This was a really great read. Meltzer took all of the things that you expect from a "last moment" story and twisted it so it felt both real and surprising all at the same time.
it helps to have read the judus contract before having read this, a story which happened nearing 30 years ago, but this story is the effect of the other.
Geo force wants to kill Slade. he thinks anyway. yeah he does. or not. it's wrong after all.... but slade is such an ASS! hmmm....
the fight between the two is just as you would expect and at the same time takes turns you wouldn't expect. yeah Slade is going to beat Geo, it's what he does. there is a law in the DCU that states that Slade can beat anyone, except maybe superman who i am sure he would at least greatly annoy. (maybe he couldn't beat batman, because the other law in the DCU is that NOBODY beats batman, for long anyway) but then the actions of Geo are what really strike you as shocking.
then he sort of cops out a bit at the end, by having everyone live. this issue would have worked better had it not been that way and i want to just have the issue end two pages before it actually does, when things suck, because that is what Final Crisis is about, things really getting bad, no ray of hope, REALLY no ray of hope, and to have them live at the end really gives you that little ray, but i don't want it here, because it doesn't seem to fit.
Also there are a bunch of other parts which intercut that main story, which i thought really claimed alot of what it means to relize your own mortailty.
This issue could have played at any time in the DCU continuity. it's not Final Crisis speific but the fact that it did come out during FC really makes it speak all the louder.
I liked it.
Story: 5 - Excellent
Art: 5 - Excellent
