The Final Night #3

Chapter 3: Keeping Hope Alive

Karl Kesel • Writer
Stuart Immonen • Penciller
Jose Marzan Jr. • Inker
Patricia Mulvihll • Colors
Gaspar • Letters
Ali Morales • Asst. Editor
Dan Thorsland • Editor

This cover by Immonen and Marzan shows Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel flying away from scores of body bags. It's a rather haunting image, painting a much graver picture than anything we see inside this issue.

We skipped issue #2, but trust me, we didn't miss much. In issue #3, we find out it's been three days since the Sun-Eater covered the sun. Most of the heroes are busy trying to prevent riots from breaking out around the world and provide supplies to people in need. Meanwhile, a select few are holed up in S.T.A.R. Labs, working on a permanent solution under Lex Luthor and Brainiac 5. And, if you look closely, you can just make out Impulse lurking in the background.

Brainiac 5 and Luthor discover the sun is trying to fend off the Sun-Eater, in a sense, and is in danger of going hyper-nova, which would destroy Earth. But our heroes still aren't any closer to finding a solution. Oh, and the Phantom Stranger spends his time taking Dusk around the world to show her that humanity hasn't given up, or something inspirational like that.


This was a rather dull issue for what's supposed to be DC's big crossover event of 1996. Yeah, every character imaginable is there, but none of them are doing anything interesting. Maybe I'd like this story more if Impulse had something to do, but it really feels like Karl Kesel's story was only long enough for two or three issues, so there's a lot of stalling going on to stretch it to four issues. And the art is really lackluster. Jose Marzan Jr. is normally a better inker than this, so perhaps a lot of this blotchiness can be blamed on the coloring.

Next time, we'll check out one of the Final Night tie-in issues that happens to draw Impulse in the background — Legion of Super-Heroes #86.