Heroes in Crisis #9 Review

Writer: Tom King / Artist: Clay Mann / DC Comics I think I liked Heroes in Crisis more than I didn’t, but that admission also comes with a series of acknowledgements. First and foremost, the nine-issue series concludes with a less than satisfactory ending given all of the events of that preceded it. The murder mystery at the center of Heroes in Crisis is by far the weakest part of the series, and between the prolonged whodunit and eventual “shocking” twist that has played out over the last act, the core narrative has been dragged out to a point of exhaustion and apathy. King has been employing two very distinct writing modes throughout the series. The vastly more interesting, more intriguing one is what he describes in a snapshot. All of the interviews within Sanctuary, whether the character takes up one panel, three panels, or nine panels distill them to poignant, elegant point, a simple thesis that frames the character in their great story. These interstitial interviews (for the most part) and a handful of other moments (Booster and Blue Beatle’s reunion and Superman’s speech), are the parts that resonate with me as a reader. It’s what King excels in, this minimalist meditation. But the central problem is that King also likes philosophizing and ruminating, and whatever point he was trying to make got muddled with uneven pacing and a murder mystery that almost certainly didn’t need to be there.

The ending is fine, but it does not feel earned, and the payment for the last li…