WW PHILLY: FINAL CRISIS #1 - THE DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY

[MattBrady]

by Joel Rickenbach, Special to Newsarama

Warning: Spoilers for Final Crisis #1 - and beyond - abound

With the first issue of Final Crisis barely 24 hours old, Senior DC Editor Ian Sattler and WW: Philadelphia Guest of Honor J.G. Jones were on hand at the “Final Crisis Director’s Commentary” panel to dissect the events and artwork behind the first issue of DC’s summer crossover event.

Sattler kicked thing off by declaring the summer of 2008 the “Summer of J.G.” As if J.G.’s work on Final Crisis wasn’t enough, DC will be releasing a director’s cut of Final Crisis #1 in August which will feature all of J.G.’s pencils, plus Grant Morrison’s full script.

The discussion then turned to the artwork of Final Crisis, specifically the design choice of the covers. J.G. said the solo character shots are fully painted watercolors, and he “Spitballed a bunch of backgrounds for the covers to see what worked, but I eventually settled on the solid contrasting colors to make the characters pop.” Ian Sattler added that after they had the image “It was up to designer Chip Kidd to figure out how to fit the trade dress, and he came up with the vertical design that gives the book such an iconic look.” He went on to add that all the Final Crisis books (including tie-in series) will have both a “Character body shot” cover and “Sliver” design cover. He also interestingly mentioned that “The Final Crisis logo will deteriorate with each issue, leaving us with almost nothing by the end.’

J.G. Jones spoke about Grant Morrison’s input regarding the art, specifically the New Gods. “Grant had specific color ideas. He wanted the New Gods to look ‘lit’ by some unknown source, almost otherworldly. We gave Metron a look like cracked ceramic or porcelain. The exception would be Darkseid, who just sucks the light out of the room.”

From there things moved on to the specifics of the first issue of Final Crisis, and what we can expect in future issues. Ian Sattler brought up a slide of Anthro from the first page of Final Crisis #1. “There’s more to that first scene then you think. Imagery is extremely important.” Ian also wanted to make sure everyone knew that the” Caveman in the opening scene of Final Crisis with an axe and fur tied around his neck like a sweater” was indeed Vandal Savage.

A fan then asked a question about the shipping schedule of Final Crisis, specifically if we would see any of the delays that plagued Infinite Crisis. Sattler responded that everything with Final Crisis is “In good shape.” He was then asked how far ahead they are with books being completed, to which he said “We’re far enough ahead to be in good shape.” J.G. added that “Final Crisis will not ship late.”

A fan expressed some disappointment with the first issue of Final Crisis. In response both Jones and Sattler said “Don’t worry.” J.G. added that “The pace picks up immediately with issue #3. Grant structures his stories in such a specific way, and you will see why the first issue has so much set up. It all pays off!”

Sattler then chimed in with a nice hint for the DC faithful- “You know those ads we are running that say ‘The day evil won’? Well, that specifically means the events in Final Crisis issues #3 and #4. The end of issue #3 is when evil literally wins. Issue #3 ends with a cliffhanger, and there will be a noticeable gap in time for the DCU between issues #3 and #4.”

A fan then asked if Final Crisis was essentially a re-interpretation of the New Gods. Sattler hemmed and hawed for a few seconds before saying “I can’t really say. Just wait and see, Grant has had this story brewing for almost 5 years.” Jones added that “The New Gods are being treated more like actual gods, not just superheroes that call themselves the New Gods. We did a lot of research into mythology for this. There’s definitely an effort to get a clear knitting of all the Jack Kirby 4th world stuff and the regular DCU so it all makes sense.”

A fan then quickly asked “Weren’t the New Gods killed in Countdown to Final Crisis?” Sattler answered “Yes…” Another fan then asked if what we see in Final Crisis #1 is the New Gods being reborn in human form. Sattler - “Maybe…”

It was then that the 800 pound gorilla in the room was brought up- Did they really just kill Martian Manhunter at the end of Final Crisis #1? Sattler said that he didn’t want to bring it up because he “Didn’t know what kind of fans were in the room.” A fan mentioned that he didn’t really care that the Manhunter was killed, but was surprised that it was one in one panel. J.G. said “Grant made a conscious decision to handle it that way. He thought it was much more shocking to bring him in and whack him.” Ian added that you will get a bit more of Martian Manhunter in the final issue of Salvation Run that ships next week, and that the upcoming Final Crisis tie-in Final Crisis: Requiem will deal with the Martian Manhunter’s death.

Much praise was given to Grant and J.G. for the Japanese style heroes readers got a glimpse of in the Final Crisis Sketchbook. Jones said that readers will be surprised to see what a specific role they play in Final Crisis. Sattler added that “When you see what it is it will be the most obvious thing in the world. “

A fan asked if Barry Allen will come back in Final Crisis, to which Ian responded “Barry who?” When asked if it was on purpose that the flash’s chest logo is obscured on the cover of Final Crisis #2, Jones said “hmmmm…and his belt is obscured to…”

When asked if it was fulfilling as an artist to work on a piece of DC history like Final Crisis Jones said “It was definitely one of the reasons I took the job. It’s nice to be able to leave a mark.”

A question was asked about what Sattler’s favorite moment in Final Crisis is - “The end of issue 2. It’s a huge fanboy moment!”

Fans were curious what writers J.G. Jones would like to work with. He said he “Has been very fortunate, spoiled even. Although the next writer I’m working with is a guy named…J.G. Jones.”

[rock334]

Totally satisfied with the first issue. MUCH better then Countdown....

[Corrupteddragon]

"J.G. added that “The pace picks up immediately with issue #3."


Ah good, pretty much the half way mark and $9 in, the story actually starts.


The 1st issue was a total yawn fest.

[KyleV]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

A fan then asked a question about the shipping schedule of Final Crisis, specifically if we would see any of the delays that plagued Infinite Crisis. Sattler responded that everything with Final Crisis is “In good shape.” He was then asked how far ahead they are with books being completed, to which he said “We’re far enough ahead to be in good shape.” J.G. added that “Final Crisis will not ship late.”

Man, they did NOTHING to put out the rumors about this book.

Personally, I'm content to wait it out and see how things go. But they were given a chance to make a definitive statement on the issue and just let it pass right by.

[Ken B.]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

A fan then asked a question about the shipping schedule of Final Crisis, specifically if we would see any of the delays that plagued Infinite Crisis. Sattler responded that everything with Final Crisis is “In good shape.” He was then asked how far ahead they are with books being completed, to which he said “We’re far enough ahead to be in good shape.” J.G. added that “Final Crisis will not ship late.”

Translation: It won't ship late, but it may have padded backstories.

[ComicFan1981]

Technically, the setup is part of the story.

[Laz Green]

Originally Posted by Corrupteddragon

"J.G. added that “The pace picks up immediately with issue #3."


Ah good, pretty much the half way mark and $9 in, the story actually starts.


The 1st issue was a total yawn fest.

Yeah...

Because the death of Martian Manhunter, Orion, and the reveal that Dark Side is infesting kids with the Anti-Life equation is toatally boring...

[Dennis K]

Originally Posted by KyleV

Man, they did NOTHING to put out the rumors about this book.

Personally, I'm content to wait it out and see how things go. But they were given a chance to make a definitive statement on the issue and just let it pass right by.

Please explain to me how the phrase "Final Crisis will not ship late." is NOT a definitive statement on the issue.

[Clow]

This is shaping up to be really good, I enjoyed the hell out of #1.

Sad to see J'onn go, but I have a feeling that even though evil wins at some point, there'll be hell to pay for offing one of the big seven.

[Amoebas]

I thought the 800 pound gorilla wasn't J'Onn's supposed death, but whether or not the Death of the New Gods mini was retconned or not. The way the story is presented, it's easier to see that it WAS rather than not.

[Ken B.]

Originally Posted by Dennis K

Please explain to me how the phrase "Final Crisis will not ship late." is NOT a definitive statement on the issue.

It won't ship late, but what can happen is that in order to build up time for Morrison and Jones to finish the book, the series will expand from 7 issues to maybe 10, with a reduced page count on Jones' end with back up stories explaining other events going on during Final Crisis.

If the editor in charge of the damn book couldn't come out and say "We have issue #5 (or whatever) done," they're trying to hide something.

Comic book editors are just like politicians; answer questions by not really answering them.

[Corrupteddragon]

Originally Posted by Laz Green

Yeah...

Because the death of Martian Manhunter, Orion, and the reveal that Dark Side is infesting kids with the Anti-Life equation is toatally boring...

That would be true, if it wasnt for the fact that ALL of the new gods died in countdown, and people who were present there, suddenly forgot that they saw that. As 1st issue, it was not that exciting. MM death was kinda good, but the whole dark side thing, eh, not that exciting really. Unless of course, you consider turning the biggest evil in the universe into a bar owner who is twisting little kids exciting.

[Rob S.]

J.G. added that “The pace picks up immediately with issue #3.

I'm enjoying the book, but how does "immediately" = two months from now?

[messi]

Originally Posted by rock334

Totally satisfied with the first issue. MUCH better then Countdown....

Is that really so hard to do?

[gwangung]

Originally Posted by Corrupteddragon

That would be true, if it wasnt for the fact that ALL of the new gods died in countdown, and people who were present there, suddenly forgot that they saw that.

That's not a fact.

[KyleV]

Originally Posted by Dennis K

Please explain to me how the phrase "Final Crisis will not ship late." is NOT a definitive statement on the issue.

Because the "shipping schedule" question isn't about whether it comes out on time -- no one anywhere has every wondered about that, at least with much debate. The issue is whether or not they come out with Jones art for the entire issue.

They were even asked point blank how far along they were, yet nothing like "oh, we've got three issues in the can" or anything like that was said.

[messi]

Originally Posted by Laz Green

Yeah...

Because the death of Martian Manhunter, Orion, and the reveal that Dark Side is infesting kids with the Anti-Life equation is toatally boring...

It's the way it was handled which is what alot of people are upset about.

[KyleV]

Originally Posted by Rob S.

I'm enjoying the book, but how does "immediately" = two months from now?

As in "from the first page of issue #3" as opposed to "halfway through issue #3."

[Corrupteddragon]

Originally Posted by gwangung

That's not a fact.

SO Superman, who saw most of the new gods die, and suddenly in FC1 had no idea about it, thats not a fact? The fact that all of them have been dying for some time, and suddenly the guardians notice that one has died....and dont wonder where the rest are...suddenly want to quarantine the earth but are clueless as to what has been happening around the universe? Thats not a fact? The fact that superman who is on the JLA with green lantern didnt mention to him, and thus to the guardians that hey, theres all these people who died, isnt that odd? Yes we didnt witness Orion die in countdown, but the intent that he went off to die was there. So it is a fact that they all died in Countdown.

[Clem]

J'onn deserved better.

[aceatkins]

I was decidedly underwhelmed by issue 1. I'm not saying nothing happened -- there was a lot of set up, and some stories advanced -- but this does not feel like a "crisis" to me in the slightest. There's no real ominous air to the story, and I am utterly perplexed as to how all of these disparate pieces are going to come together to form anything approaching a whole. What do the Monitors have to do with the New Gods? Why does Barry Allen have to come back to fight Darkseid? Where do these crazy Japanese super heroes fit in? Why the hell is Turpin such a central figure in this story? I have huge respect for Grant Morrison, but I'm looking at everything that's been teased and I'm highly dubious that a story as seemingly broad in scope as this can be pulled off in eight issues, especially with one already wrapped. (I'll also say that the Mister Miracle mini was BY FAR my least favorite part of 7 Soldiers, and I'm dismayed to see that the New Gods have apparenty shunted into their counterparts there for this story. I also cannot for the life of me figure out how Miracle, this, and Death of the New Gods all fit together, and I hope that'll be clearly and concisely addressed in the next two issues.)

I'll also come out and say it: Wasn't that blown away by Jones' art in this issue. It was serviceable, but hardly mind-blowing. Some panels looked downright sloppy.

[StripedTiger]

I liked the issue well enough but I'd have asked why when New Gods were being killed off like cattle during Countdown the Guardians never issued a code 1011 and put the whole Earth into quarantine with the Alpha Lanterns. I mean, Orion dies and suddenly they noticed a dieicide...an idea I kinda liked...had happened. Lightray eats concrete in Metropolis and the closest he got to attention was Jimmy Olsen, cub reporter?

...and yeah...J'onn deserved much better. For a moment I wondered if it was faked; that maybe if Libra was Barry Allen he vibrated the blade through him but that's probably wishful thinking.

[bobbab5]

Man, some of the negativity here is quite unbelievable!

[inventio]

Didn't people read the Mister Miracle mini to see that these New Gods are DIFFERENT from the ones who died?

[Ken B.]

Originally Posted by inventio

Didn't people read the Mister Miracle mini to see that these New Gods are DIFFERENT from the ones who died?

Judging from the sales figures not a lot of people read Mister Miracle. I didn't, but I thought that mini series took place before Infinite Crisis even. If so, it kinda messes with the whole New Gods timeline.