Countdown to Infinite Crisis, six page preview

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

The book arrives March 30th and here is a preview

 

http://www.popcultureshock.com/reviews.php?id=3911

[Guest PlatinumBoy]

Blue Beetle = AWESOME. Just PLEASE don't kill him DC. Please?

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

DC has also released the promotional ads for the four mini-series that will tie-in to Countdown. Love the summer blockbuster feel to them.

 

The O.M.A.C. Project

 

http://www.newsarama.com/DC/Countdown_more/OMAC_ha.jpg

 

Villains United

 

http://www.newsarama.com/DC/Countdown_more/VILU_ha.jpg

 

Day of Vengeance

 

http://www.newsarama.com/DC/Countdown_more/DOV_ha.jpg

 

Rann/Thanagar War

 

http://www.newsarama.com/DC/Countdown_more/RTHW_ha.jpg

[Zorin Industries 0]

I'm really looking foward to Villains United, looks great

[Guest JMA]

This is going to be great. I especially like how the logos have an "old school" feel to them.

[Guest PlatinumBoy]

Isn't Black Adam some what reformed now though? (In regards to the Villians cover)

[starvenger 0]

Blue Beetle = AWESOME. Just PLEASE don't kill him DC. Please?

Agreed.

 

Johns seems to have struck a nice balance between the BoP Beetle and the Superbuddies Beetle...

[Vyce 0]

Isn't Black Adam some what reformed now though? (In regards to the Villians cover)

Yes and no.

 

Read up on the JSA series (which is actually quite good) - Black Adam has become somewhat Punisher-esque, in the sense that while he combats evil, his philosophy of doing it is by slaughtering the bad guys as necessary (essentially making him an anti-hero). It's something that has put him severely at odds with the rest of the JSA, and led to some interesting subplots (especially as Atom Smasher has sort of turned heel and joined him in his crusade).

[Steviekick 0]

I don't think Beetle will die, but at least get severely beaten .

 

If not him, some people are speculating that it's a Batman from Earth-2, making it a sequal to the original crisis.

[Vyce 0]

I don't think Beetle will die, but at least get severely beaten .

Beetle somehow survived an ass-kicking by Doomsday - so I'd be chagrined if they off him here.

[SuperJerk 0]

The book arrives March 30th and here is a preview

 

http://www.popcultureshock.com/reviews.php?id=3911

They didn't show it as much here like they did in the recent preview Wizard, but I fucking hate it when DC characters call each other by their first names.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

At the DC website they have the cover for Day of Vengeance and at the top it reads "6 months to Infinite Crisis" therefore it looks like the mini-series will be out in October.

[SuperJerk 0]

Anyone else think the very title of this series is a pathetic attempt to cash-in on something it has nothing to do with?

[Guest PlatinumBoy]

Isn't Black Adam some what reformed now though?  (In regards to the Villians cover)

Yes and no.

 

Read up on the JSA series (which is actually quite good) - Black Adam has become somewhat Punisher-esque, in the sense that while he combats evil, his philosophy of doing it is by slaughtering the bad guys as necessary (essentially making him an anti-hero). It's something that has put him severely at odds with the rest of the JSA, and led to some interesting subplots (especially as Atom Smasher has sort of turned heel and joined him in his crusade).

I hear JSA is good, read a few issues but don't follow it hardcore. I knew Black Adam had Atom Smasher and was more of a Punisher type now, but I thought he wasn't pure villain. Though I did see some cool scan on Comicboards where Flash got whupped by Black Adam.

[starvenger 0]

Anyone else think the very title of this series is a pathetic attempt to cash-in on something it has nothing to do with?

Maybe. Possibly. But DC has seemed to have planned their "event" miniseries with this in mind, so who knows?

[Special K 0]

It would be neat if they actually introduced a twist that they stuck with (superheroes' identities all made public is almost surely the path they're going) instead of doing a rumored 'reboot'. We shall see!

[Boner Kawanger 0]

If Beetle dies, I might give up comics for a while. I am fucking in love with Blue & Gold right now. It's bad enough they wrote Booster out of things following Identity Crisis. Here's the one big problem I have, which is summed up perfectly by this preview. I've been reading a lot of Batman and The Flash lately. I think Johns is great. But both of the books are starting to bother me in the way they open with the hero narrating "This is some stuff that happened to me. I'm The Flash/Batman". With stuff like JLI or even Formerly Known..., character interaction is the key that makes it work. There's hardly any heavy-handed or repetative narration. And the first thing I read on this preview? "This stuff happened to me when I was a kid. I'm the Blue Beetle." Don't get me wrong, I'm excited as all hell for these events, but if it turns every title grim, I'll probably start dropping titles. It's bad enough Dr. Light's newest power seems to be raping people.

[Special K 0]

It's bad enough Dr. Light's newest power seems to be raping people.

 

 

Noooooo!

[SuperJerk 0]

Anyone else think the very title of this series is a pathetic attempt to cash-in on something it has nothing to do with?

Maybe. Possibly. But DC has seemed to have planned their "event" miniseries with this in mind, so who knows?

What's next?

 

DC gonna release a cross-over mini-series called "JLA: The Watchtower Watchmen"?

 

 

This idiotic milking of the "Crisis on Infinite Earth" title is ridicules, especially when the new series has nothing to do with that series.

[Matt Young 0]

I will pick it up since I have been looking to get back into comics for a year and a half now, but I never found a place to jump in. This will be $1, so why the fuck not?

 

I also want to thank you for introducing me to popcultureshock.com. I had never been there, but it pretty much covers all my main interests save for women and wrestling. Great site.

[converge241 0]

a lot of stores got advance copies on monday of this week

 

my local clerk offered it to me last night but i resisted temptation

[JasonX 0]

I hear JSA is good, read a few issues but don't follow it hardcore. I knew Black Adam had Atom Smasher and was more of a Punisher type now

Actually a better description would be that Black Adam is the DCU's version of Magneto not the Punisher.

[JasonX 0]

a lot of stores got advance copies on monday of this week

 

my local clerk offered it to me last night but i resisted temptation

FYI the spoilers have hit the net and without explicitly spoiling what happens, lets just say the spoilers confirm that someone at DC fucking hates Keith Giffen and the Giffen JLA.

[Guest Joshua A. Norton]

Spoilers for whom it may concern by way of SDAusmus at the DVDVR Forums :

 

Blue Beetle investigates a conspiracy against the world's heroes that seems to be masterminded by Checkmate. Checkmate is using the Big Brother satellite that is part of Project O.M.A.C., which was started by Bruce Wayne's company but appropriated by Checkmate. Bruce has used this satellite before, and reveals that to Alfred that he knows about the League erasing his memory. Beetle keeps getting stifled and almost killed as he goes from hero to hero trying to figure out who's behind everything. Along the way, we get hints at what's coming up in all the big mini-series this year. Booster Gold tries helping out, but is nearly killed along the way, which helps Beetle discover that he's been under surveillance the entire time. He goes to Checkmate's headquarters and finds Max Lord, who is revealed to be the King of Checkmate. Max is using all this technology with the aim of destroying the world's most powerful (and thus most dangerous to the status quo) metahumans. He offers Beetle a place in Checkmate, but he refuses, so Max shoots him in the head. The End.

[Vyce 0]

Spoilers for whom it may concern by way of SDAusmus at the DVDVR Forums :

 

Blue Beetle investigates a conspiracy against the world's heroes that seems to be masterminded by Checkmate. Checkmate is using the Big Brother satellite that is part of Project O.M.A.C., which was started by Bruce Wayne's company but appropriated by Checkmate. Bruce has used this satellite before, and reveals that to Alfred that he knows about the League erasing his memory. Beetle keeps getting stifled and almost killed as he goes from hero to hero trying to figure out who's behind everything. Along the way, we get hints at what's coming up in all the big mini-series this year. Booster Gold tries helping out, but is nearly killed along the way, which helps Beetle discover that he's been under surveillance the entire time. He goes to Checkmate's headquarters and finds Max Lord, who is revealed to be the King of Checkmate. Max is using all this technology with the aim of destroying the world's most powerful (and thus most dangerous to the status quo) metahumans. He offers Beetle a place in Checkmate, but he refuses, so Max shoots him in the head. The End.

If that's true, than holy fuck.

 

I don't know if they're going to do it, but I have to say, if Bats *knows* that the League wiped his mind, they MUST have him bring the ass-kicking. I mean, seriously. At the very least, let him beat the shit out of Green Arrow or something - someone needs a good kicking in the ass.

 

And it just occurred to me that DC is so far ahead of Marvel these days creatively that it's not even close.

[starvenger 0]

Spoilers for whom it may concern by way of SDAusmus at the DVDVR Forums :

Based on that, I'd say that JasonX is right about DC hating the Superbuddies.

 

Speaking of the Superbuddies, I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League #2 was even better than the first.

[Vyce 0]

Spoilers for whom it may concern by way of SDAusmus at the DVDVR Forums :

Based on that, I'd say that JasonX is right about DC hating the Superbuddies.

 

Speaking of the Superbuddies, I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League #2 was even better than the first.

What's that in, JLA Classified #5?

 

I'm not feeling it. Maybe it's an acquired taste, because I read JLA Classified #4 and HATED it. It felt as if I was reading a comic book as done by the makers of Seinfeld.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

Yeah, #5. And I'd say it is an acquired taste. Like I said earlier, I like the serious books, but only to a certain point. I read comics for fun, so it helps if there's a fun book.

[SuperJerk 0]

Maxwell Lord is my Eric Bischoff.

[Sass 0]

Giffen really should be the EIC at DC. Then, maybe his stories and characters wouldn't get fucked around with so hard. I think this story puts the permanent kibosh on any future Giffen JLA-guys stories for a while too.

 

The ID of the King of Checkmate is still a sick swerve though. Too bad someone's gotta die...