The final issue of Heroes in Crisis is here and features a variant cover by Ryan Sook. The cover has a close-up of Booster Gold out in the wheat fields outside of Sanctuary. The photo is held by the bloody fingers of Harley Quinn. There are bodies in the field and we also see that the photo is being held right in front of the out of focus scene showing the same image. This is a great tie-in to the other covers showing Sanctuary Files. The issue, entitled “All of Us”, is by Tom King and Clay Mann. We get a page of Sanctuary confession videos, the line-up is stunning; The Demon, Firestorm, Green Lantern, the Guy Gardner version, Black Lightning, and Red Robin. I felt the impact of the deaths of Lagoon Boy, Hot Spot, and Commander Steel. This takes it to another level. In other words, everyone was at Sanctuary and everyone died. This group of heroes pushes it to absurdity; The Demon is supernatural, Firestorm, we saw his life in danger and almost the destruction of the universe because of it. The seismic conseuqences of Black Lightning, who was really just re-introduced, and Red Robin, not the restaurant, but Tim Drake, partner to Batman, is just too much. I don’t if their deaths are canon, but if so, it seems like there needs to be a re-set with other heroes taking up their hero mantles.
The following splash pages show a beautiful sunset with “Heroes in Crisis” in clouds and Blue Beetle’s The Bug streaking across it. We get a closeup of the Wally West Flash speaking to his earlier time self about to snap his neck. They are covered by shadow with another splash page as the Beetle comes crashing down. There are more closeups of the heroes tangled up with each other; Blue Beetle and Booster Gold and also Batgirl and Harley Quinn hanging upside down. Then, we get another confession video page of the casualties. There were nine issues and the major character deaths are dropped in this one. If they have all died, there is Vixen, that’s just wrong, Nightwing?, Orphan, Supergirl, and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern. It may be that they spent some time at Sanctuary, but we didn’t see their actual bodies there. Again, I can see The Flash taking down heroes that are off guard, but Supergirl seems impossible to kill by just punching her. I expect all of these heroes in the confession videos being one time patients of Sanctuary. There is a precendent, Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, gave a confession video and he is still around. Also, I see if this line-up were taken out of the hero business, it would seriously impact the stability of citizens.
Next, we get a large panel of the heroes emerging from The Bug, Clay Mann fashions them in superhero poses except Harley Quinn is waking up from her nap. They try to get focused on their mission and we get a small panel of Harley Quinn’s stunned face as she is saying, “Pretty girl?” This is of course Poison Ivy, she was a casualty, but in issue seven, The Flash planted a flower that regrew into Poison Ivy which is the same power as Swamp Thing. This new version of Poison Ivy has greenish skin with it looks like musculature, but may be veins like a plant. Harley Quinn runs over to hug her friend in a nice splash page. Then, we get another confession video page with Martian Manhunter, Mera, and Zatanna. The impact may be to show that our heroes suffer after their heroism. There is the distraught Flash, worried over his task, to kill his past self. It seems to all resolve to The Flash consoling the other Flash in yet another cinematic splash page with the other heroes around them. There are moments when they all discuss talking about their problems.
Then, there are more confessions; Robin, Damian Wayne, Aquaman, and Cyborg. Then, we get a wooden post with “I Was Here” carved into it as we get Wally West explaining about Barry Allen causing the Flashpoint and keeping him away from his family. The two Wally Wests talking, it is two superheroes being honest. One Wally says that Superman let the truth come out. Also, that Flash tripped Batman’s alarms so the Justice League will be there. This of course leads to Booster Gold, the time traveling superhero, who brings up the head spinning time conundrum. A solution to bring back a Flash body to complete the cycle. So before all things get resolved, Harley Quinn has a message for the killer Flash. Typical Harley Quinn. There is another confession page with Beast Boy, Catwoman, and Raven. A very powerful series with the only cross-over, “The Price” issues of Batman and The Flash. King takes risks to bring humanity to ficitional characters. Kudos to Tom King and Clay Mann for the attempt, it is up to the readers if they have succeeded. Alan Moore was bold with Dave Gibbons to expand comic book superheroes with Watchmen. I think attempts to follow them, including the recent Doomsday Clock, fall short of understanding what Moore was going with the medium. Heroes in Crisis is an interesting thought experiment and comic book.
Four Pieces of Peach Pie out of Five!
#HeroesinCrisis, #TomKing, #ClayMann, #Sanctuary
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