Writers: Paul Dini, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Grey, Sean McKeever, Adam Beechen, and Tony Bedard.
Artists: Manuel Garcia, David Lopez, Carlos Mango, Dennis Calero, Keith Giffen, Terry and Rachel Dodson.
Publisher: DC Comics
Weeks 43-40
July brings the heat in the pages of Countdown. It also brings the smell of burning flesh as in this month’s instalment of the weekly comic that will make you not love DC comics anymore, more questions are asked. A lot of characters mope like James Callus’ portrayal of Baltar from Battlestar Galactica and more disgusting things occur than usual. DC Comics also insults the readership in new and amazing ways on the level of how many comics a reader has to get in order to appreciate the full mediocrity of Countdown.
Before the actual books are commented upon, a couple of things of note. The good news is that DC this month has announced what Countdown actually counts down to. It leads into Final Crisis. So I take it Infinite Crisis was just that infinite for DC editorial? The picture by JG Jones is a stock looking picture with the big name characters in front of some blue energy. I am not excited.
In relation to the Final Crisis revelation, Ethan Van Sciver drew a second countdown spread where clues are to be found. We have Granny Goodness looking very happy, a statue of Darkseid destroyed on the ground. The Kingdome Come Superman having an Atomic fist. Hank Henshaw is conspiring with a Mullet Superman. Catwoman is listening to the joker ask her out on a date while The Martian Manhunter has a knife in his hands looking on the Gotham duo. The Trickster is begging for some forgiveness from Desaad and the Penguin and Lex Luthor are crying. On a social note, Eclipso and Mary Marvel look like they might be dating in the future. Also a Legion Ring is on the ground with a broken Green Arrow. Someone will be hurt by the end of this, as it looks like the Black Racer is a goner and either the Crime Bible or the Book of Destiny may be involved in the destruction in the picture. The weeping looks like something that both the DC fan base and the characters will share for months to come.
With Countdown in action for the third month, it has to be said that Terry and Rachel Dodson created some powerful covers for July. The Flash funeral where Robin sobs, the Challengers of the Beyond looking almost organized, the falling out of a plane Trickster and Piper are all striking pieces. The Mary Marvel and Riddler covered in chocolate goo…Oh that is supposed to be mud. Seriously, that cover was pretty in its scatology. Never has Mary Marvel been so dirty. Ew!
As for the book themselves… Well this month if you want to know the dour state of DC, Countdown delivers the badness. Issue 43 by Palmiotti, Gray, Lopez and Garcia is the strongest of the bunch and it is also the one issue where most of the cast is involved in one manner or another. The issue is all about the death of the Bart Allen Flash. He died a hero’s death and he receives a hero’s funeral. Attending is our cast, Jimmy Olsen observes about the nature of heroism.
Good guy Monitor is anxious and wants to find Ray Palmer by bothering Donna Troy and Jason Todd as they hang out at another Titan funeral. The Trickster and Piper are weeping because they do not want murder or jail just because their yuppie hazing stunt went bad. They leave the funeral to get jumped by Multiplex and Deadshot.
The funeral of Bart Allan stands as the best part of Countdown because the cast goes and runs an audio tape of Bart as Kid Flash discussing mortality and his fear of death after the death of Donna Troy some years back. It gives a deeper context of how the Titans work as a team and as family.
As for Forerunner, We play catch up and see her and Monarch hanging in the Bleed. Needless to say Monarch has been busy building an army to take on the Monitors. Oh, looks like his time fighting the Authority paid off for the former Captain Atom. Forerunner is made very happy. Holly Robinson is chilling out in a bathtub at the Amazon shelter in Metropolis and meets an old acquaintance of her best friend. Yes that is Harley Quinn being sane and wearing a toga. At least this makes sense as Quinn is no longer crazy. Overall week 43 was not a bad issue, but there needs to be better coming up. Detective Comics #831, Ion #10, Captain Atom: Armageddon and Flash: TFMA #13 are requisite reading.
The back-up stories of this months Countdown happens to still be the Monitors version of how the DC multiverse was formed. These back ups are not Dan Jurgens best work because for three dollars and 6 pages, a DC reader knows all they needed to know about every big event DC has done since 2004. I am considering a demand for refund money for books purchased and mental anguish for sitting in onsome bad DC events. Gah!
Back from the rant, comments about Countdown #42: Wow. This issue set a new level of rotten. The characterization of Mary Marvel is such that if DC swapped Marvel and Wonder Girl the reader cannot tell the difference. Sure she is influenced by the power of Black Adam’s gods, but Teth Adam was never so cranky. She tries to beat up the Riddler (Who has reformed.) only to team-up and stop Clayface from committing crime. The lack of Mud by Clayface on Marvel and Riddler make the cover highly misleading. The Trickster and Piper get handcuffed together and are riding the Suicide Squad express to jail. But not for long as our duo escape…in mid-air. The Challengers from Beyond meet up with Ryan Choi, the All New Atom as the foursome go and try to find Ray Palmer. Karate Kid and Batman have a not so tender moment. Finally to wrap the issue up, Harley and Holly go to the weight room. What makes this issue of Countdown atrocious is that the art by Carlos Mango looks rushed, confused and just plain ugly. The art is not eccentric, or experimental or even daring it just looks bad. Requisite reading: All New Atom #13
Countdown #41 by Adam Beechen and Dennis Calero is better than the last instalment only by the virtue that any comic that opens with people falling out of the sky amuses this reviewer greatly. The issue has the naming of the Good Monitor. He is known as Bob now. Thanks Jason Todd. With this Bob and The Challengers go to the Palmerverse to find Ray Palmer and find some creatures riding on frogs. Very nice. Also Dennis Calero’s art is a saving grace here. Yay! Back to the narrative, Protestors surround the Amazon sanctuary in Metropolis after Air Force One was brought down by Wonder Girl and Supergirl doing their best Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie impersonation. If these are the children to lead the future, it looks like Ted Kord and Vic Sage got out of life when they could with the most dignity. The protestors get on Harley Quinn’s bad side and she wants to fight. Fortunately, Holly stops the madness before it gets sad. Mary Marvel sits on a building while a voyeur looks at her through a purple lens. Finally, we find out who is hanging with Karate Kid at the end of Justice League America #10, and it is one part of Triplicate Girl. Requisite reading: Amazons Attack # 4, Justice League #10. Al lot happens and it is pedestrian, but at least it looked like something happened here.
Week 40 brings Keith Giffen to the layouts and it helps the story make sense. That is a good thing since it helps Manuel Garcia deliver a decent art job in spite of a last panel that drives me personally nuts, but I’ll forgive that one.
The story actually paces well this week and brings the occasional amount of amusement. The Challengers go into the Palmerverse to find Ray Palmer and they encounter a place where Palmer is the devil and Ryan Choi does not help the case by wearing the Atom Colors. This leads to a brawl. The action stops when Jason Todd pulls out a knife and re-enacts scenes from Glen Gary Glen Ross as he pulls out his knife on the leader of the attacking microscopic army. The leader says that Palmer is not here. Whoops.
The Fourth World related front had a mysterious hero saving people in Metropolis. Lois Lane wants to know who. As Lane asks a newspaper vendor about this guy Jimmy Olsen pops up. Special note for Olsen, when people are discussing things you do in secret, DO NOT POP UP! It gives you away. Darkseid appears and as he comments on his slacker sons, a concubine thinks that Darkseid is being Sweet. This misinterpretation of feeling leaves said concubine turned into ash. Also, The mystery of the New Forager’s quest to find Lightray’s murderer!
The Mary Marvel story takes a break as Mary enjoys a cruise magic show performed by Zatanna. Foreshadowing of bad events occurs when Zatanna notices Marvel in the audience by her bad magic funk. Holly finds out that the Amazons have standards for people seeking sanctuary when a mother and child are tossed out of the help center by Harley Quinn. The Trickster and Piper meet up with Penguin and ask for sanctuary. They get it in the freezer of the iceburg lounge. It turns out the Iceburg lounge is wired with Oracle candid camera and she sends someone in to get out yuppie criminals…the Question! This was a good up tick to the series except that Garcia drew Montoya question as bald except for a long stream of hair in ponytail. Montoya is not Judomaster, so she should not look like it.
Countdown month three is still far from being good, but it is starting to have potential to get to the level of pedestrian. The rumor running about is that improvements might be made soon. Let us hope for DC’s dignity it happens quickly.
- Francis Davis a career drunk with a love of comics and movies, lives in and works for the City of Chicago. Confidentiality agreements prevent him from saying exactly what he does, but it is important.