I really don’t know what to say. Final Crisis 7 is a perfect summary of the Final Crisis series. It reads like a plate glass window smashed by a sledgehammer. Every scene is a piece of shattered glass that tries to re-assemble itself back into a window. Whether it was successful or not is your opinion (by the way, check out Dave and Joel‘s opinions).  I apologize for the jumpy nature of this review, but this issue is going to require a lot more re-readings before I comprehend everything.

The basic gist of the issue is Darkseid’s fall has shattered the Multiverse and our perceptions of time. Hence, the shattered glass approach to the storytelling. Unfortunately, once the threat of Darkseid is ended a new threat emerges from the shadows - Manrakk the Vampire Monitor from “Superman Beyond”.  To save the universe, the surviving superheroes have to build “The Miracle Machine” to save mankind by calculating the “Life Equation,” and team up with an army of Supermen from throughout the Multiverse to defeat Mandrakk. There’s a lot more, but we’ll save that for another time.

I enjoyed the defeat of Darkseid. It justified the return of Barry Allen while tying up a plot thread from the first issue. I like the idea of the Miracle Machine, a machine capable of storing and protecting the population of Earth, while Life Equation is calculated and final battle is waged. I like that Apokolips is the new New Genesis and I got a smile out of the appearance of Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew. (Never read or had an interest in that particular series, but still clever)

My main complaint is the appearance of Mandrakk as a villain, when he only appeared in “Superman Beyond”. One would think that if he was such a threat, he would’ve appeared in Final Crisis-proper. (Or had a memorable appearance if I missed him.)

Anywho, if you are still confused, fret not, Grant Morrison was kind enough to post on Newsarama a proper reading order for Final Crisis. It goes like this:

FINAL CRISIS # 1- 3
SUPERMAN BEYOND # 1- 2
SUBMIT
FINAL CRISIS # 4 – 5
BATMAN #682 – 683
FINAL CRISIS # 6 – 7

I think I’m going to go back and re-read the series in that order. I’ll come back when I’m done.