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I've thought long and hard about this book. If you have not yet read Final Crisis, I really think you would benefit from reading my review. SUMMARY 'Final Crisis' is an epic, layered story with several running narratives and many surprises, so it's difficult to synopsize. At its center are the "New Gods", involved in the last stages of their vast and mysterious war. It looks as though the BAD side has won. The story goes from there and involves dozens of characters, major and minor, some of whom actually die. Aside from alternate dimensions, cosmic technology, and many far-out concepts, there is a lot of battle action and some really classic superhero situations, with dialogue in a 'high' style reminiscent of cosmic '70s writers like Jack Kirby, Steve Englehart, Jim Starlin, or Len Wein. The writing can be dense, and at times a LOT happens on a single page. The art is detailed, brightly colored, merging a very realistic style with psychedelic effects. The story is long and rather convoluted, including a grand mystery and scifi surrealism, to name just two of its many styles (neither specifically known for offering immediate clarity, take note). WHO WOULD LIKE THIS BOOK? An open-minded superhero fan willing to give the book some time, attention, and thought. WHO WOULD NOT LIKE THIS BOOK? People who hate experimentation in superhero comics. People just looking for a simple, easy read. People who must know exactly what's going on at all times. People who think all ambition is pretension. FIVE TIPS FOR READING FINAL CRISIS 1. It's Not for Novices I hate to say it, but if you're not already a DC fan, don't bother. I don't mean that you have to be a super-nerd with an encyclopedic memory of a couple lifetimes' worth of comics, just that you've been around the block a couple times. Pop quiz: what do Green Lanterns do? What's "shazam"? Who is Barry Allen? How are Darkseid and Orion related? If these questions stumped you, Final Crisis is going to be pretty rough going. I'd suggest reading Morrison's 'Seven Soldiers' or maybe 'JLA' instead. 2. 'Final' Crisis Stands Alone Two parts to this one: 2a. Do Not "Prepare" Don't read anything specifically in order to better "understand" Final Crisis before going in. It won't help, because Final Crisis was written to stand alone. If anything, "preparatory" material will just distract you with irrelevant details, confuse you with continuity discrepancies, and mislead your expectations. It may also provide too big of a build-up to a story with its own arc, resulting in feelings of anticlimax when you finally get to the good stuff. So don't read 'Countdown', and don't replace that with a "countdown" of your own. You don't need to know anything special to get in to 'Final Crisis'. 2b. Do Not "Expand" Forget the tie-ins. If you want to read them for their own sake and on their own terms, because you like a certain writer or character or whatever, by all means go for it... some other time. As with "preparations", these will only clutter your head and distract you from an already convoluted narrative, to the disservice of each story. This includes Morrison's Batman books, a twisty epic of its own that intersects 'Final Crisis' at one tiny point. Efforts to conflate these two giant labyrinths WILL be unsuccessful. Everything you need is included in this 'Final Crisis' TPB-- no more, no less-- and it's best just to focus on that without any extra baggage. 3. No Expectations Forget what you've heard. Don't go in assuming it's going to be an unreadable maze of obscure references. Don't expect a transcendent, life-changing experience, or the best comic book ever. Don't expect it to tie up all the loose ends of the past 20 years of DC continuity, or assume it's full of errors and problems. Don't assume you won't understand anything. Don't expect to understand everything. Just read it, see for yourself. 4. Think Take your time. Pay attention. Flip back and review. If you don't understand what's happening, reflect for a moment and see if you can figure it out before proceeding. Unlike most superhero comics, 'Final Crisis' requires focus and conscious thought while it's being read. Trust me, it's worth it. 5. Read It Again Take a look at my summary again... There's NO WAY you're going to take all that in the first time. If you truly hated it, don't put yourself through it again... but if you followed my advice this far, you'll probably want to. Enjoy