Countdown: Forty-Five


countdown 45Boy howdy, a lot of stuff sure did happen this week in the DC Universe! The Legion of Superheroes from the 31st Century finally made their purpose known in the pages of Justice League of America, one of the biggest characters in the universe died, another returned from the dead, and the JLA got its newest member. I’d be lost if it weren’t for Countdown, the self-described “backbone” of the DCU, where everything that’s happening in all the latest comics is brought to the forefront and given a bit of attention! Oh, wait, what’s that? Countdown doesn’t do any of those things? The Legionnaires are still on the Justice League’s satellite, and nobody knows what’s going to happen next? Nobody has noticed that the aforementioned huge character has died? Remember the past few weeks, when the Flash’s Rogues were plotting something in Countdown? They’re not even in this issue, and their plot has completely run its course in “Flash: Fastest Man Alive!” I guess DC lied to us, since everything that’s happening in the DCU today is not mentioned in Countdown.

Good, I say. If I want to see the Flash die, I’ll read the Flash. If I want to see Wally West return, I’ll read Justice League. Thankfully, this issue of Countdown sticks to its main storylines, focusing on the fight between Jason Todd, Donna Troy, and Forerunner, as well as Jimmy Olsen’s further mysterious happenings, with Monitors aplenty. The issue closes with one of the Monitors interfering in the Forerunner fight, telling Forerunner to stand down. She feels all bad about not completing her duties and stuff, but, apparently, a mysterious shadow-lurker has big plans for her future. Who is this mystery man? Why, no other than Captain Atom, fresh from hanging out in the Bleed for the past few months. Welcome back, guy who turned Bludhaven into a crater!

This series continues to bore me. The problem is, it’s suffering from a severe case of identity crisis. While it wants to keep current events of the DCU in its pages and serve as a “backbone” and all that nonsense, it just can’t keep up with what’s going on. Not to mention, the stories unique to Countdown, like the New Gods bidness and Jimmy Olsen’s mystery, are far more interesting than the boring supplemental filler that graces the rest of this series’ pages. I really don’t think we need two pages of Karate Kid and Starman on the JLA satellite, where they’re doing absolutely nothing, when their storyline just came to a conclusion this very week.

Countdown needs to focus more on what makes it unique, rather than trying to be everything to everybody. God, I sound like an after school special. Don’t do drugs, kids. Well, unless you want to. They’re actually a lot of fun. Hell, I’m high right now.