revamp the multiverse with remnants of the Anti-Monitor gave the heroes a rallying point, while tangentially related battles were fought at other checkpoints. In Final Crisis, the dual menace of Darkseid's spread of the Anti-Life Equation, and his penetration of time and space, threatens the entirety of our existence, leading all struggles to branch out from there.

For those who made similar assumptions based upon the first issue -- the second provided quick clarification. I would argue, based on some of the chatter I picked up at the time, that many readers made the mistake of deciding what type of story Final Crisis was going to be, before even giving it a chance.

The details of the story become further unfurled, revealing more of the myriad of forces conspiring against the DCU. The descent into apocalypse only now begins to take form in a way heroes can recognise, and as we're about to see in our fight recaps, the likes of Batman discover this all too late.

Strands are concluded, as is the case throughout much of the series, but the chopping attention granted to various factions within the DCU makes the global significance of Final Crisis very apparent. Morrison's descent into Kirby files really kicks off here, too. Dan Turpin, Sonny Sumo, and various other characters from Kirby's insular DC projects, all begin to shift toward centre-stage, joining the villainous New Gods as powerful DC-centric figures in building event.

This post is about the fights contained within the issue, as is typically the case on the site. I'm torn about trying to elaborate more upon what I believe lies within these pages, ie; the potential comparisons between Morrison's in-fiction exploration of cultural "existentions" and the internet age's proliferation of wannabe do-it-yourself comics creators/heroes.
At the same time; one of the points that I hope to underscore as we travel through the pages of subsequent issues, is that this doesn't need to be as complicated a story as some people want. There's still a very enjoyable superhero epic to be read, even if some of the finer details are lost on you, and yes -- even if you do not have an encyclopaedic knowledge of DC's history.

I hope we can share some interesting tidbits, but leave some of the legwork to you, because, that is half the fun of this wonderful medium of ours. Those who have struggled with this concept seem to have inadvertently been exposed by the purity of a story supremely indulgent in superhero comics culture.

MEGAYAKUZA versus SONNY SUMO
Morrison kicks off with a trip to the thoroughly suitable world of Japenese pop culture, suturing social phenomena into the world of superheroes. Here he not only contributes more colourful characters to DC's international landscape, but also consolidates key figures to the story, including Sonny Sumo, who was thrown through time in Jack Kirby's Forever People, becoming stranded in feudal Japan.

In a super-fantastic superhero themed Tokyo club, a comparably unassuming individual walks through the crowd of garrishly coloured teens and wannabes. He is Sonny Sumo -- and on this night, he simply wants a glass of water, with ice.

The legendary hero's presence does not go unnoticed, both by admirers, and those who would seek to gain reputation through his name. Megayakuza -- a towering mecha-suited newbie -- steps up to quite literally challenge Sumo!

Sonny attempts to disuade the armored fighter, suggesting he seek means of competition that will offer a forum of rules to prevent him from killing his challenger. Megayakuza does not take this rebuttle kindly, dousing Sumo's back in a ball of fire spewed forth from his mechanical gauntlets.

Megayakuza learns the hard way exactly what it means to challenge one who wields a portion of the Anti-Life Equation. With his back aflame, Sonny casually finishes his water, before driving his fist through the heart of the mechanical Megayakuza suit -- as well as the man inside of it! He leaves the gurgling muscle on top of his glass and retreats to the men's room. Another victory.

Sonny Sumo's inclusion in Final Crisis had to be one of the more curious elements of the book -- which is saying something! Few would be familiar with the brief appearances of the character in Forever People, where his history as an underground competition fighter was elaborated upon, and he wielded a portion of the Anti-Life Equation that is to eventually spread globally to enslave humanity in Darkseid's name. All part of the unashamed Kirby-worship mentioned earlier in the post. These characters; along with the Shilo Norman-Mr. Miracle, who joins Sonny shortly after this fight; all owe their defining creations to the late comics legend, whose characters provide a throughline for the entire story.

The inclusion of Sonny Sumo might not give twelve year olds warm and fuzzy memories of the Justice League cartoon show, but it introduces them to one of the unique joys of superhero comics. There is an entire multiverse to be explored and absorbed, and as he so often seems to do, Morrison makes good use of it, expanding the horizons of a community that all too often focuses on the United States and it's usual suspects.
[More on Morrison and the (Justice League) International condition].

The Fix: 4.5 The Winner: Sonny Sumo

LT. INSP. DAN TURPIN versus THE MAD HATTER
SCU cop, Dan Turpin, returns to follow strands tugged at by the Question in the previous issue, relating tangentially to the death of Orion. With the issue of people's confusion fresh in mind, I realise that a sentence like that isn't an inclusive way to begin a section of review. It's a deliberate reference to events that occurred in the first issue, and like many good writers, I would respect you enough to expect you to recognise that, and pursue the information as you please. Unfortunately, it isn't available on the site, but if you're persuaded by the information that is presented to pick up Final Crisis, you will have something untainted to extract and appreciate. That's how we do things here.

Returning from digression -- we arrive to find Dan Turpin in the living quarters of one, Jervis Tetch, better known to the staff of Arkham Asylum as, Mad Hatter.

Having already administered a beating, Turpin probes the nervous cuckoo for information on the whereabouts of children kidnapped by the Dark Side Club. This might be a more easily justified scene if Turpin hadn't already discovered the children in the first issue when he came face-to-face with Boss Dark Side -- evil incarnate!

Turpin revels in breaking Tetch's face with his knee, finding an unnerving pleasure in the experience of "... the sound of breath whistling through smashed cartilage..."

Even as Mad Hatter trails blood toward the bathroom with a steady crawl, and Turpin follows, he questions of himself exactly what he is doing. Using a toilet seat as a weapon, he gains the last piece of information he seeks. With sickness rising in his stomach, Turpin finds a direction to move toward: Blüdhaven.
Doubt tells us he knows deep down this isn't about children any more, but what ever it was he was exposed to in the Dark Side Club, it has left him clouded and violent. He's changing from the inside-out, and when he reaches Blüdhaven, he will know his name, and fate, as the god of evil -- Darkseid.

I suppose if you were desperately in need of a conventional arc through which to enjoy Final Crisis, it might be the perception of the tale as Dan Turpin's story. His entry into the first issue is quickly followed up with one of the most significant scenes in the first act, one that firmly establishes the growing of Darkseid's influence, and the return of New Gods, as men. Turpin experiences the story right up to it's conclusion, where he suffers the bullet heard around the multiverse, intended for Darkseid. [More on that when we reach #6!]

The Fix: 5 The Winner: Dan Turpin

ALPHA LANTERN KRAKEN versus GREEN LANTERN STEWART
Found dying on the docks; the New God Orion did his best to deliver ominous final words that could give humanity a fighting chance. Alas; all his death achieves is to lure the presence of the universe's most powerful weapons.

When Dan Turpin passes on the case, it inevitably falls into the jurisdiction of the better equipped intergalactic police corps, the Green Lanterns.
Designates of Earth's Sector, John Stewart and Hal Jordan, are the first to investigate the scene, but a rare instance of deicide demands a flawless investigation. Thus, the Guardians of the Universe deploy their recently instated Corpsman of inhuman incorruptability -- the Alpha Lanterns.

While Batman and the Justice League examine Orion's body during the Alpha Lantern's transit, John Stewart returns to the scene on the advice of Batman to look for further evidence. Stewart receives a brief visit from fellow Corpsman, Opto309V of Sector-2260, who leaves just as Stewart discovers the presence of a fifty-year old radion bullet buried in the concrete beneath Orion's resting place.

Opto isn't the only visitor, however.
Upon completing the analysis of evidence, Stewart's ring begins to fizzle out, leaving him helpless as the Green Lantern is met with a hail of green spikes! They pin him by the wrists to wooden crates lying on the docks.

A heckling cymbal-monkey construct distracts Opto from returning to save his fellow, who gazes upon his disguised attacker with shock! Stewart summons the will that earned him his ring, tearing free of the wooden box behind him, to meet his attacker's hand with a thunderous punch. Even though the blow is caught, and Stewart ultimately incapacitated, his last ditch effort makes it's mark. Literally!

Wonder Woman and Dr. Mid-Nite come to Stewart's aid, while the Alpha Lanterns aprehend their chief suspect in the attack, Hal Jordan. Jordan's history as a vessel for the fear-entity, Parallax, doesn't exactly help establish character, but one would still assume the influence of the New Gods, who have corrupted the once thought incorruptable Alpha Lanterns, is really what's at work here.

Presumably the disguise employed by the true attack (Kraken) was for the benefit of Opto, or any other witnesses to the crime. Admittedly, if you aren't paying attention, this fact might have passed you by, leaving you to blame the crime on another hooded, white-gloved Lantern, such as Taa (of Sector-996).
That said, it isn't long before the facts of the truth are revealed...

The Fix: 4 The Winner: Alpha Lantern Kraken (w/Granny Goodness)

BATMAN versus ALPHA LANTERN KRAKEN
Batman steps into the Final Crisis, appearing opposite Alpha Lantern Kraken who is commandeering Orion's post-mortem investigation. Her alien cynicism toward the capabilities of humans oozes into their tension-filled confrontation reminiscent of a power struggle between rival departments. Whilst jostling for control of the situation, the pair even butt heads on the status of Hal Jordan, whom Batman himself is sceptical about, but keen to defend.

Kraken appears to show a brief moment of weakness, but in fact, this is the true Alpha Lantern shining through the influence of the evil New Gods!
Showing the cracked imprint of John Stewart's ring on her palm, she delivers a slightly cryptic warning not unlike Orion's, declaring their weapons useless to an enemy that is eating her mind.

Batman is quick to act as the alien presence of Granny Goodness regains influence over Kraken. He sounds the alarm, declaring a highest priority alert, while making attempts to subdue the Alpha Lantern whilst requesting backup. Her intricate knowledge of the League's present activities allows her to recognise the prompt response of only Dr. Mid-Nite, whom she assures the Batman, will eternally regret that he failed to arrive in time.

With that; Kraken turns out of Batman's wrist-lock, using her ring to create an alien bug-like creature that administers a crippling nerve pinch to the Dark Knight detective. A mass of energies gathers as Kraken opens a boom tube to carry the falling Batman to the Blüdhaven Factory of Evil.

A well orchestrated conspiracy of circumstances is key to the eventual defeat of Earth's greatest champions. Here, Batman's human frailty is swiftly taken advantage of, even while Wonder Woman's compassion shifts her to a more vulnerable position on the board, and Superman is taken care of by the machinations of Libra (and his access to villains like Clayface).

The Fix: 5 The Winner: Alpha Lantern Kraken (w/Granny Goodness)

The story really unfolds from here as the remaining heroes find themselves, much like the trinity, overwhelmed by forces they neither anticipated, nor recognised.
The dominoes fall as the New Gods pursue their various goals, including the rebirth of Darkseid, whose post-death descent [depicted in DC Universe #0] plays an important role in the deconstruction of time and reality on Earth. A phenomenon that not only disarms the heroes, but the reader as well, who's along for the ride via the chopping pace of Morrison's script, which gives us a grand view of the chaos, but keeps us only so many steps ahead of the characters.

I would've liked to have delved deeper into Final Crisis, but that might be a goal better suited to later reviews. I'd like to think our site is well positioned to at least reveal the basic aspects of the story that made this series an incredibly enjoyable superhero epic on a conventional level. There's more to find on the page, but the value of the tale on a simplistic level was, I feel, one of the most misrepresented aspects of Final Crisis, by critics.

I'll be very interested to hear any of the opinions you might have. I regard the story as a potentially massive moment in the current era of superhero and DC comic books, significant to the definition of a period. If you haven't read it yet, I would recommend considering picking up the upcoming trade collections, or finding the issues cheap from any reader who felt dissatisfied.

Fight Average: 5 The Issue: 6

Final Crisis won't find it's way to collected format until June, but if you're that keen, you can pre-order the hardcover edition, and the companion that collects bonus materials and additional specials, from Amazon! By using purchase links provided on the site, you help sponsor future entries, and no doubt get a valuable reading experience out of it, as well! Future reviews of Final Crisis will no doubt continue to drip filter onto the site throughout the year, so you might like to get caught up on the 2008/2009 epic before we dive deeper!

QUICKFIX: THE SOCIETY vs THE LEAGUE OF TITANS
D.O.A.: The GOD of WAR! (DC)
Where: Final Crisis #1 When: July 2008
Why: Grant Morrison How: JG Jones

THE TAPE...
Strength: Empress 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Dr. Light 5 (Professor)
Speed: Más Y Menos 6 (Mach Speeds)
Stamina: Dr. Light 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Sparx 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Empress 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Dr. Light 6 (Mass Destruction)

Math: League of Titans (Ttl) Society (Avg)
Ranking: Dr. Light (#179)

THE FIX...
Step aside Rock N' Roll Express! There's a new tag team in town!
Those of you with spectacular hand-eye coordination might be surprised that this quick fix isn't about the Martian Manhunter death glimpsed inside this issue. I think there's a very good chance that scene will be elaborated upon in another series, so for the time being we'll sit on that one, and do it Infinite Wars style by honing in on the less significant aspects of the issue.

I suppose casting aspertions upon the significance of a Dr. Light/Mirror Master team-up isn't entirely fair. I mean, for starters, this is a pairing being overseen by Grant Morrison; a man who's shown before he can perform creative alchemy, extracting conceptual gold from lead like, the Ultramarine Corps.

Also of note is the dastardly duo's representation of a brand new Society of Super Villains! Now under new management; the Society looks to reclaim the glory felt during Infinite Crisis, when Alexander Luthor was able to unite the DC Universe's villains with terrifying harmony!

As a rare opportunity for the Infinite Wars to commentate on new release comics, I want to take a conventional tact, poking at the prospects of the newly envisioned Libra. I want to suggest the concept is actually startingly mundane, comparing it to the recent administrative machinations of The Hood in the pages of Marvel's New Avengers. I want to say Morrison's penchant for oddities from childhood reading have done little more than splash the afforementioned scenario with the cosmic bent felt during 1995's, Underworld Unleashed.

I want to say these things, but I shant, because I feel I should know better.
Final Crisis #1 is undoubtedly all set-up. With the modern convention of a six issue mini-series, the first of seven here plays prologue to what will hopefully be a coherrent story contained within the pages of this series.

Making it especially difficult to appreciate the issue is the still fresh memory of Geoff Johns' TARDIS-like scripting on the first issue of Infinite Crisis.
That particular issue has been reviewed twice on the site [here, and here], and while there's a similar sense of checklisting through series build-up, Infinite had the benefit of major events occurring throughout the entire DC Universe.

To Infinite's four tentpole spin-offs; OMAC Project, Villains United, Rann/Thanagar War, and Day of Vengeance; Final Crisis has a catalogue of minis, and one-shots, all seemingly designed to occupy certain parties rather than draw them in to the central events. Also worth noting is the considerably tighter scope of Final Crisis, which, for the time being, seems to pertain mostly to the redefinition of the New Gods.

It's far too early to condemn the entire event, but Morrison makes little effort to layer detail into this first issue. Breezing through the various checkpoints are allusions to events to come, but whenever Dr. Light's on the scene, these days there's a 500lb pink elephant we, somehow, managed to avoid talking about in his last appearance on the Infinite Wars [Superman/Batman #43]...

It was 2004's Identity Crisis that revealed shocking revisionist history of a sexual assault on Sue Dibny, wife of Elongated Man.
The controversial series opened the floodgates to a new era of concern for superheroes firmly located in the mainstream, whilst redefining the evils a bumbling Teen Titans villain, Dr. Light, could be capable of. Though not the first case of it's kind; Identity Crisis exposed the superhero community to a scenario utterly plausible, and to this point, maybe even naively and crassly overlooked in a medium dedicated to the endless battle against crime, injustice, and evil.

I'm not about to claim issues of JLA should resemble an episode of SVU, but there's something very uncomfortable about the thought that these mature events were the catalyst for pushing Dr. Light into the contemporary villain A-list. The debate of whether or not Dr. Light has the MO of a recurring sex offender can only distract from the fact that these inescapable details have been canonized in the history of the character, and should come with a certain weight.

The oddball pairing of Light and Mirror Master appears to hold very little specific motivation. References to private exploits cast the illusion of life onto these characters, but Morrison's script regarding Light dating Giganta feels awkwardly unresponsive to significant, recent history. While it isn't the onus of the Scot to elaborate on Light's overlooked character; the scene feels as if it might have benefitted from that kind of versimilitude, in what is otherwise a footnote for Libra obtaining the chair of Metron.

As if to echo the injustice of the fiction; Dr. Light appears to have gotten off scott-free, returning to the stage of disposable villain without reprieve.
Cardboard feminist scenes in a recent issue of Justice League, [#15], feature a vengeful Cheetah unwilling to team with Light due to his indescretions. While writer, Dwayne McDuffie, touches upon the subject with absolutely no delicacy or depth, it's a trinket effort for what should otherwise be an inescapable factor of any subsequent appearance by Dr. Light.

To acknowledge the milieu of Morrison's two-page scene, it's entirely plausible that Mirror Master would be among the villains unaffected, but it seems crass and lazy that more villains haven't been unwilling. More than the theme of sexual assault itself, it seems the ability to deal with a character like this on an on-going basis seems to have let the company down.

This is an overdue issue of discussion that's intruded on a topical review.
The scene, which features the intervention of Light and Mirror Master in a junkyard, serves it's function well enough. The undescribed circumstances show members of the League of Titans scrambling to reach the chair of Metron, a fallen New God, with little success.

Light dispatches of Empress and Sparx with ease; while Mirror Master leaves the tandem speedsters, Más Y Menos, encrusted with shards of looking glass.

Without the baggage of recent mismanaged history, the tandem villains are actually quite amusing and enjoyable. Mirror Master's Scottish accent feels Claremontian in it's phonetic insincerity, but Morrison plays well in the moment of familiarity between the villains, acknowledging human relationships as well as Mirror Master's established involvement with drugs.

A super villain protest provides sufficient distraction for the major league heroes, while repercussions of other events [like Countdown #2] occupy others. Ultimately the scene is a nice detail in a tapestry of events revolving around Libra's ascension to leader of the Secret Society of Villains. Especially appreciated is the meeting of masterminds and would-be leaders in the group, where Libra pledges his faustian offer with the sacrificial evidence of Martian Manhunter's death at the request of The Human Flame.



All in all, the issue certainly points in the direction of something intriguing.
Recalling details from his work with the Seven Soldiers minis, (particularly, Mister Miracle), Morrison also lays the groundwork for the post-death story of the New Gods! A plotline that one presumes will see the ascension of characters like J'onn J'onnz, and maybe the likes of Libra himself.

Self-inked pencils by JG Jones, I feel, fail to live up to the lofty expectations of pre-game hype. The 52 cover artist's work is muddied by motley inks and an ominous colour palette presumably intentful in design, but like contemporary comaprisons with disaster-epics, like Chaos, I struggle to enjoy.

I'm positively salivating for what's to come, but come issue end, probably have little more in hand than a secondary preview guide, ala; DC Universe Zero.

The thing I'm most grateful for is probably the opportunity to get back to some meaty discussion on the Infinite Wars after several weeks of struggling for quality entries. Expect more single feature Quick Fixes to accomodate for my increasing distractions, including recent family deaths.

The Fight: 4 The Issue: 4
Winner: Dr. Light/Mirror Master

Easily panicked readers should rest assured that there's very little in Final Crisis #1 to absorb beyond the page. That said, if you're looking to appreciate themes in greater depth, there's a variety of reads available to you! Better still, by using purchase links provided, you help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars!