Sunday, July 27, 2008

Final Crisis - Requiem #1 - DC


I have to say, this book was really sad. Well, first of all, I couldn't believe that Libra actually killed J'onn in the first issue of Final Crisis. And then, of course, I thought . . 'Is this a trick? Or . . how are they gonna bring him back?' But after reading this issue, I think this one may be for real. They take J'onn's body to Mars for the funeral, but most of the issue is focused on J'onn's, and Mars', past. As a final act of consciousness . . at the time of his death . . J'onn sends out this telepathic message to, I believe, the people that he trusted the most. With J'onn being the last of his race, basically, all of the racial and ancestral knowledge of his home-planet was kind of downloaded to him. Well, he can't let that die with him, so he sends out this telepathic burst that hits Bruce, Clark, Hal, Dinah and Gypsy. They all begin, unconsciously, to transcribe the knowledge that's been given to them. Superman sums it up the best at the funeral. "The five of us are gathered here because J'onn entrusted each of us with an incredible responsibility in his last moments of life. We're not just caretakers of J'onn's personal history, we're also now the caretakers for a lost race . . a lost planet. And it's a responsibility that I humbly and gladly accept, as obviously you all do . ." Unfortunately, I think he's truly gone. I don't think this one's gonna' be a 'do-over'. But that's ok. There has to be some loss for people to truly appreciate what they have. In the time that they all knew him, he truly touched all of their lives. I believe in the end, they're all better for having known him. What more can a person hope to accomplish, or leave behind? It's a living legacy. I thought it was a terrific story by Peter J Tomasi. He handled all the characterizations perfectly. I actually started to get a little choked up a couple of times while reading it. I also enjoyed Doug Mahnke's artwork. It was really great looking. Much in the manner of his Black Adam series.

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