Countdown to Final Crisis #1 - DC

Well . . this is the end of the Countdown. Or . . actually . . last issue's fight between Darkseid and Orion was the end. This . . this is as the title suggests . . Loose Ends. Basically, we see where all the Challengers, that we've come to know and love, over the previous months, have decided to do after their adrenaline pumped, universe spanning, adventure. Unfortunately, they all, in their own way, feel let down. Bored! Morose! Which is why, one by one, they all start showing up at Ray's house. Well except for . . the Piper. He's decided "This is my chance to settle some unfinished business . . this time on the side of the Angels." Jason Todd, who's gone back to his one man show, Gotham Chainsaw Massacre, or Jason Krueger: Nightmare on any street. Mary Marvel, who's decided to feel her oats and tries to take out Black Adam. And Buddy Blank, who on his world, has gotten a gift from Brother Eye and is now OMAC. Not the mindless drones that have been buzzing around lately, but the OMAC from the Jack Kirby mini-series back in the 70's. It's about time. Oh yeah . . also Harley and Holly haven't quite decided what they're going to do yet, but . . they'll probably be doing it together. Whatever "it" is. Meanwhile, the rest of our group . . Kyle, Donna, Ray (reluctantly), and Humbug or Ambush Bug or Forager or whatever her name is . . . have decided that they're going to be the one's to . . . Monitor the Monitors. Remember that question from the original Crisis series back in the 80's . . Who Monitors the Monitors? Well . . now we know. I just wonder if they know what they've bitten off here. And how will the punish them if they're bad? I guess we'll just have to wait for that story . . sometime in the near future . . I hope. Like I said, I thought this issue was anti-climatic . . but . . I still enjoyed it. There's still a lot of plot threads hanging on this one. And we still have Final Crisis, The War That Time Forgot, The Rann/Thanagar War, the Legion of 3 Worlds Crisis . . and anything else I'm leaving out . . coming up this summer, so . . don't think for a second that things have calmed down. You know what they say . . this is the end . . the end of the beginning.

Countdown to Final Crisis #2 - DC

This issue really comes down to two things . . . Darkseid . . . and Orion. Orion? I thought he was dead. Well . . obviously not. At the end of last issue, Ray Palmer, who had been hiding at Atom size inside of Jimmy, turned off the device that was going to allow Darkseid to claim all the New God's powers that he had been storing there. With nothing to hold him back, Jimmy went on the offensive and started giving Darkseid a good ol' fashioned throw-down. This issue Ray finds something else inside of Jimmy. We don't really know what it is, but I'm guessing it's the device that the powers were being stored in. Ray jumps out of Jimmy, causing him, I think, to shrink down and revert back to normal, and crushes the device in front of Darkseid. He's pissed. But before he can do anything . . Orion boom-tube's in from god only knows where. Then there's a serious thrown down. Long story short . . Orion ends up ripping Darkseids fiery heart right out of his body. And really, it was the way this story had to end . . father against son . . "the king is dead, long live the king". And then there was 1. 1 New God, and 1 chapter left in this story. Well . . 2 if you count the #0 issue. First this cover was graced by the excellent Adam Kubert. The interiors for this issue, and I think the previous 2, were by Scott Kolins. I'm sad that this series is coming to it's conclusion, but . . sometimes, the end is only the beginning. Or . . the beginning of . . the end. There's lots of stuff coming up this summer . . out of these story-lines, and I can't wait to see the changing face of the DC Universe when all's said and done. It is, after all, going to be . . the Final Crisis. I can't wait!

Countdown to Final Crisis #3 - DC

Well, it turns out that our team actually is back on Earth . . the right Earth . . and they've made contact with the Justice League, to ask for their help. Meanwhile, Mary has taken Jimmy to Darkseid. He's decided that he's wants all those powers back that he's been storing inside of him. "Brace yourself Red. This is the part where Darkseid tears open your ribcage and beats the living hell outta your vital organs." But, as if right on cue, Superman shows up to help his buddy out. He and Darkseid just start going at it. Shortly after, the rest of the heroes, as well as Forager, show up to try to help with Mary. Darkseid, however has a contingency plan set up. He's got some kind of Apokalyptic device inside of Jimmy that let's him control his powers. He can turn them on or off. Now he's turned them on and has his whole body acting like a Kryptonite reactor. However, remember when Ray disappeared last issue? Well, it turns out he's been hiding out in Jimmy's bloodstream. He finds the devices and then does the best he can to short circuit them. It seems like it's just in time. Mary has just gotten done giving a beat down to all the heroes, and Superman lies unconscious at Darkseid's feet. But with the control shut off, now Jimmy can control the powers and he looks like a giant when he starts to attack Darkseid. Can you believe there's only 3 issues to go. I'm counting the #0 issue also. This issue was deftly drawn by Freddie Williams II. He did a fantastic job. It's really going to be a nail-biter right to the very end. What a series!

Countdown to Final Crisis #4 - DC

Well after last issue, where they single-handedly destroy the Earth that Solomon had sent them to . . they get a bit of a respite this issue. But . . not much. As you can see from the cover, Mary is trying to come to terms with herself. Does she like her wholesome image . . or, does she enjoy the power? She sways towards the power this issue, but I don't think she's fully committed yet. I believe she can come back. Anyways, when the world was almost done last issue, Jimmy boom-tubed everyone back to what hopefully is their real Earth. For all intents and purposes it appears to be, but we don't really get anything solid to confirm that with this issue. Never-the-less, everybody splits up because they just want to go home. However, that's when Mary runs in to a bit of trouble, because at her home . . she finds Darkseid waiting for her. And he has in his hands, literally, the power that she left behind back on Apokolips. He's willing to give it to her and all he wants in return is . . . Jimmy Olsen. It appears that Karate Kid or Una didn't make the trip with them this time, so Ray Palmer seems to be a little lost. What's his purpose now if not to stop the Great Disaster. It's almost anti-climatic for him. But the rest of the team? They have a new mission because Mary does indeed come back and swoops up Jimmy. So now . . they're going to have to find him. A fantastic issue, with only 4 to go. With everything that I read that's planned . . I think it's going to be a busy summer in the DC Universe.

Countdown to Final Crisis #5 - DC

This issue, as well as the last, is told from the perspective of Buddy Blank. On this world Buddy is a scientist at Cadmus and is present when our Challengers arrive with their doomsday prophesies. Cadmus and Dubbilex do everything they can to try to figure out this Morticoccus and hopefully synthesize a antidote. But, from the moment the heroes arrived on this planet . . they doomed it. Val is already dead, so the virus is looking for a new host. When they try to tap his spine, the virus actually manifests itself in the shape of a giant tape-worm of sorts. It's actually very powerful. Buddy chronicles the fall of their civilization. But he's worried about his daughter and grandson. When everybody else at Cadmus gives up and decides they want to spend their final moments with their loved ones, Buddy also decides to make sure his kin is ok. With Una's help he does make it to their apartment. While the boy is ok, his daughter has been infected. As well as every cat, dog and rodent in the building. They travel to the roof to escape, but that where they find his infected daughter. Una probably could've handled her own against just the woman, but then the rodents start swarming over her and it's all she can do to keep her head up. Before she goes down though, she tosses he Legion ring to Buddy and tells him to save his grandson. He doesn't really want to, but he knows there's no hope for her. Luckily, since he worked for the government, he knows where all the bases are, and he goes to the Command D Bunker and decides to make it their new home. From there he reactivates Brother Eye so he can use it's satellite imagery to view what's going on in the rest of the world. As he's looking at his sleeping grandson, he's thinking, "I can only hope that one day, he'll forgive me . . . for making him the last boy on Earth." Now that sounds familiar. Either this is the world from the original OMAC series, by Jack Kirby . . . or . . it's the world of Kamandi. Pretty sneaky there. By the by, when the civilization is pretty much gone, and there's nothing else they can do, the Challengers use the mother-box to create a boom-tube to take them elsewhere. The question is . . where did they go? I like that this book is keeping up it's momentum, right to the very end. They actually have Jim Starlin doing the pencils on this issue. Fantastic! Only 5 more issues to go.

Countdown to Final Crisis #6 - DC

Well this is it. The great disaster is upon us. Well . . not upon us exactly . . actually it's upon the Earth that Solomon, the Monitor, sent all these heroes too. They're at Cadmus now and they're trying to synthesize a cure for the virus that running through Karate Kid's body, Morticoccus. It's a virus from the future and the only person that actually seems immune to it is Ray Palmer. So they're trying to use his blood to synthesize a cure. But the virus is adapting to fast. We basically get a science lesson this issue. We learn just what this Morticoccus does, and how it adapts to go from body to body. This is also related to what we learn about normal viruses, and how this one is different. But, the one thing I think is being forgotten in all this . . . the silver lining if you will . . is that someone infected with this virus, is unable to be acclimated by Brother Eye. So, when Brother Eye finishes with Apokolips, and decides to focus it's attention back on Earth, and it's inhabitants, they may need to use a form of this virus to stop the spread of the OMAC's. Like I said, it's a silver lining, but, right now, it doesn't really help Val . . who's dead. So basically with this issue we see the spread of this disease over this planet and the destruction of it's inhabitants. Also this Earth's Green Lantern has gone to space to find a cure from whatever source he can. The problem is . . he's also infected, so basically he's helping it spread . . all over the galaxy. Like I said, everything's going to be coming at us fast and furious now. This issue Mike Norton does the pencils. I thought he actually did a decent job. He grown a lot since he first popped up on the Atom. I enjoyed this issue, and I can't wait to see how this whole thing wraps up.

Countdown to Mystery #6 - DC

Both of these stories could be in their own books. But, luckily, for us, they've been brought together here. Fantastic! The story of Eclipso is really coming to a head. Bruce Gordon is now inhabited by Eclipso, but, this time, he seems to be able to control him . . . a bit. He can access his powers, without him taking over. And he can remember the things that happen when he is Eclipso. To bad he can't just stop the transformation all together. But, he does learn a new trick this issue. Eclipso is up to something big, and he's gathered some heavy hitters to help him get it done. Currently he's got Plastic-man, the Creeper and Dove working on his side. When Oracle is curious about some dealings a supposed mafioso boss is making, she sends Huntress in to gather some intel. However, it's really the base of operations for Eclipso. So, basically, she's overpowered and outnumbered. And, in the end, Eclipso turns her also. But Bruce knows this, like a dream, so he figures out that he can reconfigure the diamond so that it can absorb someone's evil as well as dispense it. Huntress has gone to kill someone that she thinks deserves it, but Bruce shows up in time to stop her from making a mistake. Instead, Crispus Allen, who's been following Bruce, lets the Spectre take over and he delves out the justice. We then find out that what Eclipso has been doing is gathering up all the shards of the black diamond from all over the planet, and reunited them in to one big crystal . . . the Heart of Darkness. He may soon be unstoppable. In the second story our new Dr. Fate, Kent Nelson, is trying to figure out what to do about Inza, who was sucked down the shower drain by Negal when she was trying to help him. So he's gone back to Maddy to see if she can help him. She shows him some of the history of the Helmet, but doesn't have a lot of advice when it comes to Negal. Later on Negal plays with his head again, showing him the world that is his dominion. When he gets out of it, he's tired of being messed with, so he just gives the Helmet to Maddy. "Here. It's yours. I surrender my hat to your superior wisdom. Have a nice life . . . and kindly get the %$#@ our of mine." Both, are great stories. However I do prefer the Justiniano art to that of Jorge Segovia. But . . it was ok too. Again, I just wonder where they're going to go when this mini is done.

Countdown to Final Crisis #7 - DC

Last issue the Monitor, Solomon, transported everyone back to Earth. The battle between he and Darkseid is raging on Apokolips. With Karate Kid coming back to Earth with the rest of the Challengers, Ray's going to have to do something to cure him, or the fate of the population of Earth is doomed. They try to go to the Justice League but it seems as if no one there remembers any of them. Holly and Harley have decided to head back to Gotham. Jason's gone off . . who knows where. Jimmy's decided that the Habitat is probably the safest place for him, since he has all these erratic powers popping up. Oh yeah, and Darkseid wants him because of something to do with his final plan. And Firestorm has gone to see his dad, since this is the first time he's been back on Earth in months. Well . . the best laid plans . . after everyone fails in their reunions, it finally dawns on them that they may not be on the right Earth. But, Val still needs medical attention. For his own good, and the fate of the Earth. Firestorm, and Jimmy, suggest that maybe this Earth has a Cadmus like their own, so they go there and get in pretty much unhindered. They do wrestle with some security, but they're a desperate force so they won't let anything stand in their way. That's when they come along Dubbilex. He's a little surprised that they know him, considering that this Dubbilex has never met any of them. But one the story's explained, and Dubbilex get's a little information from their minds confirming things, he seems pretty willing to help. The only problem is . . . Val is dead! First of all . . it's great to see Firestorm back in action. Secondly, Tom Derenick does the pencils for this issue, which looks fantastic. Finally, I love this series and these characters. With only 7 issues left, counting #0, I'm sure they're all going to be action packed. And then . . in a few months . . it's Final Crisis time! I can't wait.

Countdown to Final Crisis #8 - DC

Basically, the only thing left in the Fourth World right now is . . . Apokolips . . . and Darkseid. Well . . New Genesis is still in tact, but it's a ghost town. And Apokolips is about to fall under the machinations of Brother Eye. Once he assimilates the whole thing, that is. So the whole thing comes down to Darkseid and the Monitor, Solomon, scheming and arguing for control of the board. That's how they've both looked at this whole thing . . like a big chess game. We find out that it was actually Solomon that helped turn Captain Atom in to Monarch. He was the one that ruptured his suit and forced him to don the damning attire. Just as the virus that's festering in Karate Kid's body, the Morticoccus, is also Solomon's doing. Which is why I think they're both so keen to get ahold of Ray Palmer. His immune system, I think, is the wild-card in all of this. And Jimmy's change is a result of Darkseid's meddling. He's using Jimmy as a storage vessel for the powers of the various New Gods. He plans on retrieving them later. Meanwhile, on Apokolips, all our heroes have been brought together in to one big group. We got our Challengers, Ray Palmer, Mary Marvel, Firestorm, Una and Karate Kid, Holly and Harley Jimmy and Forager, and a few others that Jimmy picked up along the way. But for some reason, Ray Palmer is having a hard time wrapping his head around just what needs to be done. They're kind of all of the consensus that they need to let Karate Kid die. That may be the only way to stop the contagion. But I don't understand why they haven't considered injecting KK with some of Ray's blood? When he was jumping from universe to universe, that's what he was doing, picking people to carry the anti-dote. So why not use it here? I understand, the solution may not be that simple. But . . it's worth a shot. Right? They have decided that they need to do two things. First they have to keep Jimmy out of Darkseid's reach. And second, they have to figure out this whole "super-virus" thing, so they can protect Earth, and the rest of the universe. But Solomon's getting frustrated because they haven't decided on a course of action. So he prods them along by sending the whole lot of them back to Earth. Now it's a case of "put up . . or shut up". If they continue their course of inaction . . it could mean the death of millions. It's going to be a dramatic final 7 issues.

Countdown to Adventure #7 - DC

This book has proved to be very interesting. The only downfall? There's only 1 issue left. That stinks. Hopefully though, we'll see this concept carried on in some other book. There's going to be a Rann/Thanagar War book coming out in a couple of months. A mini-series. I'm sure we'll see Adam Strange there, but I don't really know about any of our other characters. We also might see Forerunner there. If for no other reason than that Golden Eagle is Thanagarian, and he's currently Forefunner's . . . concubine. In the Forerunner story, they're at the Source wall and they find a space-shuttle . . . one of NASA's . . . floating adrift. They bring it aboard and find someone cryogenically frozen inside. However, this issue, we don't find out who that is yet. Also, somehow, when they were near the wall, the Source drained most of the energy from their core reactors. So now, they're adrift in space also. This story is brought to us by Justin Gray and Fabrizio Fiorentino. Meanwhile, on Rann, Buddy, Ellen and Starfire have arrived from Earth. Their plan is to use Rann's triple sun to reboot the Princess' powers. They found that blasts of solar radiation can counter-effect Lady Styx's virus. They accomplish that, and Starfire sends out a burst that cure's the Rannians, but not before Hazard, the guy that replaced Adam, heads back to Earth. He also throws a wrench in the Zeta-beam so the others can't follow him. But, with everyone cured, that means that Sardath is of sound mind again, and since he's the one that created the Zeta-beam . . I'm sure he can fix it. Also, don't forget, during the course of all this, Adam had to destroy the whole Rannian fleet so that Hazard wouldn't lead them in an attack against the Thanagarians. But doesn't that leave them open to an attack themselves? I guess we'll have to wait and see how this affects the mini-series this summer. Now all they have to do is head back to Earth and cure the people of San-Diego there. However, the transmissions they receive show the city to be in pretty bad shape. The virus is out of control, and the Healers have begun sterilization. This story is brought to us by Adam Beechen and Allan Goldman. It's definitely an exciting and action-packed story-arc. With only one issue left, they're going to have to accomplish an awful lot next issue. I'm sure they will . . I'm just wondering how it's all going to affect the future. This was a fabulous mini-series.

Crime Bible : The Five Lessons of Blood #5 - DC

Each one of these books was a lesson. A lesson designed specifically for Renee. And Flay was the teacher. Now the Question . . pun intended . . is what is the lesson? So after last issue's threat . . he threatened to kill everyone she loves . . she's come to him for answers. My only question is . . what is the Fifth lesson? The first four were Deceit, Lust, Greed and Murder. But this issue seems to be about the Parable of the Faceless. I thought she was supposed to learn 5 lessons? Well anyways, she's come right to the source, the base of the Order of the Stone, to try to reason with Flay. I believe they're in Biayla, but I don't know for sure. But Flay, this time doesn't seem to want to teach her anything, he wants to test her on what she's learned. In combat. At first she doesn't want to fight, but he's holding Felicia as hostage. That's the whore she slept with in the lesson of Lust. She gets the advantage over him, but refuses to kill him. Instead she goes to rescue Felicia. But Flay's not giving her a choice. He follows her, threatening, and she's force to knock him off the walk-way. He falls on some jagged metal and is impaled. So what's the lesson in all of this? They were all in on it. Even Felicia. And now? Now they're all bowing at her feet, chanting, "Master . . . command us in Cain's name." I don't think this is what she was expecting. Brilliant story by Greg Rucka. I wasn't overly thrilled with the pencils of Manuel Garcia, but I will admit that his style was perfect for this story. But the Question is . . . where does Renee go from here? And is she still on the side of the angels?

Countdown to Final Crisis #9 - DC

Everything is hitting the fan now! Desaad is desperate for the Piper to play his flute. Through it he can access the anti-life equation. Then Desaad can control the Piper. We learn that everything that has led the Piper to this moment, has all been choreographed by Desaad. He's been controlling Piper's destiny for some time now. In an effort to get away from Desaad, he stumble across some OMAC's getting ready to dissect Karate Kid. We know that he carries the virus that could be the end of all mankind. But the twist is that the virus also stops the OMAC's from assimilating the human host. And it's the same virus which Ray Palmer naturally carries the immunity for in his system. Things are really starting to come together. Also we learn that Darkseid has some trick up his sleeve. It has something to do with a long gone experiment of Desaad's. Whatever it was never worked, but Darkseid feels he can use it to sidestep the coming catastrophe. He's even keeping it a secret from his chess partner, the Monitor, Solomon. At the end of this issue, Piper turns the tables on Desaad. He knows his own power better than anyone. He does indeed play a tune, but not the one Desaad is expecting. Instead the tune he plays, kills him. And then he goes to the power-core of this recently acclimated world of Brother-Eye's. There he plays a tune that basically puts the world in self-destruct mode. The problem our Challengers face is that their ticket through outer space, Kyle, is knocked out. Man . . this is a fantastic book. Like I said, all the pieces are coming together now, and things are going to be coming at us fast and furious. Are you ready? Lets get ready to . . . . .

Countdown to Final Crisis #10 - DC

This was a busy issue. Like the last, the whole thing takes place on Apokolips. We start out with Mary, Harley and Holly, fighting to get away from Granny and the Furies. But as they're getting away, Mary gets an epiphany that she knows where they're holding the Greek Gods. Her previous connections to them are helping to guide her. They have to go through a couple of obstacles but she uses the lightning the overcome the final one. The lightning shows the Challengers where they're at, but it also reveals the pantheon. They give Mary her powers back as gratitude. But they also grant Holly and Harley some powers too. "Harley Quinn, I grant you a small portion of the cunning of Thalia, muse of comedy! And I, Diana, grant Holly Robinson a portion of my skill and strength as a hunts-woman!" After that, they get back in to the fray, but somebody else comes along and takes out Granny. Meanwhile, Karate Kid is fighting an OMAC that used to be Una. It tries to assimilate him, but I think because of his virus though, he's immune to the process. The OMAC can't assimilate him. He crosses paths with Red Robin, Jason, but when he won't let him kill the OMAC, because of Una being inside it, he decides the Kid's to much trouble and takes off. The rest of our Challengers, Kyle, Donna and Ray, catch up to our trio of Greek powered misfits. Dessad, for some reason, has picked up the Piper. He wants him to play his pipe. He claims he can access the anti-life equation through his music. That's the first I've heard of that. Anyways, before anything else can happen there's an upheaval on the planet. Don't forget that when Karate Kid landed, he was brought her by Brother Eye. Well, it looks like Brother Eye has finished his mission. He's absorbed and transformed the entire planet of Apokolips to be his vessel. "Can you hear me, father Bruce. Eye am no longer a child. Eye have surpassed you, father. Eye have become a world unto myself!!" That . . can't be a good thing. Like I said, we're down to the final 10 . . there's gonna' be a Zero issue . . . so everything's going to be coming fast and furious at us from now on. Hang on kiddies! The rides about to get bumpy!

Countdown to Final Crisis #11 - DC

We're in the final stretch here . . and it looks like a lot of stuff is going to be happening really fast. This issue takes place entirely on Apokolips, because . . well, that's where everybody's at right now. And in the beginning of this issue, Brother-Eye lands there also. The problem is, nobody really knows why they've been brought there. Brother-Eye brought Karate Kid and Una along inside of itself. So they're just kind of wandering around wondering what to do. Karate Kid wants to find a way back to Earth, and Una just wants to lie low and stay under the radar. But all of that is taken out of their ands when Una starts to transform in to an OMAC. Our Challengers are also trying to figure out what to do. They know they're there for a reason, but they don't know what that is yet. Pied Piper has also shown up, but he's ready to give up. That is until someone comes along to get him. Holly, Harley and Mary are trying to fight their way out of Granny's compound, but at the end they're distracted because, I think, Mary has found the God's that have been being held captive. I'm sure she'll be rewarded for her fortitude. And Jimmy and Forager are also on their way there, but he's the only one that's thought enough to bring reinforcements. On their way there, they stop at the Habitat for some much needed back-up. Like I said, hot and heavy for the next 10 weeks. Now is when the fun begins.

Countdown to Final Crisis #12 - DC

With this issue, it seems like everyone is starting to come together. The problem is . . they're all coming together on Apokolips. Yuck!! We start out with Donna, Kyle, Jason and Ray. They've all just arrived. But after a cryptic message, I think Jimmy and Forager will be the next to arrive. We also get another glimpse, finally, of what's been going on on Paradise Island. Mary, Harley and Holly are all trying to stay under-cover to help out Queen Hippolyta. And they do well, until Mary has finally had enough and makes a scene, forcing Granny Goodness to show her hand. The end result is, I think, Hippolyta will finally regain control of her Island, and Granny has retreated to Apokolips, with Mary, Harley and Holly hot on her tail. Also, for some reason, the Pied Piper has a boom-tube dropped on him. And Brother Eye has finally decided to take off for Apokolips, with Karate Kid and Una on board. So whether Darkseid likes it or not, it looks like there's going to be a large gathering of heroes . . . right in his back yard. Much like the chess game that Darkseid and the Monitor, Solomon, are playing, it appears that all the important characters are being moved in to place for the end-game. Only 11 issues to go. And honestly, even this late in the game . . anything can happen. This was a fantastic book, and a fantastic series. And Final Crisis is just around the corner.

Black Adam #6 - DC

This is the last book in this series. But . . it doesn't really wrap up the story. Black Adam has obtained the final piece of Isis' amulet, and the bone from her ring finger. So now, he's heading back to Fate's tower to have

Felix Faust bring his beloved back to life. But, on the way, he stops in Fawcett City for a little sightseeing. And, by accident, discovers the word that Billy tried to keep hidden from him to give him his Black Adam powers back. It turns out to be Chocolate Egg Cream. Who knew? Besides Billy that is. Anyways, he get to the tower and has Faust perform the ceremony, but for some reason it doesn't work. He's beating up Faust when he appears to be possessed by Isis' spirit. Basically she condemns him for everything that he's done wrong and then she curses him. He goes running off screaming, and seeks solitude back in the Kahndaq embassy. And that's the end of the book. But, what Adam didn't see is that Faust pulled a fast one on him. He replaced Isis' bones with those of Ralph Digby's. So of course the spell wouldn't work. And the possession? A simple sham and trick for a sorcerer. After Adam leaves, he does indeed bring her back to life and apparantly has his own plans for her. They leave the tower together, and that's the last we see of them. So . . obviously . . the story isn't done here. But it'll be interesting to see where it does indeed go. Brilliant story by Peter J Tomasi. And the artwork by Doug Mahnke was simply breathtaking. Easily some of his best work to date. If you didn't pick this series up, I'm sure it'll be out in TPB soon. You should definitely read it.

Countdown to Final Crisis #13 - DC

Sometimes I really can't believe how good this book is. Especially coming out on a weekly title. And, admit it, even thought this title has changed from 52 to Countdown . . it's really the same book. Just a different focus. So they've really been doing this now for about 90 issues. That really is incredible, if you stop to think about it. Anyways, this whole thing about Earth 51 . . being the perfect Earth, and where Ray Palmer was working to stop the coming Crisis . . it's all moot now. Why? Because Superman-prime and Monarch have completely obliterated it. Well actually, not just the Earth, but the whole universe that it exists in. During their fight, Superman decided to rip Monarch's suit off, and the obliteration is a result of that action. But not to worry, none of our main characters perished. I'm sure Superman-prime and Monarch are floating around out there somewhere. And the Monitor of this Universe? Apparently she was the only one spared. Also our Challengers, Jason, Kyle, Donna and Ray, have all gone off the Apokolips. Solomon, the Monitor back at their base of operations, has beaten Forerunner. Didn't really think there was much of a chance there. And now Solomon and Darkseid seem to be in this chess match with the rest of the multi-verse as their playing board. We're down to the final 12. This is when things could get really hairy. We're already seeing preview of the new Final Crisis book by Grant Morrison and JG Jones. It's going to be a 7 issue series, like the first Identity Crisis book. It's listed for May. Start saving your pennies now.

Countdown to Adventure #6 - DC

This book has actually gotten quite good. First I think that Adam Beechen is doing a fantastic job with this story. Allan Goldman, who is on pencils, first came to our attention in the Superman titles. But, in the short time that he's been around, he has really blossomed in to a first rate artist. I really like how he does his action scenes. And in this book . . really . . it's one big action scene. With all the chaos that's been happening on Rann, Adam and his wife and daughter decide to go back to Earth and try to regroup, or at least get some help. But they soon find out that in Buddy's home town, they're dealing with just as much insanity. Actually more, since the aliens have shown up and decided to sterilize the Earth. Since Buddy seems to be the carrier, they have him in their possession, and once the group is all back together, they have no choice but to try to free him. And we know, obviously, that all of this is coming back to Lady Styx. Once they get Buddy, and they already know that solar radiation seems to be the only thing that can kick this, they decide to go back to Rann and try to recharge Koriand'r under it's triple suns. This is what they mean by stepping from the frying pan in to the fire. In the backup story, Forerunner has gotten a Hawkman of her own. His name is Golden Eagle. Wasn't there a Teen Titan named Golden Eagle, way back when, in one of their incarnations? Just wondering. Anyways she gets him in battle, by besting him. Much in the same way that she obtain the Thanagarian fighter ship last issue. And their next stop is the Source wall. This is a great book, that really has gotten better with every issue. But now . . we only have 2 issues to go. I really think we need a new Adventure Comics title out there. And after a 25 year absence it can start up with issue #504. What do you think?

Countdown to Final Crisis #14 - DC

Apparently this Earth 51 is to play a pivotal part in this whole Final Crisis thing. Because, the last few issues, this is where we've spent most of our time. But, it seems like Monarch's troops are destroying the whole thing. And now a Monitor . . Bob, I think . . has sent Superman-prime there because he has convinced him that this is the "perfect Earth" that he's been looking for. Meanwhile, Donna has defeated the other Wonder Girl, and has secretly taken her place. She did so to infiltrate her boss' headquarters . . Queen Belthera. She successfully does so, and then successfully defeats the Queen. Putting her in charge of all of her troops. "Ascension by combat! Hail to the Queen!" But that's ok, because later in the story when Monarch's troops are attacking, Donna has enough of her own to sway the battle. Jason, who was originally abducted, has convinced this world's Batman of who he is. In doing so, Bruce has decided to let him return to the mantle of his fallen comrade, Red Robin. He's also swayed him to take a more active role in what's going on in his world. In the last few years he's isolated himself from the rest of the world. But now, this world's Batman and Red Robin . . are back. And they are 2 peas in a pod, because neither of them have the compuncture against lethal violence that the team from our world does. Actually they both seem to relish in it. But it seems that all of this may be moot, because on the final page, Monarch and Superman-prime come face to face. And Superman is pissed. This issue has a neat origin of Gorilla Grodd in the back by Art Adams. A fantastic book. With only 13 issue to go . . there's going to be alot happening here.

Countdown Presents - Lord Havok and the Extremists #4 - DC

Another great story by Frank Tieri and Liam Sharp. Yes . . Liam actually does the pencils this issue. Yay! Anyways, this is another story-line in which I'm not exactly sure what the outcome, or resolution, of this whole thing is supposed to be. It looks like this is one of the Earth's that Monarch is going to destroy. He's taken a special interest in it because of Lord Havok's refusal to join his army. He's even gone to the point of helping the current President, Americommando. He's taken out targets, and people, to make it look like the Extremists are out of control. And to sway the opinion towards Americommando's resolution to declare all-out war on them. This issue also gives us a bit of a look in to Dreamslayer. But anyways, my question is, if this world is just going to be destroyed, than, really, what is the purpose of all of this. We're getting introduced to, and shown the origins of, all of the Extremists. But why? If they're all going away after this series, then really, what's the point. I like them. I think they're interesting. I just wish I knew what was going to happen afterwards. My only assumption is that there will be some kind of book, or books, that will highlight some of the various Earth's after this whole Final Crisis thing. But I've seen the previews up to June or July . . . and I see nothing. There's a few new titles coming out, but nothing that has to do with characters that are not already established in the DC Universe. I guess that must be the point . . to keep us waiting.