I'm finished with Countdown

[Matt Hazuda]

DC's 2nd weekly series is now dead to me. In case you haven't seen the October solicts (http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/Oct07/solicitations.html) yet, there are a frak-ton of books tying into Countdown. Books I do not want to read, but apparently are rather crucial to the storyline. Rather than making a stand-alone book that didn't need any other books as required reading, DC has decided to make everything required reading, and that just don't cut it for me.

DC comics has continually proved that their 3 year saga of a neverending Crisis is a failure. Rather than making things that could be easily accessible to new readers, they've done the reverse and lifted the iron curtain of obscurity, to make it so only the most dedicated of fans who have been reading over 20 years of material can get the full experience out of whatever it is they're planning.

I'm not dumping all my DC books due to this though. There are a lot of corners of the DCU that somehow manage to be good in spite of Dan Didio's madness. Titles such as Blue Beetle, Shadowpact and the current Sinestro Corps Wars running in both Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps are quite enjoyable to read without bringing in the excess baggage tied to so many DCU titles. I'm sure there are other books out there as well that you may like, so let me know.

As more and more DC books begin to be pulled into the black hole that is Countdown, I will slowly begin to remove them from my pull list. DC has learned absolutely nothing about what it takes to make a combined universe without forcing the reader to buy a multitude of titles or have no clue what is going on, and that is a shame, since they have so many characters with potential that are wasted, or just killed due to laziness over there.

[wonderfly]

So, you're still buying Marvel comics, right? ;)

[rggkjg1]

out of all the "events" i've experienced over the years, i've realised that the tie ins are always rarely crucial to the storyline. the only thing that's crucial to the story is the main series.

[Matt Hazuda]

So, you're still buying Marvel comics, right? ;)Damn straight :D


out of all the "events" i've experienced over the years, i've realised that the tie ins are always rarely crucial to the storyline. the only thing that's crucial to the story is the main series.That's the huge problem with Countdown though. It's taking the normal method in reverse. You need to buy the minis, since threads that started in the main title are moving there (The Search for Ray Palmer, The Death of the New Gods, etc.)

[Shawn Hopkins]

I thought 52 was a great story. It was pretty much self-contained, too. I know they came out with some World War III tie ins, but I didn't read them and I felt like I hadn't missed anything at all.

But following one weekly comic with another was just too much for me. Following 52 and making sure I didn't miss an issue wore me out. I don't even have a comic store in my town, I was just lucky enough to snag a copy from Barnes and Noble 52 times, except for some I missed and had to pick up at the comic store. The fact that Countdown is more closely tied to the DCU and has a bunch of tie-ins planned makes it even more daunting. No thanks.

I really don't like DC's constant crossover fever. Honestly, how often do great stories come from big companywide crossovers? There's always too many cooks and it makes for a very thin gruel. Some of the Infinite Crisis Crossovers were a waste of time, and look at how uneven, even contradictory in theme the Civil War crossovers from Marvel were. The main mini tried to present the war as more balanced, the regular books came down more pro-Cap's team. And the Wolverine issues were just terrible, they even featured Luke Cage coming down sort of pro-registration, even though that's way out of character for him and he was a main player on Cap's team.

Laying off the crossovers for a while would give the writers more chances to do good one or two issue stories, or at least not interrupt their ongoing decompressed arcs. I'm glad they allowed Paul Dini to do this with Batman, "E. Nigma Consulting Detective" and "Slayride" are classics.

[Matt Hazuda]

Laying off the crossovers for a while would give the writers more chances to do good one or two issue stories, or at least not interrupt their ongoing decompressed arcs. I'm glad they allowed Paul Dini to do this with Batman, "E. Nigma Consulting Detective" and "Slayride" are classics.I forgot to mention how much I love Paul Dini's run on Detective Comics. He manages to tell a great, done-in-one (or two) story with each issue what would take other writers 6 issues, and it would probably not be as fun.

Making The Riddler a "good guy" was one of the best things he did for the book and I love the detective Nigma.

[Gokou Ruri]

52 was awesome and a great read. Countdown is just... so bland to me, it reeks of being an obvious marketing gimmick.

[DBZALLSTAR]

I'm afraid that I have to agree. I'm am probably one of the biggest comic book geeks that you will ever meet, and even I am sick of all the new series coming out of Countdown. Why should we, the consumers, have to buy each miniseries or one-shot that is released in order to get the entire story or understand the main series. You have to be reading some of the ongoing series just to get parts of Countdown. Why would you add to that? Is DC that desperate for money?
With Coundtown we have the following series spinning out of it, 52, or leading up to the new Final Crisis even, which has become a new marketing tool:

Black Atom: The Dark Age (Six Issue Miniseries)
Booster Gold (Ongoing Series)
Captain Carrot and the Final Ark (Three Issue Miniseries)
Countdown Presents Lord Havok and the Extremists (6 Issue Miniseries)
Countdown Presents The Search For Ray Palmer (Two One Shots with more to come, I'm sure)
Countdown to Adventure (Eight Issue Miniseries)
Countdown to Mystery (Eight Issue Miniseries)
Death of the New Gods (6 Issue Miniseries)
52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen
Gotham Underground (Eight Issue Miniseries)
Infinity Inc. (Ongoing Series)
Metal Men (Ongoing Series)
Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag (6 Issue Miniseries)

Let me know if I am missing anything.

We'll leave the Green Lantern Sinestro Corps stuff alone since that really only affects a few titles right now. I'm sure it will eventually affect Countdown and Final Crisis, but we'll leave it be for now.

I know that I don't have to buy every single thing DC releases. I know that eventually everything will be released in a cheaper format, TPBs. It just seems to me that it's a little much. This isn't abut telling a good story anymore, IMHO. This seems to be about making as much money as possible, and I don't like it. I may be wrong, but it's just my humble opinion, as I said. Comics are supposed to be fun, and I'm sure that some of these books will be great. As I said, it's just a little too much. Marvel has been guilty of the same thing in the past, but you didn't need all the different series to understand the complete story.

I think that I have ranted enough for now. What does everyone else think?:D

Also, 400 Posts! It only took me five years! :)

[rggkjg1]

Black Atom: The Dark Age (Six Issue Miniseries)
Booster Gold (Ongoing Series)
Captain Carrot and the Final Ark (Three Issue Miniseries)
Countdown Presents Lord Havok and the Extremists (6 Issue Miniseries)
Countdown Presents The Search For Ray Palmer (Two One Shots with more to come, I'm sure)
Countdown to Adventure (Eight Issue Miniseries)
Countdown to Mystery (Eight Issue Miniseries)
Death of the New Gods (6 Issue Miniseries)
52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen
Gotham Underground (Eight Issue Miniseries)
Infinity Inc. (Ongoing Series)
Metal Men (Ongoing Series)
Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag (6 Issue Miniseries)
HAHAHAHAHA. like i said, the only thing that matters is the main series. just because it says on the cover that it's a tie in, doesnt mean it matters. if something "serious" occurs in a tie in, you are going to get a flashback/reference to it in the main series. so your not really in the dark.

[DBZALLSTAR]

I know that the main series will reference it, but if you're really into the story, you're going to want all the little character moments that are included in the tie-ins. You have to admit. DC is overdoing things just a little bit. They've been telling us for years that these events are supposed to fix the continuity errors, but it seems like an impossibility with all of these new series popping up. Take the Sinestro Corps One Shot for example: How is Kyle supposed to be infected with Parallax and searching for Ray Palmer at the same time?:confused: We need a guide to continuity for DC as well as Marvel. Those little boxes stating which week of Countdown the books take place in don't really clear things up.:)

[Jin Kazama]

I do it the same way I always do. Just like Infinite Crisis. I'll get the main series, and the comics I normally get. If something looks good, I may pick it up.

Take Countdown: The Search for Ray Palmer. I'm getting it, but not because I feel the need to due to the tie-in. But because I like the characters involved.

Like the new Blue Beetle comic. I loved Infinite Crisis. But do I buy Beetle? No. Because I don't like the character. He could be the savior of the Multi-Verse and an integral part of Final Crisis. But I won't read it.

The key thing of note is that anything that you absolutely must know will be covered in the main mini, even if it's in a thought balloon.

[Shawn Hopkins]

I do it the same way I always do. Just like Infinite Crisis. I'll get the main series, and the comics I normally get. If something looks good, I may pick it up.

Take Countdown: The Search for Ray Palmer. I'm getting it, but not because I feel the need to due to the tie-in. But because I like the characters involved.

Like the new Blue Beetle comic. I loved Infinite Crisis. But do I buy Beetle? No. Because I don't like the character. He could be the savior of the Multi-Verse and an integral part of Final Crisis. But I won't read it.

The key thing of note is that anything that you absolutely must know will be covered in the main mini, even if it's in a thought balloon.

Thought balloon? I think I vaguely recall those. It seems like so long ago. I haven't seen thought balloons in DC or Marvel books for years. The thought balloon is dead.

We'll probably get it in one of those hard to follow narrative captions where one color represents one hero and another represents another character and you don't know who the hell is speaking.

Honestly, I don't think you'll need to read the crossovers either, but not because the main book will do a good job of explaining it. It's because most of the crossovers with these events are just so damn pointless. They really add little to the story. I mean, we saw the Titans get wiped out in Infinite Crisis, right. You could buy the issue of Teen Titans that month and see pretty much the same scene, with slightly worse art and very few worthwhile added insights.

[Russkafin]

Thought balloon? I think I vaguely recall those. It seems like so long ago. I haven't seen thought balloons in DC or Marvel books for years. The thought balloon is dead.

Believe it or not, Bendis has brought it back in "Mighty Avengers."

[JAG]

How much are the Titans tied into Countdown and whatever else is going on? The only books I regularly get are Teen Titans and Brave and the Bold (and TTG, but that doesn't really count), but I haven't read any Titans books since issue 44. I have them, I just haven't been able to read them yet. I know that they are heavily involved in Amazons Attack, but the book store where I buy my comics doesn't sell it. Is reading AA essential to understanding what's going on?

Note: No spoilers, if possible, please. Especially about lineup changes, as I already know more than I would like to.

[Jin Kazama]

I want to say "Very Tied In," but I don't want to spoil much. I'll throw it in a spoiler box for you, in case you want to read it.

The entire Countdown started with a Monitor killing Joker's Daughter, who was a Titan. Not for long, but that started the tie-in with Titans.

Then Bart was killed, and they had an entire Countdown issue with his funeral, mostly involving the Titans.

Not to mention, three of the big main players of Countdown (Donna Troy, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson) have all been tied to the Titans.

[JAG]

Okay, thanks. What about Amazons Attack? Do I need to buy that to understand the Titans books that are tied into it?

[Draft]

Ya, i only Buy Teen Titans(I'm not a comic book Junkie, this is the only superhero book i buy, rest is Bongo Comics and CN Action Party with Megas XLR), Is there anything i should try and look up to know what the **** is going on. Lately i have been confused, especially about Bart..

[Jin Kazama]

Maybe a Titans thread should be started. Is there enough people that even read it? Just might be helpful the newer readers if they're curious.


Okay, thanks. What about Amazons Attack? Do I need to buy that to understand the Titans books that are tied into it?

Honestly, I haven't touched Amazon's Attack. I'm not too big a fan of Wonder Woman (Like the character, but her comics have never done it for me), and I can't stand the new Supergirl. But I read the most recent Titans issue (the first to tie into AA), and you get the gist of it pretty well. It's pretty streamlined.


Ya, i only Buy Teen Titans(I'm not a comic book Junkie, this is the only superhero book i buy, rest is Bongo Comics and CN Action Party with Megas XLR), Is there anything i should try and look up to know what the **** is going on. Lately i have been confused, especially about Bart..

Pretty much all of the Titans stuff is collected in Trade form. I'm not sure if the One Year Later stuff is (anything from the past year), but probably the first 30-40 issues are. They're even numbered on the bottom of the spines so you know what order to read them in. It's really nice.

[JAG]

Well, that's a relief. Thanks.

[DBZALLSTAR]

Teen Titans Volume Six: Titans Around the World is the most recent trade to be released, collecting # 34-41.

[wonderfly]

Apparently you're not the only one finished with Countdown:

From New Joe Friday's on Newsarama (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=121825)



NRAMA: Switching gears, over the past two months, Marvel has opened up a sizable market share lead over your traditional rival – this past month nearly 20 percentage points in terms of number of comics and trades sold to comic shops. These figures are clearly new highs in the post-Marvel Chapter 11/Diamond era.
JQ: I guess.
NRAMA: To what to you attribute this? Is this just cyclical, and you happen to be enjoying a couple of great months? Do you foresee a longer-term trend here? What’s your overall take on the situation?
JQ: I attribute this to the incredible hard work that all of our creators and my editors have done over the last few year. The small peanut gallery can complain and hate Civil War as much as they want, just as they hated the New Avengers and every single new initiative (pardon the pun) that we’ve done over the last three years, but the incredible success we’re having right now is because of all of those seeds that were first planted with Avengers Disassembled and House of M. I know, I know, we’ve destroyed the Marvel Comics that you’ve known and loved and yet here we are with more people reading Marvel than ever.
How many times here on New Joe Fridays have I said that when you look at all the hallmarks of comic’s storytelling, they all have one thing in common and that is great change to the status quo.
Our writers and artist along with the editorial crew have been pretty daring, they’ve taken risks and they’ve made the Marvel Universe an incredibly compelling place. To me it feels like those first years when the Universe was created, when it was all unpredictable and new.
I mean, come on now the Hulk has invaded Earth and is kicking ass and not even bothering to take names.
We’ve also marketed well, but it really is all about the creative, we’re in the zone and the fans are responding.
As for it being cyclical, I don’t know. Usually when you see a wide gap is does only last a bit, or sometimes it could be that a big book or two slips it’s ship date from one month to another, but it should be an interesting remainder of 2007 as we still have some pretty big stuff happening, I mean there’s still One More Day (shameless, shameless plug, I should be embarrassed), Amazing Spider-Man going to three times a month, the X-Men event and a bunch of other very cool stuff. So, I personally feel that we’re slowly building on our past successes. I would be concerned if I felt that the stories weren’t there, but I’m really confident in what our creators are doing.

[danreyes1]

I'm sticking with Countdown. I know it's going to lead to something big (This supposed Final Crisis). My complaint isn't the tie-ins. I just stick to my favourite core titles (Teen Titans, JLA, JSA) and see what the net has to say about my peripheral titles. I've completely ignored the Amazons Attack series, and I feel like I'm not missing anything, even in regards to Countdown.

My complaint about Countdown is its pacing. Instead of focusing on a little part of every story, they should focus most of the issue on one of the stories, with a few hints towards the rest.

At this point I'm buying 2 or 3 comics a week. Almost always DC. Maybe it's because the series is aimed at the fans like me.

[Draft]

Maybe a Titans thread should be started. Is there enough people that even read it? Just might be helpful the newer readers if they're curious.



Honestly, I haven't touched Amazon's Attack. I'm not too big a fan of Wonder Woman (Like the character, but her comics have never done it for me), and I can't stand the new Supergirl. But I read the most recent Titans issue (the first to tie into AA), and you get the gist of it pretty well. It's pretty streamlined.



Pretty much all of the Titans stuff is collected in Trade form. I'm not sure if the One Year Later stuff is (anything from the past year), but probably the first 30-40 issues are. They're even numbered on the bottom of the spines so you know what order to read them in. It's really nice.

No No No

I buy Teen titans(I have 1-Probably 2nd Recent Issue) But a lot of details are with Countdown lately, like i had no idea why Bart left the Titans, and stuff like that, i am often confused on what's goin on..

[Matt Hazuda]

No No No

I buy Teen titans(I have 1-Probably 2nd Recent Issue) But a lot of details are with Countdown lately, like i had no idea why Bart left the Titans, and stuff like that, i am often confused on what's goin on..Bart left the Titans this past year due to the most recent Crisis. He, along with the current Flash (Wally West) and a few others dragged Superboy Prime into the Speed Force in an effort to stop his attacks. They failed though, and Superboy Prime escaped, along with a now older Bart, who took over the mantle of the Flash, as he was the only living speedster who could harness the force. He most recently died at the hands of the Rogues, after losing his powers trying to stop the evil teen speedster from the future, Inertia, from destroying the world.


Back on to the Countdown subject, one week later and I'm still happy I chose to escape when I did. DC is an utter mess and I'm curious what fan reaction their panels at this week's Comic-Con will have.

This Newsarama blog post (http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/07/24/how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-dc/) has a few links to more DC or Countdown dissenters, and Brian Hibbs' own well-written Tilting at Windwills (http://www.newsarama.com/Tilting2_0/Tilting42.html) column takes a look at it from the retailer's POV.

Is it just me, or is DC looking to implode in on itself at the rate it is going. I can only hope that the Final Crisis wipes at least some of the slate clean and Dan Didio hands in his resignation.

I also hear rumblings of something about a Legendary line of titles (think All-Star, but not a total failure to meet deadlines) in this post-Crisis world. This could be the shining star DC needs if it hopes to gain back the dwindling number of readers before a total collapse of the line happens once again.

[wonderfly]

Back on to the Countdown subject, one week later and I'm still happy I chose to escape when I did. DC is an utter mess and I'm curious what fan reaction their panels at this week's Comic-Con will have.

This Newsarama blog post (http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/07/24/how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-dc/) has a few links to more DC or Countdown dissenters, and Brian Hibbs' own well-written Tilting at Windwills (http://www.newsarama.com/Tilting2_0/Tilting42.html) column takes a look at it from the retailer's POV.

Is it just me, or is DC looking to implode in on itself at the rate it is going. I can only hope that the Final Crisis wipes at least some of the slate clean and Dan Didio hands in his resignation.

I also hear rumblings of something about a Legendary line of titles (think All-Star, but not a total failure to meet deadlines) in this post-Crisis world. This could be the shining star DC needs if it hopes to gain back the dwindling number of readers before a total collapse of the line happens once again.


Is it wrong for me to enjoy seeing the DC line implode? I'm sure it's because I'm a total Marvel zombie, but I think DC is out of control, (and I'm not saying Marvel is perfect, but...they must be doing something right).

[Matt Hazuda]

Is it wrong for me to enjoy seeing the DC line implode? I'm sure it's because I'm a total Marvel zombie, but I think DC is out of control, (and I'm not saying Marvel is perfect, but...they must be doing something right).Yeah, that something is keeping costs at least semi-reasonable.

Newsarama posted a cost breakdown (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=122299) of Countdown vs World War Hulk and all the crossover issues tied to it. Obviously a lot of the WWH tie-ins are not needed, whereas Countdown's minis almost all spill out of the main event, thus making them rather necessary. It sucks cause I would have probably gotten one or two of them, but I'll just have to hope DC manages to put out TPBs in a timely manner for that stuff (something else they normally failure miserably at).

[Jin Kazama]

See, the thing I see with DC is that they're not imploding, but trying to see how far that they can take it before they fix it all again.

I think it's a given at this point that the end of Countdown (and probably Final Crisis) is the re-formation of the "One Earth" thing. What Infinite Crisis was supposed to be before it caught on like mad and they wanted to streatch it out. So they're trying to see how far they can get away with stuff, as idiotic and stupid as some of it is, because they know they'll just fix it all in a year anyway.

Like throwing a very visible, and very public, sketch board out there. Feelers. If it takes, cool. If not, you fix it.

It's a big gamble, though.

[danreyes1]

Yeah, that something is keeping costs at least semi-reasonable.

Newsarama posted a cost breakdown (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=122299) of Countdown vs World War Hulk and all the crossover issues tied to it. Obviously a lot of the WWH tie-ins are not needed, whereas Countdown's minis almost all spill out of the main event, thus making them rather necessary. It sucks cause I would have probably gotten one or two of them, but I'll just have to hope DC manages to put out TPBs in a timely manner for that stuff (something else they normally failure miserably at).

Looking at that cost breakdown, I actually feel better about spending money on Countdown. I thought it'd be a whole lot more, and considering I'm not buying every tie in and how much I'm spending on comics in general it really isn't that much. But then again I have the money to spend...

For me, the thing about DC and its huge crossovers is it actually keeps me in the comic world. I got into comics because of Infinite Crisis. I followed Marvel's mega events but never really felt connected. I thought that I'd be
buying less comics after Infinite Crisis. They draw me in with 52. When that's over, Countdown. And then there will be Final Crisis. They just keep drawing me back in. Yes, that's their plan, I'm falling for their sales-grabbing scheme, but I'm enjoying it so I don't really care.

[Beyond Batman]

You got further than me.... I tapped out after 52 issue 16. I just can't seem to keep up. I just stay up to date by talking to my friends at the shop.

[Matt Hazuda]

You got further than me.... I tapped out after 52 issue 16. I just can't seem to keep up. I just stay up to date by talking to my friends at the shop.


The difference is 52 was actually good and not forcing you to buy a crapload of other stuff to get the full story. It existed in a vacuum all by itself and DC sealed it off by making sure no other books were allowed to mention any events critical to 52 and keeping certain characters off-limits to them so they'd only be exclusively seen in 52.

Where 52 was the pious girl who waits till she's married to show it all, Countdown is the slutty sorority girl who gets drunk all the time and does everybody just because she can.

[Comic Book Boy]

I think DC needs to do their events more sporadically. We've been completely bombarded with events, and i'm not interested in trying to follow them. DC should do more smaller stories like HUSH that only affect one character. Superman could use a good arc, so could Wonder Woman and countless others. Put the A-list talent on the single books and do less events.
The cool think about Marvel's CIVIL WAR was that they don't do events very often.

[hobbyfan]

I too have dropped Countdown, but for a different reason. I'm getting out of comics.

Right now, I'm down to four titles: Justice League of America, Justice Society of America, Spirit, & Detective. Probably by year's end, it'll be just the Spirit, depending on who takes over for Darwyn Cooke. It's getting too expensive at $3 per issue, and I'm not stepping down to get the Johnny DC books. It's time to cut ties. Just the four titles I mentioned, and filling older books I've been collecting.

Essentially, DC lost me when they started messing with the Marvels. Mary now wears black (and looks hotter than ever), and as for the boys, the less said the better. I dropped Trials of Shazam! after 7, and I don't think that's actually out every 4 weeks. More like 6.

Now, if DC really wants to create buzz, have Batman dump Catwoman for Zatanna.:D :D :D

[danreyes1]

The cool think about Marvel's CIVIL WAR was that they don't do events very often.

Avenger's Disassembled, House of M, and Planet Hulk anyone? Marvel has been on a mega-event binge as long as DC has.

Me, I simply prefer the ones that come out of DC Comics because I know the universe. Marvel's usually leave me cold because I have no idea who the characters are or what the significance is.

And I personally prefer DC's flights of fancy to Marvel's down-to-earth style stories anyway. Crossover event or not.

[danreyes1]

I too have dropped Countdown, but for a different reason. I'm getting out of comics.

Right now, I'm down to four titles: Justice League of America, Justice Society of America, Spirit, & Detective. Probably by year's end, it'll be just the Spirit, depending on who takes over for Darwyn Cooke. It's getting too expensive at $3 per issue, and I'm not stepping down to get the Johnny DC books. It's time to cut ties. Just the four titles I mentioned, and filling older books I've been collecting.

Good for you. I myself usually spend between $6 and $10 a week because of comics, but it sometimes goes as high as $20. As long as I can afford that and I enjoy the comics, it's not a big problem, but spending over $300 a year on comics is a tad much. But then again, there's worse that I can spend my money on.

[Matt Hazuda]

Avenger's Disassembled, House of M, and Planet Hulk anyone? Marvel has been on a mega-event binge as long as DC has.

Me, I simply prefer the ones that come out of DC Comics because I know the universe. Marvel's usually leave me cold because I have no idea who the characters are or what the significance is.

And I personally prefer DC's flights of fancy to Marvel's down-to-earth style stories anyway. Crossover event or not.Marvel's at least involve just a corner of the universe, rather than the entire thing in most cases.

[danreyes1]

Marvel's at least involve just a corner of the universe, rather than the entire thing in most cases.

Well, like I said, it's just my personal preference. And even so I tend to stick with what's happening on DC's Earth and don't read much of their off-planet exploits, though I am going to have to start reading the Sinestro Corps. Wars.

[Robin2099]

Marvel's at least involve just a corner of the universe, rather than the entire thing in most cases. Marvel's just as bad. During Civil War, every book was tying into it. Then you also had things like CWF, and other books. Countdown has a lot of tie-ins, but it's not impossible to follow the story. I skipped AA and other tie ins and have no trouble following the story.

[danreyes1]

I think the real irony here is that most people are giving up on it just as it's starting to pick up. The past couple of issues have actually been fairly interesting. Not essential material, but fun to read regardless.

[Matt Hazuda]

I think the real irony here is that most people are giving up on it just as it's starting to pick up. The past couple of issues have actually been fairly interesting. Not essential material, but fun to read regardless.The problem is what DC thinks "fun" is. They think it's killing off characters quicker and retconning rape into continuity. Countdown and its crap-ton of crossovers can go fly a kite.

On a side note, did anyone get JSA #8? Without giving away anything, the ending reminded me of the "surf's up!" ending to an episode of The Simpsons and just made me laugh as I had to look if I missed a panel. It was silly, but also fun. The good kind, not the rapey kind.

[danreyes1]

Well, like I keep saying, personal preference. I'm having fun with it, so I'll stick with it.

And yes, JSA 8 was fun. I was amused that everything that has happened since the beginning of the series has taken place within the space of one week. And now we have a Kingdom Come crossover to look forward to. Great series.

[wonderfly]

Just to bring this back up for discussion, we now have Dan Didio himself stepping forward to defend "Countdown" (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125767)