The cultural touchstone that "Final Crisis" keeps reminding me of is Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia". Almost operatic in its accumulation of tragedies and yet completely mundane and ground level in its detail, Morrison has created the same kind of panoramic vision of sadness and loss. Heavy stuff indeed for a superhero comic. Some might wonder if this genre is the right place for something so baroque and depressing but, let's face it: Heroes have been "fighting" evil for decades now. Isn't it about time someone took a step back and showed us what that evil really looked like? While I doubt this will really be the "Final" Crisis that ends up thrust upon the DC Universe, with a setup like this, if good can really triumph over this kind of obstacle, the story could certainly end up being the best of its kind. Read Full Review

Jesse's Score: 8.4 Read Full Review

And speaking of paying attention. Why is there a little, tiny Justice League in a jar at the Hall of Justice? Anyone? Read Full Review

This is a seriously dark issue, but it's one of the first that actually FEELS like a Final Crisis. Morrison really hits home with his words this issue, underlying the futility of Anti-Life, and the heroes fight against the unstoppable. The art doesn't exactly suffer this month, with Carlos Pacheco pitching in to help JG Jones, but his more conventional superhero storytelling isn't the bolt from the blue that Jones provided in previous issues. Of course, there is more clarity in this issue, but I can't tell if that's from different art, or from Morrison being at the point where we're putting more cards on the table. In any case, this is the day that evil won from the title, and evil has won pretty dramatically. A long time ago, Morrison wrote a book called "Aztek," and in that book's last issue, Aztek was given an entrance examination to the Justice League. He was asked what he would do if Darkseid had taken over Earth, and the heroes were lost, a very powerful moment that s Read Full Review

Final Crisis #4 was another fine read. Morrison continues to treat the reader to a delightfully dense and complex read that gets better with each reading. Readers who love to really sink their teeth into a substantial story with plenty of finely crafted dialogue, strong plot development and great character work will probably enjoy Final Crisis #4. Read Full Review

It'll be interesting to see if and how the heroes of the DC Universe overcome this mess. Earth is really in the crapper right now. Read Full Review

"Final Crisis," even with the artistic inconsistency, is shaping up to be a powerful story of the DC universe in its darkest days. Any of the initial confusion should have been wiped away by issue #4, as the scene has been set for the superhero uprising. Evil has won, almost completely, and the heroes have three remaining issues to save the universe. We know how it's going to turn out in the end, but it's the journey to that destination that makes it all worthwhile, and with Morrison at the helm, I'm sure we won't be disappointed. Read Full Review

It's a meh comic, but I'll throw in an extra half-bullet for that final splash page. Chilling. Chilling. Now if only I got to spend some time seeing the protagonists in this story deal emotionally with chilling things like this. Read Full Review

Morrison still seems to be playing with this concept. However, his use of apocalyptic imagery--burning cities and hellhounds being ridden by masked enforcers--works to distance the audience from seeing the Anti-Life Equation for what it really is, and for what I believe Kirby intended. Read Full Review

But Morrison is going to have to pull some serious magic to bring the disparate (and strange) stories together. Of course, if anyone can manage it, he's the one. But so far, this book has been a disappointment. Read Full Review

Visually, the story is good with a well flowing story reinforcing the plot. Its just too bad that the artwork is wasted on a story that makes no sense. Read Full Review

Was I supposed to read other stuff in between issues?