"I'm the only one who knows there was a war in heaven, and evil won. The multiverse takes a single breath like a runner posed on the line and it's my breath. There is a sound. A sound like the crack of doom. Like a starter's pistol ... and this is me. And now I remember."
These ominous words followed by a lightening bolt appear at the end of "DC Universe No. 0", a one-shot prelude to the upcoming "Final Crisis." A sequel of sorts to 2005's "Infinite Crisis" and 1985's "Crisis on Infinite Earths," the series is DC Comics' most anticipated book of the year. A summer blockbuster going head-to-head on the shelves against Marvel's "Secret Invasion," the first issue of "Final Crisis" will arrive in comic shops on Thursday, May 29.
The book is written by Grant Morrison, an acclaimed British comics writer whose works include "Doom Patrol," "We3," "Animal Man," and "The Invisibles." Morrison has also worked on more mainstream superhero comics such as "X-Men" and "Justice League of America." The seven issue mini-series is illustrated by J.G. Jones.
The actual plot of "Final Crisis" is something that DC has been somewhat tight-lipped about. Early promotion for the book has been a series of pin-up images of various villains with one-word titles such as "Power" and "Envy." While most of the characters in these advertisements are familiar, much of the buzz has been around Libra, an obscure Justice League villain who is believed to play a major role in the storyline.
"I think there's a lot of interest in the comic," Kathleen Miller, the owner of Comic World on 4th Avenue, said. "I don't know if the posters are working or if it's just the build-up. DC has been very hush, hush as to what it's about."
Miller thinks the book will be a hit for DC, whose major title last year, "Countdown," was met with mixed reviews and somewhat lacking sales.
"I think this book will be a step back up for DC Comics," Miller said. "It's not going to be a weekly title like 'Countdown,' so that's going to put off some of the pressure on readers. It also gives time for anticipation to build between issues. With 'Countdown,' some weeks were fantastic, and others were lackluster."
In addition to the main series, DC will release a number of tie-in mini-series, as well as storylines in ongoing series such as "Batman" and "Green Lantern."
In "Batman R.I.P.," the Dark Knight is pitted against a deadly group of international villains called The Black Glove.
In "Legion of Three Worlds," Superman travels to the future and teams up with the Legion of Superheroes to battle a team led by an evil doppelganger of himself.
Another tie-in, "Rogues Revenge," follows a group of Flash villains whose efforts at settling a personal score leads to them paired off against the evil Libra as well as the heroes.
Isaac Morgan, a part-time employee at Purple Earth Comics, also thinks the book is going to be a big hit.
"DC has been doing a very good job not telling us too much. All we know is that this is Armageddon ... Revelations for our heroes," Morgan said.
Morgan said he is intrigued by the handling of the villain Libra.
"This is Grant Morrison doing what he does best. He's reaching into the back for a villain that people may have forgotten and turned this character into something of a legitimate threat," Morgan said. "From what we can see in 'DC Universe #0' and the new issue of 'Justice League of America,' he's turned Libra from a one-shot bad guy into this cult-like figure.
"He's like the pastor of his own religion in a way, and he's telling the villains that 'I can give you whatever you want.' His message is very empowering to the villains and they think they can win this time around," Morgan said.
While the situation is looking rather dire DC's heroes, fans may be seeing the return of an old favorite. It's believed Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, will be making his return to comics after being gone for more than 20 years.
"Marvel and DC are pulling their ace cards at the same time." Morgan said. " 'Final Crisis' is something that Grant Morrison has been working on ever since he's signed with DC, and 'Secret Invasion' is something that (Brian Michael) Bendis has been setting up ever since he's been with Marvel. Both have had time to tell a great story, and it will be hard to tell which one will pull out in the lead until it's all over."
