Official DC "Countdown" Thread

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Discuss the latest DC weekly comic book series here.

 

And to kick it off, Here are the first ten pages of Countdown #51

 

[tbondrage99 0]

Looks interesting enough but I dont think I can handle another weekly series right now.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

issue 51 recap

 

Note: To read the whole issue on the net go to www.myspace.com/comicbooks and add the site as a friend

 

COUNTDOWN #51

 

Look to the Skies

 

Inks by Jimmy Palmiotti, Pencils by Jesus Saiz and written by Paul Dini

 

Now

 

The lab of Desaad’s lab on Apokolips

Desaad is visited by Darkseid who tells him, Desaad, that he sees “the time fast approaching when existence itself shall be recreated and Darkseid shall be the architect.” Looking down at a number of miniatures that resemble DC heroes and villains, Darkseid picks up on that resembles the Joker’s Daughter, Duela and sets her back down.

 

 

 

Back on (one of the) Earths

Duela, visiting from a neighboring Earth, is in a bar and grabs a girl and jumps out the window in an attempt to kidnap her for 10 million dollars. Once outside the window Duela opens up a large balloon that is strapped to her back. As the two are floating down the balloon is shot and starts to lose air. Duela drops the girl to save herself and lands on a roof top. When Duela looks up she notices that the girl had been caught by the Red Hood (Jason Todd) and that it was the Red Hood that shot her balloon. Duela grabs the remains of the balloon and jumps off of the roof top, using the balloon now as a parachute. Red Hood fires at Duela, cutting the chute just above her hands causing her to drop. Duela grabs onto a flagpole and swings herself up onto a rooftop and takes off, only to be followed by Red Hood.

 

 

 

At a Hospital close by

Mary Marvel is being discharged after coming out of her coma. Mary is told that her bills have been paid for by Freddy Freeman. Mary is then handed a note left by Freddy telling her “Don’t try and find me.” Mary leaves the hospital and says “Shazam” but she does not change, instead it starts to rain. He turns and walks away telling herself that she is powerless, not helpless.

 

 

Rogue Heat Wave answers his apartment door to the Trickster who is standing there

with a bag of pretzels and a case of beer. Thinking that the pretzels are a trick, Heat Wave burns the bag only to find out that the trick was the case of beer which pops all over him. Trickster enters the apartment and goes downstairs where he and Heat Wave start to talk about the Flash and how the line between Rogues and the Flash have become blurred and the Trickster and Pied Pier were practically Flash’s sidekicks. Unknown to then, they were being watched by rat which is now being called back by the Pied Pier. “We’ll have to play this carefully…if the Rogues really are planning something, I can’t let Trickster get in my way. But for now, let’s have another tune. No one wants to be the first guest at a party.

 

 

The chase between Duela and Red Hood continues. Duela turns around and shoots a

Spray-Taser which is blocked and sent back to her knocking her to the ground. As Duela looks up she notices that it wasn’t Red Hood that she tried to taser. Meanwhile, the Red Hood is handing the girl Duela tried to kidnap over to a police officer when he hears Duela scream and runs off towards her.

In an alleyway, Duela hops up onto the ladder of a fire escape only to have it shot out, sending her back to the ground. As she looks up she sees the same figure with a gun, “This world is not yours. Your presence in it is not tolerated. The penalty is death.” Just as the figure is about to fire, it is attacked by the Red Hood and revealed to be a Monitor. When Jason asks “What are you?” the Monitor tells him “The Multiverse’s only hope” and turns and fires on Duela. Jason hits the Monitor who hits back in return sending Jason to the ground. The Monitor then pulls his gun and is about to shot Jason when another Monitor arrives and shots the first Monitor’s gun out of his hand.

M2: This is a gross violation of your jurisdiction, brother.

M1: Tell that to the World Jumpers, the Death Cheaters and the other criminals who defile the Multiverse.

M2: I’ll tell it to our society. You have acted without authorization.

M1: I need none to eradicate vermin. I’m sure the others will agree with me.

The first Monitor phases out leaving the second Monitor behind. The Monitor turns and looks at Duela and Red Hood and says he is sorry and then leaves himself. Red Hood goes over to Duela to find that she is dead.

 

 

Out in Space, the Source Wall

A Monitor arrives at the Source Wall in a protective bubble and starts to talk to the wall.

M: There is rising tension in the Multiverse. We who monitor its borders have felt this. It has created unrest even among our ranks. Why is this happening?

SW: Great Disaster (written in flame)

M: Then the end time that was foretold is fast approaching. You must tell me more. What is going to happen? How can it be prevented? What is the solution to the Great Disaster?

SW: Ray Palmer (written in flame)

 

Countdown 50 10 page preview

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...logID=263499908

[Steviekick 0]

Countdown looks very promising.

 

I am a bit more intersted in it than I was in 52, but that's mainly because I'm a Dini mark.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Well after three issues the series has been a BIG disappointment to me, the story hasn't made me care about anyone.

 

But here are the recaps

 

Issue 50

 

Jimmy Olsen enters a locked building thanks to the help of Superman’s heat vision. Inside the building is the Red Hood, who is taking out a bunch of High-Tech Ninjas. Once the fight is over, Jimmy comes out of hiding to talk to the Red Hood. He tells him that he is working on a story about the death of the Joker’s Daughter. Red tells Jimmy that she was killed by an alien and that if he wants “answers for questions beyond reason, there’s a guy in Arkham Asylum who wrote the book on crazy.

 

-Mary Marvel pays a visit to Madame Xanadu to find out about her future and the loss of her powers. Xanadu tells Mary that Freddy is nowhere to be found. Mary is then informed that even if she does regain her powers or any variation of them to say out of Gotham as Gotham isn’t safe for magic.

 

-Batman fights Karate Kid and upon defeating him takes him to the Hall.

***this is the same fight from Justice League of America #8***

 

-The Rogues are having a meeting and talking about their lack of trust in Trickster and Pied Pier. After a scuffle, Mirror Master begins to leave but tells the Rogues of a meeting tomorrow night and that “we’re gonna need a display of loyalty from both Piper and Trickster before you get info on the plan. Oh, an’ if yeh don’t show up, we’ll hunt yeh down and kill yeh”.

 

-Jimmy Olsen arrives at Arkham Asylum to see the Joker. When he gets to the Joker he tells him that his daughter has been murdered and wonders if the Joker knows who might have done it. The Joker gets all distraught and then tells Jimmy that he doesn’t have a daughter. Joker also says that something weird is happening to the world "A universal conspiracy". In the meanwhile Killer Croc is bound and being lead out of a cell by some guards. As Jimmy turns to leave he takes out his cell phone to check in with Lois and when his back is turned Killer Croc busts out of his bindings and leaps towards Jimmy.

 

Issue 49

 

-Jimmy Olsen verses Killer Croc at Arkham Asylum.

While talking to Lois Lane on his cell phone, Jimmy Olsen is attacked by Killer Croc whom has just escaped his bindings. Croc gives a fierce swipe with his right claws against the left side of Jimmy’s face but is startled to find that Jimmy has stretched out his body. While on his back Jimmy give Croc a swift kick to the head. Croc comes towards Jimmy again but is hit with tasers from the guards and taken back into custody. When the guards check in on Jimmy, they find that he is alright and not sure what happened himself.

 

-When Monitors meet and disagree.

The Blue tunic Monitor and the Purple tunic Monitor have words with each other with the other Monitors present. Blue is still upset with Purple over killing Duela but Purple sees nothing wrong with it as she shouldn’t have been alive in the first place. Purple argues that they have seen what happens when individuals stray from one universe to the next and must we have another Crisis to move them into action. Purple points to a computer screen and asks them to look at the loose ends left over from the last Crisis. One the screen is Karate Kid, Nightwing, Supergirl, the “new” Legion, Red Hood, Ion, and Donna Troy.

 

-Karate Kid locked up.

Karate Kid is locked up in the JLoA Satellite. Roy is at KK’s cell and is asking him what is going on in the future where they have to come back to the 21st century. KK tells Roy that he is some hero, keeping him locked up for no reason. Roy tells KK that he might free him if he would only answer the question. KK tells Roy that he is the sixth person to interrogate him so why would he tell him anything when the other five were actually in the history books.

KK: “Red Arrow”? Red? Is originally not in vogue in this time period?

Roy: Oh, because Karate Kid is completely unheard of. Hey, do me a favor, would you?

Wax off.

 

Karate Kid laughs.

 

-Pied Piper helps steal 100 Million Dollars. IS he back to being a Rogue?

Trying to prove their worth to Mirror Master, Trickster and the Pied Piper steal 100 Million dollars from a guy that made money from selling bad stocks to old people. Using his flute the Pier instructs the man to wire the funds to an account and then to jump off the boat they are on out in the Atlantic. Once the money hits Mirror Masters account he is happy with the transaction but is quickly deprived of the funds by Pied Piper who says that it is payback for MM killing his parents. MM tells PP that it is fair enough but if he crosses him again that he is dead. The Trickster approaches Pied Piper who is now outside and say that he figured out what is going on, that Pied Piper used his flute to make the man they just robbed swim five miles back to shore without even tiring. Trickster tells Pied Piper to transfer the money into his account or he will rat him out to the other Rogues. Piper had initially sent the funds to a Children’s Homeless Fund.

 

-Mary Marvel goes to Gotham and finds herself in trouble. And wait until you see who her rescuer is.

Mary is chased by three street thugs into an old church. The first thug comes through the door and tells Mary that the place has no phone, power or water since the ragheads moved out. Two hands are then seen grabbing the thug and pulling him up; “Ragheads? I detest that term”. And with a “SKLUTCH” the thug is dead.

MM: (thoughts) The mugger flies apart in more pieces than I can count. If I could afford to eat today, I’d be losing my lunch. Tripped over something or someone.

 

Mary looks around while picking herself up off the floor to see a number of dead bodies.

 

MM: …Who…? Who are they…?

 

Mary looks up top see a man in the rafters.

BA: Drug Addicts, squatters, real estate agents…people stupid enough to intrude upon my solitude…people like you.

 

Black Adam flies down upon Mary.

 

MM: Adam? WAIT! It’s Me. Mary Marvel.

BA: Well, then. This day is not a total lose.

 

 

Issue 48 Cover

 

[Vampiro69 0]

Thanks for recapping the series for me KAM. I can't get to the comic shop very often and these are quite helpful. Plus, we still have Black Adam around!

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Countdown so far has stunk big time.

 

However here is Dan Didio breaking down the first Countdown teaser image with the heroes

 

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=118774

 

 

Now here is the newly released teaser with the villains

 

[Steviekick 0]

Ethan Van Sciver's art is very hit-or-miss for me, but hot damn that's an awesome picture.

[Vampiro69 0]

Ethan Van Sciver's art is very hit-or-miss for me, but hot damn that's an awesome picture.

 

Agree 100%!