COUNTDOWN #42
© DC
Mania Grade: B
Issue: 42
Authors: Paul Dini, Sean McKeever, Tony Bedard, Carlos Magno
Publisher: DC
Price: $2.99
Issue: 42
Authors: Paul Dini, Sean McKeever, Tony Bedard, Carlos Magno
Publisher: DC
Price: $2.99
COUNTDOWN #42
By: Kurt AmackerReview Date: Friday, July 20, 2007
This 42nd issue of DC’s backwards-numbered Countdown reveals – in this series – the death of Bart Allen, the Flash, at the hands of a group of Rogues. The Flash’s old nemesis, the Trickster, and his friend, the Pied Piper, find themselves caught in the middle. The two’s status as rogues or heroes remains questionable, as does their role in Allen’s murder. They were there, but it remains unclear how culpable they are. But, Deadshot doesn’t care, and he intends to bring them to justice. Elsewhere, Mary Marvel and the reformed-Riddler duke it out with Clayface as she questions her capacity for violence while bearing the mantle of Black Adam. At the same time, Holly Robinson continues to explore the opulent Athenian women’s shelter; Donna Troy; Jason Todd, and a Monitor visit the Palmerverse to find Ray Palmer; Jimmy Olsen still wants to be a superhero; and Karate Kid tries to bid good-bye to the Batman after their fight a few issues ago.
That sounds like a lot, and it highlights the series’s greatest weakness: it feels more like a series of mixed-up individual stories. I realize 52 began the same way and the threads more or less converged. But, Countdown feels less like a series of threads slowly coming together than a digest version of the DC Universe. We see a little of Amazon Attacks, we see the death of Bart Allen, we see Gotham, and it goes on. I may eat my words when it all comes together nicely in several weeks, but for now, it’s at least difficult to review what amounts to a few minutes of story for each thread intermingled. But, having read several issues in a sitting, the series features a few tales compelling in their own right. The idea of Jimmy Olsen trying to become a hero has, no doubt, been done before, but Paul Dini and company have at least complicated it with some of the practical concerns associated with spandex vigilanteism. Olsen’s not quite sure what powers he even has, and hiding his Mr. Action costume under his work uniform proves uncomfortable. Mary Marvel’s confrontation with the Riddler makes for an interesting juxtaposition, as one’s a villain-turned-hero and the other’s a hero-leaning-towards-villainy. And, as Karate Kid learns, Batman’s still kind of a mean guy. All of those things make this issue a worthwhile read, but it feels akin to cramming five different foods you enjoy into a blender and pressing “High.”
Greater things may lie ahead, but we’ll have to wait and see. You should read Countdown from the beginning, though, so don’t even think of jumping on with this issue. Get the back issues first and enjoy.
Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@mania.com.
More From Mania
Comicscape: Dan Didio’s Countdown to Internet Crisis
Countdown Akira
(Sunday, March 18, 2007)
Countdown Conjoined
(Friday, March 16, 2007)
Countdown - August 27-September 2, 2006
(Thursday, September 7, 2006)
See more related content
