Final Crisis #4

The DC and Marvel Universe is a mess. I collect 2 DC titles and I never know what the hell is going on because they’re always involved in some major multi-crossover. I refuse to buy any other titles as you need to have some major cash to know what is going on. Do these multi-confusing stories really improve the bottom line? My thinking and common sense would make be ponder that this would hurt DC and Marvel’s bottom line, but it must not because they’ve been pulling the same crap for years.

This series has been original and thought provoking. I've never been lost once while reading any of the issues. And I hadn't read a comic in 15 years prior to the start of FC. I have read every one of the tie-in but you don't need to it just make the experience all the better. This issue was fantastic and the last 3 issues will be a wild ride. This book requires people to actually read, unlike Secret Invasion that is just and also-ran unoriginal crossover. Too many people like look at words and too many don't read. It's like at the comments by people who can't figure out why the stories in the regular books are not reflecting what is going on in Final Crisis. DC explained that the books would be all set before Final Crisis. They wanted the story lines to finish up and in February/March the fall out will begin. Don't people pay attention or is it just easy to say things (write) things bashing DC to feel better about ones self. This is the best "event" book and Grant Morrison is truely amazing.

Richard, how can you claim that the upcoming issues of Final Crisis will be great when you haven't read them?

As a reviewer, we can't assume that something will be great or bad until we have read it.

Final Crisis, for me and many readers is a mess. Professing your love for this series won't change that it's not entertaining a lot of people currently.

If it were well written, it's greatness would have assaulted me already.

As you stated

"Richard, how can you claim that the upcoming issues of Final Crisis will be great when you haven't read them?"

I never said they'd be great, I said they'd be a wild ride.

As a consumer I am asked to base my future purchasing on past issues. Which is what I was intending to convey when I wrote that in my previous comment. I have pre-ordered the final 3 issues based on my enjoyment of the first 4 issues. Which many people have also done.

Professing your dislike for this series won't change that fact that it is entertaining many people currently.

The blade cuts both ways for those that are of the same opinion you there are those that fee as I do.

Remember opinions are like a certain body part, we all have one. I just don't agree with yours on this particular book.

Hi Richard. You stated that "DC explained that the books would be all set before Final Crisis. They wanted the story lines to finish up and in February/March the fall out will begin."

See, from where I stand, as the publisher of the Bin, I never heard of that before you mentioned it. Seems to me DC Comics is not doing a proper job of informing its readers, because if they did, I would have known about this.

Thematically, it never makes sense to expect a reader to pick up other books to read understand one. Jim Shooter said it best all those years ago. Every comic book is someone's first.

And this is where DC Comics through Final Crisis have really let their readers down. You say that none of the other books are necessary to understand that storyline, yet, you also mentioned that you've read everything tied in. Seems to me, it's hard to make a clean cut judgment like that and perhaps you should pay more attention to readers like Chris and I, who have not read any of the tie-ins (well, I've read the one about the Martian Manhunter).

My way of judging a comic book, always assumes that the reader knows nothing about the series but can still be entertained from the get go. When that is not apparent, the comic book gets a meager grade.

We can play tag of words and the relativity card about the absoluteness of opinions and criticisms, but I don't share that view about everything being relative.

First, DC Comics, did not communicate properly in this series with its readers.

Second, DC Comics does not use the good old plot introduction, conflict, climax and resolution components of storytelling in this story. I'm still wondering what the conflict is, let alone understanding what the climax and the resolution will be.

Is the appearance of Barry Allen the conflict? Is it that old villain that they dug out of those 1970s JLA comic books? Is it the death of the Martian Manhunter? Is it the red skies? I still don't know.

How can I be engaged in a comic book, when I don't even know what the stakes are. I am really clueless and it seems to me that many of DC Comics' readers are too.

I've read my share of comic books, particularly from DC Comics in my life. I don't follow them as closely as I did a few years back, but I'm hardly a new comic book reader. I can tell the difference between the Ray and his father. I can also name the artists who created their designs.

Yet, I don't understand a single thing about Final Crisis and I am not alone.

You claim to have read all of the tie-ins and maybe that's why you're enjoying it so much. But my budget doesn't allow me for tie-ins (yes, boys and girls, we do not get review copies from DC nor Marvel Comics).

Based on all of this, I don't think the last issue deserved more than a 5/10. And it could have been worse. I did give Secret Invasion #5 a 0/10 - I know a lot of people like to call us Marvel-sell outs in the comments on the site, when we say we didn't like a DC Comics issue.

We have diametrically opposing views on this book/series. I have a budget to live within also. I didn't buy Secret Invasion past issue #2 and bought FC: Revelations instead. You may be right that I can't make a completely impartial statement about the tie-in's not being needed. However, two of my fellow comic book shop buddies have read nothing but the main title and my comment was partially base on there opinions. Thanks for the view point. I read many reviews just to find the ones that give an opposing point of view from my own. There are some that are so slanted and bias toward Marvel but I wouldn't say that about you or the others here. I have read many here that I agree with but in this case I didn’t/don’t. Enjoy reading and I look forward to your next review.