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Countdown to Final Crisis
Countdown to Final Crisis, Vol. 1
The first of four volumes, COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS VOL. ONE collects the incredible tale starring Jimmy Olsen, Mary Marvel, Donna Troy and all the major characters of the DC Universe.
COUNTDOWN follows up the events of bestsellers INFINITE CRISIS and 52 and leads into DC's next major event, FINAL CRISIS. When a surprising character dies in chapter one, it sets off an unexpected ripple that will touch virtually every character in the DC Universe and change the status quo forever.
This volume collects COUNTDOWN #51-39.
296 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2008
10 people are currently reading
541 people want to read
About the author
Paul Dini
725 books713 followersPaul Dini is an American television producer of animated cartoons. He is best known as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros./DC Comics series, including Star Wars: Ewoks, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman/Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond and Duck Dodgers. He also developed and scripted Krypto the Superdog and contributed scripts to Animaniacs (he created Minerva Mink), Freakazoid, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. After leaving Warner Bros. In early 2004, Dini went on to write and story edit the popular ABC adventure series Lost.
Paul Dini was born in New York City. He attended the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California on an art scholarship. He attended Emerson College in Boston, where he earned a BFA degree in creative writing. (He also took zoology classes at Harvard University.)
During college, he began doing freelance animation scripts for Filmation, and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work for George Lucas on several of his animation projects.
The episodes of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon that were written by Dini have become favorites amongst the show's fans over the internet, although despite this as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series, Dini has made no secret of his distaste for Filmation and the He-Man concept. He also wrote an episode of the Generation One Transformers cartoon series and contributed to various episodes of the Ewoks animated series, several of which included rare appearances from the Empire.
In 1989, he was hired at Warner Bros. Animation to work on Tiny Toon Adventures. Later, he moved onto Batman: The Animated Series, where he worked as a writer, producer and editor, later working on Batman Beyond. He continued working with WB animation, working on a number of internal projects, including Krypto the Superdog and Duck Dodgers, until 2004.
He has earned five Emmy awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was also the co-author (with Chip Kidd) of Batman Animated, a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise.
Dini has also written several comics stories for DC Comics, including an acclaimed oversized graphic novel series illustrated by painter Alex Ross. (A hardcover collection of the Dini and Ross stories was published in late summer 2005 under the title The World's Greatest Superheroes.) Other books written by Dini for DC have featured his Batman Animated creation Harley Quinn as well as classic characters Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel and Zatanna.
Best known among Dini's original creations is Jingle Belle, the rebellious teen-age daughter of Santa Claus. Dini also created Sheriff Ida Red, the super-powered cowgirl star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town of Mutant, Texas. Perhaps his greatest character contribution is the introduction of Harley Quinn (along with designs by Bruce Timm) on Batman: The Animated Series.
In 2001 Dini made a cameo appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back during the scene in which Jay and Silent Bob wear ridiculous looking costumes for a film being directed by Chris Rock, in which Dini says to them "you guys look pretty bad ass".
In 2006, Dini became the writer for DC Comics' Detective Comics. That same year, he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starring Zatanna and Black Canary. In 2007, he was announced as the head writer of that company's weekly series, Countdown. Paul Dini is currently co-writing the script for the upcoming Gatchaman movie. Dini is also currently writing a series for Top Cow Productions, based in a character he created, Madame Mirage.
Paul Dini is an active cryptozoologist, hunter and wildlife photographer. On a 1985 trip to Tasmania, he had a possible sighting of a Thylacine. He has also encountered a number of venomous snakes, a Komodo Dragon and a charging Sumatran Rhi
Paul Dini was born in New York City. He attended the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California on an art scholarship. He attended Emerson College in Boston, where he earned a BFA degree in creative writing. (He also took zoology classes at Harvard University.)
During college, he began doing freelance animation scripts for Filmation, and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work for George Lucas on several of his animation projects.
The episodes of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon that were written by Dini have become favorites amongst the show's fans over the internet, although despite this as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series, Dini has made no secret of his distaste for Filmation and the He-Man concept. He also wrote an episode of the Generation One Transformers cartoon series and contributed to various episodes of the Ewoks animated series, several of which included rare appearances from the Empire.
In 1989, he was hired at Warner Bros. Animation to work on Tiny Toon Adventures. Later, he moved onto Batman: The Animated Series, where he worked as a writer, producer and editor, later working on Batman Beyond. He continued working with WB animation, working on a number of internal projects, including Krypto the Superdog and Duck Dodgers, until 2004.
He has earned five Emmy awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was also the co-author (with Chip Kidd) of Batman Animated, a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise.
Dini has also written several comics stories for DC Comics, including an acclaimed oversized graphic novel series illustrated by painter Alex Ross. (A hardcover collection of the Dini and Ross stories was published in late summer 2005 under the title The World's Greatest Superheroes.) Other books written by Dini for DC have featured his Batman Animated creation Harley Quinn as well as classic characters Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel and Zatanna.
Best known among Dini's original creations is Jingle Belle, the rebellious teen-age daughter of Santa Claus. Dini also created Sheriff Ida Red, the super-powered cowgirl star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town of Mutant, Texas. Perhaps his greatest character contribution is the introduction of Harley Quinn (along with designs by Bruce Timm) on Batman: The Animated Series.
In 2001 Dini made a cameo appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back during the scene in which Jay and Silent Bob wear ridiculous looking costumes for a film being directed by Chris Rock, in which Dini says to them "you guys look pretty bad ass".
In 2006, Dini became the writer for DC Comics' Detective Comics. That same year, he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starring Zatanna and Black Canary. In 2007, he was announced as the head writer of that company's weekly series, Countdown. Paul Dini is currently co-writing the script for the upcoming Gatchaman movie. Dini is also currently writing a series for Top Cow Productions, based in a character he created, Madame Mirage.
Paul Dini is an active cryptozoologist, hunter and wildlife photographer. On a 1985 trip to Tasmania, he had a possible sighting of a Thylacine. He has also encountered a number of venomous snakes, a Komodo Dragon and a charging Sumatran Rhi
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
October 7, 2024
Countdown to Final Crisis #51-1. A post '52' quasi mystery / cosmic story with the fall of the New Gods and search for Ray Palmer, the Atom. The main cast includes Jimmy Olsen, Holly Robinson, Harley Quinn, Donna Troy, Kyle Rayner, Jason Todd and Mary Marvel. Some cool concepts and ideas, but sort of lost its way. 6 out of 12, Three Star read.
2012 read
2012 read
October 24, 2014
This series followed the popular “52” and was a prologue of sorts to the best selling “Final Crisis”. It takes place in four collected volumes and covers the DC “Multiverse” (basically parallel universes and alternate realities). This lets all types of old and new characters to show up for the series.
Some hardcore fans didn't like this one but I did. That said I am probably am at an intermediate level for JLA and other main superhero DC heroes so maybe this Multiverse thing is old news to them.
See Jimmy Olsen gain multiple superpowers. Trickster and Piper of the Rogues supervillain gang were amusing. They definitely brought some nice humor to volume one.
Appearances by an epic cast. Some of my favorites were: Mary Marvel, Jason Todd a la Red Hood, a reformed Harley Quinn, Black Adam, Darkseid and, of course, the Monitors in all their many personalities.
Unless you follow the DC Comics closely there will be some things that don't make sense. Don't worry. You have the internet.
STORY/PLOTTING: B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; ARTWORK: B to B plus; SUPERHERO UNIVERSES FOCUSES: B plus to A minus; ACTION SCENES: B; WHEN READ: early September 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
Some hardcore fans didn't like this one but I did. That said I am probably am at an intermediate level for JLA and other main superhero DC heroes so maybe this Multiverse thing is old news to them.
See Jimmy Olsen gain multiple superpowers. Trickster and Piper of the Rogues supervillain gang were amusing. They definitely brought some nice humor to volume one.
Appearances by an epic cast. Some of my favorites were: Mary Marvel, Jason Todd a la Red Hood, a reformed Harley Quinn, Black Adam, Darkseid and, of course, the Monitors in all their many personalities.
Unless you follow the DC Comics closely there will be some things that don't make sense. Don't worry. You have the internet.
STORY/PLOTTING: B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; ARTWORK: B to B plus; SUPERHERO UNIVERSES FOCUSES: B plus to A minus; ACTION SCENES: B; WHEN READ: early September 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
January 26, 2012
After reading 52, Countdown to Final Crisis is sadly disappointing. Luckily I knew that going in, so I was able to adjust my expectations enough to at least partly enjoy some of it.
Countdown tries to do some of the things that 52 was very successful at. It was published weekly, using a stable of writers and artists presumably working under the same plan to tell multiple storylines with mostly minor and semi-forgotten DC characters. But 52 was much more successful, sometimes wildly so. Partly because of the storylines themselves. I honestly cringe every time I turn a page and see Jimmy Olsen staring back at me. Please, no. Most of the other storylines are lackluster at best. The only one that I feel any real attachment to at this point is the Piper and Trickster storyline, because I think I kind of love those idiots. Then there's the less-than-inspiring art, where the style and even the quality varies far too much. It's serviceable, but that's about it.
Countdown isn't bad. At least not yet. It just isn't terribly good.
Countdown tries to do some of the things that 52 was very successful at. It was published weekly, using a stable of writers and artists presumably working under the same plan to tell multiple storylines with mostly minor and semi-forgotten DC characters. But 52 was much more successful, sometimes wildly so. Partly because of the storylines themselves. I honestly cringe every time I turn a page and see Jimmy Olsen staring back at me. Please, no. Most of the other storylines are lackluster at best. The only one that I feel any real attachment to at this point is the Piper and Trickster storyline, because I think I kind of love those idiots. Then there's the less-than-inspiring art, where the style and even the quality varies far too much. It's serviceable, but that's about it.
Countdown isn't bad. At least not yet. It just isn't terribly good.
April 15, 2017
52 was awesome. This one starts as an incomprehensable mess that picks up somewhere in the middle (where events of the messy start are left unanswered to pad the series to 52 issues)
February 2, 2012
Despite the promise that this would be as good as "52", it's not.
May 16, 2020
Rereading Countdown is going to be interesting.
Countdown was DC’s second year-long weekly series. The first was 52, which was always going to be a tough act to follow. Countdown follows the same basic storytelling pattern as 52, but with the writing caliber turned down a notch but the expectations, if anything, turned up.
I’m not talking fan expectations, but editorial. Where 52 ended up with the luxury of following its own plot points, Countdown was required to shape itself around the events of DC’s regular publishing schedule. The two biggest things that occurred during this first volume were the Amazons Attack mini-series, which is only tangentially reflected, and the assassination of the Flash (Bart Allen) by the Rogues, two of which are regular members of the Countdown cast, Piper & Trickster, whose arc is the Countdown equivalent of Renee Montoya & Question in 52.
A few members of the 52 cast make cameos in this volume. Black Adam, whose arc there famously touched off WWIII, bequeathes his powers to Mary Marvel, the most consequential appearance in this or any volume. It’s an acknowledgement that Countdown is acutely aware that it has big shoes to fill, but that it also has its own story to tell.
Jimmy Olsen’s here, playing out a version of his classic Silver Age hijinks, which won’t happen again until his current maxi-series. Where 52 was focused on building something extravagant and unexpected, Countdown reveals itself as a celebration, or memorial, for DC’s elaborate history.
While DC figured out where things were headed as it barreled, unknowingly, toward a full-fledged reboot four years later, there were characters floating around looking for purpose. Jason Todd was finally brought back from the dead, but no one really knew what to do with him. It wasn’t until the New 52 that there was an answer. His role in Countdown is a representation of this uncertainty. Harley Quinn is here, too, before DC realized what a goldmine she really was, playing second-fiddle to Holly Robinson...!
The results are not looking to knock it out of the park. I think any reader who expected that, who expected another 52, was always going to be disappointed. They’re just trying to be interesting, to prove that a weekly series doesn’t have to be grandiose. This volume is really just setup. It only gets more interesting from here...
Countdown was DC’s second year-long weekly series. The first was 52, which was always going to be a tough act to follow. Countdown follows the same basic storytelling pattern as 52, but with the writing caliber turned down a notch but the expectations, if anything, turned up.
I’m not talking fan expectations, but editorial. Where 52 ended up with the luxury of following its own plot points, Countdown was required to shape itself around the events of DC’s regular publishing schedule. The two biggest things that occurred during this first volume were the Amazons Attack mini-series, which is only tangentially reflected, and the assassination of the Flash (Bart Allen) by the Rogues, two of which are regular members of the Countdown cast, Piper & Trickster, whose arc is the Countdown equivalent of Renee Montoya & Question in 52.
A few members of the 52 cast make cameos in this volume. Black Adam, whose arc there famously touched off WWIII, bequeathes his powers to Mary Marvel, the most consequential appearance in this or any volume. It’s an acknowledgement that Countdown is acutely aware that it has big shoes to fill, but that it also has its own story to tell.
Jimmy Olsen’s here, playing out a version of his classic Silver Age hijinks, which won’t happen again until his current maxi-series. Where 52 was focused on building something extravagant and unexpected, Countdown reveals itself as a celebration, or memorial, for DC’s elaborate history.
While DC figured out where things were headed as it barreled, unknowingly, toward a full-fledged reboot four years later, there were characters floating around looking for purpose. Jason Todd was finally brought back from the dead, but no one really knew what to do with him. It wasn’t until the New 52 that there was an answer. His role in Countdown is a representation of this uncertainty. Harley Quinn is here, too, before DC realized what a goldmine she really was, playing second-fiddle to Holly Robinson...!
The results are not looking to knock it out of the park. I think any reader who expected that, who expected another 52, was always going to be disappointed. They’re just trying to be interesting, to prove that a weekly series doesn’t have to be grandiose. This volume is really just setup. It only gets more interesting from here...
July 24, 2009
Far too disjointed, even compared to 52. All the dialogue works all right, but the mixing of all the various storylines, with some key scenes happening off-screen (in crossover books) doesn't hold up well in book-form, years later.
January 20, 2021
This review covers the entire 52+ issues of the countdown run (including the DC Universe #0 issue) from my archives as it was easier than clocking each trade separately. So consider this a ‘body of work’ review.
If 52 was an over-indulgent example of the massive buy-in required to read an event, then Countdown to Final Crisis is the consolidation of the approach. It debuted on May 2007, directly following the conclusion of the last issue of 52 - and events just got bigger from there.
I could spend some time complaining about how bloated comics were, or that the barrier of entry was almost impossible for any casual fan, but I had a bit of a ball here. Donna Troy, Jason Todd, Kyle Rayner and a monitor named Bob banging about the Multiverse (later expanded in Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer and to be read in tandem) is the only comic we ever need. Mary Marvel breaking bad in while wearing increasingly smaller outfits (depending on the artist). Holly Robinson and Harley Quinn joining a gang of splinter gang of Amazon-wannabes. The bromance that is Trickster and Piper.
The Jimmy Olsen as ‘Everyman’ elements don’t work quite as well, calling back to the Weisinger era Superman as they do. Yet his denouement kind of ties many of the threads together, so all is forgiven. Superboy Prime doesn’t gel as much in this context, although he’s essential for later stories.
You also have to remember that there was a whole lot of other things happening that pieces this all together. The Amazons invaded Washington, D.C., The Flash was killed and so were a number of the New Gods. There was a plot to sabotage Green Arrow/Black Canary’s wedding, which itself was a big deal. That’s a lot of noggin’ space spent tying threads together. (Only now, almost 14 years after this event, have I got my head around most of it - and I was reading half the DCU at the time!)
For casual fans, the backup stories are arguably of most value. The first dozen or so issues have a history of the Multiverse as a secondary story, which is actually a pretty neat history of 70 years worth of comics, while the later issues have ‘secret origins’ mini comics. The best of these are arguably the Scott Beatty/Tom Mandrake one for Solomon Grundy, and the one for the ubiquitous Harley Quinn - complete with Bruce Timm art!
DC has since retconned this and Final Crisis out of existence, but there’s a lot of fun to be had. What I appreciate about reading these weekly stories in a complete run is just how complicated a story was able to be told across so many competing deadlines. It’s a double-edged sword, of course, but as this is the 24th title in my Crisis reading, I am the target audience.
Alright, there’s no more procrastinating: Final Crisis, here we come…
NB: Read as part of my DC Crisis and Beyond Journey: #24
If 52 was an over-indulgent example of the massive buy-in required to read an event, then Countdown to Final Crisis is the consolidation of the approach. It debuted on May 2007, directly following the conclusion of the last issue of 52 - and events just got bigger from there.
I could spend some time complaining about how bloated comics were, or that the barrier of entry was almost impossible for any casual fan, but I had a bit of a ball here. Donna Troy, Jason Todd, Kyle Rayner and a monitor named Bob banging about the Multiverse (later expanded in Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer and to be read in tandem) is the only comic we ever need. Mary Marvel breaking bad in while wearing increasingly smaller outfits (depending on the artist). Holly Robinson and Harley Quinn joining a gang of splinter gang of Amazon-wannabes. The bromance that is Trickster and Piper.
The Jimmy Olsen as ‘Everyman’ elements don’t work quite as well, calling back to the Weisinger era Superman as they do. Yet his denouement kind of ties many of the threads together, so all is forgiven. Superboy Prime doesn’t gel as much in this context, although he’s essential for later stories.
You also have to remember that there was a whole lot of other things happening that pieces this all together. The Amazons invaded Washington, D.C., The Flash was killed and so were a number of the New Gods. There was a plot to sabotage Green Arrow/Black Canary’s wedding, which itself was a big deal. That’s a lot of noggin’ space spent tying threads together. (Only now, almost 14 years after this event, have I got my head around most of it - and I was reading half the DCU at the time!)
For casual fans, the backup stories are arguably of most value. The first dozen or so issues have a history of the Multiverse as a secondary story, which is actually a pretty neat history of 70 years worth of comics, while the later issues have ‘secret origins’ mini comics. The best of these are arguably the Scott Beatty/Tom Mandrake one for Solomon Grundy, and the one for the ubiquitous Harley Quinn - complete with Bruce Timm art!
DC has since retconned this and Final Crisis out of existence, but there’s a lot of fun to be had. What I appreciate about reading these weekly stories in a complete run is just how complicated a story was able to be told across so many competing deadlines. It’s a double-edged sword, of course, but as this is the 24th title in my Crisis reading, I am the target audience.
Alright, there’s no more procrastinating: Final Crisis, here we come…
NB: Read as part of my DC Crisis and Beyond Journey: #24
August 25, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed rereading the 52 series of graphic novels again so thought I would go back and reread this set as well.
Not such a good idea, the first volume really did nothing for me at all. There is not one of the stories running through it that has grabbed me and it even gets close to seeming a might confusing taken out of context with the time it was published, something that 52 didn't suffer from. The fact that their is even another crossover event going on, or so it seems, at the same time just muddies things up even more (Amazons Attack for those interested). I will read the rest of the collected versions and then almost certainly try and sell on as I am not going to ever want to read this again!
Not such a good idea, the first volume really did nothing for me at all. There is not one of the stories running through it that has grabbed me and it even gets close to seeming a might confusing taken out of context with the time it was published, something that 52 didn't suffer from. The fact that their is even another crossover event going on, or so it seems, at the same time just muddies things up even more (Amazons Attack for those interested). I will read the rest of the collected versions and then almost certainly try and sell on as I am not going to ever want to read this again!
April 19, 2023
Multiverse roadtrip with yout ex who's flexing, the angsty version of your friend's brother who'd rather be punching heads and no time for nonsense and a very missing scientist. What could possibly go wrong?
There's about 80000 things happening here and i was enjoying mostly the three Multiverse Bad Kids. The Pied Piper arc was so homophobic it almost went into bad yaoi territory, the whole Harley in faux Amazon was whuh?
Olsen's whole shenanigery was a close second favorite.
Is it well written? No. Is it so bonkers you're just going along for the bouts of sadness and character progression and future essays you're reading on Tumblr about how Mary Marvel and Jason Todd ended where they left off to repeat the cycle of the same nonsense? Absolutely.
There's about 80000 things happening here and i was enjoying mostly the three Multiverse Bad Kids. The Pied Piper arc was so homophobic it almost went into bad yaoi territory, the whole Harley in faux Amazon was whuh?
Olsen's whole shenanigery was a close second favorite.
Is it well written? No. Is it so bonkers you're just going along for the bouts of sadness and character progression and future essays you're reading on Tumblr about how Mary Marvel and Jason Todd ended where they left off to repeat the cycle of the same nonsense? Absolutely.
July 5, 2019
What happened here?!?
Paul Dini is an *excellent* writer and showrunner. Keith Giffen is a *legend* whose layout work kept 52 feeling consistent even as different artists filled in from week to week. Some of my favorite characters: Kyle Raynor, Jimmy Olsen, Karate Kid--are spotlighted here.
So what happened?!?
Well, to start, the gay panic jokes are painful and obvious. The meta jokes about Jimmy's attempts at superheroing were old when the original Crisis saw print. The plot is both boring *and* convoluted, and (bringing in outside and future knowledge of this, but still) ultimately pointless. It's a godforsaken mess on every level.
And yet I keep reading it?
Paul Dini is an *excellent* writer and showrunner. Keith Giffen is a *legend* whose layout work kept 52 feeling consistent even as different artists filled in from week to week. Some of my favorite characters: Kyle Raynor, Jimmy Olsen, Karate Kid--are spotlighted here.
So what happened?!?
Well, to start, the gay panic jokes are painful and obvious. The meta jokes about Jimmy's attempts at superheroing were old when the original Crisis saw print. The plot is both boring *and* convoluted, and (bringing in outside and future knowledge of this, but still) ultimately pointless. It's a godforsaken mess on every level.
And yet I keep reading it?
May 1, 2020
I found this book to be confusing and difficult to follow. There are many stories within the book that don't seem to be very connected. Jimmy Olsen, Holly Robinson, Mary Marvel, Karate Kid, Donna Troy and Jason Todd, Pied Piper and the Trickster all have separate stories told leading them into the crisis. Superpowers are given and taken away. Allegiances change. Who can be trusted? Strange things are happening the past doesn't seem to figure into this future. Multiuniverses ...who belongs and who doesn't? Love the artwork, coloring, lettering and stories contained but still confused....hopefully Vol. 2 will clear things up a bit.
May 18, 2017
I don't really understand the complaints with this series so far.
Seeing it as part of the Final Crisis cycle and a continuation of 52 it is....as advertised. It's a week by week shot of minor characters in the DCU teasing New Gods stuff along the way. So far I'm entertained.
Seeing it as part of the Final Crisis cycle and a continuation of 52 it is....as advertised. It's a week by week shot of minor characters in the DCU teasing New Gods stuff along the way. So far I'm entertained.
August 9, 2021
This is the same formula they used for 52. Take some B-list (or less) characters and show their involvement in some really big event. Not bad. The art's consistently good. The "history" or the multiverse gets kind of repetitious, but they've got my attention, I'm curious where this is going.
January 13, 2018
Terrible writing, disjointed story and boring art.
July 6, 2018
The best part of all of Countdown is James' poor decision-making skills...
July 12, 2020
Better than I expected and a good start to this series.
May 15, 2024
The art was great. The story was great.
March 24, 2020
I actually liked how the book explained the state of the Monitors and New Gods prior to Final Crisis. Even if it was against Grant's wishes AND contradictory Dini does a nice job making it seem epic, rather than random (which is how Final Crisis came off to me, but then became an acquired taste).
January 3, 2015
With so many terrible reviews on here I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this so much. I think the fact that it followed the groundbreaking 52 series, which was flawless, it really gave this book a lot to live up too. Understandably it doesn't reach the perfection of that title, but why is anybody surprised by that? I mean come on 52 was written by some of DC's biggest names, how the hell could you follow that up with mostly unheard of writers, Paul Dini excluded of course.
So far the story seems to be building nicely, albeit a little slow, but once again let's not forget 52 preceded in a similar manner. I'm enjoying most of the stories happening here. The only one I'm not into 100% is the Karate Kid story. I'm not a big fan of the Legion of Heroes to begin with, not thy I've had a lot o exposure to them, but the guys called Karate Kid! I don't care I he can give a smash to Batman, if your names Karate Kid your still losing...hard! Hopefully we get a bit more of a character development with that story in the remaining volumes. The Pied Piper/Trickster story is really fun. I've previously never read anything with these characters, but so far I think I'm enjoying their antics the most. Other highlights are the Mary Marvel story (especially with that new outfit...mmmmm), and of course the Jason Todd/Donna Troy story (Red Hood will forever be a boss!).
I'm looking forward to reading the next volumes in this series, all leading up to the big event, Final Crisis. If you liked 52, this series has the same flow, but don't go into it expecting the same genius. If you do you're going to disappoint yourself!
So far the story seems to be building nicely, albeit a little slow, but once again let's not forget 52 preceded in a similar manner. I'm enjoying most of the stories happening here. The only one I'm not into 100% is the Karate Kid story. I'm not a big fan of the Legion of Heroes to begin with, not thy I've had a lot o exposure to them, but the guys called Karate Kid! I don't care I he can give a smash to Batman, if your names Karate Kid your still losing...hard! Hopefully we get a bit more of a character development with that story in the remaining volumes. The Pied Piper/Trickster story is really fun. I've previously never read anything with these characters, but so far I think I'm enjoying their antics the most. Other highlights are the Mary Marvel story (especially with that new outfit...mmmmm), and of course the Jason Todd/Donna Troy story (Red Hood will forever be a boss!).
I'm looking forward to reading the next volumes in this series, all leading up to the big event, Final Crisis. If you liked 52, this series has the same flow, but don't go into it expecting the same genius. If you do you're going to disappoint yourself!
May 31, 2016
I'm re-reading Countdown as I've finally gotten my hands on a copy of volume 4, and I must admit, I'd forgotten just how many characters come into play and how well they're used throughout the issues.
Since first reading them I've claimed that 52 and Countdown is a great way to introduce readers to the lesser appreciated characters within the DC Universe, and I agree with that statement more than ever now.
Piper and Trickster alone make Countdown an entertaining read, and that's before considering Mary Marvel reinvention, Holly Robinson's story with the Amazonians, or Jimmy Olsens unlikely story.
I'm only a quarter of the way through the series and I'm still firmly in the belief that the two year long series DC offered the world nearly ten years ago was a great introduction point for new readers and a way to expand the interests of existing ones.
Leaving behind the better known characters makes this series legitimately about the story and the strength of the characters rather than relying on popular characters to carry a series, and I enjoy that. It's refreshing to read something from DC that is good without using any of the "big three".
Frankly that's what got me into DC Comics in the first place and I believe firmly in the use of the seldom seen characters to build great stories, not everything has to rely on the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel, which is something DC seems to have forgotten in recent years.
Since first reading them I've claimed that 52 and Countdown is a great way to introduce readers to the lesser appreciated characters within the DC Universe, and I agree with that statement more than ever now.
Piper and Trickster alone make Countdown an entertaining read, and that's before considering Mary Marvel reinvention, Holly Robinson's story with the Amazonians, or Jimmy Olsens unlikely story.
I'm only a quarter of the way through the series and I'm still firmly in the belief that the two year long series DC offered the world nearly ten years ago was a great introduction point for new readers and a way to expand the interests of existing ones.
Leaving behind the better known characters makes this series legitimately about the story and the strength of the characters rather than relying on popular characters to carry a series, and I enjoy that. It's refreshing to read something from DC that is good without using any of the "big three".
Frankly that's what got me into DC Comics in the first place and I believe firmly in the use of the seldom seen characters to build great stories, not everything has to rely on the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel, which is something DC seems to have forgotten in recent years.
June 12, 2008
Countdown is a 52-issue weekly series put out by DC. I am a comic collector, but I didn’t buy the individual issues of this series because the reviews were horrendous. There were even blogs (Downcounting) devoted to how bad this was. I didn’t read Countdown, but when my library got the trade I figured I’d take a look. It couldn’t be that bad, could it?
Well…it’s pretty bad. Worse; it's amateurish. There are certain professional standards one expects when buying a comic book, and Countdown barely meets them. This looks like a rush job – sloppy art; bad dialogue; wooden characters. The decision was made to run Countdown in the “real-time” DC Universe, which means that nothing happens in a lot of the issues. Countdown is a weekly series, but the plot crawls along at a monthly pace.
Compared to Countdown, 52 (DC’s first weekly series) is a masterpiece. What I saw when I read 52 was four very good writers doing their best – they didn’t always succeed, but there are moments they hit it out of the ballpark. 52 had passion; you could see the people working on it cared. Countdown reads like it’s been sub-contracted out twenty times.
I don’t like writing bad reviews (although I admit they’re usually more fun to read), and I don’t give zero stars to anything. But Countdown came close.
Well…it’s pretty bad. Worse; it's amateurish. There are certain professional standards one expects when buying a comic book, and Countdown barely meets them. This looks like a rush job – sloppy art; bad dialogue; wooden characters. The decision was made to run Countdown in the “real-time” DC Universe, which means that nothing happens in a lot of the issues. Countdown is a weekly series, but the plot crawls along at a monthly pace.
Compared to Countdown, 52 (DC’s first weekly series) is a masterpiece. What I saw when I read 52 was four very good writers doing their best – they didn’t always succeed, but there are moments they hit it out of the ballpark. 52 had passion; you could see the people working on it cared. Countdown reads like it’s been sub-contracted out twenty times.
I don’t like writing bad reviews (although I admit they’re usually more fun to read), and I don’t give zero stars to anything. But Countdown came close.
November 24, 2010
I don't really know how to rate this yet since Countdown to Final Crisis could go anywhere yet and it's not a series that can be broken down into separate story arcs. So, until I read all 51 issues (4 volumes), my ratings are subject to change.
It's also another Crisis storyline and so far it seems like DC Crisis stuff is going to tend to involve a lot of characters (obviously) but more importantly (to me), a lot of minor characters or characters I've never heard of. So, a lot of things are over my head when it comes to the main characters in Countdown to Final Crisis.
It's still enjoyable to read, though. Paul Dini is the "Head Writer" and this could be a position that serves him best. I love Paul Dini, but he needs to learn how to write for a mature audience and to remember that not everything is The Batman Animated TV show. So when I was reading Countdown Vol 1 and going "Wait a minute...this..this is dark and mature and so far there hasn't been a Danny Tanner moment. What's going on??? Ohhhhhhhhhh Paul Dini HEAD WRITER." So let him do whatever a head writer does and then let the people writing under him scrape away his optimistic, everything's all right - let's not frighten the children so that we get the good Paul Dini talent without Christmas music playing in the last panels and everyone happy.
It's also another Crisis storyline and so far it seems like DC Crisis stuff is going to tend to involve a lot of characters (obviously) but more importantly (to me), a lot of minor characters or characters I've never heard of. So, a lot of things are over my head when it comes to the main characters in Countdown to Final Crisis.
It's still enjoyable to read, though. Paul Dini is the "Head Writer" and this could be a position that serves him best. I love Paul Dini, but he needs to learn how to write for a mature audience and to remember that not everything is The Batman Animated TV show. So when I was reading Countdown Vol 1 and going "Wait a minute...this..this is dark and mature and so far there hasn't been a Danny Tanner moment. What's going on??? Ohhhhhhhhhh Paul Dini HEAD WRITER." So let him do whatever a head writer does and then let the people writing under him scrape away his optimistic, everything's all right - let's not frighten the children so that we get the good Paul Dini talent without Christmas music playing in the last panels and everyone happy.
January 28, 2010
After coming off what I would consider a stunning series in "52" this first volume left me a little hollow. It's predecessor used all secondary characters but each one of their stories had heart and soul. I couldn't identify with any of these characters. I really felt dumped into storylines without any knowledge of what was transpiring. The characters are flacid and weak. The only scene that is note-worthy in the first volume would be the funeral. I can only hope that the next three volumes fare better.
October 6, 2013
Unlike 52 and Infinite Crisis, this weekly DC mega-event lacks a soul. Its more like a collection of random tangential storylines than a overarching story. Added to that are huge events that impact the storyline don't take place in this book. It makes the overall package seem like chapters are missing. Paul Dini does good work but here there isn't enough to tie the events together to matter. The art's fine but the story is the issue. I want to continue reading the series but I don't have much desire to do so. Not a good sign.
December 18, 2008
Reprints Countdown #51-39. The DC universe is in crisis again and Jimmy Olsen, Mary Marvel, Trickster, Piper, Karate Kid, Holly Robinson, Donna Troy, Jason Todd, and others find themselves becoming more involved in the problem. The "52" format got tiring during "52". The series seems forced but reading it together is better. I can't imagine reading each of these issues as a week to week series.
February 23, 2010
Each individual story in this book is well told so far. The stories are split up in an attempt to tell several interweaving stories. Instead of feeling woven together, they feel short and incomplete, skipping from one story to the next without enough attention being paid.
Also there seem to be gaps in story. This is most likely due to tie-in books not being included. That's a little disappointing.
The art is great and the writing is okay.
Also there seem to be gaps in story. This is most likely due to tie-in books not being included. That's a little disappointing.
The art is great and the writing is okay.
July 7, 2013
I honestly thought this was outstanding. It focused on only a few characters who, I assume, will play big roles in Final Crisis. It gave time to depth and patience to narrative. It was properly done across the board, I think. It's slow, but it's detailed, and, sometimes, that's what you're really after in comics, since it doesn't always happen that way.
September 15, 2008
the first quarter of DC comic's epic story. There are a lot of loose ends here....trying to weave 6-7 stories together ever so slowly. I'm putting my trust in DC that the payoff will be worth it.
rereading Sept 08
rereading Sept 08
February 8, 2010
The beginning of the Final Crisis series seems pretty interesting so far. Looking at other reviews, I see a pretty mixed bag you either love it or hate it. I think so far it's pretty good, or at the very least interesting. Hopefully it keeps getting better.
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