No worries, gang. I calls em like I sees em. And this is one great story. Could it be better? Maybe if editorial stopped messing with it and just let Morrison tell the story he originally wanted to tell. Maybe. But its still the best event series Ive read from both a content standard and a stylistic approach. So there. Read Full Review

Considering how sweet a Fifth World Monitor looks, how cleverly and surprisingly the newer and weirder good guys fight evil (trust me, you'll never see a Rubik's Cube in quite the same light), and how snappy Super Young Team looks in a group shot, the new age Morrison is ushering in through blood and tragedy and despair is looking to be an exceptional one. There will always be Nightwing, and a Superman, and an El Diablo; but the foundations beneath them all have never been this cool. Lord only knows how he convinced DC to let him pull this off. Read Full Review

While not a perfect issue, the few flaws I do talk about, seemingly at length, didn't affect my enjoyment of this issue in the least and Final Crisis may just deliver on much of the hype. However, the art, which I didn't really mention in the review, looks terrible in comparison to earlier issues and it's a shame. Read Full Review

Jesse's Score: 7.6 Read Full Review

Final Crisis #5 was another complex and captivating read. Morrison truly challenges the reader with this issue. I would certainly recommend giving this issue two readings. By the end of the second reading, all the little details and clues should become more evident and the story itself should gain more power and impact on the reader. Read Full Review

Humanity enslaved! Time shattered and bleeding! Anti-Life triumphant! Can Earth's demoralized, beaten heroes rally their scattered forces for the ultimate super-battle against the nightmare armies of Apokolips when the forces of good meet the forces of evil on the bridge to Bldhaven? Read Full Review

I struggled to decide whether to give this issue 4 or 4.5 bullets, but opted for the lower rating in the end because, while this is a very strong issue, it does contain a few flaws: Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayners discovery of the truth about Kraken seems a little sudden and convenient for such a major development, and hasnt been foreshadowed as well as it might have beenTheres a throwaway line of dialogue that spoils the outcome of Morrisons tie-in story thats currently running in the pages of Batman, which might disappoint followers of that bookFinally, theres a sequence involving a Rubiks cube that seems clever at first, but doesnt work logically when you stop to think about it (there is no minimum number of moves in which a Rubiks cube can be solved, it depends on the starting configuration). This problem saps some of the power of a later moment in which a wheelchair-bound character (possibly Metron) manifests his godly power. However, these are minor flaws in an otherwise Read Full Review

As with past issues, it's the story that has to bear the burden of this huge event, and it does seem to be shaping up for a doozy of an ending - but we won't know for sure until we (eventually) get there. Read Full Review

I'm ever so slowly starting to see the story come together, but I'm still kind of foggy on the finer points of this story. I am confident that by the next issue and surely by the 7th issue, I'll have a full understanding of Final Crisis as a whole... Maybe! Read Full Review

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.' Read Full Review

If you have the stomach to follow, go right ahead. It's not easy, but if you dig in, you might be able to hang with the story. Read Full Review

I... have... no idea... what happened in this issue. From Frankenstein's monster quoting the writing of Milton to the disassembled OMAC androids to the lion men, this entire issue seems to be devoted to freaking me out with the most outre concepts that Jack Kirby created for DC. My problems with the whole thing are these: Last month's issue really built the tension and suspense up, only to have this issue return to the signs and portents and cryptic hints business that has made this series so infuriating. Second, things seemed much worse in last month's 'Submit' and 'Resist' one-shots then they do here. Still, the issue was filled with moments both awesome and awful (Mary grinding on Shazam and suggestively offering him his own "magic word" is disturbing as hell) and the issue merited a second reading for comprehension, something many comics will never achieve. Final Crisis #5 earns a confused but intrigued 2.5 out of 5 stars, balancing moments I really liked with mom Read Full Review

That said, overall, I think this book is well below the bar of expectation that has been set for it and this series. I know what the story is supposed to be about, I know the names, but I just don't see the characters. I don't feel the energy. I don't care. I might give this a shot in collected form, but for now, I'm done with "Final Crisis." Read Full Review

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