???The skies are bleeding, intergalactic space gods have enslaved the planet, and an all-powerful blood-sucking evildoer is slicing through the very wall of space and time with the "multiverse" falling into a black hole.
???Final Crisis has arrived in the DC Universe and it's one of the most complex and awe-inspiring comic events of the year.
???The storyline brought to life by sensational comic creator Grant Morrison (Batman, All-Star Superman) features an all-star lineup of artists, including J.G. Jones (Wanted), Chris Pacheco (Green Lantern, Avengers Forever), and Doug Mahnke (JLA, Batman).
???Final Crisis has turned the mundane superfluous fights against a large threat with "major" ramifications into a whole new disaster genre by generating one of the most intricate events in comic history.
???Final Crisis centers around what can be called the end times for the DC Universe.
???A group of evil gods, known as the New Gods of Apokolips, invade Earth and subject the world to the Anti-Life Equation, a mathematical equation that destroys all free will and proves all belongs to their leader, Darkseid.
???Not only that, but Darkseid's very presence is destroying all of reality.
???While a mean mathematical equation that erases free will, evil dark gods, and a wild trip through the "multiverse" might seem absurd, it only adds to the lurid entertainment.
???Superhero comics nowadays are about the heroes being morally gray and not being pristine heroes, right?
???Wrong.
???With Final Crisis, Morrison has dragged the superhero genre out of the dark and depressing world it has been in the past few years.
???Morrison treats the superheroes as superheroes-with respect, not as if they were some parody.
???Instead of the normally colorfully and vibrant world of the DC heroes, the new world created by Darkseid is dark and monotonous. He drags the reader, superheroes and their world literally into a dark, depressing hell.
???The world is nothing but over-the-top darkness. Heroes are nothing more than mindless drones carrying guns.
???There seems to be no more hope for any of the heroes until the tail end of the series, when hope returns traveling faster than a speeding bullet.
???One thing that Morrison accomplishes in Final Crisis is his pitch-perfect characterization of the proto-superhero-Superman.
???For years, Superman has been less than super. Recent writers have been trying to make the last son of Krypton more human and relatable, but the attempts just seem forced or contrived, portraying him as a deadbeat dad or a hulking loser with all of his fantastic elements stripped from him.
???Morrison captures the awe of Superman and in Final Crisis he is nothing but a pure hero.
???"Let the sun shine in," one of the Supermen proclaims as an army of Supermen rain blows and heat vision upon their enemies.
???Morrison's main goal is to ditch the realism of what the comic world wants to bring in. Comics are not limited to a movie budget, and Morrison wants to challenge both the artists and the reader.
???This is where the true heart of Final Crisis lies. No longer will readers lazily look at each panel, but will be forced to take an active role in following the plot.
???Morrison has taken the stagnant superhero genre and matured it, bringing it to a whole new level.
???For people looking for something new in superhero comics, search no further than Final Crisis. All seven issues are out now, with a hardcover collection coming out in June. Simply put, these are must-haves.
