Infinite Crisis #7
	Story Title: 'Finale' Writer: Geoff Johns Pencillers (& Layouts): Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Ivan Reis & Joe Bennett Inks/Finishes: Andy Lanning, Jerry Ordway, George Perez, Ivan Reis, Sean Parsons & Art Thibert Colorist: Jeremy Cox and Guy Major, Tanya and Richard Horie Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
	Reviewed by: Bruce Logan

I don’t need to say it, but as it gives me a starting point, well…This Is It, the final issue of THE single most definitive DC event of our/my generation. ‘Generation’ because, when the first Crisis came out I was still trying to learn how to properly tie my shoelaces, forget knowing about capes, cowls n’ bracelets. As for a next crisis of such proportions, don’t think it’ll be here before I start thinking about what to do once I retire from whatever/wherever I might be working. It was a once in a lifetime thing and know what….it left me feeling kind of the same way as after finishing the first ever full length Sherlock Holmes mystery I read…sad and hoping there was more to read on the next page/issue. (BTW, it was ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’)

Okay, enough of the sappy stuff; let me get down to spoiling the issue for all of you. First, Conner ‘Super-Clone’ Kent is dead. Oh wait, wasn’t that in the last issue? Anyways, it is with that that we start this issue too, and although the scene supposed to be quite touching and all that, only one person’s reaction got to me….and it was Cassandra ‘How did she ever become blonde’ Sandsmark. It almost made me call my best friend, and I would have….if only he wasn’t in India and would, once in a while, answer my mails properly. (Like I am going to splurge precious cents on that dic*headed moron)

Next began the big fight scenes and DC should have gone the double-sized issue way and fleshed out the Metropolis showdown. There are a whole gamut of character showing up and many of them die, all while we are getting to know what is ‘NEW’ with the Earth now. Wonder Woman is once again one of the founders of the League, Batman still fights for Gotham, even though his parents’ killer was caught and Superboy (and ‘Smallville’) fans rejoice, because it looks like the original SBoy is (was) back in the way of rumors of Clark’s activities before he showed up in Metropolis. As for the fight itself, the bad-guys might have had the numbers on their side, but they didn’t have one very important thing….teamwork, and no page shows it better than the one where the heroes band together and double-triple team their respective opponents.

However, as we all expected SBoy Prime shows up, along with his Brokeback partner Alex Luthor. There is a lot of talking and if I were doing a complete paraphrase, I would write it down. But seeing that I am not and I have a Flashier spoiler, I’ll limit it to PrimeBoy takes off soon, hoping to ‘cause a real Big Bang…and that is where the Lanterns come, seeing as it is personal for them…and their existence. But before any of this can happen, Flash shows up. Only this Flash, although of the same family is not the one we are used to seeing in the red-n’-gold. For this person the Crisis has been a real growing-up experience and what is now OYL for the others, is in fact TYL for him….as in Three Years Later (from PRE-Crisis to OYL)

While the SuperMEN and quite a few of the other flyers go after Prime, the battle on earth continues and once again, it is Batman who takes of Superman’s (this time of E-2) Luthor. Getting the ring from the White House, taking down Luthor in Superman-Batman and now this…it would almost make a Luthor shift his animosity from the Kryptonian to a fellow Earthman. And seeing that she’d already done her intervention with the Supers, Wonder Woman shows up yet again here…to calm the ‘Raging Umm-Bat’. Had this been an action movie, we all know what would have happened next between the two of them (in the privacy of the ‘cave or a certain invisible jet)…and who knows maybe it did.

Back in space, Green and Red are the colors of the hour, be it the Green Lanterns or Green Kryptonite or the color of the Sun. Even Mogo, the living Green Planet-Lantern has his panels in the limelight, including the final fight, both for the issue and the Supers. Here, I’d like to repeat what I said about E-2 Superman and his Lois (in my review of the Infinite Crisis Secret Files & Origins). (The pair of Kal-L and Lois Lane (Both of Earth-2) are in essence even more a ‘unit’ than their Earth-I counterparts (Kal-El and Lois Lane). They truly seem, not only to be in love with each, but made for each other…as Kal-L says/thinks ‘One look and he knew that some she would be his.’). The final panels showing this couple only adds to it.

After that, things start to wind down. The good guys have won once again, only this time, the victory has a bitter taste to it (more than usual). We are given glimpses of what’s to come in 52….and beyond. Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, the new Spectre, the Flash-ers, Steel (Natasha) and so on, its all 52 babe….including the Big Three, who as we know won’t be making an appearance (at least in real/present time) in 52.

As for the ending (of this review), I won’t spoil the last page of the issue. Rather…who was the one villain that Alex Luthor did not include/invite into this Society? Well, that character finally gets his hand in, not to mention is flower. Also, Lex (E-1) Luthor also shows why he is THE Uber-Bald Eagle of the Luthors of the DC Universe.

There are a lot that I can write about, because with every reading something new comes to light. (As yet I’ve read it thrice). The single/special OMAC, the change in the Marvels, Alan Scott’s ‘Green’ Eye (the reason he has a patch on in Checkmate), the pre and post Crisis Aquaman (with the sword), the ‘redheaded’ Batwoman, J’onn and Atom’s gawd-awful costume redesigns, return of Lobo, the new Phantom Lady and her ‘assets’ (PowerGirl, Wonder Woman, Starfire, Bulleteer have some serious competition). It goes on an on….

…As does the DC Universe.

Conclusion: Think I’ll read it once more, if for nothing else to check out how Diana looks in black leather skirt n’ boots.

RATING: 9.5/10 (loses on art)