At some point in time during one of my posts I lamented the fact that I failed to write about each issue of 52. It was a great series and I was sad to see it go.
At that time I had grand plans to write about each and every issue of Countdown… then I actually read the first issue. It was horrible. I thought this thing would eventually pick up and get better, but alas it was not meant to be. After giving this series several months I have finally dropped it from my list. It’s poorly written, poorly illustrated and generally boring. Honestly I’m not hooked by the Jimmy Olsen suddenly gaining powers thing… it’s been done.
In case you don’t know, the entire comic is centered around the Multiverse. This is the first time ever that DC has centered a major event around the Multiverse. Oh wait, no it’s not. Nearly every DC event is centered around either multiple Earths or multiple universes or parallel dimensions. Even 52, which I enjoyed, ended up being all about the re-birth of the Multiverse.
How about pushing the boundaries and actually allowing the writer’s to exercise their imaginations?
Not only is Countdown boring, it’s extremely confusing. Did I miss the issue where the Flash dies? I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure that happened outside of Countdown… and that’s the problem. Countdown makes an attempt to be a continuous crossover between each and every DC title, yet in order to keep some type of consistency in the way of characters, we’re tossed the crumbs of the DCU: Jimmy Olsen, Mary Marvel, Trickster, Pied Piper and a few other lame characters that no one cares about.
For nearly two years I’ve bashed Marvel, but in all honesty, they’re doing a much better job than DC. Yes Civil War was over-hyped and largely disappointing, but at least it was an attempt to do something new. World War Hulk is great fun thus far and Thor looks promising. I love reading the Initiative titles, Iron Man and Captain America are great comics and even the X-Men Endangered Species event has been good thus far.
Don’t be an idiot: avoid Countdown. It’s a pathetic attempt to keep pulling in cash from loyal 52 readers. Regardless of what DC claims, you don’t need to read Countdown to keep your finger on the pulse of the DC Universe.
3 responses to “Avoid DC Comics Countdown if You Know What’s Good for You!”
Mary Marvel rocks. The Marvel Family has a large and extremely loyal following. Too bad DC Comics doesn’t give a shit about Mary, the rest of the Marvel Family, or their admirers.
Mary Marvel isn’t lame; the story they’ve given her is.
Good point, I’d have to agree with you actually. DC would rather pump money in to a failing title like Supergirl rather than improve on some very interesting characters (the Marvel Family) by giving them good story lines.
I really enjoyed reading about Black Adam in 52, and hoped that would lead to something better than the belated World War 3 and then Countdown.
I would still qualify Mary Marvel as a “crumb” of the DC Universe as that is how they treat her, but the statement that no one cares about her is definitely not true… thanks for the correction!
[…] 3-2-1 Action is a 3 part story spanning Action Comics 852 – 854. Kurt Busiek has maintained a pretty steady flow of good dialogue and interesting plots during his run on Action Comics, and he continues to maintain a good level of quality even during a tie-in with DC’s worst comic, Countdown. […]