"Final Crisis" by Greg Cox

"Final Crisis"
by Greg Cox
Multi-cast performance
Produced 2010, by GraphicAudio
Approx. 8 Hours

"Final Crisis" was a crossover storyline that appeared in DC comics published throughout 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name was written by Grant Morrison. This was the last of the multiverse type series from DC and sort of closed up some gaps left in the previous titles; "Crisis on Infinite Earths", "Infinite Crisis", "52", and "Countdown." However I think this created more questions than answers and served no other purpose but to confuse the reader. While having some great confrontations and interesting twists on science and gods the story just didn't do it for me. I was so glad I listened to the audio book format of this title.

As usual GraphicAudio delivers this audiobook with a punch, and I'm talking one of those full-graphic-with-exploding-colors-as-only-seen-in-comic-books punches. When GraphicAudio promises a "Movie in your Mind" they aren't exaggerating. First off the voice actors are superb and voice each character with precision accuracy, Superman sounds like Superman, Batman sounds like Batman and so on. There is no denying the excellence in the talent pool here. The sound effects will blast you out of your seat. With planets exploding or crumbling, a black hole sucking in the multiverse and even Green Lantern's ring fizzling out, the sound effects are perfect. And the music, well pretty much all I can say here is "WOW!" The music moves the story, mood and action perfectly. All in all these GraphicAudio productions are perfect. For me it was the only saving grace in this title.

The gist of this story is that one of the new gods, Orion, is murdered and another new god, Darkseid, sees this as his chance to take over Earth. Also one of Earth's multiverse monitors is stripped of his powers for letting Earth 51 be destroyed. While some of my favorite heroes play major parts in this, The Flashes (yes 3 generations of The Flash) open a time portal allowing things to begin and end, and The Green Lantern Corps try to stop Darkseid, I think the story relied too heavily on Superman.

There was one saving grace for the story and that was the creation of a young Japanese group of superheroes. Mixing superheroes with Japanese pop-culture, the characters are: Most Excellent Superbat, Big Atomic Lantern Boy, Shy Crazy Lolita Canary, Shiny Happy Aquazon and Well-Spoken Sonic Lightning Flash. I first had some good laughs with their names but sheesh the way they interacted was fun. At one point all the characters had revealed their powers, except one, and when asked what his was Most Excellent Superbat responded, "Mine is the best of all, I can buy anything."

Throughout the story I was confused as to what caused what and with The Flashes and Superman doing a little time traveling that just made it even more hard to follow. But thanks to GraphicAudio, I had a great time listening.

"Crisis on Infinite Earths" by Marv Wolfman

"Crisis on Infinite Earths"
by Marv Wolfman
Multicast performance
Produced By GraphicAudio 2009
approx 7 hours


Before we dive into this awesome collection of every superhero created by DC comics, let me first say that before I started listening to GraphicAudio productions of DC comic novels I was a Marvel only fan. Sorry Stan, but while I still say "Make mine Marvel," I now append that with, unless it's an audiobook from GraphicAudio.

GraphicAudio does a superb job of creating audiobooks with the best in voice-acting, great music and excellent sound effects. They promise "A Movie in your Mind," and they deliver with a punch.

Now let's talk about this comic series turned novel turned audiobook. Back in the mid-80s DC comics realized they had continuity issues with all their runs of comics. There were different versions of The Flash, Superman never aged, superheroes that had appeared in the early years of comics but never again and many other problems. So to solve this DC and Marv Wolfman came up with the 12 issue series "Crisis on Infinite Earths," which created the "Multi-verse" in which there were different versions of Earth.

Marv Wolfman wrote the comic series and later turned the series into a novel, this novel is what this audio book is based on. In the novel most of the story is told from the Barry Allen version of "The Flash." Barry's nephew, Wally West, became kid flash and after Barry's death became the flash. This story also tells of Barry Allen's death. No, that is not a spoiler because the opening of the book is The Flash witnessing his own death as he is plunged through time via the speed force. The Barry Allen Flash, is the catalyst for this story in that he witnesses the events ahead of time and then is plunged back in time to interact the correct way. One of the things I should mention is that there is lots and lots of time traveling going on in this book. The paradoxes of time are explored and they seem to get by some of the potential problems by the fact that Barry is somewhat of a ghost that is going back and forth through time, sometimes a ghost and sometimes his physical self.

The main idea of the story is that the creation of the multi-verse was an accident by one of the Oans (the creators of the Green Lantern Corps) and in creating the multi-verse universe of anti-matter was created. The anti-matter universe and it's creator have been trapped in time until now. Now the anti-matter universe is destroying the universes of the multi-verse making it stronger and its creator. All the superheroes (and villains) of all the remaining multi-verses must gather together to prevent the destruction of untold millions of worlds and lives.

With The Flash narrating and telling the story of the gathering of the heroes and the heroes all teaming up against a common foe there is lots of action in this book and leave it to GraphicAudio to keep your heart pumping as friends and foe alike battle in true superhero form.

You will say good bye to some heroes but your favorites will make their appearance.

"Superman: The Never Ending Battle" (Justice League of America) by Roger Stern

"Superman: The Never Ending Battle" (Justice League of America)
by Roger Stern
Multicast production
Produced by GraphicAudio
Approx 6 hours


I never really thought about it before, but comic books can really be philosophical pieces of literary art. I know that I had a friend that was a Literature/Composition instructor at a small community college in Missouri and he would assign the class comic books as a reading assignment and while getting a small laugh from the students, he would continue to tell them that the words in comic books can create as much of an atmosphere as the images. With the few novels in the market based on comics this imagery must be carried further. Sometimes it's a hit or miss but that is true with any novel. In this novel not only is the imagery there but the author, Roger Stern, has thrown in a bit of a philosophical view of what makes a superhero keep doing what he's doing.

To explain what makes a superhero keep helping even though he (or she) may be fighting a never ending battle, Stern uses the example of George Washington and the founding fathers of the USA mixed in with the Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership. Those commandments are:

1. People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered - Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives - Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies - Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow - Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable - Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest people, with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds - Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs but only follow top dogs - Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight - Build anyway.
9. People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them - Help them anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you may get kicked in the teeth. Give the world your best anyway.

So now we know what guides Superman and why he does what he does, let's talk about this audio book.

First and foremost this audio book is another spectacular production by GraphicAudio. When it comes to bringing a novel based on a comic book to life in audio book form I know GraphicAudio will do it right. With an amazing cast of voices, spectacular sound effects and sensational background music GraphicAudio makes this audio book a definite "Movie in your Mind."

The title of the book seems ominous enough that it will be a superior foe, but that is not the case, the foe seems to be a terrorist who wants to rule the world with chaos. To begin the chaos a small time villain is recruited. This guy is the Weather Wizard. He begins to bring severe storms to all the hometowns of the superheroes of the Justice League. In a team effort the Justice League must combat the devastation in their hometowns while at the same time trying to find who is causing the mess and stopping him.

While the book does focus primarily on Superman all the superheroes of the Justice League are found in action, and not just small cameos. So, for some good old fashioned comic book fun pick up this audio book from GraphicAudio.

Green Lantern: Hero's Quest (Justice League of America) by Dennis O'Neil

Green Lantern: Hero's Quest (Justice League of America)
by Dennis O'Neil
Muliticast Performance
Produced by GraphicAudio
approx 6 hours


When you are looking for an audio book and you want something entertaining and worth the time spent listening, you should stop and consider anything produced by GraphicAudio. These guys have set the standard for full production audio books. With superb sound effects, music and acting their promise of "A movie in your mind" is really an understatement. GraphicAudio has a way of recreating the entire universe to blast out of whatever soundsy stem you use to play the audio book.

Even more on that is that when you are looking for super realism that exists in comic books, the GraphicAudio productions of the Justice League universe from DC comics is about the only way to listen to an audio representation of a novel based on super heroes. In this audio book the listener is taken to the beginning and end of the universe with the Green Lantern guiding the way and the production by GraphicAudio makes you feel as though you are hitching a ride with the Green Lantern all the way.

This book is based on Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern. Many old school DC comics fans may know the Green Lantern as Hal Jordan, but at some time in the DC continuum, a new Lantern came about in the form of Kyle Rayner. This novel is that story.

From the beginning we learn how struggling artist Kyle Rayner is given the Green Lantern ring and forced to become the latest incarnation of the Green Lantern. But what does he do with the powers? The ring didn't come with an instruction manual, so not only what Kyle does with the ring have to be learned but also the how.

At this same time the Justice League, consisting of the favorite heroes from DC comics; Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, The Atom, Jonn Jonnz, Plasticman, et. al, become aware of this new Green Lantern. The Justice Leage is concerned as to how Kyle will turn out, will he use the powers for good or evil. After observing him beat down a fighter jet with a dragon created from the ring and then rescuing a man and a little girl from a plane crash using a pair of pliers and a catcher's mitt created from the same ring, they decide to ask him to join on the side of good and join the Justice League.

Kyle, being the geeky kid who never really succeeded at anything isn't sure if he can handle the responsibility and asks for 24 hours to think about the invitation. After discovering that he may be able to handle the responsibility, Kyle returns to the Watchtower, a satellite orbiting Earth that serves as home to the Justice League, the moment he arrives on the station it disappears.

The next day Kyle is summoned by Batman. You NEVER turn down a summons from Batman. Batman is out to discover whether Kyle is responsible for the disappearance. But it is soon discovered that the Oan that gave Kyle the ring, Ganthat, knows why the space station disappeared. Kyle then must travel to the planet of Oa to find the Justice Leaguers. Along this journey Kyle discovers the origin of the Green Lantern corps and the possible destruction of the universe and must battle alone to stop the destruction.

At this point in the book you may not notice but there's some lessons in philosophy, physic and humanity that may make you stop to ponder the meaning of life. This also what makes Kyle Rayner realize that, while he may not have asked for the power, he was born to wield it.

So sit back and enjoy a fun comic audio book with "Green Lantern; Hero's Quest" produced by GraphicAudio.