The wait is finally over. Final Crisis hit shelves this week and began what has been described as one of the biggest and greatest DC stories ever written. With Grant Morrison, the brains behind the current Batman title as well as the critically acclaimed Seven Soldiers series, and J.G. Jones, whose work has included Wonder Woman and 52, is there even a slight chance that Final Crisis can fail or is it destined to become another classic piece of DC history and yet another high point in Morrison’s already prestigious career? Let’s take a peek at issue one, shall we?

With the past successes of Grant Morrison, this comic should be amazing from beginning to end, right? Well, not really. To be honest, it feels kind of bland and repetitious. We’re basically handed the same thing that we’ve heard from DC Universe #0 and Justice League of America #21 regarding Libra and his plan to finally defeat the heroes. While there are a couple of high points, such as the death of Martian Manhunter, the issue for the most part feels basically like a way to set up the next couple issues in the series. As the issue came to a close, I was left somewhat disappointed as it almost felt like the actual Crisis hadn’t even started yet. Speaking of Manhunter, have I mentioned how annoyed I am that Morrison spoiled his death a month in advance? Geez, I whine a lot.

Jones’ art is, unsurprisingly, some of the most impressive artwork to date in his career. Much like his covers for 52, his interior art really carries the comic in the early stages of the book. With little action taking place and a mostly narrative introduction, it almost seems like Morrison has given Jones a little bit of time to grab the reader’s attention before flying into his story. With the little amount of actual plot movement that takes place in this issue, Jones’ art is really the strongest point in the series thus far.

While it might have sounded like I was being a little tough on Morrison for the lack of story, it’s important to remember that, much like his other work, the series will most certainly need to be read in it’s entirety, from start to finish, to really be enjoyed properly. So, as a single issue, there’s a lot to be improved upon but I know that by the time we reach the end of this event, Morrison will have done what he does best: Deliver a story that will not only entertain you but make you realize just how talented he is as a comic book writer.

Final Crisis #1

7.9/10 (How’d you get that?)