"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.

The Flash: Stop Motion (Justice League of America) by Mark Schultz

The Flash: Stop Motion (Justice League of America)
by Mark Schultz
Multicast performance
Produced by Graphic Audio
Approx 6 hours.


I have become hooked, if not addicted, to the audio books by Graphic Audio. Their production is full of mind-ripping sound effects, mood driving background music and a cast that captures the voices of the super heroes perfectly.

In this edition DC comics hero The Flash (the Wally West version) gets his solo appearance. While this is a Justice League of America comic, and appearances are made from Batman, Plasticman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern, this story revolves around The Flash and his home turf of Keystone City. In fact in the final outcome it is only The Flash that can bag the bad guy.

Strange anomolies appear in different locations on Earth and within the Solar System that occur at the same times that some mysterious murders are occurring in Keystone City. These murders all occur at the exact same times as each other and the victims end up with a hollowed out skull and a brain that seems to have been burned out from the inside. With the time factor it seems that only a speedster type meta-human is capable of such horror. While The Flash is not really a suspect he is looked at as to having a connection somehow.

Investigation shows that a doctor has created a being from a speedster type meta-human gene and has unleashed something that will destroy the Earth and possibly the universe, as well as all quantum versions of Earth and the Universe in the space time continuum. Wally West, a.k.a. the Flash uses every sort of trick his accelerated state of being can come up with but not until he meets with a quantum being does he learn he is more than just fast.

For those Flash comic fans out there Wally is the nephew of Barry Allen the previous incarnation of the Flash and that family tie creates more than just an inherited speed skill.

With some great writing teamed up with great production this is one audio book that will keep you on the edge of your seat while listening. Like the old monster trucks commercials say, "We'll sell you the whole seat but you'll only need the edge."

One thing that stands out in this production is the sound affects used when The Flash enters his high speed state. You will just have to listen to get the full gist of the sound but it's as though all sounds are frozen but still happening. Great touch to the production.