You rock! And damn I knew Countdown was weird, but that it was such a effin mess... They were trying to introduce people to different series through these hook-ups. I guess it would've worked, if it wasn't so made of fail...
And what's Mechakara planing? Can't wait for next ep.
A good guy Joker? To be honest that kind of sounds like an interesting premise for a series. Why not expand on that? Killing him off is just pointless. XD
Jokester, hm? To be honest, sounds like an interesting idea. What if the joker was a hero? Why'd they kill him off, they could've gone somewhere with that idea alone! XD
Sir you are a brave, brave man going into the valley of the shadow. I'll pray to the Elder Gods for your safe return from the abode of the damned.
Oh, any thoughts on some commentary on Superboy Prime as the Author's voice for fanboy petulance? I think a rebuttal is in order on that score.
Countdown's cardinal sin to me was in how it would introduce things that looked and sounded damned awesome and then just yank them away. A return to the 19th-century DC Earth of Gotham by Gaslight, replete with it's own Victorian-styled Blue Beetle? Nah, we're not gonna do anything with it. An idyllic world of heroes in the form of Earth-15, with such awesome mind-blowingness as a Zod Superman? Destroyed. Omac and Kamandi's origins retold for a new generation? Yeah, sure, tuck it at the end of the entire series.
Oh Didio, so often I meet you and the urge to smite you righteously is strong in me. . .only to be mind-tricked again by your charisma and left flabbergasted by your decisions afterwards. DIDIO!!!!
Wow, this was the first comic i've ever read, and i had no idea it was that bad! Also how important are the new gods to the DCU? I only know of three but they always seemed so lame. kind of thought of them like the new guardians
The New Gods were important to contemporary comics as the first--if not creator owned--than the first creator-driven line of comics within a given company. Back in the day Jack Kirby left Marvel and was given the oppurtunity to create his own universe, a '4th World' that would be his own personal playground to tell his own stories his own way. It had tangential connections to the DCU proper (Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen was one of the initial 4W books) but by and large it was meant to be a self-contained universe.
Jack left DC before he could bring the story to a close (and he did, after a fashion, in the graphic novel The Hunger Dogs) but the characters, while Jack's creations, were still technically the property of DC, and creators inspired by Kirby (Walter Simonson, John Byrne and others) would later work them in to the DCU proper in the Superman books and later on in works like the Orion series and the Justice League International title.
The New Gods saga is definitely worth checking out if you want some epic space opera with a superhero twist. Kirby's work was never grander in scope I think. And if nothing else the NG stuff gave us Darkseid, back when he was more a cunning manipulator than a bruiser.
I disagree that "The Search For Ray Palmer" was entirely pointless. The issues focusing on Earth-3 (detailing the history of The Jokestor and his fight against the villainous Owlman and Talon), Earth-Genders Are Flipped (dealing with a very much less sucky Amazon War on a world where Prince Dane AKA Wonder Man is waging war on America due to being exiled for killing Maxine Lord), and Earth-Gotham by Gaslight (if only for it's introduction of that world's Blue Beetle) weren't pointless. They fleshed out corners of the multiverse and were pretty fun to read.
However, Countdown: The Arena (which I am sure will get a mention but deserves a review of it's own) was entirely pointless. "Here fans, check out a bunch of characters from the multiverse! Now most of them are dead." I just hope that Grant Morrison's "Multiversity", due next year, actually has a point and fleshes out the multiverse as more than just a place for whatever strange idea the writer is having.
So are you totally against the idea of the power itself making someone evil, or just in this specific case? Personally I don't see a problem with the idea of someone taking on powers that turn them evil. Maybe not these characters, but in other cases it could work. You could easily make a tragic villain that way, someone who didn't know that the powers they took for a good reason would in fact warp them.
Also I defy anyone to tell me the New Gods' Big Barda isn't smokin' hot. When it comes to the amazonian warrior women, I'm definitely an admirer of the lady who knows her way around a mega-rod. . .
. . .oh come on, the joke was too good not to make. ;p
I see you left out the bit about Newsaramaboy Primey going around and destroying every cool universe that wasn't already an established Elseworld, presumably on the grounds that Didio had promised to give Grant Morrison first crack at exploring the Multiverse, and therefore any universe first defined in Countdown had to go so that he could keep that promise.
Which just makes the death of the Jokester and the destruction of the Universe of Legacy Heroes even *more* frustrating, as they were cool concepts that so much could have been done with, but since they weren't Morrison's ideas, they just HAD to go.
(...I'm sorry, is my feeling that Morrison's badly overrated showing?)
I'm not against the idea that the power makes them go evil, but it really doesn't work with these characters.
Yes, they introduce the Jokester's backstory... and then kill him off. And that Superwoman/Batwoman story was atrocious. Eh, the Gotham by Gaslight one was all right.
We all know absolute power corrupts absolutely, but Mary Batson had had years of exposure to the power of Shazam without any adverse effects, and to have Black Adam's power be somehow 'tainted' because of his own moral failings just seems wrong. Teth-Adam fell from grace because of the decisions he made, not because his gods were muah-hah-hah Evil.
Of the Marvels, if I had to pick anyone to pull an Anakin Skywalker it would've been Freddy Freeman. Yes, none of them would do that sort of thing, but given the death of his grandfather at the hands of Captain Nazi and his slightly more rebellious attitude post-crisis I felt if anyone would go nuts it was him.
Mary has always been the responsible one, oftentimes acting as a better champion for good than Shazam's initial choice, Billy. She's been depicted as level-headed and capable (at least where she wasn't being portrayed as a bubble-headed Pollyanna type--looking at you Keith Giffen) and more likely to tap into the more cerebral powers such as the Wisdom of Solomon. With that kind of maturity already established in the character, it seems highly strange that she'd suddenly yearn for 'Un-lim-i-ted. . .POWAH!'
I'm all for a fall to the dark side/redemption arc for a hero, but Mary's makes no sense, even with knowledge of what ultimately transpires in Final Crisis. It just feels wildly out of character and her portrayal in Final Crisis was just the first gentle slides down one steep incline that took her from beloved character to complete train wreck.
Looks like Countdown consists entirely of my number one problem with DC: unresolved plotlines that are continued in another book. I want to read a story, not a 22-page ad for other stories.
I started laughing as soon as I saw the conglomeration of comics in the first frame. Haven't gotten past that yet, because I have throat-killing sinuses and you may kill me.
Linkara PLEASE when you get a chance, review MARVEL DIVA'S its got everything you could ask for in a bad comic, lame jokes, ruins great characters, sexism, it even tries to tackle cancer!
So... is this series really just an attempt to reel unsuspecting readers into a web of interlinking comics that they will have to buy in full just to understands whats going on?
I felt like that when i read the The Darkness comics. (in addition to them being rather hard to "believe" if you know what i mean.) :/
So, based on what you're saying -- that Countdown was an editorial-mandated series and everything important in it happened in other books -- the whole thing was just a cheap advertising ploy for other comics? Is that accurate?
You know, all of the FUBAR that is Countdown tells me one thing (as if you didn't know by now)--that Dan Didio is nucking futs. Seriously, if this is his idea of "52 done right," he's got to be out of his gourd. He's right out there with the Ultimate Warrior.
I look forward to seeing what the second part brings with Robo-Linkara.
Another great review, man. Personally, I thought that Salvation Run and Gotham Underground were the only two good tie-in series to this crap-fest. But the whole death of the New Gods really turned me off. First DC kills some of Steve Ditko's most renowned characters, then they go for Jack Kirby's creations. WTF?
One more thing; when you did the Trickster line, were you trying to mimic Mark Hamill's portrayal?
Mr.Lovhaug did an awesome job summing up what I had to read through for a whole year of torture. I am so glad you are getting much better use out of these comics than I ever did.I made a wise choice sending you those comics instead of seeing my shame before me everyday. Expect more of my shame in the future. Great Job!
Stacy - Linkara thanks for the information, especially Stacy. Knowing that this was basically just Kirby. Because I felt it was maybe a little differnt from the rest of the DCU. and on a final note Miracleman's name is Scott Free. Really? I thought only Villans had stupid puns for their names.
No problem Jer, I like to help out where I can. ^.^
Scott Free is an awesome name, though it lacks the cool of Mark Moonrider or the Infinity Man. Steppenwolf always sounded awesome to me, to say nothing of Mantis. His more insectoid look in the old Super Powers comic Kirby drew in the '80s was wonderfully creepy.
And to Linkara....DAMN you are a brave soul. I personally stopped buying DC comics after what I felt was a lame ending to "Reign of the Supermen", so a lot of these characters/events are totally unknown to me....doesn't mean they suck any less, though. What has DC been smoking the last fifteen years???
(On another note, I stopped buying Marvel after they killed Ben Reilly, who I had come to like even more than Peter Parker.)
Great review once again, especially given the huge amount of stuff you have to work with. I would've hoped you to get a little more in-depth, but I understand that it's pretty impossible when you have to cover 51 issues in just a few weeks.
Also, the end music was awesome! Gave me weird Freakazoid-vibes, for some reason. Go figure.
Hey, I'm Egyptian and not everything from Ancient Egypt is evil :P
Remember Mummies Alive? Hawkman and Hawkgirl? Moon Knight? All their powers came from ancient Egypian magic (well the mummies were basically ancient Egyptians)
Also Birdman's powers came from Ra, the Ancient Sun god.
I know you're kidding, I just thought I play along.
Countdown's cardinal sin to me was in how it would introduce things that looked and sounded damned awesome and then just yank them away. A return to the 19th-century DC Earth of Gotham by Gaslight, replete with it's own Victorian-styled Blue Beetle? Nah, we're not gonna do anything with it. An idyllic world of heroes in the form of Earth-15, with such awesome mind-blowingness as a Zod Superman? Destroyed. Omac and Kamandi's origins retold for a new generation? Yeah, sure, tuck it at the end of the entire series.
That was probably the one redeeming factor of the "Search for Ray Palmer" spin off. It spent a lot more time exploring all the different worlds. Wasn't always perfect but you know... they were trying. At some moments it seemed like if they had just went with that (exploring different takes on old characters through the eyes of b-listers) as the plot of countdown, it wouldn't have all been so sucky.
Also how important are the new gods to the DCU? I only know of three but they always seemed so lame. kind of thought of them like the new guardians
I really think they are one of the most polarizing features of the DCU. Some love them. Others... I respect and salute Kirby, but he's just not always my cup of tea.
However, Countdown: The Arena (which I am sure will get a mention but deserves a review of it's own) was entirely pointless. "Here fans, check out a bunch of characters from the multiverse! Now most of them are dead."
Ah arena... a fan fic comic written by a 12 year old. I'd label it as a "so bad it's good" comic just for the fun of seeing a Zen superman, a GL Bruce Wayne, the different Blue Beatles...
Your enjoyment of that miniseries is definitely proportional to your enjoyment of b-movies.
Oddly enough I was actually kind of stoked for Countdown: Arena, in a 'steel-cage match/barn burner' sort of way. What I got was not what either the covers or the promotional artwork in Wizard promised. If we're going to see alternate versions of our favorite DCU characters fight in gladatorial matches, at least get an artist whose work is up to the task. The insipid writing I could've forgiven (I wanted a slobberknocker, not a discourse on the human condition), but the art tanked the whole thing in my opinion.
You know, if all Countdown did was introduce plots that were going to be resolved in other books anyway, what was the point of its existence? I mean, we see Jimmy Olsen learning Superman's identity, and then nothing comes of it. But a reader of Superman comics who hasn't read Countdown is suddenly hit with the revelation that Jimmy knows Superman's identity with no explanation whatsoever.
1. After watching the review, I am really glad I did not collect this series.
2. I'm reminded of the annoying trend, started in the 80's, of company-wide crossovers where you have to buy a large number of books to get the whole story. Going back to that trend is a bad idea.
But I seriously like to know how DC try to get themselves out of this... I mean, do they want to kill every superhero they made and then say later "April's Fool" to the fans?
There were two things that made me really angry about Countdown.
First, the whole "Black Adam's powers make Mary evil" thing. That DIRECTLY CONTRADICTED Adam's subplot in 52, where it's EXPRESSLY STATED that such is not the case.
Second, Jokester was an awesome character. I honestly don't like Sean McKeever, but the one-shot he wrote introducing Jokester was awesome. I wanted to see more of this character. He had promise. AND HE WAS KILLED OFF A WEEK LATER.
Long time fan, first time commenter. I love the skewering you've put this book through, and can't wait for the next.
The thing that infuriated me about Countdown is that not only was it shit, it dumped an errant turd onto everything in the DCU.
I'm a Green Lantern fan the same way that you're a Titans fan. At the same time that his abomination was polluting the comics world, the Sinestro Corps War was in full swing, which was the most awesome thing to happen that year. During this series, Kyle Rayner was infested by Parallax, and Superthing Prime was freed from Oa and given a new suit of solar-collector armor.
(Before anyone calls bullshit, he still hates the Anti-Monitor for destroying his home Earth and only joined so he could be freed, get some new armor, then kill the Anti-Monitor himself).
Both of these were compelling and suspenseful events. Kyle spent most of his run as Earth's solo GL, as well as his time as Ion, comparing himself to Hal, especially his transformation into Parallax, afraid of getting drunk on the power he has and becoming a tyrant (this was before the whole brain-worms retcon). And Superthing Prime? We wanted him to die. We still want him dead. Or worse.
Many of us were at the edge of our seats. How would Kyle escape? Would he even escape, or would he be another casualty of the DC Universe's need to slaughter their most beloved characters? What about Prime? Would he finally get his comeuppance? Would he die? Become depowered? What would happen there?
Well, the suspense was ruined, because COUNTDOWN SPOILED IT!@!@!
Remember what you said about time in Countdown being fluid? Well, it really was fluid, since Kyle was still Parallax in the GL books when he was added to Bob's group in Countdown. Likewise, Prime was there, still his stupid stupid STUPID evil self, and if anything even MORE powerful than before. The decent world that Bob's group visited, the one that wasn't perfect but wasn't bad? Prime destroyed it in a heartbeat.
Anyway, long story short, I wish you weren't censored when you devised a punishment for the editors for bringing Kyle into the group to make a love triangle. Because I would have gotten the supplies
Good job. I'm very confused with what the staff were doing in here. Though, I have to admit that the naming the Monitor "Bob," was funny (in a the Countdown writing staff actually wrote something good! funny)
Also, why do you dislike Identity Crisis and The Boys?
"Also, why do you dislike Identity Crisis and The Boys?"
Identity Crisis is a poorly-written mystery story that needlessly retcons otherwise likeable heroes and introduces a rape scene for another reason than to be shocking.
The Boys is overly violent, crude, and contains nothing particularly likeable. Its attempts at giving deep commentary on superheroes have been done before and done considerably better and none of the characters are all that appealing. It relies on shock tactics, foul language, and over-the-top antics that a twelve year-old would put into their work because they're not mature enough to understand what maturity is.
So, apparently Darkseid is a big Heroclix addict, huh?
This series is starting to sound like the old adage of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing; I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the stories were written in such a way that none of the writers consolidated with each other when doing their part, being told only the bare, vaguely-defined basics of whatever scenario was written before them before starting on the continuation. That's how Sonic X-Treme got killed, y'know.
I feel sorry for you, Linkara; I know I wouldn't have had the constitution or patience to do even a summary review of this series, let alone spend the time researching it to make sure I knew all of what happened in it TO do the summary. My heart goes out to you, man. Be strong; next week, it'll all be over.
This is why I usually avoid comics with shared universes. Even the good cross overs leave me totally confused, so this review made my head feel quite explodey. I'm sure actually reading Countdown is a hundred times worse since I don't have someone telling me what's going on.
It's definitely a double-edged sword Alexandra. On the one-hand a gigantic shared universe like DC or Marvel's can lead to this kind of snafu, but it also has the room to support titles regarding various characters that aren't necessarily the '1st-stringers' (your Booster Golds, your She-Hulks, etc). On the other, a solo-character book set in it's own continuum doesn't have the worry of getting caught up in the mega-crossovers, but at the same time you get glimpses of all these various side characters and ideas you'd love to see explored but only get the oppurtunity from time to time at best (Invincible and Savage Dragon. Though to be fair Invincible -did- do a mega-crossover event with the rest of the Image Universe. . .within the span of it's single oversized 60th issue. It was genius)).
There are pros and cons to either method, as you can see. With me, I don't mind the odd mention of other heroes or series within a book that I'm reading, as long as it doesn't railroad me into having to seek another book to understand what's happening in my tome of choice. Which is the sin of many such crossovers these days, Countdown being just one example.
Stac
Ps. Marvel's Annihilation though. . .damn. That was just pure awesome from start to finish. How awesome was it? Hmm. . .how about this: 52 is to Countdown as Annihilation is to Civil War. Epic. Win. ^.^
While I can understand why aspects of his personality where very annoying, I felt he had untapped room for character development, plus I love telekinetic powers. Also, he nobly sacrificed himself, willing to take on the evil force while everyone else wanted to just go home (admittedly, they were exhausted from the fight and all, but still). And does he even get a friggin' statue in Titans Tower? Kid gets less respect than Jason Todd, and he was a Titan for five minutes.
Its good you did this review, so I for one thank you for all the hard work.
I am one of those people who pretty much dropped DC comics when they started "52" and all the mega-crossovers that came after it; I just didn't want to shell out that much cash to follow everything.
And while I might have missed out on a good thing with "52", I'm glad I didn't pick up "Countdown" or any of its tie-ins.
I may jump back into DC now that they are starting "Blackest Night" in the Green Lantern books.
By the way, have you ever thought about maybe once every other month or so picking one good comic that you recommend and give a review of it (just as a change of pace; there must be some good comics out there you like ^_^).
Hmm. . .I think that might set a dangerous precedent Carrie. As much as I find Ennis's superhero stuff to be hateful and mean-spirited, I don't know if we can call The Boys a 'bad' comic, given the talent involved. Then again, I don't read the book so I can't comment on its overall quality.
Plus we'd have to make Linkara read the series, and I don't know if I'd inflict that kind of trauma on any superhero fan. That'd just be cruel and unusual. Let the man get through Countdown and breathe a little before we send him back into the Negative Zone. ;p
"Identity Crisis is a poorly-written mystery story that needlessly retcons otherwise likeable heroes and introduces a rape scene for another reason than to be shocking."
I haven't read the story in awhile, but I can think of some good things about it. The art, for the most part, by Rags Morales was good. The story also introduced a great new character like Owen Mercer(The New Cap. Boomerang) and reintroduced great villians like Deathstroke, Merlyn, Calculator, etc.
I do agree that the rape scene was stupid, but I think Meltzer did a good job summing up Ralph's and Sue's relationship before she died. Plus, even if you don't like the death of Sue, at least because of it, we got Ralph in 52.
The reveal of the killer was rather anti-climatic, but it did make sense going by past comics (Jean Lorning actually did have mental health issues).
I'll have to read it again to check it out, so this isn't all my thoughts on it, but I do know that I'd rather read it (and also Amazon's Attack) than boring stuff like Youngblood or Newmen. I say this because its better to read just a bad comic, than a boring one. No offense to you, Linkara, its just my opinion.
I havem't read The Boys, but I have read some of Ennis' Punisher stories. They seem good for what they are, but the Punisher can get repetive. I'll have to check out Preaher and some of his other stuff though.
Merlyn does basically nothing in the story and the more I think about it the more I have to tilt my head at the idea of Deathstroke taking down the Justice League like he did, especially Kyle. A few of them? I can see it. All of them together like that? Not even he's THAT good.
Her identity as the killer itself isn't bad given her past mental issues, it's the fact that as a mystery story, the clues do not in any way point to her and her reasoning is completely illogical, even for a crazy woman. It has too many holes in it.
Yes, the art was good. It's the story that wasn't strong. And yeah, Ralph's thread in 52 was great, but I feel that's because of the guys who wrote it, not because of the story concept itself. ^_~
Some interviews regarding COUNTDOWN said that Piper and Trickster getting cuffed together was supposed to be like "The Defiant Ones" and turned out to be more like "Midnight Run."
"the more I think about it the more I have to tilt my head at the idea of Deathstroke taking down the Justice League like he did, especially Kyle. A few of them? I can see it. All of them together like that? Not even he's THAT good."
Well, it wasn't the whole Justice League. It was only half of the original satellite League, along with Wally and Kyle. After looking at the fight, I thought it made perfect sense. With Slade's heightened mind, strength, and agility he took out all of them with strategy, speed, and force. Plus, Kyle (the Kyle before getting confidence after Green Lantern: Rebirth and such) doesn't have enough will to off-shoot the pain of a guy who's breaking his fingers and crushing his hand.
Also, if you look at other fights Slade's been in, he's being fought against as a team. Here, all the Leaguers are getting their butts kicked individually by guy who can move faster than them (with the exception of the Flash who got knifed in the shoulder), think faster than them, and is stronger than them.
Kyle, pardon the pun, wasn't "green" any longer. He had been the sole ring-bearer and a powerful Green Lantern for YEARS. He didn't need a "confidence boost" during Green Lantern: Rebirth.
And Slade regularly had trouble fighting the Titans, much less any era of the Justice League (well, maybe the Detroit League).
"Kyle, pardon the pun, wasn't "green" any longer. He had been the sole ring-bearer and a powerful Green Lantern for YEARS. He didn't need a "confidence boost" during Green Lantern: Rebirth."
True, but hes always been a little wet behind the years when compared to some of the other Leaguers.
"And Slade regularly had trouble fighting the Titans, much less any era of the Justice League (well, maybe the Detroit League)."
True, but in Identity Crisis, those teams fought together. Here he took out the Leaguers individually. He was only defeated when Green Arrow stuck an arrow into his eye, which distracted Slade enough that the other Leaguers ganged up on him and beat him up.
This review is obviously different from your regular comic book rants (as you mention yourself). The thing I liked about your vids is that I don't have to know much about the backstory of the comic or its characters to enjoy your methodical deconstruction of the material. This video, however, left me thoroughly confused as I have little idea of what Infinite Crisis was about, who 95% of the characters are, or what's actually happening in these issues. It was hard to follow and I ended up enjoying it less than I usually do, though that's not completely your fault. This series is obviously very convoluted and the fact that I don't care about most of its protagonists (since I don't know them) adds to my bemusement. That's why I'm not really looking forward to watching part 2.
What an awful comic! But at least we got Superboy Prime voice out of it. Every time I hear an excessively whiny fanboy online, I hear that voice reading their complaints in my head.
I agree it wasn't very nice for the writers to do a Strawman version of their most loyal fans, and there are lots of legitimate things to complain about in comics these days, but whenever I hear some fanboy/fangal whining about how Chris Nolan's refusal to include some campy minor villain most non comics-readers have never heard of OBVIOUSLY means he doesn't love Batman as much as them, I hear it in Superboy Prime's voice, which makes it more bearable. Plentiful and genuine thanks for that, friend!
Superboy prime. To the tune of the superman theme! Angst angst angst angst-angst angst angst angst, angst chil-dish-angst, POINTLESS ANGST!(continue till the end, I got lazy and only did intro.)
First.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff Linkara.
ReplyDeleteYou rock!
ReplyDeleteAnd damn I knew Countdown was weird, but that it was such a effin mess...
They were trying to introduce people to different series through these hook-ups. I guess it would've worked, if it wasn't so made of fail...
And what's Mechakara planing? Can't wait for next ep.
Oh boy...
ReplyDeleteThis is just insane! How the hell did they manage to write so much fail over such a long time?
Very good stuff, Linkara!
I especially loved your reaction over the "love triangle" :D
A good guy Joker? To be honest that kind of sounds like an interesting premise for a series. Why not expand on that? Killing him off is just pointless. XD
ReplyDeleteJokester, hm? To be honest, sounds like an interesting idea. What if the joker was a hero? Why'd they kill him off, they could've gone somewhere with that idea alone! XD
ReplyDeleteGood lord, this Countdown stuff is just confusing as hell.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for Part Two. :)
Sir you are a brave, brave man going into the valley of the shadow. I'll pray to the Elder Gods for your safe return from the abode of the damned.
ReplyDeleteOh, any thoughts on some commentary on Superboy Prime as the Author's voice for fanboy petulance? I think a rebuttal is in order on that score.
Countdown's cardinal sin to me was in how it would introduce things that looked and sounded damned awesome and then just yank them away. A return to the 19th-century DC Earth of Gotham by Gaslight, replete with it's own Victorian-styled Blue Beetle? Nah, we're not gonna do anything with it. An idyllic world of heroes in the form of Earth-15, with such awesome mind-blowingness as a Zod Superman? Destroyed. Omac and Kamandi's origins retold for a new generation? Yeah, sure, tuck it at the end of the entire series.
Oh Didio, so often I meet you and the urge to smite you righteously is strong in me. . .only to be mind-tricked again by your charisma and left flabbergasted by your decisions afterwards. DIDIO!!!!
Stac
Wow, this was the first comic i've ever read, and i had no idea it was that bad! Also how important are the new gods to the DCU? I only know of three but they always seemed so lame. kind of thought of them like the new guardians
ReplyDeleteThe New Gods are quite important to the DC Universe, and frankly they're awesome - the stuff of the best space operas imagineable.
ReplyDeleteIt's just here it's frustrating and stupid and, well, not at all good.
Hey Jer,
ReplyDeleteThe New Gods were important to contemporary comics as the first--if not creator owned--than the first creator-driven line of comics within a given company. Back in the day Jack Kirby left Marvel and was given the oppurtunity to create his own universe, a '4th World' that would be his own personal playground to tell his own stories his own way. It had tangential connections to the DCU proper (Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen was one of the initial 4W books) but by and large it was meant to be a self-contained universe.
Jack left DC before he could bring the story to a close (and he did, after a fashion, in the graphic novel The Hunger Dogs) but the characters, while Jack's creations, were still technically the property of DC, and creators inspired by Kirby (Walter Simonson, John Byrne and others) would later work them in to the DCU proper in the Superman books and later on in works like the Orion series and the Justice League International title.
The New Gods saga is definitely worth checking out if you want some epic space opera with a superhero twist. Kirby's work was never grander in scope I think. And if nothing else the NG stuff gave us Darkseid, back when he was more a cunning manipulator than a bruiser.
Stac
I disagree that "The Search For Ray Palmer" was entirely pointless. The issues focusing on Earth-3 (detailing the history of The Jokestor and his fight against the villainous Owlman and Talon), Earth-Genders Are Flipped (dealing with a very much less sucky Amazon War on a world where Prince Dane AKA Wonder Man is waging war on America due to being exiled for killing Maxine Lord), and Earth-Gotham by Gaslight (if only for it's introduction of that world's Blue Beetle) weren't pointless. They fleshed out corners of the multiverse and were pretty fun to read.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Countdown: The Arena (which I am sure will get a mention but deserves a review of it's own) was entirely pointless. "Here fans, check out a bunch of characters from the multiverse! Now most of them are dead." I just hope that Grant Morrison's "Multiversity", due next year, actually has a point and fleshes out the multiverse as more than just a place for whatever strange idea the writer is having.
So are you totally against the idea of the power itself making someone evil, or just in this specific case? Personally I don't see a problem with the idea of someone taking on powers that turn them evil. Maybe not these characters, but in other cases it could work. You could easily make a tragic villain that way, someone who didn't know that the powers they took for a good reason would in fact warp them.
ReplyDeleteAlso I defy anyone to tell me the New Gods' Big Barda isn't smokin' hot. When it comes to the amazonian warrior women, I'm definitely an admirer of the lady who knows her way around a mega-rod. . .
ReplyDelete. . .oh come on, the joke was too good not to make. ;p
Stac
I see you left out the bit about Newsaramaboy Primey going around and destroying every cool universe that wasn't already an established Elseworld, presumably on the grounds that Didio had promised to give Grant Morrison first crack at exploring the Multiverse, and therefore any universe first defined in Countdown had to go so that he could keep that promise.
ReplyDeleteWhich just makes the death of the Jokester and the destruction of the Universe of Legacy Heroes even *more* frustrating, as they were cool concepts that so much could have been done with, but since they weren't Morrison's ideas, they just HAD to go.
(...I'm sorry, is my feeling that Morrison's badly overrated showing?)
I'm not against the idea that the power makes them go evil, but it really doesn't work with these characters.
ReplyDeleteYes, they introduce the Jokester's backstory... and then kill him off. And that Superwoman/Batwoman story was atrocious. Eh, the Gotham by Gaslight one was all right.
Sweet! Mecha-Likara returns! Great stuff. Can't wait until next week.
ReplyDeleteWe all know absolute power corrupts absolutely, but Mary Batson had had years of exposure to the power of Shazam without any adverse effects, and to have Black Adam's power be somehow 'tainted' because of his own moral failings just seems wrong. Teth-Adam fell from grace because of the decisions he made, not because his gods were muah-hah-hah Evil.
ReplyDeleteOf the Marvels, if I had to pick anyone to pull an Anakin Skywalker it would've been Freddy Freeman. Yes, none of them would do that sort of thing, but given the death of his grandfather at the hands of Captain Nazi and his slightly more rebellious attitude post-crisis I felt if anyone would go nuts it was him.
Mary has always been the responsible one, oftentimes acting as a better champion for good than Shazam's initial choice, Billy. She's been depicted as level-headed and capable (at least where she wasn't being portrayed as a bubble-headed Pollyanna type--looking at you Keith Giffen) and more likely to tap into the more cerebral powers such as the Wisdom of Solomon. With that kind of maturity already established in the character, it seems highly strange that she'd suddenly yearn for 'Un-lim-i-ted. . .POWAH!'
I'm all for a fall to the dark side/redemption arc for a hero, but Mary's makes no sense, even with knowledge of what ultimately transpires in Final Crisis. It just feels wildly out of character and her portrayal in Final Crisis was just the first gentle slides down one steep incline that took her from beloved character to complete train wreck.
Stac
Looks like Countdown consists entirely of my number one problem with DC: unresolved plotlines that are continued in another book. I want to read a story, not a 22-page ad for other stories.
ReplyDeleteI started laughing as soon as I saw the conglomeration of comics in the first frame. Haven't gotten past that yet, because I have throat-killing sinuses and you may kill me.
ReplyDeleteLinkara PLEASE when you get a chance, review MARVEL DIVA'S its got everything you could ask for in a bad comic, lame jokes, ruins great characters, sexism, it even tries to tackle cancer!
ReplyDeleteSo... is this series really just an attempt to reel unsuspecting readers into a web of interlinking comics that they will have to buy in full just to understands whats going on?
ReplyDeleteI felt like that when i read the The Darkness comics. (in addition to them being rather hard to "believe" if you know what i mean.) :/
So, based on what you're saying -- that Countdown was an editorial-mandated series and everything important in it happened in other books -- the whole thing was just a cheap advertising ploy for other comics? Is that accurate?
ReplyDeletePretty much, but oh does it get worse. In the next part, they actually try to focus on their own story.
ReplyDeleteMechekara Returns in the next issue of Atop the Fourth Wall!
ReplyDeleteIt's gonna be sweet.
Also, I want a comic in the role reversed Gotham.
I didn't have the time to watch the full video, but...
ReplyDeleteRoad-Runner joke. Man, that was awesome. Thank you.
You know, all of the FUBAR that is Countdown tells me one thing (as if you didn't know by now)--that Dan Didio is nucking futs. Seriously, if this is his idea of "52 done right," he's got to be out of his gourd. He's right out there with the Ultimate Warrior.
ReplyDeleteMy god. The stupidity of these comics blow my mind. Is final Crisis actually worse than Countdown to Final Crisis? If so, we are all screwed.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing what the second part brings with Robo-Linkara.
ReplyDeleteAnother great review, man. Personally, I thought that Salvation Run and Gotham Underground were the only two good tie-in series to this crap-fest. But the whole death of the New Gods really turned me off. First DC kills some of Steve Ditko's most renowned characters, then they go for Jack Kirby's creations. WTF?
One more thing; when you did the Trickster line, were you trying to mimic Mark Hamill's portrayal?
Mr.Lovhaug did an awesome job summing up what I had to read through for a whole year of torture. I am so glad you are getting much better use out of these comics than I ever did.I made a wise choice sending you those comics instead of seeing my shame before me everyday. Expect more of my shame in the future. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteThis series is just nuts! A whole maze that lead to a pile of crap.
ReplyDeleteGreat review though!
Stacy - Linkara
ReplyDeletethanks for the information, especially Stacy. Knowing that this was basically just Kirby. Because I felt it was maybe a little differnt from the rest of the DCU. and on a final note Miracleman's name is Scott Free. Really? I thought only Villans had stupid puns for their names.
..............
ReplyDeleteYou know, I thought that Countdown could not be as bad as Amazons Attack.
............
Not anymore.
But wait.....I....read...Countdown.....Issues 51 to 44....and I was immune......what does that mean for me.....
Just tell me that at some point we're going to focus on that scene where Kyle Rayner is used as a bludgeoning tool and all will be well.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that Karate Kid thing in the end credits? Gosh, if only there was someone who wrote mashup fanfics....
XD
No problem Jer, I like to help out where I can. ^.^
ReplyDeleteScott Free is an awesome name, though it lacks the cool of Mark Moonrider or the Infinity Man. Steppenwolf always sounded awesome to me, to say nothing of Mantis. His more insectoid look in the old Super Powers comic Kirby drew in the '80s was wonderfully creepy.
Stac
Oh, and I forgot to mention, great Macbeth quote! Ironically, I had just finished my MacBeth studies in English class.
ReplyDeleteI also find it ironic that that quote came from MacBeth, when he found about his wife's suicide. Was that another intention of you?
No, but my unintentional synergy skills seem to be still full-charged. XD
ReplyDeleteHey, Queen Anthai! *I* write mashup fics!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd to Linkara....DAMN you are a brave soul. I personally stopped buying DC comics after what I felt was a lame ending to "Reign of the Supermen", so a lot of these characters/events are totally unknown to me....doesn't mean they suck any less, though. What has DC been smoking the last fifteen years???
(On another note, I stopped buying Marvel after they killed Ben Reilly, who I had come to like even more than Peter Parker.)
God its like an episode of the original doctor who with all the fun sucked out what with all that running
ReplyDeleteGreat review once again, especially given the huge amount of stuff you have to work with. I would've hoped you to get a little more in-depth, but I understand that it's pretty impossible when you have to cover 51 issues in just a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the end music was awesome! Gave me weird Freakazoid-vibes, for some reason. Go figure.
Hey, I'm Egyptian and not everything from Ancient Egypt is evil :P
ReplyDeleteRemember Mummies Alive? Hawkman and Hawkgirl? Moon Knight? All their powers came from ancient Egypian magic (well the mummies were basically ancient Egyptians)
Also Birdman's powers came from Ra, the Ancient Sun god.
I know you're kidding, I just thought I play along.
Great review.
Countdown's cardinal sin to me was in how it would introduce things that looked and sounded damned awesome and then just yank them away. A return to the 19th-century DC Earth of Gotham by Gaslight, replete with it's own Victorian-styled Blue Beetle? Nah, we're not gonna do anything with it. An idyllic world of heroes in the form of Earth-15, with such awesome mind-blowingness as a Zod Superman? Destroyed. Omac and Kamandi's origins retold for a new generation? Yeah, sure, tuck it at the end of the entire series.
ReplyDeleteThat was probably the one redeeming factor of the "Search for Ray Palmer" spin off. It spent a lot more time exploring all the different worlds. Wasn't always perfect but you know... they were trying. At some moments it seemed like if they had just went with that (exploring different takes on old characters through the eyes of b-listers) as the plot of countdown, it wouldn't have all been so sucky.
Also how important are the new gods to the DCU? I only know of three but they always seemed so lame. kind of thought of them like the new guardians
I really think they are one of the most polarizing features of the DCU. Some love them. Others... I respect and salute Kirby, but he's just not always my cup of tea.
However, Countdown: The Arena (which I am sure will get a mention but deserves a review of it's own) was entirely pointless. "Here fans, check out a bunch of characters from the multiverse! Now most of them are dead."
Ah arena... a fan fic comic written by a 12 year old. I'd label it as a "so bad it's good" comic just for the fun of seeing a Zen superman, a GL Bruce Wayne, the different Blue Beatles...
Your enjoyment of that miniseries is definitely proportional to your enjoyment of b-movies.
Oddly enough I was actually kind of stoked for Countdown: Arena, in a 'steel-cage match/barn burner' sort of way. What I got was not what either the covers or the promotional artwork in Wizard promised. If we're going to see alternate versions of our favorite DCU characters fight in gladatorial matches, at least get an artist whose work is up to the task. The insipid writing I could've forgiven (I wanted a slobberknocker, not a discourse on the human condition), but the art tanked the whole thing in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteStac
You know, if all Countdown did was introduce plots that were going to be resolved in other books anyway, what was the point of its existence? I mean, we see Jimmy Olsen learning Superman's identity, and then nothing comes of it. But a reader of Superman comics who hasn't read Countdown is suddenly hit with the revelation that Jimmy knows Superman's identity with no explanation whatsoever.
ReplyDeletethe monarch huh?
ReplyDeleteyou know that demands a venture brothers joke
0.0
ReplyDeleteOh dear God, I have retroactively dubbed all of Monarch's dialogue in Christopher McCulloch's voice and it is epic. . .
1. After watching the review, I am really glad I did not collect this series.
ReplyDelete2. I'm reminded of the annoying trend, started in the 80's, of company-wide crossovers where you have to buy a large number of books to get the whole story. Going back to that trend is a bad idea.
Holy Hell, this really hurts me brain. But you did a great jorb, Linkara. Keep op tha goad woar...
ReplyDelete*Brain Damage detected. Enter Slumber Repair Mode*
But I seriously like to know how DC try to get themselves out of this... I mean, do they want to kill every superhero they made and then say later "April's Fool" to the fans?
ReplyDeleteThis would suck extreme!
wow, this is insane!
ReplyDeleteawesome review, and very funny there! I hope your sanity holds for the rest of this epic fail of a comic!
So until the sequel to Amazons Attack, "Kryptonians Attack" is thought up, MAKE MINE LINKARA!
There were two things that made me really angry about Countdown.
ReplyDeleteFirst, the whole "Black Adam's powers make Mary evil" thing. That DIRECTLY CONTRADICTED Adam's subplot in 52, where it's EXPRESSLY STATED that such is not the case.
Second, Jokester was an awesome character. I honestly don't like Sean McKeever, but the one-shot he wrote introducing Jokester was awesome. I wanted to see more of this character. He had promise. AND HE WAS KILLED OFF A WEEK LATER.
AURGH COUNTDOWN YOU GIVE ME CAPSLOCK RAGE
Long time fan, first time commenter. I love the skewering you've put this book through, and can't wait for the next.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that infuriated me about Countdown is that not only was it shit, it dumped an errant turd onto everything in the DCU.
I'm a Green Lantern fan the same way that you're a Titans fan. At the same time that his abomination was polluting the comics world, the Sinestro Corps War was in full swing, which was the most awesome thing to happen that year. During this series, Kyle Rayner was infested by Parallax, and Superthing Prime was freed from Oa and given a new suit of solar-collector armor.
(Before anyone calls bullshit, he still hates the Anti-Monitor for destroying his home Earth and only joined so he could be freed, get some new armor, then kill the Anti-Monitor himself).
Both of these were compelling and suspenseful events. Kyle spent most of his run as Earth's solo GL, as well as his time as Ion, comparing himself to Hal, especially his transformation into Parallax, afraid of getting drunk on the power he has and becoming a tyrant (this was before the whole brain-worms retcon). And Superthing Prime? We wanted him to die. We still want him dead. Or worse.
Many of us were at the edge of our seats. How would Kyle escape? Would he even escape, or would he be another casualty of the DC Universe's need to slaughter their most beloved characters? What about Prime? Would he finally get his comeuppance? Would he die? Become depowered? What would happen there?
Well, the suspense was ruined, because COUNTDOWN SPOILED IT!@!@!
Remember what you said about time in Countdown being fluid? Well, it really was fluid, since Kyle was still Parallax in the GL books when he was added to Bob's group in Countdown. Likewise, Prime was there, still his stupid stupid STUPID evil self, and if anything even MORE powerful than before. The decent world that Bob's group visited, the one that wasn't perfect but wasn't bad? Prime destroyed it in a heartbeat.
Anyway, long story short, I wish you weren't censored when you devised a punishment for the editors for bringing Kyle into the group to make a love triangle. Because I would have gotten the supplies
Good job. I'm very confused with what the staff were doing in here. Though, I have to admit that the naming the Monitor "Bob," was funny (in a the Countdown writing staff actually wrote something good! funny)
ReplyDeleteAlso, why do you dislike Identity Crisis and The Boys?
"Also, why do you dislike Identity Crisis and The Boys?"
ReplyDeleteIdentity Crisis is a poorly-written mystery story that needlessly retcons otherwise likeable heroes and introduces a rape scene for another reason than to be shocking.
The Boys is overly violent, crude, and contains nothing particularly likeable. Its attempts at giving deep commentary on superheroes have been done before and done considerably better and none of the characters are all that appealing. It relies on shock tactics, foul language, and over-the-top antics that a twelve year-old would put into their work because they're not mature enough to understand what maturity is.
So, apparently Darkseid is a big Heroclix addict, huh?
ReplyDeleteThis series is starting to sound like the old adage of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing; I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the stories were written in such a way that none of the writers consolidated with each other when doing their part, being told only the bare, vaguely-defined basics of whatever scenario was written before them before starting on the continuation. That's how Sonic X-Treme got killed, y'know.
I feel sorry for you, Linkara; I know I wouldn't have had the constitution or patience to do even a summary review of this series, let alone spend the time researching it to make sure I knew all of what happened in it TO do the summary. My heart goes out to you, man. Be strong; next week, it'll all be over.
This is why I usually avoid comics with shared universes. Even the good cross overs leave me totally confused, so this review made my head feel quite explodey. I'm sure actually reading Countdown is a hundred times worse since I don't have someone telling me what's going on.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a double-edged sword Alexandra. On the one-hand a gigantic shared universe like DC or Marvel's can lead to this kind of snafu, but it also has the room to support titles regarding various characters that aren't necessarily the '1st-stringers' (your Booster Golds, your She-Hulks, etc). On the other, a solo-character book set in it's own continuum doesn't have the worry of getting caught up in the mega-crossovers, but at the same time you get glimpses of all these various side characters and ideas you'd love to see explored but only get the oppurtunity from time to time at best (Invincible and Savage Dragon. Though to be fair Invincible -did- do a mega-crossover event with the rest of the Image Universe. . .within the span of it's single oversized 60th issue. It was genius)).
ReplyDeleteThere are pros and cons to either method, as you can see. With me, I don't mind the odd mention of other heroes or series within a book that I'm reading, as long as it doesn't railroad me into having to seek another book to understand what's happening in my tome of choice. Which is the sin of many such crossovers these days, Countdown being just one example.
Stac
Ps. Marvel's Annihilation though. . .damn. That was just pure awesome from start to finish. How awesome was it? Hmm. . .how about this: 52 is to Countdown as Annihilation is to Civil War. Epic. Win. ^.^
One thing I think you, Linkara, might like is Enemy Ace: War in Heaven by Garth Ennis.
ReplyDeleteOne other question I have to ask is this: Why and how can you like Danny Chase?
While I can understand why aspects of his personality where very annoying, I felt he had untapped room for character development, plus I love telekinetic powers. Also, he nobly sacrificed himself, willing to take on the evil force while everyone else wanted to just go home (admittedly, they were exhausted from the fight and all, but still). And does he even get a friggin' statue in Titans Tower? Kid gets less respect than Jason Todd, and he was a Titan for five minutes.
ReplyDeleteIts good you did this review, so I for one thank you for all the hard work.
ReplyDeleteI am one of those people who pretty much dropped DC comics when they started "52" and all the mega-crossovers that came after it; I just didn't want to shell out that much cash to follow everything.
And while I might have missed out on a good thing with "52", I'm glad I didn't pick up "Countdown" or any of its tie-ins.
I may jump back into DC now that they are starting "Blackest Night" in the Green Lantern books.
By the way, have you ever thought about maybe once every other month or so picking one good comic that you recommend and give a review of it (just as a change of pace; there must be some good comics out there you like ^_^).
Given your dislike of the comic, "The Boys" I'd be interested in seeing an video about it.
ReplyDeleteHmm. . .I think that might set a dangerous precedent Carrie. As much as I find Ennis's superhero stuff to be hateful and mean-spirited, I don't know if we can call The Boys a 'bad' comic, given the talent involved. Then again, I don't read the book so I can't comment on its overall quality.
ReplyDeletePlus we'd have to make Linkara read the series, and I don't know if I'd inflict that kind of trauma on any superhero fan. That'd just be cruel and unusual. Let the man get through Countdown and breathe a little before we send him back into the Negative Zone. ;p
Stac
Wait! If there's a Mechakara, are there mecha versions of everyone at TGWTG?
ReplyDelete"Identity Crisis is a poorly-written mystery story that needlessly retcons otherwise likeable heroes and introduces a rape scene for another reason than to be shocking."
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the story in awhile, but I can think of some good things about it. The art, for the most part, by Rags Morales was good. The story also introduced a great new character like Owen Mercer(The New Cap. Boomerang) and reintroduced great villians like Deathstroke, Merlyn, Calculator, etc.
I do agree that the rape scene was stupid, but I think Meltzer did a good job summing up Ralph's and Sue's relationship before she died. Plus, even if you don't like the death of Sue, at least because of it, we got Ralph in 52.
The reveal of the killer was rather anti-climatic, but it did make sense going by past comics (Jean Lorning actually did have mental health issues).
I'll have to read it again to check it out, so this isn't all my thoughts on it, but I do know that I'd rather read it (and also Amazon's Attack) than boring stuff like Youngblood or Newmen. I say this because its better to read just a bad comic, than a boring one. No offense to you, Linkara, its just my opinion.
I havem't read The Boys, but I have read some of Ennis' Punisher stories. They seem good for what they are, but the Punisher can get repetive. I'll have to check out Preaher and some of his other stuff though.
Merlyn does basically nothing in the story and the more I think about it the more I have to tilt my head at the idea of Deathstroke taking down the Justice League like he did, especially Kyle. A few of them? I can see it. All of them together like that? Not even he's THAT good.
ReplyDeleteHer identity as the killer itself isn't bad given her past mental issues, it's the fact that as a mystery story, the clues do not in any way point to her and her reasoning is completely illogical, even for a crazy woman. It has too many holes in it.
Yes, the art was good. It's the story that wasn't strong. And yeah, Ralph's thread in 52 was great, but I feel that's because of the guys who wrote it, not because of the story concept itself. ^_~
Some interviews regarding COUNTDOWN said that Piper and Trickster getting cuffed together was supposed to be like "The Defiant Ones" and turned out to be more like "Midnight Run."
ReplyDelete"the more I think about it the more I have to tilt my head at the idea of Deathstroke taking down the Justice League like he did, especially Kyle. A few of them? I can see it. All of them together like that? Not even he's THAT good."
ReplyDeleteWell, it wasn't the whole Justice League. It was only half of the original satellite League, along with Wally and Kyle. After looking at the fight, I thought it made perfect sense. With Slade's heightened mind, strength, and agility he took out all of them with strategy, speed, and force. Plus, Kyle (the Kyle before getting confidence after Green Lantern: Rebirth and such) doesn't have enough will to off-shoot the pain of a guy who's breaking his fingers and crushing his hand.
Also, if you look at other fights Slade's been in, he's being fought against as a team. Here, all the Leaguers are getting their butts kicked individually by guy who can move faster than them (with the exception of the Flash who got knifed in the shoulder), think faster than them, and is stronger than them.
Kyle, pardon the pun, wasn't "green" any longer. He had been the sole ring-bearer and a powerful Green Lantern for YEARS. He didn't need a "confidence boost" during Green Lantern: Rebirth.
ReplyDeleteAnd Slade regularly had trouble fighting the Titans, much less any era of the Justice League (well, maybe the Detroit League).
"Kyle, pardon the pun, wasn't "green" any longer. He had been the sole ring-bearer and a powerful Green Lantern for YEARS. He didn't need a "confidence boost" during Green Lantern: Rebirth."
ReplyDeleteTrue, but hes always been a little wet behind the years when compared to some of the other Leaguers.
"And Slade regularly had trouble fighting the Titans, much less any era of the Justice League (well, maybe the Detroit League)."
True, but in Identity Crisis, those teams fought together. Here he took out the Leaguers individually. He was only defeated when Green Arrow stuck an arrow into his eye, which distracted Slade enough that the other Leaguers ganged up on him and beat him up.
hey Linkara if decide to go for a end credit song you should go for this song it fits well with the credits.
ReplyDeleteThis review is obviously different from your regular comic book rants (as you mention yourself). The thing I liked about your vids is that I don't have to know much about the backstory of the comic or its characters to enjoy your methodical deconstruction of the material. This video, however, left me thoroughly confused as I have little idea of what Infinite Crisis was about, who 95% of the characters are, or what's actually happening in these issues. It was hard to follow and I ended up enjoying it less than I usually do, though that's not completely your fault. This series is obviously very convoluted and the fact that I don't care about most of its protagonists (since I don't know them) adds to my bemusement. That's why I'm not really looking forward to watching part 2.
ReplyDeleteI rewatching Countdown, I got more curious about Earth-15. Which issues or comics covered it?
ReplyDeleteWait a minute, what are Harley and Holly running around looking for?
ReplyDelete"Wait a minute, what are Harley and Holly running around looking for? "
ReplyDelete...uhhh... we'll just say they were looking for answers to their questions. Yeah. <.< >.>
I just wanted to say ...
ReplyDeleteWhat an awful comic! But at least we got Superboy Prime voice out of it. Every time I hear an excessively whiny fanboy online, I hear that voice reading their complaints in my head.
I agree it wasn't very nice for the writers to do a Strawman version of their most loyal fans, and there are lots of legitimate things to complain about in comics these days, but whenever I hear some fanboy/fangal whining about how Chris Nolan's refusal to include some campy minor villain most non comics-readers have never heard of OBVIOUSLY means he doesn't love Batman as much as them, I hear it in Superboy Prime's voice, which makes it more bearable. Plentiful and genuine thanks for that, friend!
Superboy prime. To the tune of the superman theme!
ReplyDeleteAngst angst angst angst-angst angst angst angst, angst chil-dish-angst, POINTLESS ANGST!(continue till the end, I got lazy and only did intro.)
What else is there to say?
F**K COUNTDOWN.
Man, this is like a DC hub - everything is connected via it. Like in Crash Bandicoot 3 :B
ReplyDelete