or, OH thank HEAVENS it is finally over!

With a sigh of relief I opened the pages of the last issue of Countdown, and with a similar sigh I closed them a few minutes later. They had not finished badly, as previous issues had suggested they might. Though they finished leaving me baffled, it was not “bad.”

Countdown, issue number 1 (or 52, whatever), both finished off the Countdown saga, and paved a few stepping stones for Final Crisis.

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Though this is a week late, and the review for the next episode will soon be following, I decided that I would uphold my end of the bargain and review Countdown to Final Crisis #3. Mainly, because I want to provide ~wyntermute~ with another review that isn’t 5/5, but also because I said I would review the last 5 issues (assuming that there is a 0 issue).

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If you are still looking for a reason to buy Countdown, look no further than these pages from Freddie Williams II.

Wowza!

Take the jump for the line art (on sale at his site by the way).

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What was supposed to be the backbone of the DC Universe has failed miserably. But nevertheless we are only a few issues away from DC’s Final Crisis. What will we see? Will Batman die? Will we be left with multiple dimensions, or just one? Will Mary Marvel finally grow up?

These are questions that we’ll soon see answered. But has it all come too late for Countdown to be counted as any sort of a success?

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All roads lead to Apokolips

Once again we are faced with a new installment of Countdown. But unlike last week’s issue that was full of half-steps and little progression, this week actually has some interesting progressions that move the story forward. It’s just too bad the issue slips back into its old habit of revealing the ending right on the cover.

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This is the end… the end, my friend, the end…

Forget those Search for Ray Palmer one-shots, Death of the New Gods is the first major crossover/tie-in title with Countdown, and one would think it would be a major issue kicking off the conclusion to a series started 30 years ago. I mean, we’re talking the Death of the New Gods. They’re gods, how can they die? It must be something pretty damn ominous to kill off gods. Why then am I so disappointed?

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Quick, stall while we try and get to the final 10 issues

There are a couple of good things and a couple of bad things about the site going down over the weekend. The bad is of course the loss of readership, which equates to a loss of potential income. One of the good things is I did have plenty of time to get through the whole back catalog of issue just waiting to be read. The bad thing about reading through my stack of comics was the dread I experienced when picking up issue #28 out Countdown.

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Jokester we hardly knew ye

Bounding from universe to universe is bound to wear you out and make you vulnerable to attack. So might swimming in waters infested by mythical beasts, being on the run, and going crazy with power. One might also say reading Countdown week in and week out, complete with jumbled tie-in attempts, is enough to weaken your defenses and make you vulnerable to being brainwashed to believe everything is okay.

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A Countdown tie-in? Really?

Paul Dini is an incredibly busy guy. He’s got his Madame Mirage stuff over at Top Cow, Detective Comics, and that Countdown thing you might have heard about. Countdown seems to a preoccupation with Mr. Dini; he’s even gone so far as cram as many Bat-characters into the title as he can. So why not take an entire issue of Detective Comics and make it a tie-in issue? Sounds like a great idea, but is it? Is it really?

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A Countdown tie-in issue that is actually worth it

If you’ve read my other reviews of Countdown, you know my general complaint with the myriad of tie-in issues is the release schedule is so screwed up some issues arrive before the events in Countdown happen, or they are so delayed that it isn’t even worth picking up to see what happens. Fortunately, this isn’t the case with The Search for Ray Palmer: Crime Society. The issue came out a week after the introduction of Earth-3’s evil version of the JSA, and the Jokester, a perfect follow up to the answer the question, “Just who is this Jokester fellow, and why is he suddenly joining up with the Challengers from Beyond?”

Well dear reader, your questions are about to be answered.

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and guest starring General Zod as Superman

Another week and another trip down the rabbit hole that is the DCU Multiverse. Last week it was all about meeting the Crime Society and the Jokester, this week it’s all about the What Ifs? and mighthavebeens. What do I mean? Take the jump for this week’s review.

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or “We named you Junior. We named the fish Superman”

I have a feeling issue #26 is where we are really going to see Countdown heat up. For the last couple of issues, Countdown seemed to be stuck, barely moving the story - that is until issue #31 arrived. What’s so special about this issue? Oh where to begin?

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�only without girls flashing the camera or girl on girl snogging

Finally we’re back on schedule with our trip down the backside backbone of the DCU. I’ve finally come to grips with what Countdown is all about. All of the rest of titles in mainstream DC are like the feature presentation on an overpriced DVD you recently went out to purchase. Countdown then represents the behind the scenes and the extras features. Sure those extras are fun to check out, and in some case they are just as well produced as the main feature. This week’s issue is certainly a lot of fun, and taken in the context of getting a glimpse at those deleted scenes we don’t get to seen in the mainstream titles, fills out those stories even more.

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Spoiler alert for those reading Sinestro Corps War

Another day, another catch-up review of Countdown - at this rate I’ll be caught back up by week’s end. This issue is a bit of a problem, not because of the story, but because of the potential spoiler for those following the tale of Kyle Rayner. I can’t spoil it all in the first paragraph! For that answer, you’ll have to take the jump.

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It’s about %$*&#@ time!

Yes, I know. If I could go back in time knowing everything that I know now, the first thing I would do is make sure my full dance card had a spot open for Countdown reviews. The second would be “accidentally” meeting Charisma Carpenter and having her fall madly in love with yours truly. But that’s a fantasy fulfillment story for another blog�

I figure if DC can muck around with release schedules, why should a “slight” delay in Countdown reviews be any different?

Anyhoo, let’s check in on the heroes and anti-heroes, the wicked and vile, and happy go lucky.

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