Darkseid uses the Anti-Life Equation to take control of the world and even the Guardians of the Universe cannot stop him as the evil New Gods manifest themselves on Earth.

This latest chapter in the FINAL CRISIS has many of the same qualities-- good and bad-- of the previous chapters. There is an atmosphere of descending gloom, of increased hopelessness as the denizens of Apokolips strengthen their grip on reality. Despite the gathering darkness, the heroes remain defiant and are even inspiring in their last-ditch efforts to hold back the bad guys. The brief action sequences involving Hawkman, Black Adam, Supergirl and an even Mary Marvel all contain great dramatic power, precisely because they show the forces of good struggling against an ascendant evil. There are a wide variety of fascinating characters and an impressive sequence in the end when Darkseid finally reveals himself.

But the story is also confusing and hard to follow. Characters who vanished two or three issues ago suddenly re-appear with no explanation while characters who were so important just last issue are now nowhere to be found. There are bizarre references to Batman defeating an army of clones with his mind but we don't see it or get any explanation for it. Although there are various FINAL CRISIS tie-ins to this book, like FINAL CRISIS: RESIST or FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS, there is virtually no reference to any of these tie-ins in this issue. Sometimes, it looks like the writer of the main FINAL CRISIS story is just doing his own thing and doesn't care what other writers are doing to keep up with him.

The art looks a bit rushed. It is a collaboration of several pencillers, perhaps indicating that the book barely made the deadline. The first sequence, set in Oa and involving the Green Lanterns, has this bizarre, half-faded special effect that should look impressive but ends up looking blurred.

The pacing of this book is off and it dilutes the suspense of the story. Frankly, a stronger editor was clearly needed to ensure the tale makes sense. Sure, there is a lot going on but it is hard to tell what is important and what was thrown in, just to look 'kewl.'