Countdown to Final Crisis
Encyclopedia
Countdown, known as Countdown to Final Crisis for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book
limited series
published by DC Comics
. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of the last issue of 52
. The series is written primarily by Paul Dini
, along with a rotating team of writers and artists.
Countdown consists of 51 issues, number in reverse, published weekly for one year, crossing over with noteworthy and significant titles published by DC. The series covers much of the fictional DC Universe
- told in parallel narratives, through the interconnecting stories of a cast of characters, and frequently crosses over with various other DC titles. Unlike the 52 limited series of the previous year, Countdown is not depicted as taking place in "real time" but presumably operates on the same vague timescale as DC Comics stories in general.
, which, in contrast, did not cross over with DC's other regular titles. 52 concluded with the revelation that the Multiverse
(a storytelling device which posits the existence of alternate realities
) exists, and which now serves as a backdrop to several stories in Countdown. Beginning with issue #26, the series trade dress
was reworked to identify the series as Countdown to Final Crisis, The stories taking place in Countdown set the stage for the approaching Final Crisis
limited series.
Countdown to Final Crisis was originally intended to run from issues #51-0, with issue 0 serving as the prologue to the Final Crisis limited series. Instead, it was decided that Countdown would conclude with issue #1 and the #0 issue was retitled to DC Universe #0. DC Universe #0 was co-written by Grant Morrison
and Geoff Johns
and served as a summary of recent events within the DC Universe in order to attract new readers before the company launched the Final Crisis
limited series.
While the book was billed as leading up to the beginning of DC's Final Crisis
limited series, it later emerged that the plotlines in Countdown had diverged from what was written for Final Crisis, leading to continuity problems between the two books, as noted by Final Crisis author Grant Morrision. Much of the comic has subsequently been retconned out of continuity, along with Death of the New Gods. Jimmy Olsen learning Superman's identity, the battle between him and Darkseid, and other such events have been ignored following the conclusion of the series. During a DC Nation panel at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con, DC Editor-in-Chief Dan DiDio
invited fans to give their own opinions on "what went wrong" with Countdown. DiDio had reportedly described the series (prior to its release) as "52
done right."
, Darkseid
and Desaad
discuss the coming of a time with existence being recreated with Darkseid as the architect. Darkseid has what appears to be a chess-board with pieces representing the Joker
, Donna Troy
, Green Arrow
, the Flash
, Holly Robinson
, Batman
, Jason Todd
, Hawkman
, Killer Croc
, Martian Manhunter
, Superman
, Wonder Woman
, OMAC
, Jimmy Olsen
, Nightwing
, Duela Dent
, and Black Adam
. Later, as the New Gods
Lightray
and Sleez
are killed by an unknown, mysterious figure, Darkseid converses with a concubine and Desaad. When the concubine comments on Darkseid showing a moment of weakness, Darkseid kills her and tells Desaad to remove the vocal cords from the next concubine. The conversation is witnessed by Forager
of New Genesis, who is spying on them to see if Darkseid is responsible for the recent murders of the New Gods. Forager is attacked by a guard and escapes. The Deep Six are killed soon afterwards by the same mysterious figure. Darkseid shows knowledge of the New Gods dying across the galaxy and the mystery figure killing them, and decides to use the New Gods as pawns in a complex scheme intended to result in his rule of the entire Multiverse. Mary Marvel is brought before Darkseid, who tells her that he wants a sorcerer and that she is it. When she refuses his offer, they briefly fight before Desaad arrives and distracts Darkseid long enough for Mary to escape. Eclipso assures Darkseid that she will bring Mary back. Darkseid later gives Mary her powers back and orders her to capture Jimmy Olsen. Later, Darkseid is about to siphon Jimmy's superpowers out of him before his son Orion
emerges from a Boom Tube and apparently kills him after ripping his heart out. The Monitor Solomon places a chess piece of Darkseid onto the Source Wall as a memento of his victory.
, former Robin
Jason Todd
(now calling himself the "Red Hood") is witness to the murder of Duela Dent at the hands of a rogue Monitor, who claims her presence in this world is not tolerated as she is from an alternate Earth. Jason later meets former Wonder Girl
Donna Troy
after the other Teen Titans later pay their respects to Duela Dent's grave and speculates that the two of them, like Duela, may not belong in this reality either. During the Amazons' attack on Washington D.C., Jason and Donna discuss the Monitors and the original Monitor
and Anti-Monitor
when they are attacked by the "Forerunner
" who had been sent by the Monitors. Another Monitor arrives to save Jason and Donna from the Forerunners and takes them to safety.
At the funeral of the Flash, Bart Allen
, the Monitor tells Jason and Donna that the former Atom
, Ray Palmer, is alive and lost somewhere in the Nanoverse, and that locating him is key to surviving the coming crisis. Donna, Jason and the Monitor (nicknamed "Bob" by Jason), meet with current Atom Ryan Choi in Ivy Town to recruit him in the search for Ray Palmer. Searching for him within the microscopic "Nanoverse", they are captured by Queen Belthera, and are later rescued by Kyle Rayner
before Ryan Choi is abducted back into Ivy Town. Kyle informs the group that they will have to tour the Multiverse to find Ray Palmer, and they encounter the Authority on Earth-50, a Soviet Superman on Earth-30, and the Crime Society on Earth-3. As they leave Earth-3, they are unexpectedly joined by the Jokester (the Joker's moral counterpart and father of Duela), passing through Earth-15 and later Earth-8, where Lord Havok
and the Extremists
capture them before an invasion by Monarch and his newest recruits, the Crime Society gives Jason the opportunity to feign a betrayal, allowing their eventual escape.
Arriving on Earth-12, a universe resembling the Batman Beyond
television series, another Monitor who has named himself Nix Uotan arrives, and informs Bob that all the Monitors have taken on names for themselves, such as the Monitor of Earth-8, who now calls himself Solomon. By stating that Ray Palmer lives "a life of no consequence", he unintentionally reveals the location of Ray Palmer and Bob reasons that the only way Nix Uotan could know what Ray is doing is if he was on his Earth. The group then arrive on Earth-51, a near-perfect world where super-crime has long been eradicated. They locate Ray, living the life of his deceased counterpart. Bob reveals himself to have been working for Solomon's cause and tells Ray that he must be exterminated. The Challengers attempt to stop Bob, who succeeds in killing the alternate versions of Barry Allen
, Ralph Dibny and Jean Loring, but Ray and the Challengers escape. After Monarch descends upon Earth-51, with his Crime Society and Extremists recruits, Kyle and Ray are then confronted by Power Ring and alternate versions of Booster Gold and Supergirl, whilst elsewhere Donna faces an alternate version of herself as Jason fights with Gorgon of Earth-8.
Jason is accosted by the Batman of Earth-51, who had eradicated the super-villains of his world following his Jason's murder (as Jason wished that his Batman would have done). Eventually warming to Jason, he gives him a new costume, one that his world's Jason never got the chance to wear, and Jason assumes the mantle of "Red Robin". Meanwhile, Queen Belthera also arrives on Earth-51 and sends her insect armies into the fight, which includes the evil alternate Donna.
After "Dark Donna" is defeated, New Earth's Donna is able to masquerade as her to get close to Belthera, kill her and assume leadership of Belthera's troops by right of conquest. Ray and Kyle are also able to deal with their opponents quickly and Ray explains why his counterpart on Earth-51 was so important: Earth-51's Ray discovered a sentient virus named Morticoccus and had it quarantined. However when the Multiverse was discovered, Ray theorized that Morticoccus could exist on other Earths and set about using his own superhuman immune system to immunize their populations. After the death of Earth-51's Ray Palmer, the New Earth Ray Palmer found his research and continued his work, leaving an atom symbol on those who he had immunized.
Kyle, Jason, Donna, Ray and the Batman of Earth-51 are reunited as they approach their confrontation with Monarch but encounter a message written in large flaming letters: To Apokolips. Before they decide their next move, the Earth-51 Batman confronts a group of Monarch's soldiers led by the Joker only to be killed by Ultraman. As Jason stops to mourn the loss of the alternate Batman, he finds the Joker laughing amongst the rubble and kills him. The Challengers are then met by Nix Uotan, who explains that the message came from The Source and sends them to Apokolips.
On Apokolips, the Challengers are confused as to why they are there as Palmer says it is not connected to the Great Disaster. Jason tires of their bickering and leaves. Upon seeing Brother Eye, Jason contemplates using it to get back home. While searching for Jason, the Challengers find Mary, Harley, Holly and then Karate Kid, just after Brother Eye removes the Morticoccus virus from him. The group, along with Jason, prepares to confront Brother Eye, who uses a Boom Tube to send them to Apokolips' surface. The group is caught in the shockwave of Apokolips' destruction just as they are about to be attacked by an army of OMACs.
The Challengers, Ray Palmer, Firestorm, Una, Harley, Holly, and Mary Marvel attempt to figure out what to do about Karate Kid, who lays dying from the virus he's carrying. Solomon, the Monitor of Earth-8, arrives and sends everyone back to Earth. Jason leaves the group upon their arrival. Soon after, the group discovers that no one recognizes them, and that their homes and headquarters are not there. The group goes to see Dubbilex
for help with Karate Kid, only to learn that he has already died. When Karate Kid's autopsy is performed, Morticoccus is accidentally released, grows and attacks the Challengers. The virus is captured by Rayner and explodes. However, it is discovered that the virus began spreading across the planet before the autopsy, causing infected humans to devolve into animalistic savages and infected animals to gain human-like traits. Una helps Buddy Blank reach his daughter's apartment and the two locate Buddy's daughter, who has been infected by the virus, and his grandson, who is immune. Una dies while protecting Buddy and his grandson from a swarm of rats, and gives Buddy her Legion Flight Ring, which he uses to take him and his grandson to Cadmus's Command D facility. The Challengers then leave the reconstituted Earth-51 and return home. After witnessing Darkseid's death, Jason returns to being a solo anti-hero while Donna, Kyle, Ray Palmer and Forager, along with the Monitor Nix Uotan, reform the Challengers and watch over the other Monitors.
awakens from a coma after the events of The Trials of Shazam! in which she lost her abilities mid-flight due to the death of Shazam, and fell three miles. She seeks Freddy Freeman, who paid her hospital bills, and consults Madame Xanadu
, who fails to locate Freddy and warns Mary not to go to Gotham City. Ignoring her, Mary is chased by thugs through the Gotham subway, and finds the former Kahndaq
i Embassy, where Black Adam
has been hiding. Adam appears, saves Mary, and, following a discussion, transfers his powers to Mary. Mary acquires the powers of Black Adam, Isis
, and Osiris
as a result.
Soon after getting these powers, she battles a demon composed of stillborns. Mary eventually locates Billy, who explains that he has replaced the wizard Shazam and that Freddy will replace him. Billy scolds Mary for taking Black Adam's powers and Mary protests that she will use them for good. In Gotham City, Mary encounters former super-villain the Riddler
at a crime scene. Mary apprehends Clayface
, deploying excessive violence. Riddler suggests she seek a mentor while Eclipso
watches with interest.
Mary seeks out Zatanna
, who senses a new darkness in Mary. Zatanna brings Mary to her home, Shadowcrest, where she trains Mary. Mary suffers a sudden mood swing and challenges Zatanna to battle, wielding one of her magic rods. Eclipso observes as Zatanna turns Mary's own lightning against her. Zatanna banishes Mary from Shadowcrest.
In the Chinese Market Mary meets Klarion the Witch boy, who tries to get some of her power. After Eclipso attempts to corrupt Mary, the Shadowpact
take notice of Mary's activities, and attack Mary and Eclipso, who are overwhelmed and escape. Eclipso takes Mary to meet Darkseid, who offers to show her true darkness. Upon observing his treatment of people as mere puppets, Mary attacks him. An interruption by Desaad allows Mary to escape. Eclipso talks Mary into returning to Darkseid and submitting to his authority, suggesting that she can usurp his powers if she grows strong enough. The asteroid on which Mary and Eclipso are standing is destroyed by a stray shot from the Dominators
and Monarch's armies. After Eclipso teleports her to safety, Mary blasts Eclipso with her own black diamond after realizing that Eclipso was only interested in selling her to Darkseid as a concubine in exchange for power. Eclipso manages to wrest the diamond from Mary's grasp, and leaves, telling her that she is once again alone. Eclipso then attempts to kill Mary, but finds that she is too strong. During their battle, Mary calls down the lightning, which strikes the two of them, causing Mary to fall into the ocean and wash up on the shores of Themiscyra.
Holly Robinson
arrives in Metropolis
, hoping to embark on a fresh start. Holly is offered a place to live at a women's shelter
, where she meets the reformed Harleen Quinzel
. She is outraged to find that the refuge refuses shelter to a single mother and speaks to their leader, Athena
, who convinces Holly to go on a quest.
Holly reveals to Harleen that she has been asked to take part in Athena's self-esteem workshop; Harleen is overjoyed at the news. Holly is subjected to a purification ritual in which the women are made to fight one another. Holly and Harley are the only warriors left standing. The two are taken to Themiscyra, and told by Athena that their first test is to out-swim the island's water guardians. The recruits are led through a series of increasingly dangerous obstacles.
Holly and Harley explore a cave outside the confines of the training ground, and discover the cave is being used as a hideout by Hippolyta, who reveals to the two of them that Athena is a fake, and advises them to play along until the truth can be uncovered.
Holly and Harley take Mary Marvel to Hippolyta, who detects that Mary is powerless and that darkness was inside of her. After explaining the situation to her, the three ask for Mary's help. Mary poses as a slave to spy.
The group reveals Granny's identity to the trainees, and after Hippolyta wounds her, she flees to Apokolips, with Mary, Holly, and Harley in pursuit. On Apokolips, Mary, Holly and Harley fight Lashina, Stompa and Mad Harriet of the Female Furies. Lashina and Stompa are defeated while Mad Harriet is accidentally killed by Apokoliptian soldiers. While formulating an escape plan, Mary says she hears the Greek gods. The group manage to free the Greek gods from an Apokoliptian chamber, and Mary regains her powers and previous costume, now with a gray lightning bolt, after saying the magic word "Shazam". At the same time the goddesses Thalia, Muse
of Comedy, and Diana, Goddess of the Hunt, grant powers to Harley Quinn and Holly Robinson, respectively. The now empowered group pursue Granny Goodness, who is killed by the God-Killer before their eyes. After returning to their own Earth, Holly and Harley return to Gotham, while Mary returns to her apartment and finds Darkseid waiting for her. Darkseid offers to return Black Adam's powers to her in exchange for bringing him Jimmy Olsen. Mary agrees, and with her restored powers she quickly overcomes the Challengers and captures Jimmy. When the Challengers and the Justice League come to save Jimmy, Mary takes out most of them single-handedly. After the death of Darkseid, Harley and Holly return to Gotham and share an apartment while Mary tracks down Black Adam, hoping to become part of a new Black Marvel Family. Black Adam rejects her and leaves, and Mary declares that she does not need anyone.
Jimmy Olsen locates the Red Hood
, Jason Todd, and interviews him about the death of Duela Dent. Jason suggests that he interview the Joker in Arkham Asylum
. The Joker states that he never had a daughter, and alludes to a larger conspiracy. While calling Lois to inform her of his dead end, Jimmy is attacked by Killer Croc. To Jimmy's surprise, his body stretches, similar to Plastic Man
and the Elongated Man
, meaning Killer Croc cannot penetrate his skin.
Jimmy displays other powers, such as super-speed. He also has the ability to project spines from his body, but the powers manifest themselves at irregular intervals. Jimmy witnesses the death of the New God Lightray, and dreams of being trapped in the Source Wall
. He meets a former minion of Darkseid named Sleez, who is killed before he can reveal anything, although he hears the words "So begins the end." Jimmy resolves to use his new powers to become a superhero and designs a costume and calls himself Mr. Action. He revels in his new popularity, and decides to join the Teen Titans. Titans’ leader Robin
begs him to reconsider, as his powers only manifest when he is in danger. Jimmy confronts Clark Kent and reveals he knows Clark is Superman: he pulls away Clark's shirt to reveal Superman's costume. Jimmy tries out for membership in the Justice League, but is deflated when his powers do not manifest.
John Henry Irons
tests Jimmy's powers using metahuman biofeedback
, but the display generates complicated images of the Source Wall and alternate Earths. On his way home, Jimmy meets two members of Cadmus
, who offer their assistance, take him back to their HQ, and run tests on him. Jimmy's powers go haywire, and he runs off to keep himself from hurting anyone. He encounters the Newsboy Legion
, who offer him shelter. Jimmy encounters Forager
, who asks for help in stopping the killing of the New Gods. On Apokolips, Jimmy and Forager fight Parademons and are overpowered and taken prisoner. The Monitors decide that Jimmy is not meant to control his powers and that he is being manipulated. Jimmy is sent to the slave pits, where his overseers are ordered to torture him; Mister Miracle
comes to his aid. Unable to discern the nature of Jimmy's powers with his Mother Box, Mister Miracle gambles by dropping Olsen into a fire pit. Jimmy survives by assuming a turtle-like form. Jimmy locates Forager, who then attacks him. Jimmy duplicates the powers of a Mother Box to restore Forager's sanity. When the two of them are confronted by Bernadeth
, Jimmy manages to open a Boom Tube and returns to Earth with Forager, whereupon he kisses her.
Back at Jimmy's apartment, Forager reveals to Jimmy that he is a soul catcher, who is collecting the spirits of the deceased New Gods. Jimmy later sees the words "To Apokolips" daubed on his bathroom cabinet. Before going to Apokolips, Jimmy decides to go and seek the aid of the "Hairies" of the Habitat.
Jimmy travels to Apokolips and decides to confront Darkseid to determine his involvement with what is going on with his manifesting powers. Solomon tells him that he had been turned into a spirit collector by Darkseid, who plans to drain him of all his powers when the time comes. He is then sent back to Earth along with everyone else. Jimmy is later captured by Mary Marvel who intends to deliver him to Darkseid. Darkseid turns Jimmy's powers off and prepares to absorb them, but is attacked by Superman. As they battle, Mary Marvel fights and defeats Donna, Kyle, Forager, Black Canary, and Vixen. Darkseid reactivates Jimmy's power to cause him to emit kryptonite
radiation to kill Superman. However, Ray Palmer sneaks inside Jimmy and destroys the circuitry that controls his powers before being overcome by its defenses. Jimmy transforms into a scaled giant and prepares to fight Darkseid. Darkseid fights Jimmy across Metropolis and is about to kill him when Ray Palmer emerges from Jimmy's head, having shut down the device inside Jimmy that was storing the essences of the New Gods. A Boom Tube then opens up and Orion, Darkseid's son, emerges. Orion clashes with Darkseid and kills him after ripping Darkseid's heart from his chest. Soon afterwards Jimmy returns home, where his relationship with Forager deteriorates.
(Val Armorr) fights Batman in the Batcave
and is eventually subdued by Black Lightning
. He is briefly held by the League, and when he is released is joined by Legion member Triplicate Girl
who now calls herself "Una".
Karate Kid and Una travel to the Oracle
's home, where they discover that someone is trying to steal the secret identities
of all of the world's superheroes, which Oracle manages to prevent. Oracle learns that the Calculator
is behind the plot and defeats him. Karate Kid reveals that he is dying from a virus and only Oracle can help him. After examining Karate Kid, Oracle determines that the virus is either of alien origin, or too advanced to detect. She directs the two to see Elias Orr for more answers. After defeating Orr's bodyguard, Equus
, Elias directs them to another researcher; he deduces it may be related to the OMAC
virus. After the two leave, Orr reports dutifully to Desaad.
Karate Kid and Una meet Professor Buddy Blank
, who takes them to see Brother Eye, who is imprisoned within a NORAD storage hangar. Brother Eye confirms that Val is infected with the OMAC virus and refers to the "Great Disaster". Brother Eye informs Val that there is a similar strain hidden in a bunker beneath Blüdhaven
. Traveling through the ruins of Blüdhaven, the group meet Firestorm as Val begins to cough up blood. Sensing something beneath the surface, Val directs Firestorm to blast a hole to the cavern below. Karate Kid and Firestorm take on the Atomic Knights and break into a vault under Blüdhaven to find Professor Stein being tortured by Desaad.
Desaad steals Firestorm's powers and attacks Val and Una. The Atomic Knights arrive and, deploying a device on Desaad, separate Firestorm from Desaad, who then escapes to Apokolips. The Atomic Knights turn their attention to Karate Kid and the others, but are unable to act before Jason and Gehenna re-merge into Firestorm and overpower them. Buddy Blank leads Val, Una, and his grandson deeper underground. Coming upon a sealed door, Karate Kid's attempts to open it, which enables Brother Eye to escape the NORAD storage hangar. Converting the people in the hangar into OMACs, Brother Eye assimilates the entire base and breaks free. Upon detecting that the Morticoccus host is in its final gestation, and that the virus' release is imminent, it sets course for Blüdhaven, declaring: "Eye am the Shepherd, Eye am the way".
Brother Eye shields itself from detection and assimilates the remains of Blüdhaven, converting it into its new base. Using Firestorm and the Atomic Knights as power sources, Brother Eye continues to grow. Val, Una, Buddy, and his grandson survive underground, with Val theorizing that they are beneath its notice.
Upon discovering Apokoliptian technology in the bunker, Brother Eye opens a Boom Tube and takes its captives to Apokolips, leaving Professor Blank and his grandson behind. After arriving on Apokolips, Darkseid's Parademons engage the OMACs, who begin to assimilate them. Val and Una wander around Apokolips seeking a means to escape as Val fears Brother Eye desires the virus he carries. However, before they can formulate a plan, Una becomes an OMAC. However, Val is mysteriously able to resist assimilation by Brother Eye who decides to kill him instead. Jason Todd saves him and suggesting killing Una as assimilation is apparently irreversible. Val protests this idea and Todd leaves. Brother Eye tries a second assimilation attempt and fails. Instead, it decides to take Val away and perform an autopsy. Brother Eye then removes the Morticoccus virus from Val, who is then saved by Ray Palmer. Apokolips' destruction and Brother Eye's escape frees Una from her transformation into an OMAC. When Solomon sends the Challengers to a recreated Earth-51, Val dies and releases the Morticoccus virus, which infects the entire world. Meanwhile, the Brother Eye of Earth-51 transforms Professor Blank into a modified OMAC with limited free will, enabling him and his grandson Tommy to escape the ruins of Command-D, effectively birthing a new version of Earth A.D. from the original Kamandi
series.
are reconstituted with a new membership of Heat Wave
, Mirror Master
, Captain Cold
, Abra Kadabra
, Weather Wizard
, Trickster
and Pied Piper
, led by Inertia
. Several Rogues distrust Trickster and Piper as they have reformed in the past. The Rogues plan to and eventually succeed in, killing the Flash, Bart Allen. Piper and Trickster then go on the run following Bart's murder, but attend his funeral, where they are captured by Multiplex and Deadshot
. Eventually escaping, they are later pursued in Gotham City by the Suicide Squad
(composed of Deadshot, Bronze Tiger
, Plastique and Captain Boomerang, Jr.
) and later Oracle's dispatches: the Question
and Batwoman
, villainous duo Poison Ivy and Deathstroke
, and eventually Batman and Wally West
himself, on his vendetta against the Rogues who he believes killed his cousin Bart. Piper and Trickster attempt to tell Wally that they overheard Deathstroke's plans to murder the attendees at Black Canary
and Green Arrow's wedding, but are internally attacked by Deathstroke's tracking device. Flash manages to remove the explosive implants and brings the two of them to Zatanna's home. Flash confiscates the duo's weapons. However, Trickster and Piper use Zatanna's mummy
bodyguard Hassan to create a distraction and escape Black Canary's bachelorette party. They then find himself in the middle of a battle on the wedding day and manage to use the Joker's exploding "present" against Poison Ivy, gaining some measure of revenge over her. As they escape in a stolen car, they are suddenly accosted by Double Down, who had hidden in the back seat. Double Down wants to join the two in their run from the law, mentioning the disappearances of several villains. The group is then attacked by the Suicide Squad. Double Down is defeated and captured, but Piper and Trickster, using Trickster's cloaking field, evade the squad and decide to follow them and free the other villains they have captured. They follow them to a government facility, and manage to free Two-Face
. Two-Face tells them that Checkmate
is behind the abductions. After flipping his coin, Two-Face declines to join the two. Piper and Trickster continue to flee, escaping capture by Deadshot. They are able to defeat Deadshot, but not before he manages to shoot the Trickster dead. The cord attaching them together detects that Trickster is dead and begins a fail-safe procedure, counting down from twenty-four hours until it detonates. Piper uses his flute to slow the countdown. The train they are on stops for a routine check, causing Piper to flee into the desert. Piper, delirious from the heat, begins to imagine Trickster's corpse is talking to him and removes Trickster's hand from his body to avoid triggering the bomb.
Piper after admitting he is gay to the hand, goes through a Boom Tube to Apokolips that opens in front of him after thinking he's seeing the "light at the end of the tunnel". Once on Apokolips, Piper begins to despair, thinking he is in Hell, and contemplates pulling Trickster's hand out of its cuff and killing himself. Piper is stopped by an unknown person before he sets off the bomb. The person reveals himself to be Desaad, who frees Piper from the cord, which is revealed to be based on his technology. Desaad claims Piper is able to channel the Anti-Life Equation in a manner beyond that of a New God. However, before Piper can play the equation on his pipe, Brother Eye finishes assimilating Apokolips. After recovering, Desaad confesses to masterminding Trickster and Piper's ordeal. However, they are attacked by an OMAC and Piper is captured. Desaad continues to pursue Piper and convinces him to finally play. Piper uses his pipe to kill Desaad and destroy Apokolips (the latter by playing Queen
's "The Show Must Go On
", knowing it would be the last he would perform), causing Brother Eye to escape when Apokolips explodes. Piper reawakens in Gotham City and decides to become a hero after seeing the Batsignal.
consults the Source Wall to learn the cause of the rising tension in the Multiverse. The Wall reveals that the "Great Disaster" is the cause of the rising tension and that Ray Palmer is the solution to stopping it. At their headquarters, the Monitors discuss their goal of protecting the Multiverse from individuals who cross between worlds. They vote to decide the fates of Donna Troy, Jason Todd, and Kyle Rayner, and the decision is taken to purge them as anomalies. The Monitors dispatch a Forerunner named Viza Aziv to kill Jason Todd and Donna Troy. After beating Jason, Forerunner fights Donna. The encounter is interrupted by one of the Monitors. Created by the Monitors, Forerunner cannot harm them. Having failed in her mission, Forerunner goes into self-imposed exile. Monarch (Nathaniel Adam
) witnesses the defeat of the Forerunner. Monarch takes the Forerunner to the Bleed, and recruits her into his army after revealing to her that her people on Earth-34 have been exterminated by Dark Angel
at the Monitors' behest.
Monarch and Forerunner approach the Justice League Axis of Earth-10, the Crime Society of Earth-3, and the Extremists of Earth-8 and offers them membership in his army. The Extremists refuse and attack him, but he easily overwhelms them, and captures the "Challengers from Beyond". The Monitors believe Monarch's goal is to cause a war across the Multiverse, resulting in another Crisis that would make him the absolute Monarch of a singular reality. Monarch places Lord Havok in charge of his starfleet; Havok deals a crippling blows to the Dominators of New Earth.
The Monitors agree to eliminate "Bob," the Monitor of New Earth who befriended Jason and Donna. Earth-15's Monitor watches as Donna and Jason leave his Earth, and predicts that when they arrive on the Earth of his overzealous brother, they will be terminated. The overzealous Monitor, who oversees Earth-8, attacks them when they arrive on Earth-8, but succeeds only in killing the Jokester of Earth-3. The Monitor from Earth-8 rallies the others to his cause, listing the threats of Monarch's armies, the deaths of the New Gods, the manipulation of Jimmy Olsen, the virus infecting Karate Kid, and the possibility that a single individual is behind it all as evidence. With the help of a female Monitor named Doctrine, he convinces the others that they must go to war in order to save billions of lives that would otherwise be lost.
The Monitors arrive on Earth-51, shortly after the Challengers escape. The Monitor of Earth-8, now calling himself "Solomon," attempts to absorb Bob into his being, but inadvertently kills him instead. The other Monitors, shocked, then voice their suspicions that Solomon engineered all of the events to his own ends. The Monitors are then interrupted by the arrival of Monarch and his army. As the two sides fight, Monarch approaches Solomon and accuses him of desiring sole dominion over the Multiverse. Solomon returns to the Multiversal nexus where the remaining Monitors condemn his actions before joining the battle on Earth-51. Floating in space, Nix Uotan, the Monitor of Earth-51, watches the battle raging on his Earth before joining the other Monitors. Feeling a call from the Source, he directs Donna, Jason, Kyle, and Ray to Apokolips, and remains behind on Earth-51 to finish his duty.
Superman-Prime, surviving The Sinestro Corps War
and now appearing as an adult wearing a black and silver variation of Superman's costume (like the one Superman himself wore when he was resurrected
), continues his travels throughout the Multiverse in order to find the perfect universe. Superman-Prime attacks the Lex Luthor of Earth-15, while searching for his perfect universe, which he believes is owed to him. He brings Lex to that Earth's Fortress of Solitude, and kills that world's Superman (Zod) and his pregnant wife and then flies through the Justice League Satellite, killing Luthor and the Justice League members inside the satellite. Expressing his disgust over the League lacking the roster he desires, he returns to Earth and kills the Earth-15 Wonder Woman (Donna) and Batman (Jason). Realizing this is not the perfect Earth he is looking for, Superman-Prime dives through the planet and destroys it. He vows to find his perfect universe even if he has to tear apart the entire Multiverse to do so. Building a secret lair in the Source Wall itself, Superman-Prime captures Mister Mxyzptlk
and Annataz Arataz, an evil analogue of Zatanna, and forces them to give him their magic powers as a replacement for the energies he temporarily absorbed from a Guardian
. After her torture at Superman-Prime's hands, Annataz experiences a change of heart and, as a way to atone for her past, taunts Superman-Prime until he lets Mxyzptlk escape, facing his tantrums alone. Superman-Prime destroys his base, burns Annataz alive, and flees. Mxyzptlk orders Gsptlsnz
, his girlfriend, to seal off the Fifth Dimension. Superman-Prime later travels to the Multiversal nexus where he finds Solomon and demands his aid. Forerunner arrives as Superman-Prime threatens to kill Solomon unless he shows him his perfect universe; Solomon then shows Superman-Prime the war transpiring on Earth-51. Superman-Prime then flies down to Earth-51 and smashes into Monarch's command center. After fighting for a while, Monarch mocks Superman-Prime as a child, causing Superman-Prime to tear a hole in Monarch's containment suit, which sets of a chain reaction that destroys Earth-51 and the surrounding universe. Nix Uotan, the Monitor of Earth-51 and sole survivor of the cataclysm, cries as he finds a sapling emerging from scorched ground.
In the Multiversal nexus, Solomon prepares to kill Forerunner, but is interrupted by the arrival of Darkseid, who, wishing to continue their game, offers Solomon the next move. As they witness Brother Eye assimilating Apokolips, Solomon tells Darkseid that his time is coming to an end. Darkseid reveals that Solomon was responsible for Captain Atom irradiating Blüdhaven
, causing his transformation into Monarch. Solomon, disturbed by Darkseid's plans to control the "Fifth World", appears to the Challengers, telling them that Darkseid is too dangerous to attack and sends them away. He deposits them on Nix Uotan's newly-recreated Earth-51, where the events of the Great Disaster Unfold. Solomon is later seen in the Multiversal nexus planning to stop Darkseid. Solomon later places a chess piece of Darkseid onto the Source Wall as a memento of his victory and then witnesses Donna Troy, Kyle Rayner, Ray Palmer, and Forager agreeing to act as watchmen for the Monitors at the urging of Nix Uotan, who is impressed by the Challengers selflessness and repulsed by his brethren's lack of foresight.
Meanwhile, the Amazons invade Washington, D.C.
, led by a recently resurrected Hippolyta and Circe
. The mini-series concluded with the revelation that the goddess Athena has in fact been defeated and replaced by the Apokoliptian New God Granny Goodness, suggesting that the shelter that Harley Quinn and Holly Robinson are staying in is actually a Female Furies
camp.
Tying into the Karate Kid storyline is the Justice League of America/Justice Society of America crossover "The Lightning Saga
". The fight between Batman and Karate Kid is shown in both Countdown and Justice League of America. Dawnstar, Starman, Dream Girl, Timber Wolf, and Wildfire are all discovered stranded in the 21st Century. Initially, it is believed that they came to the present to save Lightning Lad. It is later revealed that the Legion actually came to retrieve an (as of yet) unknown person, whose "essence" is now stored in one of the Legion's "lightning rod" devices. The Legion then escaped into the future, leaving behind Starman and Karate Kid. An unforeseen consequence of the Legion's actions was the return of Wally West and his family. Brainiac 5
confirms this by implying West's return was a freak accident, but that they still retrieved the correct person the Legion came for.
The final arc of The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, "Full Throttle", features the Rogues successfully killing Bart Allen, the fourth Flash. Within Countdown, both the buildup to this as well as its aftermath is felt. Bart's funeral is held and Piper and Trickster are forced on the run from superheroes and villains alike, which also ties into the upcoming Salvation Run. Connecting this story to "The Lightning Saga" is Wally's return to Earth. Wally's new vendetta against the Rogues is witnessed in Countdown where he finally catches up to Piper and Trickster, the remaining Rogues having already been captured in All Flash #1.
Salvation Run
, by Bill Willingham
, Matthew Sturges
and Sean Chen
, is the story of various supervillains who have been captured and deported via Boom Tube technology to another planet. Regarding Countdown, Newsarama
asked writer Willingham "Just to try and point out an example of this in action, would it be safe to say that Pied Piper and Trickster would have found themselves on this world had they not escaped capture in Countdown?", to which the response was "That's a fairly safe guess." The Suicide Squad, behind the attempted captures of Piper and Trickster were also shown to have captured other Rogues in All-Flash #1 who are pictured on the cover for issue #1. In Countdown, after escaping Suicide Squad member Deadshot, Piper and Trickster later evade capture from four other members in Gotham City
. Among those captured in the limited series include Lex Luthor
, Scandal Savage, and the Joker, and the title refers to the planned escape from the planet as led by Luthor.
As well as playing a prominent part in Countdown, the story thread centering around the Death of the New Gods
is playing out in other books. Outsiders: Five of a Kind
: Week Three: Thunder
/Martian Manhunter featured the deaths of New Gods Grayven
and Speed Queen
at the hands of a mysterious God-Killer, while the New God Knockout
was killed in Birds of Prey #109. This appears to be leading into the Death of the New Gods limited series written and drawn by Jim Starlin
, which saw the demise of all of the characters created by Jack Kirby for his "Fourth World" metaseries. After the conclusion of the Death of the New Gods limited series, DC editorial revealed that the "Fourth World" concept would be replaced by a "Fifth World" concept some time in the future.
In Captain Carrot and the Final Ark, October 2007, written by Bill Morrison, with art by co-creator Scott Shaw, The Zoo Crew reunite in the midst of growing strife between the land and the sea creatures of Earth-26, sparked by Starro
. Unfortunately, they encounter Starro and most of their powers are neutralized except for Pig-Iron. Furthermore, that Earth is rendered uninhabitable and the Crew has an ocean liner loaded with refugees transported off the planet by the Just-A-Lot-Of-Animals. Unfortunately, the ship is accidentally sent to New Earth. Although the Justice League encounter the ship and land it safely, all the passengers, including The Crew are transformed into their animal forms indigenous to that Earth and, although they all apparently still have their human level intelligence, they are unable to speak. However, some time in the future, the Crew will discover that their powers have been restored. In Final Crisis #7, Captain Carrot
is seen in the climactic battle with his humanity and powers restored and Pig Iron
is with him.
was a four-part series featuring Monarch organizing a battle tournament between the heroes of the 52 universes, in order to determine who will be worthy of joining his army.
Countdown to Adventure follows the adventures of Starfire
, Animal Man
and Adam Strange
after their return home in 52. Starfire and Animal Man continue with life on Earth, although their powers are not entirely reliable despite ample time to readjust to Earth's environment, while Adam Strange is replaced as the guardian of the planet Rann
by an ultra-violent Hollywood actor named Champ Hazard. Meanwhile, the return of Lady Styx
is heralded on Earth and Rann by zombie-like outbursts of three words: "Believe in her." Backup stories within Countdown to Adventure feature Forerunner and Monarch and expand upon both her origin story and her journey through the Multiverse, including a alternate history version of the Justice League had the Nazi's won World War 2 with the JLA being organized by Hitler.
Countdown to Mystery features the adventures of Kent V. Nelson becoming Doctor Fate
. In a backup story, Eclipso seduces the heroes of the DC Universe, tying into Countdown appearances with Mary Marvel and begins with the corruption of Plastic Man
and Darkseid’s revelation that he is Eclipso's true creator and that Eclipso's black diamond was mined on the planet Apokolips.
The Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer one-shots expand on the Challengers' quest to find former Atom Ray Palmer.
Countdown Presents: Lord Havok
and the Extremists
concerns events on Earth-8 and how they impact the future of the Multiverse and the Countdown to Final Crisis limited series.
in 2007, DC distributed four pins, with the option of a fifth, promoting storylines in Countdown. The first four pins say: "WWMMD?" ("What Would Mary Marvel Do?"), "I Found Ray Palmer
," "Look to the Skies!" and "Jimmy Olsen Must Die!". The final pin says, "Darkseid Rules!"
A teaser poster was released, which shows Wonder Woman comforting Superman, Batman in a different costume (with a sword and what appears to be chain mail armor) and Donna Troy wearing her Wonder Girl costume again. Kyle Rayner is wearing a yellow ring, and Mary Marvel is shown partially in shadow. Mister Miracle stands next to Big Barda
. Also notable among the poster is a Legion flight ring, a minuscule red hand (the Atom
's) sticking out of the rubble, and the bodies of Blue Beetle
(Ted Kord), Maxwell Lord
, The Question
(Vic Sage), and Jade
— major or notable heroes who had recently died. The heroes are gathered around the head of the Statue of Liberty
; the decapitated body of the statue can be seen in the background.
While alternately revealing and retracting his statements about Jason Todd being the new Red Robin, Dan Didio confirmed the latter within the pages of DC Comics as of July 2007. Didio had also previously mentioned that Barry Allen
would be the returning Flash.
In later interviews, Dan Didio finally explained the symbolism of the image in light of the fact that a second was soon to be released.
Released with books published on July 5, 2007 in the DC Nation: #68 column, Didio described the picture's symbolism: "Anyone standing on barren ground is doomed. In this case, it spells the Death of the New Gods...The yellow ring corrupts Kyle (Rayner) in The Sinestro Corps War
...Jason Todd becomes Red Robin, driving a wedge in the Challengers from Beyond...Green Arrow struggles to win the love of Black Canary...Batman, in symbolic garb, wields the sword that hearkens the return of a deadly foe (Ra's al Ghul
)...Dressed in Barry's costume, Bart (Allen, the Flash) showed that he had one foot in the grave...A Legionnaire is lost and marked for death in Countdown...The Atom, lost, struggles to survive...The shield marked Hippolyta
's return...Superman and Wonder Woman discuss parent issues...Is that a Boom Tube I see, and can that be the path to salvation
?...The shadow of evil falls over Mary Marvel...and the statue head, reminiscent of and tied to Kamandi #1, also reflects Sinestro's upcoming visit to the Big Apple."
A second teaser image was released by DC comics to the website Newsarama.com. Drawn by Ethan Van Sciver
with the caption "...And Evil Shall Inherit The Earth". It depicts various DC characters and Dan Didio
states that it '...will get us to the end of Countdown.'
A series of promotional posters highlighting the main characters in Countdown have been released over several months. They also appeared as full paged ads in several comic books and several issues of Wizard
magazine. These include:
A series of in house ads have run through DC's comic books based on the pins and posters. All of them have been illustrated by Ryan Sook. These include:
A series of in house ads for series under going revamps have begun to appear. These ads incorporate the series' title as a partial crumbling stone block on a white background and the tagline "The Countdown continues". All of them have been illustrated by Ryan Sook.
:
Other connected collections include:
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of the last issue of 52
52 (comic book)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
. The series is written primarily by Paul Dini
Paul Dini
Paul Dini is an American writer and producer who works in the television and comic book industries. He is best known as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros./DC Comics animated series, including Star Wars: Ewoks, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated...
, along with a rotating team of writers and artists.
Countdown consists of 51 issues, number in reverse, published weekly for one year, crossing over with noteworthy and significant titles published by DC. The series covers much of the fictional DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
- told in parallel narratives, through the interconnecting stories of a cast of characters, and frequently crosses over with various other DC titles. Unlike the 52 limited series of the previous year, Countdown is not depicted as taking place in "real time" but presumably operates on the same vague timescale as DC Comics stories in general.
Production history
The series follows the success of 5252 (comic book)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
, which, in contrast, did not cross over with DC's other regular titles. 52 concluded with the revelation that the Multiverse
Multiverse (DC Comics)
The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
(a storytelling device which posits the existence of alternate realities
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
) exists, and which now serves as a backdrop to several stories in Countdown. Beginning with issue #26, the series trade dress
Trade dress
Trade dress is a legal term of art that generally refers to characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging that signify the source of the product to consumers...
was reworked to identify the series as Countdown to Final Crisis, The stories taking place in Countdown set the stage for the approaching Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
limited series.
Countdown to Final Crisis was originally intended to run from issues #51-0, with issue 0 serving as the prologue to the Final Crisis limited series. Instead, it was decided that Countdown would conclude with issue #1 and the #0 issue was retitled to DC Universe #0. DC Universe #0 was co-written by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
and Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
and served as a summary of recent events within the DC Universe in order to attract new readers before the company launched the Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
limited series.
While the book was billed as leading up to the beginning of DC's Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
limited series, it later emerged that the plotlines in Countdown had diverged from what was written for Final Crisis, leading to continuity problems between the two books, as noted by Final Crisis author Grant Morrision. Much of the comic has subsequently been retconned out of continuity, along with Death of the New Gods. Jimmy Olsen learning Superman's identity, the battle between him and Darkseid, and other such events have been ignored following the conclusion of the series. During a DC Nation panel at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con, DC Editor-in-Chief Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio is an American writer, editor and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. He is currently the Co-Publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee...
invited fans to give their own opinions on "what went wrong" with Countdown. DiDio had reportedly described the series (prior to its release) as "52
52 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
done right."
Darkseid
On ApokolipsApokolips
In the DC Comics fictional shared Universe, Apokolips is the planet ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series. It is also integral to many DC Comics stories. The planet is considered the opposite of New Genesis....
, Darkseid
Darkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
and Desaad
Desaad
Desaad is a fictional comic book supervillain, appearing in books published by DC Comics. He is one of the followers of Darkseid from the planet of Apokolips in Jack Kirby's Fourth World meta-series....
discuss the coming of a time with existence being recreated with Darkseid as the architect. Darkseid has what appears to be a chess-board with pieces representing the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
, Donna Troy
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 , and was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani...
, Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
, the Flash
Bart Allen
Bartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...
, Holly Robinson
Holly Robinson (comics)
Holly Robinson is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. She was introduced in Batman #404 during Frank Miller's Batman: Year One story arc.Holly is a frequent ally and sidekick of Catwoman...
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Jason Todd
Jason Todd
Jason Peter Todd is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Jason first appeared in Batman #357 and became the second Robin, sidekick to the superhero Batman, when the previous Robin went on to star in The New Teen Titans under the moniker of Nightwing.Though...
, Hawkman
Hawkman
Hawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in 1940....
, Killer Croc
Killer Croc
Killer Croc is a comic book supervillain in the DC Universe, an enemy of Batman. Created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Gene Colan, while there was a shadowy cameo in Detective Comics #523 , his actual first appearance is credited to Batman #357 , which is also the first appearance of Jason...
, Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
, Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
, OMAC
Michael Costner
OMAC is a DC Comics superhero. He was introduced in OMAC #1 .-Fictional character biography:Michael Costner, a seventeen year old petty thief, spent his entire life in Gotham City; first as an orphan in care of the local orphanotrophy, then scraping his life on the streets, stealing to sate his...
, Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
, Nightwing
Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
, Duela Dent
Duela Dent
Duela Dent is a fictional character in the DC Universe. She is a former member of both the Teen Titans and Titans East. Introduced under the alias of Joker's Daughter, she has also used the aliases "Catgirl", "Scarecrone", "Riddler's Daughter", "Penguin's Daughter", "Card Queen", and...
, and Black Adam
Black Adam
Black Adam is a fictional comic book character, created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. Originally created as a one-shot villain for Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family team of superheroes, Black Adam was revived as a recurring supervillain after DC Comics began publishing Captain...
. Later, as the New Gods
New Gods
The New Gods are a fictional race appearing in publications by DC Comics, as well as the title for four series of comic books about those characters. They first appeared in New Gods #1 , and were created and designed by Jack Kirby....
Lightray
Lightray
Lightray is a DC Comics superhero. Created by Jack Kirby for the "Jack Kirby's Fourth World" meta-series, he first appeared in New Gods #1 .- Fictional character biography :...
and Sleez
Sleez
Sleez is a fictional extraterrestrial supervillain published by DC Comics. He debuted in Action Comics #592 , and was created by John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:...
are killed by an unknown, mysterious figure, Darkseid converses with a concubine and Desaad. When the concubine comments on Darkseid showing a moment of weakness, Darkseid kills her and tells Desaad to remove the vocal cords from the next concubine. The conversation is witnessed by Forager
Forager (comics)
Forager is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in New Gods #9 , and was created by Jack Kirby.-Original Forager:...
of New Genesis, who is spying on them to see if Darkseid is responsible for the recent murders of the New Gods. Forager is attacked by a guard and escapes. The Deep Six are killed soon afterwards by the same mysterious figure. Darkseid shows knowledge of the New Gods dying across the galaxy and the mystery figure killing them, and decides to use the New Gods as pawns in a complex scheme intended to result in his rule of the entire Multiverse. Mary Marvel is brought before Darkseid, who tells her that he wants a sorcerer and that she is it. When she refuses his offer, they briefly fight before Desaad arrives and distracts Darkseid long enough for Mary to escape. Eclipso assures Darkseid that she will bring Mary back. Darkseid later gives Mary her powers back and orders her to capture Jimmy Olsen. Later, Darkseid is about to siphon Jimmy's superpowers out of him before his son Orion
Orion (comics)
Orion is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in New Gods #1 , and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby.-Jack Kirby Era:...
emerges from a Boom Tube and apparently kills him after ripping his heart out. The Monitor Solomon places a chess piece of Darkseid onto the Source Wall as a memento of his victory.
Donna Troy, Jason Todd, Kyle Rayner, and Ray Palmer
In New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, former Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
Jason Todd
Jason Todd
Jason Peter Todd is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Jason first appeared in Batman #357 and became the second Robin, sidekick to the superhero Batman, when the previous Robin went on to star in The New Teen Titans under the moniker of Nightwing.Though...
(now calling himself the "Red Hood") is witness to the murder of Duela Dent at the hands of a rogue Monitor, who claims her presence in this world is not tolerated as she is from an alternate Earth. Jason later meets former Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl is the name of three fictional characters featured as superheroes in comic books and other media produced by DC Comics. The original was a younger version of Wonder Woman...
Donna Troy
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 , and was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani...
after the other Teen Titans later pay their respects to Duela Dent's grave and speculates that the two of them, like Duela, may not belong in this reality either. During the Amazons' attack on Washington D.C., Jason and Donna discuss the Monitors and the original Monitor
Monitor (comics)
The Monitor is a fictional character created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez as one of the main characters of DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series....
and Anti-Monitor
Anti-Monitor
The Anti-Monitor is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain and the antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. He first appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 , and was destroyed in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12, only to return after a long absence in Green...
when they are attacked by the "Forerunner
Forerunner (comics)
Forerunner is a fictional character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Countdown #46 , and was created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Jesus Saiz.-Fictional character biography:...
" who had been sent by the Monitors. Another Monitor arrives to save Jason and Donna from the Forerunners and takes them to safety.
At the funeral of the Flash, Bart Allen
Bart Allen
Bartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...
, the Monitor tells Jason and Donna that the former Atom
Atom (comics)
The Atom is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe.There have been five characters who have shared the Atom codename. The original Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt, was created by Ben Flinton and Bill O'Connor and first appeared in All-American Publications'...
, Ray Palmer, is alive and lost somewhere in the Nanoverse, and that locating him is key to surviving the coming crisis. Donna, Jason and the Monitor (nicknamed "Bob" by Jason), meet with current Atom Ryan Choi in Ivy Town to recruit him in the search for Ray Palmer. Searching for him within the microscopic "Nanoverse", they are captured by Queen Belthera, and are later rescued by Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...
before Ryan Choi is abducted back into Ivy Town. Kyle informs the group that they will have to tour the Multiverse to find Ray Palmer, and they encounter the Authority on Earth-50, a Soviet Superman on Earth-30, and the Crime Society on Earth-3. As they leave Earth-3, they are unexpectedly joined by the Jokester (the Joker's moral counterpart and father of Duela), passing through Earth-15 and later Earth-8, where Lord Havok
Lord Havok
Lord Havok is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain, part of the supervillain team called the Extremists. He is based on the Marvel Comics supervillain Doctor Doom, and, like him, is a genius equipped with powered armor...
and the Extremists
Extremists (comics)
The Extremists are a team of supervillains in DC Comics Justice League titles, they were introduced in Justice League Europe issue #15.-History:...
capture them before an invasion by Monarch and his newest recruits, the Crime Society gives Jason the opportunity to feign a betrayal, allowing their eventual escape.
Arriving on Earth-12, a universe resembling the Batman Beyond
Batman Beyond
Batman Beyond is an American animated television series created by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy...
television series, another Monitor who has named himself Nix Uotan arrives, and informs Bob that all the Monitors have taken on names for themselves, such as the Monitor of Earth-8, who now calls himself Solomon. By stating that Ray Palmer lives "a life of no consequence", he unintentionally reveals the location of Ray Palmer and Bob reasons that the only way Nix Uotan could know what Ray is doing is if he was on his Earth. The group then arrive on Earth-51, a near-perfect world where super-crime has long been eradicated. They locate Ray, living the life of his deceased counterpart. Bob reveals himself to have been working for Solomon's cause and tells Ray that he must be exterminated. The Challengers attempt to stop Bob, who succeeds in killing the alternate versions of Barry Allen
Barry Allen
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is the second character known as the Flash. The character first appeared in Showcase #4 , created by writers Robert Kanigher and John Broome and penciler Carmine Infantino. His name combines talk show hosts Barry Gray...
, Ralph Dibny and Jean Loring, but Ray and the Challengers escape. After Monarch descends upon Earth-51, with his Crime Society and Extremists recruits, Kyle and Ray are then confronted by Power Ring and alternate versions of Booster Gold and Supergirl, whilst elsewhere Donna faces an alternate version of herself as Jason fights with Gorgon of Earth-8.
Jason is accosted by the Batman of Earth-51, who had eradicated the super-villains of his world following his Jason's murder (as Jason wished that his Batman would have done). Eventually warming to Jason, he gives him a new costume, one that his world's Jason never got the chance to wear, and Jason assumes the mantle of "Red Robin". Meanwhile, Queen Belthera also arrives on Earth-51 and sends her insect armies into the fight, which includes the evil alternate Donna.
After "Dark Donna" is defeated, New Earth's Donna is able to masquerade as her to get close to Belthera, kill her and assume leadership of Belthera's troops by right of conquest. Ray and Kyle are also able to deal with their opponents quickly and Ray explains why his counterpart on Earth-51 was so important: Earth-51's Ray discovered a sentient virus named Morticoccus and had it quarantined. However when the Multiverse was discovered, Ray theorized that Morticoccus could exist on other Earths and set about using his own superhuman immune system to immunize their populations. After the death of Earth-51's Ray Palmer, the New Earth Ray Palmer found his research and continued his work, leaving an atom symbol on those who he had immunized.
Kyle, Jason, Donna, Ray and the Batman of Earth-51 are reunited as they approach their confrontation with Monarch but encounter a message written in large flaming letters: To Apokolips. Before they decide their next move, the Earth-51 Batman confronts a group of Monarch's soldiers led by the Joker only to be killed by Ultraman. As Jason stops to mourn the loss of the alternate Batman, he finds the Joker laughing amongst the rubble and kills him. The Challengers are then met by Nix Uotan, who explains that the message came from The Source and sends them to Apokolips.
On Apokolips, the Challengers are confused as to why they are there as Palmer says it is not connected to the Great Disaster. Jason tires of their bickering and leaves. Upon seeing Brother Eye, Jason contemplates using it to get back home. While searching for Jason, the Challengers find Mary, Harley, Holly and then Karate Kid, just after Brother Eye removes the Morticoccus virus from him. The group, along with Jason, prepares to confront Brother Eye, who uses a Boom Tube to send them to Apokolips' surface. The group is caught in the shockwave of Apokolips' destruction just as they are about to be attacked by an army of OMACs.
The Challengers, Ray Palmer, Firestorm, Una, Harley, Holly, and Mary Marvel attempt to figure out what to do about Karate Kid, who lays dying from the virus he's carrying. Solomon, the Monitor of Earth-8, arrives and sends everyone back to Earth. Jason leaves the group upon their arrival. Soon after, the group discovers that no one recognizes them, and that their homes and headquarters are not there. The group goes to see Dubbilex
Dubbilex
Dubbilex is a fictional comic book character published by DC Comics. He debuted in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #136, , and was created by Jack Kirby. His name is a play on the XX chromosome. -Pre-Crisis:...
for help with Karate Kid, only to learn that he has already died. When Karate Kid's autopsy is performed, Morticoccus is accidentally released, grows and attacks the Challengers. The virus is captured by Rayner and explodes. However, it is discovered that the virus began spreading across the planet before the autopsy, causing infected humans to devolve into animalistic savages and infected animals to gain human-like traits. Una helps Buddy Blank reach his daughter's apartment and the two locate Buddy's daughter, who has been infected by the virus, and his grandson, who is immune. Una dies while protecting Buddy and his grandson from a swarm of rats, and gives Buddy her Legion Flight Ring, which he uses to take him and his grandson to Cadmus's Command D facility. The Challengers then leave the reconstituted Earth-51 and return home. After witnessing Darkseid's death, Jason returns to being a solo anti-hero while Donna, Kyle, Ray Palmer and Forager, along with the Monitor Nix Uotan, reform the Challengers and watch over the other Monitors.
Mary Marvel, Holly Robinson, and Harley Quinn
Mary BatsonMary Marvel
Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in...
awakens from a coma after the events of The Trials of Shazam! in which she lost her abilities mid-flight due to the death of Shazam, and fell three miles. She seeks Freddy Freeman, who paid her hospital bills, and consults Madame Xanadu
Madame Xanadu
Madame Xanadu is a fictional character, a comic book mystic published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur.-Publication history:...
, who fails to locate Freddy and warns Mary not to go to Gotham City. Ignoring her, Mary is chased by thugs through the Gotham subway, and finds the former Kahndaq
Kahndaq
Kahndaq is a fictional Middle Eastern country in the DC Comics Universe. Its real world location is on the continent of Africa, between Egypt and Israel...
i Embassy, where Black Adam
Black Adam
Black Adam is a fictional comic book character, created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. Originally created as a one-shot villain for Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family team of superheroes, Black Adam was revived as a recurring supervillain after DC Comics began publishing Captain...
has been hiding. Adam appears, saves Mary, and, following a discussion, transfers his powers to Mary. Mary acquires the powers of Black Adam, Isis
Isis (DC Comics)
Isis is a DC Comics superhero, as well as a separate Egyptian goddess also living in the DC Universe. The recent superhero character is modeled closely after the main character of The Secrets of Isis, a live-action American Saturday Morning television program that served as the second half of The...
, and Osiris
Osiris (comics)
Osiris is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, based loosely on the Osiris of Egyptian mythology.-Fictional character biography:...
as a result.
Soon after getting these powers, she battles a demon composed of stillborns. Mary eventually locates Billy, who explains that he has replaced the wizard Shazam and that Freddy will replace him. Billy scolds Mary for taking Black Adam's powers and Mary protests that she will use them for good. In Gotham City, Mary encounters former super-villain the Riddler
Riddler
The Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
at a crime scene. Mary apprehends Clayface
Clayface
Clayface is an alias used by several DC Comics fictional characters, most of them possessing claylike bodies and shape-shifting abilities. All of them have been enemies of Batman.-Publication history:...
, deploying excessive violence. Riddler suggests she seek a mentor while Eclipso
Eclipso
Eclipso is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. The character is the incarnation of the Wrath of God and the Angel of Vengeance that turned evil and was replaced by the Spectre...
watches with interest.
Mary seeks out Zatanna
Zatanna
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
, who senses a new darkness in Mary. Zatanna brings Mary to her home, Shadowcrest, where she trains Mary. Mary suffers a sudden mood swing and challenges Zatanna to battle, wielding one of her magic rods. Eclipso observes as Zatanna turns Mary's own lightning against her. Zatanna banishes Mary from Shadowcrest.
In the Chinese Market Mary meets Klarion the Witch boy, who tries to get some of her power. After Eclipso attempts to corrupt Mary, the Shadowpact
Shadowpact
The Shadowpact is a group of magic-based heroes who fought against the Spectre in the 2005 limited series Day of Vengeance, published by DC Comics. They are a sort of Justice League for the supernatural elements of the DC Universe...
take notice of Mary's activities, and attack Mary and Eclipso, who are overwhelmed and escape. Eclipso takes Mary to meet Darkseid, who offers to show her true darkness. Upon observing his treatment of people as mere puppets, Mary attacks him. An interruption by Desaad allows Mary to escape. Eclipso talks Mary into returning to Darkseid and submitting to his authority, suggesting that she can usurp his powers if she grows strong enough. The asteroid on which Mary and Eclipso are standing is destroyed by a stray shot from the Dominators
Dominators
The Dominators, collectively known as the Dominion, are a fictional alien race from the outer cosmos of the DC Universe. They are highly technologically advanced, and live in a rigid hierarchical society, in which one's caste is determined by the size of a red circle on one's forehead...
and Monarch's armies. After Eclipso teleports her to safety, Mary blasts Eclipso with her own black diamond after realizing that Eclipso was only interested in selling her to Darkseid as a concubine in exchange for power. Eclipso manages to wrest the diamond from Mary's grasp, and leaves, telling her that she is once again alone. Eclipso then attempts to kill Mary, but finds that she is too strong. During their battle, Mary calls down the lightning, which strikes the two of them, causing Mary to fall into the ocean and wash up on the shores of Themiscyra.
Holly Robinson
Holly Robinson (comics)
Holly Robinson is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. She was introduced in Batman #404 during Frank Miller's Batman: Year One story arc.Holly is a frequent ally and sidekick of Catwoman...
arrives in Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
, hoping to embark on a fresh start. Holly is offered a place to live at a women's shelter
Women's shelter
A women's shelter is a place of temporary refuge and support for women escaping violent or abusive situations, such as rape, and domestic violence....
, where she meets the reformed Harleen Quinzel
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
. She is outraged to find that the refuge refuses shelter to a single mother and speaks to their leader, Athena
Granny Goodness
Granny Goodness is a fictional character, a deity and supervillain published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Granny Goodness was modeled on comedienne Phyllis Diller and first appeared in Mister Miracle vol...
, who convinces Holly to go on a quest.
Holly reveals to Harleen that she has been asked to take part in Athena's self-esteem workshop; Harleen is overjoyed at the news. Holly is subjected to a purification ritual in which the women are made to fight one another. Holly and Harley are the only warriors left standing. The two are taken to Themiscyra, and told by Athena that their first test is to out-swim the island's water guardians. The recruits are led through a series of increasingly dangerous obstacles.
Holly and Harley explore a cave outside the confines of the training ground, and discover the cave is being used as a hideout by Hippolyta, who reveals to the two of them that Athena is a fake, and advises them to play along until the truth can be uncovered.
Holly and Harley take Mary Marvel to Hippolyta, who detects that Mary is powerless and that darkness was inside of her. After explaining the situation to her, the three ask for Mary's help. Mary poses as a slave to spy.
The group reveals Granny's identity to the trainees, and after Hippolyta wounds her, she flees to Apokolips, with Mary, Holly, and Harley in pursuit. On Apokolips, Mary, Holly and Harley fight Lashina, Stompa and Mad Harriet of the Female Furies. Lashina and Stompa are defeated while Mad Harriet is accidentally killed by Apokoliptian soldiers. While formulating an escape plan, Mary says she hears the Greek gods. The group manage to free the Greek gods from an Apokoliptian chamber, and Mary regains her powers and previous costume, now with a gray lightning bolt, after saying the magic word "Shazam". At the same time the goddesses Thalia, Muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
of Comedy, and Diana, Goddess of the Hunt, grant powers to Harley Quinn and Holly Robinson, respectively. The now empowered group pursue Granny Goodness, who is killed by the God-Killer before their eyes. After returning to their own Earth, Holly and Harley return to Gotham, while Mary returns to her apartment and finds Darkseid waiting for her. Darkseid offers to return Black Adam's powers to her in exchange for bringing him Jimmy Olsen. Mary agrees, and with her restored powers she quickly overcomes the Challengers and captures Jimmy. When the Challengers and the Justice League come to save Jimmy, Mary takes out most of them single-handedly. After the death of Darkseid, Harley and Holly return to Gotham and share an apartment while Mary tracks down Black Adam, hoping to become part of a new Black Marvel Family. Black Adam rejects her and leaves, and Mary declares that she does not need anyone.
Jimmy Olsen
Red Hood
Red Hood is the alias used by several fictional characters, usually antagonists for Batman in the DC Universe.-Joker:The Red Hood first appeared in Detective Comics #168 "The Man Behind the Red Hood" . In the original continuity, the man later known as the Joker was a master criminal going by the...
, Jason Todd, and interviews him about the death of Duela Dent. Jason suggests that he interview the Joker in Arkham Asylum
Arkham Asylum
The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, commonly referred to simply as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital in the DC Comics Universe, usually appearing in stories featuring Batman...
. The Joker states that he never had a daughter, and alludes to a larger conspiracy. While calling Lois to inform her of his dead end, Jimmy is attacked by Killer Croc. To Jimmy's surprise, his body stretches, similar to Plastic Man
Plastic Man
Plastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 ....
and the Elongated Man
Elongated Man
The Elongated Man is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC universe. He is a reserve member of the Justice League. His first appearance was in The Flash vol. 1, #112...
, meaning Killer Croc cannot penetrate his skin.
Jimmy displays other powers, such as super-speed. He also has the ability to project spines from his body, but the powers manifest themselves at irregular intervals. Jimmy witnesses the death of the New God Lightray, and dreams of being trapped in the Source Wall
Source Wall
The Source Wall is a fictional structure in the . The wall lies on the edge of the known universe, in the Promethean Galaxy. Beyond the wall lies what is known as the Source, a cosmic essence or being that is the "source" of all that exists. The wall is theoretically passable. However, all those...
. He meets a former minion of Darkseid named Sleez, who is killed before he can reveal anything, although he hears the words "So begins the end." Jimmy resolves to use his new powers to become a superhero and designs a costume and calls himself Mr. Action. He revels in his new popularity, and decides to join the Teen Titans. Titans’ leader Robin
Tim Drake
Timothy "Tim" Drake is a superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media. The character was created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick. From 1989 to 2009, he was known as Robin in the Batman comics, becoming the third character to take up the identity...
begs him to reconsider, as his powers only manifest when he is in danger. Jimmy confronts Clark Kent and reveals he knows Clark is Superman: he pulls away Clark's shirt to reveal Superman's costume. Jimmy tries out for membership in the Justice League, but is deflated when his powers do not manifest.
John Henry Irons
John Henry Irons
Steel , also known as the Man of Steel, is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. First appearing in The Adventures of Superman #500 , he is the third character known as Steel and was created by Louise Simonson and artist Jon Bogdanove...
tests Jimmy's powers using metahuman biofeedback
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is the process of becoming aware of various physiological functions using instruments that provide information on the activity of those same systems, with a goal of being able to manipulate them at will...
, but the display generates complicated images of the Source Wall and alternate Earths. On his way home, Jimmy meets two members of Cadmus
Project Cadmus
Project Cadmus is a fictional genetic engineering project in the DC Comics Universe. It was created by Jack Kirby as the DNA Project in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 , and was run by the former Newsboy Legion...
, who offer their assistance, take him back to their HQ, and run tests on him. Jimmy's powers go haywire, and he runs off to keep himself from hurting anyone. He encounters the Newsboy Legion
Newsboy Legion
The Newsboy Legion are fictional characters, a kid gang in the DC Comics Universe. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, they appeared in their own self-titled feature which ran from Star Spangled Comics #7 to Star Spangled Comics #64 .-Pre-Crisis version:A group of orphans, living on the streets...
, who offer him shelter. Jimmy encounters Forager
Forager (comics)
Forager is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in New Gods #9 , and was created by Jack Kirby.-Original Forager:...
, who asks for help in stopping the killing of the New Gods. On Apokolips, Jimmy and Forager fight Parademons and are overpowered and taken prisoner. The Monitors decide that Jimmy is not meant to control his powers and that he is being manipulated. Jimmy is sent to the slave pits, where his overseers are ordered to torture him; Mister Miracle
Mister Miracle
Mister Miracle is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Mister Miracle #1 and was created by Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
comes to his aid. Unable to discern the nature of Jimmy's powers with his Mother Box, Mister Miracle gambles by dropping Olsen into a fire pit. Jimmy survives by assuming a turtle-like form. Jimmy locates Forager, who then attacks him. Jimmy duplicates the powers of a Mother Box to restore Forager's sanity. When the two of them are confronted by Bernadeth
Bernadeth
Bernadeth is a fictional extraterrestrial goddess published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Mister Miracle vol. 1 #6 , and was created by Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
, Jimmy manages to open a Boom Tube and returns to Earth with Forager, whereupon he kisses her.
Back at Jimmy's apartment, Forager reveals to Jimmy that he is a soul catcher, who is collecting the spirits of the deceased New Gods. Jimmy later sees the words "To Apokolips" daubed on his bathroom cabinet. Before going to Apokolips, Jimmy decides to go and seek the aid of the "Hairies" of the Habitat.
Jimmy travels to Apokolips and decides to confront Darkseid to determine his involvement with what is going on with his manifesting powers. Solomon tells him that he had been turned into a spirit collector by Darkseid, who plans to drain him of all his powers when the time comes. He is then sent back to Earth along with everyone else. Jimmy is later captured by Mary Marvel who intends to deliver him to Darkseid. Darkseid turns Jimmy's powers off and prepares to absorb them, but is attacked by Superman. As they battle, Mary Marvel fights and defeats Donna, Kyle, Forager, Black Canary, and Vixen. Darkseid reactivates Jimmy's power to cause him to emit kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
radiation to kill Superman. However, Ray Palmer sneaks inside Jimmy and destroys the circuitry that controls his powers before being overcome by its defenses. Jimmy transforms into a scaled giant and prepares to fight Darkseid. Darkseid fights Jimmy across Metropolis and is about to kill him when Ray Palmer emerges from Jimmy's head, having shut down the device inside Jimmy that was storing the essences of the New Gods. A Boom Tube then opens up and Orion, Darkseid's son, emerges. Orion clashes with Darkseid and kills him after ripping Darkseid's heart from his chest. Soon afterwards Jimmy returns home, where his relationship with Forager deteriorates.
Karate Kid and Triplicate Girl
Karate KidKarate Kid (comics)
Karate Kid is a fictional character, a superhero in the future of the DC Comics universe, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. He is a master of every form of martial arts to have been developed by the 31st century...
(Val Armorr) fights Batman in the Batcave
Batcave
The Batcave is the secret headquarters of fictional DC Comics superhero Batman, the alternate identity of playboy Bruce Wayne, consisting of a series of subterranean caves beneath his residence, Wayne Manor.-Publication history:...
and is eventually subdued by Black Lightning
Black Lightning
Black Lightning was one of the first major African American superheroes to appear in DC Comics. He debuted in Black Lightning #1 , and was created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden.- Publication history :...
. He is briefly held by the League, and when he is released is joined by Legion member Triplicate Girl
Triplicate Girl
Triplicate Girl is a fictional character, a superhero in the 30th and 31st centuries of the and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. She has also used the aliases Duo Damsel, Triad, Una and Duplicate Damsel....
who now calls herself "Una".
Karate Kid and Una travel to the Oracle
Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino...
's home, where they discover that someone is trying to steal the secret identities
Secret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
of all of the world's superheroes, which Oracle manages to prevent. Oracle learns that the Calculator
Calculator (comics)
The Calculator is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Detective Comics #463 , and he was created by Bob Rozakis and Mike Grell.-Publication history:...
is behind the plot and defeats him. Karate Kid reveals that he is dying from a virus and only Oracle can help him. After examining Karate Kid, Oracle determines that the virus is either of alien origin, or too advanced to detect. She directs the two to see Elias Orr for more answers. After defeating Orr's bodyguard, Equus
Equus (comics)
Equus is a fictional comic book supervillain, a cyborg mercenary in the DC Comics universe who serves as an opponent of Superman. Created by writer Brian Azzarello and artist Jim Lee, he first appeared in Superman #206 , which was published in June 2004 as part of the "For Tomorrow"...
, Elias directs them to another researcher; he deduces it may be related to the OMAC
OMACs
The OMACs are a fictional type of powerful cyborg that exist in the DC Comics universe...
virus. After the two leave, Orr reports dutifully to Desaad.
Karate Kid and Una meet Professor Buddy Blank
One-Man Army Corps
OMAC is a superhero comic book created in 1974 by Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics. The character was created towards the end of Kirby's contract with the publisher, following the cancellation of Kirby's New Gods, and was reportedly developed strictly due to Kirby needing to fill his...
, who takes them to see Brother Eye, who is imprisoned within a NORAD storage hangar. Brother Eye confirms that Val is infected with the OMAC virus and refers to the "Great Disaster". Brother Eye informs Val that there is a similar strain hidden in a bunker beneath Blüdhaven
Blüdhaven
Blüdhaven is a fictional city in the . Created by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel in 1996, it was originally intended to serve as a backdrop for the Nightwing comics series.-Fictional geography:...
. Traveling through the ruins of Blüdhaven, the group meet Firestorm as Val begins to cough up blood. Sensing something beneath the surface, Val directs Firestorm to blast a hole to the cavern below. Karate Kid and Firestorm take on the Atomic Knights and break into a vault under Blüdhaven to find Professor Stein being tortured by Desaad.
Desaad steals Firestorm's powers and attacks Val and Una. The Atomic Knights arrive and, deploying a device on Desaad, separate Firestorm from Desaad, who then escapes to Apokolips. The Atomic Knights turn their attention to Karate Kid and the others, but are unable to act before Jason and Gehenna re-merge into Firestorm and overpower them. Buddy Blank leads Val, Una, and his grandson deeper underground. Coming upon a sealed door, Karate Kid's attempts to open it, which enables Brother Eye to escape the NORAD storage hangar. Converting the people in the hangar into OMACs, Brother Eye assimilates the entire base and breaks free. Upon detecting that the Morticoccus host is in its final gestation, and that the virus' release is imminent, it sets course for Blüdhaven, declaring: "Eye am the Shepherd, Eye am the way".
Brother Eye shields itself from detection and assimilates the remains of Blüdhaven, converting it into its new base. Using Firestorm and the Atomic Knights as power sources, Brother Eye continues to grow. Val, Una, Buddy, and his grandson survive underground, with Val theorizing that they are beneath its notice.
Upon discovering Apokoliptian technology in the bunker, Brother Eye opens a Boom Tube and takes its captives to Apokolips, leaving Professor Blank and his grandson behind. After arriving on Apokolips, Darkseid's Parademons engage the OMACs, who begin to assimilate them. Val and Una wander around Apokolips seeking a means to escape as Val fears Brother Eye desires the virus he carries. However, before they can formulate a plan, Una becomes an OMAC. However, Val is mysteriously able to resist assimilation by Brother Eye who decides to kill him instead. Jason Todd saves him and suggesting killing Una as assimilation is apparently irreversible. Val protests this idea and Todd leaves. Brother Eye tries a second assimilation attempt and fails. Instead, it decides to take Val away and perform an autopsy. Brother Eye then removes the Morticoccus virus from Val, who is then saved by Ray Palmer. Apokolips' destruction and Brother Eye's escape frees Una from her transformation into an OMAC. When Solomon sends the Challengers to a recreated Earth-51, Val dies and releases the Morticoccus virus, which infects the entire world. Meanwhile, the Brother Eye of Earth-51 transforms Professor Blank into a modified OMAC with limited free will, enabling him and his grandson Tommy to escape the ruins of Command-D, effectively birthing a new version of Earth A.D. from the original Kamandi
Kamandi
Kamandi is an American comic book character, created by artist Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics. The bulk of Kamandi's appearances occurred in the comic series Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, which ran from 1972 to 1978....
series.
Trickster and Piper
The RoguesRogues (comics)
Some of the enemies of the comic book superhero the Flash, led by Captain Cold, constitute a loose criminal association who refer to themselves as the Rogues, disdaining the use of the term "supervillain" or "super-criminal"....
are reconstituted with a new membership of Heat Wave
Heat Wave (comics)
Heat Wave is a fictional villain in the DC Universe and a primary foe of the Flash.-Fictional character biography:Born on a farm outside Central City, Mick Rory became fascinated with fire, as a child. This fascination turned into an obsession and one night, he set his family's home ablaze...
, Mirror Master
Mirror Master
Mirror Master is a fictional character and a supervillain in the DC Universe. He is a recurring foe of the Flash with considerable technical expertise and skills involving the use of mirrors. Four individuals have donned the guise of Mirror Master...
, Captain Cold
Captain Cold
Captain Cold, real name Leonard Snart, is a comic book villain created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino as one of the archenemies of Flash. He is a leader of the Rogues...
, Abra Kadabra
Abra Kadabra (comics)
Abra Kadabra is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe and an enemy of the Flash. He first appeared in Flash #128 and was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino.-Fictional character biography:...
, Weather Wizard
Weather Wizard
Weather Wizard is a fictional DC Comics supervillain. The Weather Wizard first appeared in Flash #110 .- Early life :...
, Trickster
Trickster (comics)
The Trickster is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics supervillains that are both enemies of the Flash. The original Trickster first appeared in Flash #113 , while the second debuted in Flash #183 .-James Jesse:The original Trickster is a practical joker and conman whose favorite...
and Pied Piper
Pied Piper (comics)
Pied Piper is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in the pages of The Flash #106 .-Fictional character biography:...
, led by Inertia
Inertia (DC Comics)
Inertia or Kid Zoom is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics universe.-Creation:When questioned as to who created Inertia, Ethan van Sciver wrote that he could only accept five percent of the credit. The rest was offered to Mike Wieringo , Grant Morrison , and Todd Dezago...
. Several Rogues distrust Trickster and Piper as they have reformed in the past. The Rogues plan to and eventually succeed in, killing the Flash, Bart Allen. Piper and Trickster then go on the run following Bart's murder, but attend his funeral, where they are captured by Multiplex and Deadshot
Deadshot
Deadshot is a fictional character, a supervillain/assassin in the DC Universe and an enemy of Batman. He first appears in Batman #59 and was created by Bob Kane, David Vern Reed and Lew Schwartz....
. Eventually escaping, they are later pursued in Gotham City by the Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X , is a name for two fictional organizations in the DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , and the second in Legends #3...
(composed of Deadshot, Bronze Tiger
Bronze Tiger
Bronze Tiger is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. He is a martial artist who first appeared in Dragon's Fists, a novel by Dennis O'Neil and Jim Berry, starring Richard Dragon. His first DC Comics appearance was in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter.-Early years:Ben Turner comes...
, Plastique and Captain Boomerang, Jr.
Owen Mercer
Captain Boomerang is a comic book superhero existing in the DC Comics' main shared universe. He is the son of the original Captain Boomerang and Meloni Thawne....
) and later Oracle's dispatches: the Question
Renee Montoya
Renee Montoya is a fictional comic book character published by DC Comics. The character was initially created for Batman: The Animated Series, and was preemptively introduced into mainstream comics before the airing of her animated debut in 1992....
and Batwoman
Batwoman
Batwoman is the name of several fictional characters, female counterparts to the superhero Batman. The original version was created by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff. Her alter ego is Kathy Kane. This character appears in publications produced by DC Comics and related media beginning in Detective...
, villainous duo Poison Ivy and Deathstroke
Deathstroke
Deathstroke the Terminator , originally simply the Terminator, and known by the Teen Titans as Slade, is a fictional character, a supervillain and sometimes antihero in the DC Comics Universe. He is a mercenary and assassin who first appeared in The New Teen Titans #2...
, and eventually Batman and Wally West
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
himself, on his vendetta against the Rogues who he believes killed his cousin Bart. Piper and Trickster attempt to tell Wally that they overheard Deathstroke's plans to murder the attendees at Black Canary
Black Canary
Black Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...
and Green Arrow's wedding, but are internally attacked by Deathstroke's tracking device. Flash manages to remove the explosive implants and brings the two of them to Zatanna's home. Flash confiscates the duo's weapons. However, Trickster and Piper use Zatanna's mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
bodyguard Hassan to create a distraction and escape Black Canary's bachelorette party. They then find himself in the middle of a battle on the wedding day and manage to use the Joker's exploding "present" against Poison Ivy, gaining some measure of revenge over her. As they escape in a stolen car, they are suddenly accosted by Double Down, who had hidden in the back seat. Double Down wants to join the two in their run from the law, mentioning the disappearances of several villains. The group is then attacked by the Suicide Squad. Double Down is defeated and captured, but Piper and Trickster, using Trickster's cloaking field, evade the squad and decide to follow them and free the other villains they have captured. They follow them to a government facility, and manage to free Two-Face
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
. Two-Face tells them that Checkmate
Checkmate (comics)
Checkmate, a division of Task Force X, is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
is behind the abductions. After flipping his coin, Two-Face declines to join the two. Piper and Trickster continue to flee, escaping capture by Deadshot. They are able to defeat Deadshot, but not before he manages to shoot the Trickster dead. The cord attaching them together detects that Trickster is dead and begins a fail-safe procedure, counting down from twenty-four hours until it detonates. Piper uses his flute to slow the countdown. The train they are on stops for a routine check, causing Piper to flee into the desert. Piper, delirious from the heat, begins to imagine Trickster's corpse is talking to him and removes Trickster's hand from his body to avoid triggering the bomb.
Piper after admitting he is gay to the hand, goes through a Boom Tube to Apokolips that opens in front of him after thinking he's seeing the "light at the end of the tunnel". Once on Apokolips, Piper begins to despair, thinking he is in Hell, and contemplates pulling Trickster's hand out of its cuff and killing himself. Piper is stopped by an unknown person before he sets off the bomb. The person reveals himself to be Desaad, who frees Piper from the cord, which is revealed to be based on his technology. Desaad claims Piper is able to channel the Anti-Life Equation in a manner beyond that of a New God. However, before Piper can play the equation on his pipe, Brother Eye finishes assimilating Apokolips. After recovering, Desaad confesses to masterminding Trickster and Piper's ordeal. However, they are attacked by an OMAC and Piper is captured. Desaad continues to pursue Piper and convinces him to finally play. Piper uses his pipe to kill Desaad and destroy Apokolips (the latter by playing Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's "The Show Must Go On
The Show Must Go On (Queen song)
"The Show Must Go On" is a song by English rock band Queen, featured as the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album Innuendo. It is credited to Queen, but written primarily by Brian May. The song chronicles the effort of Freddie Mercury continuing to perform despite approaching the end of his...
", knowing it would be the last he would perform), causing Brother Eye to escape when Apokolips explodes. Piper reawakens in Gotham City and decides to become a hero after seeing the Batsignal.
Monarch, the Monitors, and Superman-Prime
After Duela Dent's murder, one of the MonitorsMonitors (comics)
The Monitors are a group of fictional comic book characters, who appear in books published by DC Comics.They are based on The Monitor, a character created by comic book writer Marv Wolfman and comic artist George Pérez as one of the main characters of DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths limited...
consults the Source Wall to learn the cause of the rising tension in the Multiverse. The Wall reveals that the "Great Disaster" is the cause of the rising tension and that Ray Palmer is the solution to stopping it. At their headquarters, the Monitors discuss their goal of protecting the Multiverse from individuals who cross between worlds. They vote to decide the fates of Donna Troy, Jason Todd, and Kyle Rayner, and the decision is taken to purge them as anomalies. The Monitors dispatch a Forerunner named Viza Aziv to kill Jason Todd and Donna Troy. After beating Jason, Forerunner fights Donna. The encounter is interrupted by one of the Monitors. Created by the Monitors, Forerunner cannot harm them. Having failed in her mission, Forerunner goes into self-imposed exile. Monarch (Nathaniel Adam
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
) witnesses the defeat of the Forerunner. Monarch takes the Forerunner to the Bleed, and recruits her into his army after revealing to her that her people on Earth-34 have been exterminated by Dark Angel
Dark Angel (DC Comics)
Dark Angel is a fictional DC Comics villain who battled Wonder Woman. She is a wandering spirit who inhabited the body of Baroness Paula Von Gunther during World War II...
at the Monitors' behest.
Monarch and Forerunner approach the Justice League Axis of Earth-10, the Crime Society of Earth-3, and the Extremists of Earth-8 and offers them membership in his army. The Extremists refuse and attack him, but he easily overwhelms them, and captures the "Challengers from Beyond". The Monitors believe Monarch's goal is to cause a war across the Multiverse, resulting in another Crisis that would make him the absolute Monarch of a singular reality. Monarch places Lord Havok in charge of his starfleet; Havok deals a crippling blows to the Dominators of New Earth.
The Monitors agree to eliminate "Bob," the Monitor of New Earth who befriended Jason and Donna. Earth-15's Monitor watches as Donna and Jason leave his Earth, and predicts that when they arrive on the Earth of his overzealous brother, they will be terminated. The overzealous Monitor, who oversees Earth-8, attacks them when they arrive on Earth-8, but succeeds only in killing the Jokester of Earth-3. The Monitor from Earth-8 rallies the others to his cause, listing the threats of Monarch's armies, the deaths of the New Gods, the manipulation of Jimmy Olsen, the virus infecting Karate Kid, and the possibility that a single individual is behind it all as evidence. With the help of a female Monitor named Doctrine, he convinces the others that they must go to war in order to save billions of lives that would otherwise be lost.
The Monitors arrive on Earth-51, shortly after the Challengers escape. The Monitor of Earth-8, now calling himself "Solomon," attempts to absorb Bob into his being, but inadvertently kills him instead. The other Monitors, shocked, then voice their suspicions that Solomon engineered all of the events to his own ends. The Monitors are then interrupted by the arrival of Monarch and his army. As the two sides fight, Monarch approaches Solomon and accuses him of desiring sole dominion over the Multiverse. Solomon returns to the Multiversal nexus where the remaining Monitors condemn his actions before joining the battle on Earth-51. Floating in space, Nix Uotan, the Monitor of Earth-51, watches the battle raging on his Earth before joining the other Monitors. Feeling a call from the Source, he directs Donna, Jason, Kyle, and Ray to Apokolips, and remains behind on Earth-51 to finish his duty.
Superman-Prime, surviving The Sinestro Corps War
Sinestro Corps War
"Sinestro Corps War" is an American comic book crossover event published by DC Comics in its Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps titles. Written by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons and drawn by Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, and Ethan Van Sciver, the 11-part saga was originally published between June...
and now appearing as an adult wearing a black and silver variation of Superman's costume (like the one Superman himself wore when he was resurrected
The Death of Superman
"The Death of Superman" is a 1992 comic book storyline that occurred in DC Comics' Superman titles. The completed multi-issue story arc was given the title The Death and Return of Superman....
), continues his travels throughout the Multiverse in order to find the perfect universe. Superman-Prime attacks the Lex Luthor of Earth-15, while searching for his perfect universe, which he believes is owed to him. He brings Lex to that Earth's Fortress of Solitude, and kills that world's Superman (Zod) and his pregnant wife and then flies through the Justice League Satellite, killing Luthor and the Justice League members inside the satellite. Expressing his disgust over the League lacking the roster he desires, he returns to Earth and kills the Earth-15 Wonder Woman (Donna) and Batman (Jason). Realizing this is not the perfect Earth he is looking for, Superman-Prime dives through the planet and destroys it. He vows to find his perfect universe even if he has to tear apart the entire Multiverse to do so. Building a secret lair in the Source Wall itself, Superman-Prime captures Mister Mxyzptlk
Mister Mxyzptlk
Mr. Mxyzptlk , sometimes called Mxy, is a fictional impish supervillain who appears in DC Comics' Superman comic books.He was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and first appeared in Superman #30 . He is usually presented as a trickster, in the classical mythological sense, in that he enjoys...
and Annataz Arataz, an evil analogue of Zatanna, and forces them to give him their magic powers as a replacement for the energies he temporarily absorbed from a Guardian
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...
. After her torture at Superman-Prime's hands, Annataz experiences a change of heart and, as a way to atone for her past, taunts Superman-Prime until he lets Mxyzptlk escape, facing his tantrums alone. Superman-Prime destroys his base, burns Annataz alive, and flees. Mxyzptlk orders Gsptlsnz
Ms. Gsptlsnz
Ms. Gsptlsnz , sometimes called Gizbie, is a fictional character who appears in DC Comics' Superman: The Animated Series.She appeared in Superman: The Animated Series in the 1990s as the girlfriend of Mr. Mxyzptlk. She appeared in the episodes "Mxyzpixilated" and "Little Big Head Man". The strip is...
, his girlfriend, to seal off the Fifth Dimension. Superman-Prime later travels to the Multiversal nexus where he finds Solomon and demands his aid. Forerunner arrives as Superman-Prime threatens to kill Solomon unless he shows him his perfect universe; Solomon then shows Superman-Prime the war transpiring on Earth-51. Superman-Prime then flies down to Earth-51 and smashes into Monarch's command center. After fighting for a while, Monarch mocks Superman-Prime as a child, causing Superman-Prime to tear a hole in Monarch's containment suit, which sets of a chain reaction that destroys Earth-51 and the surrounding universe. Nix Uotan, the Monitor of Earth-51 and sole survivor of the cataclysm, cries as he finds a sapling emerging from scorched ground.
In the Multiversal nexus, Solomon prepares to kill Forerunner, but is interrupted by the arrival of Darkseid, who, wishing to continue their game, offers Solomon the next move. As they witness Brother Eye assimilating Apokolips, Solomon tells Darkseid that his time is coming to an end. Darkseid reveals that Solomon was responsible for Captain Atom irradiating Blüdhaven
Blüdhaven
Blüdhaven is a fictional city in the . Created by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel in 1996, it was originally intended to serve as a backdrop for the Nightwing comics series.-Fictional geography:...
, causing his transformation into Monarch. Solomon, disturbed by Darkseid's plans to control the "Fifth World", appears to the Challengers, telling them that Darkseid is too dangerous to attack and sends them away. He deposits them on Nix Uotan's newly-recreated Earth-51, where the events of the Great Disaster Unfold. Solomon is later seen in the Multiversal nexus planning to stop Darkseid. Solomon later places a chess piece of Darkseid onto the Source Wall as a memento of his victory and then witnesses Donna Troy, Kyle Rayner, Ray Palmer, and Forager agreeing to act as watchmen for the Monitors at the urging of Nix Uotan, who is impressed by the Challengers selflessness and repulsed by his brethren's lack of foresight.
Related events
Since Countdown attempts to be the backbone to several DC Comics titles, some events and plots play out in different comic book series.Meanwhile, the Amazons invade Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, led by a recently resurrected Hippolyta and Circe
Circe (comics)
Circe is a fictional character, a villainous sorceress and a major adversary of Wonder Woman appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological character of the same name who imprisoned Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, the comic book incarnation of Circe first...
. The mini-series concluded with the revelation that the goddess Athena has in fact been defeated and replaced by the Apokoliptian New God Granny Goodness, suggesting that the shelter that Harley Quinn and Holly Robinson are staying in is actually a Female Furies
Female Furies
The Female Furies are a group of fictional women warriors appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Mister Miracle #6 , and were created by Jack Kirby.-Team history:...
camp.
Tying into the Karate Kid storyline is the Justice League of America/Justice Society of America crossover "The Lightning Saga
The Lightning Saga
"The Lightning Saga" is a comic book crossover story arc that took place in DC Comics' two flagship team books: Justice League of America and Justice Society of America. It was written by Brad Meltzer and Geoff Johns, and illustrated by Ed Benes, Dale Eaglesham, and Shane Davis...
". The fight between Batman and Karate Kid is shown in both Countdown and Justice League of America. Dawnstar, Starman, Dream Girl, Timber Wolf, and Wildfire are all discovered stranded in the 21st Century. Initially, it is believed that they came to the present to save Lightning Lad. It is later revealed that the Legion actually came to retrieve an (as of yet) unknown person, whose "essence" is now stored in one of the Legion's "lightning rod" devices. The Legion then escaped into the future, leaving behind Starman and Karate Kid. An unforeseen consequence of the Legion's actions was the return of Wally West and his family. Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5 is a fictional character who exists in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. He is a long standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Brainiac 5 is from the planet Colu...
confirms this by implying West's return was a freak accident, but that they still retrieved the correct person the Legion came for.
The final arc of The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, "Full Throttle", features the Rogues successfully killing Bart Allen, the fourth Flash. Within Countdown, both the buildup to this as well as its aftermath is felt. Bart's funeral is held and Piper and Trickster are forced on the run from superheroes and villains alike, which also ties into the upcoming Salvation Run. Connecting this story to "The Lightning Saga" is Wally's return to Earth. Wally's new vendetta against the Rogues is witnessed in Countdown where he finally catches up to Piper and Trickster, the remaining Rogues having already been captured in All Flash #1.
Salvation Run
Salvation Run
Salvation Run is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Final Crisis in 2008.-Premise:The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R...
, by Bill Willingham
Bill Willingham
Bill Willingham is an American writer and artist of comics.-Career:Willingham got his start in the late 1970s to early 1980s as a staff artist for TSR, Inc., where he illustrated a number of their role-playing game products...
, Matthew Sturges
Matthew Sturges
Matthew Sturges is an American writer of comics and fantasy novels.-Biography:Sturges is best known for the Eisner-award nominated Jack of Fables from DC/Vertigo...
and Sean Chen
Sean Chen
Sean Chen is an Asian American comic book artist.-Career:Chen is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University where he received a bachelor's degree in industrial design. He started his career after being discovered by Barry Windsor-Smith...
, is the story of various supervillains who have been captured and deported via Boom Tube technology to another planet. Regarding Countdown, Newsarama
Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
asked writer Willingham "Just to try and point out an example of this in action, would it be safe to say that Pied Piper and Trickster would have found themselves on this world had they not escaped capture in Countdown?", to which the response was "That's a fairly safe guess." The Suicide Squad, behind the attempted captures of Piper and Trickster were also shown to have captured other Rogues in All-Flash #1 who are pictured on the cover for issue #1. In Countdown, after escaping Suicide Squad member Deadshot, Piper and Trickster later evade capture from four other members in Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
. Among those captured in the limited series include Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
, Scandal Savage, and the Joker, and the title refers to the planned escape from the planet as led by Luthor.
As well as playing a prominent part in Countdown, the story thread centering around the Death of the New Gods
Death of the New Gods
Death of the New Gods was an eight-issue comic book limited series published in 2007 and 2008 by DC Comics. It was written and pencilled by Jim Starlin.The series follows the final days of the New Gods as they are stalked by a mysterious killer....
is playing out in other books. Outsiders: Five of a Kind
Outsiders (comics)
The Outsiders are a fictional DC Comics superhero team. As its name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who allegedly do not fit the norms of the mainstream superhero community, namely the Justice League....
: Week Three: Thunder
Thunder (comics)
Thunder is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. She was first described in Green Arrow vol. 2 #26 and first appeared the next month in Outsiders vol. 3 #1...
/Martian Manhunter featured the deaths of New Gods Grayven
Grayven
Grayven is a fictional deity and supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern v3 #74, , and was created by Ron Marz and Darryl Banks.-Fictional character biography:...
and Speed Queen
Speed Queen (comics)
Speed Queen is a fictional extraterrestrial supervillain published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Hawk and Dove vol. 2 #21 , and was created by Karl Kesel, Barbara Kesel and Steve Erwin.-Fictional character biography:...
at the hands of a mysterious God-Killer, while the New God Knockout
Knockout (comics)
Knockout is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in Superboy vol. 2 #1 , and was created by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett.-Fictional character biography:...
was killed in Birds of Prey #109. This appears to be leading into the Death of the New Gods limited series written and drawn by Jim Starlin
Jim Starlin
James P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...
, which saw the demise of all of the characters created by Jack Kirby for his "Fourth World" metaseries. After the conclusion of the Death of the New Gods limited series, DC editorial revealed that the "Fourth World" concept would be replaced by a "Fifth World" concept some time in the future.
In Captain Carrot and the Final Ark, October 2007, written by Bill Morrison, with art by co-creator Scott Shaw, The Zoo Crew reunite in the midst of growing strife between the land and the sea creatures of Earth-26, sparked by Starro
Starro
Starro is a fictional supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Brave and the Bold #28 , and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky....
. Unfortunately, they encounter Starro and most of their powers are neutralized except for Pig-Iron. Furthermore, that Earth is rendered uninhabitable and the Crew has an ocean liner loaded with refugees transported off the planet by the Just-A-Lot-Of-Animals. Unfortunately, the ship is accidentally sent to New Earth. Although the Justice League encounter the ship and land it safely, all the passengers, including The Crew are transformed into their animal forms indigenous to that Earth and, although they all apparently still have their human level intelligence, they are unable to speak. However, some time in the future, the Crew will discover that their powers have been restored. In Final Crisis #7, Captain Carrot
Captain Carrot
Captain Carrot is a fictional anthropomorphic superhero published by DC Comics. His first appearance was in a special insert in The New Teen Titans #16...
is seen in the climactic battle with his humanity and powers restored and Pig Iron
Peter Porkchops
Peter Porkchops is a fictional funny animal pig who appeared in stories published by DC Comics. Peter was created by Otto Feuer, and first appeared in Leading Comics #23 .-Golden and Silver Ages:...
is with him.
Secondary titles
Countdown: ArenaCountdown: Arena
Countdown: Arena is a four-issue American comic book mini-series published by DC Comics. Written by Keith Champagne with art by Scott McDaniel, that ran for four weeks in December 2007....
was a four-part series featuring Monarch organizing a battle tournament between the heroes of the 52 universes, in order to determine who will be worthy of joining his army.
Countdown to Adventure follows the adventures of Starfire
Starfire (comics)
Starfire is the name of several fictional comic book characters published by DC Comics. The most prominent Starfire is Koriand'r, the fourth character to use that name...
, Animal Man
Animal Man
Animal Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily “borrow” the abilities of animals...
and Adam Strange
Adam Strange
Adam Strange is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky, he first appeared in Showcase #17 .In May 2011, Adam Strange placed 97th on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time....
after their return home in 52. Starfire and Animal Man continue with life on Earth, although their powers are not entirely reliable despite ample time to readjust to Earth's environment, while Adam Strange is replaced as the guardian of the planet Rann
Rann
Rann is a fictional planet in the Polaris star system of the whose capitol city is Ranagar. Rann is most famous for being the adopted planet of the Earth explorer and hero Adam Strange and for their teleportation device called the Zeta Beam...
by an ultra-violent Hollywood actor named Champ Hazard. Meanwhile, the return of Lady Styx
Lady Styx
Lady Styx is a fictional supervillain in the . Her first appearance occurred in the weekly series 52.-Publication history:Lady Styx first appeared in 52 #31 as the main antagonist to Adam Strange, Animal Man, and Starfire. She later made appearances in Omega Men and Countdown to Adventure...
is heralded on Earth and Rann by zombie-like outbursts of three words: "Believe in her." Backup stories within Countdown to Adventure feature Forerunner and Monarch and expand upon both her origin story and her journey through the Multiverse, including a alternate history version of the Justice League had the Nazi's won World War 2 with the JLA being organized by Hitler.
Countdown to Mystery features the adventures of Kent V. Nelson becoming Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate is the name of a succession of fictional sorcerers who appear in books published by DC Comics. The original version was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, and first appeared in More Fun Comics #55...
. In a backup story, Eclipso seduces the heroes of the DC Universe, tying into Countdown appearances with Mary Marvel and begins with the corruption of Plastic Man
Plastic Man
Plastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 ....
and Darkseid’s revelation that he is Eclipso's true creator and that Eclipso's black diamond was mined on the planet Apokolips.
The Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer one-shots expand on the Challengers' quest to find former Atom Ray Palmer.
Countdown Presents: Lord Havok
Lord Havok
Lord Havok is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain, part of the supervillain team called the Extremists. He is based on the Marvel Comics supervillain Doctor Doom, and, like him, is a genius equipped with powered armor...
and the Extremists
Extremists (comics)
The Extremists are a team of supervillains in DC Comics Justice League titles, they were introduced in Justice League Europe issue #15.-History:...
concerns events on Earth-8 and how they impact the future of the Multiverse and the Countdown to Final Crisis limited series.
Promotional campaign
At the New York Comic-ConNew York Comic-Con
The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television.-History:The first event was held in 2006 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center...
in 2007, DC distributed four pins, with the option of a fifth, promoting storylines in Countdown. The first four pins say: "WWMMD?" ("What Would Mary Marvel Do?"), "I Found Ray Palmer
Ray Palmer (comics)
The Atom is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero introduced during the Silver Age of comic books in Showcase # 34 . He was named after Raymond A...
," "Look to the Skies!" and "Jimmy Olsen Must Die!". The final pin says, "Darkseid Rules!"
A teaser poster was released, which shows Wonder Woman comforting Superman, Batman in a different costume (with a sword and what appears to be chain mail armor) and Donna Troy wearing her Wonder Girl costume again. Kyle Rayner is wearing a yellow ring, and Mary Marvel is shown partially in shadow. Mister Miracle stands next to Big Barda
Big Barda
Big Barda is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Mister Miracle #4 , and was created by Jack Kirby....
. Also notable among the poster is a Legion flight ring, a minuscule red hand (the Atom
Atom (comics)
The Atom is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe.There have been five characters who have shared the Atom codename. The original Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt, was created by Ben Flinton and Bill O'Connor and first appeared in All-American Publications'...
's) sticking out of the rubble, and the bodies of Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)
Blue Beetle is the second Blue Beetle, a superhero who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later picked up by DC Comics...
(Ted Kord), Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a shrewd and powerful businessman who was very influential in the formation of the Justice League International in DC Comics.-Before the League:...
, The Question
Question (comics)
The Question is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by DC Comics. The original was created by writer-artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Blue Beetle #1...
(Vic Sage), and Jade
Jade (comics)
Jade is a fictional character, a superheroine in the . Known affectionately as "Jennie" or "Jen", she is the daughter of Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern. Her mother is Rose Canton, the Golden Age villain known as Thorn...
— major or notable heroes who had recently died. The heroes are gathered around the head of the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
; the decapitated body of the statue can be seen in the background.
While alternately revealing and retracting his statements about Jason Todd being the new Red Robin, Dan Didio confirmed the latter within the pages of DC Comics as of July 2007. Didio had also previously mentioned that Barry Allen
Barry Allen
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is the second character known as the Flash. The character first appeared in Showcase #4 , created by writers Robert Kanigher and John Broome and penciler Carmine Infantino. His name combines talk show hosts Barry Gray...
would be the returning Flash.
In later interviews, Dan Didio finally explained the symbolism of the image in light of the fact that a second was soon to be released.
Released with books published on July 5, 2007 in the DC Nation: #68 column, Didio described the picture's symbolism: "Anyone standing on barren ground is doomed. In this case, it spells the Death of the New Gods...The yellow ring corrupts Kyle (Rayner) in The Sinestro Corps War
Sinestro Corps War
"Sinestro Corps War" is an American comic book crossover event published by DC Comics in its Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps titles. Written by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons and drawn by Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, and Ethan Van Sciver, the 11-part saga was originally published between June...
...Jason Todd becomes Red Robin, driving a wedge in the Challengers from Beyond...Green Arrow struggles to win the love of Black Canary...Batman, in symbolic garb, wields the sword that hearkens the return of a deadly foe (Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul is a DC Comics supervillain and is one of Batman's greatest enemies. His name in Arabic has been translated in the comics as "The Demon's Head" and references the name of the star Algol. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's...
)...Dressed in Barry's costume, Bart (Allen, the Flash) showed that he had one foot in the grave...A Legionnaire is lost and marked for death in Countdown...The Atom, lost, struggles to survive...The shield marked Hippolyta
Hippolyta (comics)
Hippolyta, in comics, may refer to:*Hippolyta , a superhero queen in the DC Comics universe*Hippolyta , an Amazon warrior in the Marvel Comics universe*Hippolyta Trevor, a DC Comics character, also known as Fury...
's return...Superman and Wonder Woman discuss parent issues...Is that a Boom Tube I see, and can that be the path to salvation
Salvation Run
Salvation Run is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Final Crisis in 2008.-Premise:The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R...
?...The shadow of evil falls over Mary Marvel...and the statue head, reminiscent of and tied to Kamandi #1, also reflects Sinestro's upcoming visit to the Big Apple."
A second teaser image was released by DC comics to the website Newsarama.com. Drawn by Ethan Van Sciver
Ethan Van Sciver
Ethan Daniel Van Sciver is an American comic book artist, best known for illustrating a number of titles including Green Lantern, Superman/Batman, New X-Men, and The Flash: Rebirth...
with the caption "...And Evil Shall Inherit The Earth". It depicts various DC characters and Dan Didio
Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio is an American writer, editor and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. He is currently the Co-Publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee...
states that it '...will get us to the end of Countdown.'
A series of promotional posters highlighting the main characters in Countdown have been released over several months. They also appeared as full paged ads in several comic books and several issues of Wizard
Wizard (magazine)
Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011...
magazine. These include:
- Eclipso extending a hand to Mary Marvel and a message that reads "Seduction of the InnocentSeduction of the InnocentSeduction of the Innocent is a book by German-American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. The book was a minor bestseller that created alarm in parents and galvanized...
". - An angry Ray Palmer under a magnifying glass with the message "I Found Ray Palmer!".
- Jimmy Olsen looking up from the bottom of the poster with the message "Jimmy Olsen Must Die!"
- The hands of the Trickster and the Pied Piper handcuffed together, reading "Villains Defiant!"
- Darkseid's face with the message "Unto Man Shall Come... A Great Disaster".
A series of in house ads have run through DC's comic books based on the pins and posters. All of them have been illustrated by Ryan Sook. These include:
- Eclipso wearing a "What Would Mary Marvel Do?" button.
- Red Robin wearing an "I Found Ray Palmer!" button.
- The JokerJoker (comics)The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
wearing a "Jimmy Olsen Must Die" Button on his lapel. Another image has the Joker grinning while wearing Jimmy's press pass, his bowtie, and his Superman signal watch. - Granny Goodness wearing a "Darkseid Rules!" button.
- Superman wearing a "Look to the Skies!" button.
A series of in house ads for series under going revamps have begun to appear. These ads incorporate the series' title as a partial crumbling stone block on a white background and the tagline "The Countdown continues". All of them have been illustrated by Ryan Sook.
Sales figures
Sales of Countdown began with issue #51 selling 91,054 orders from Diamond Comics Distributors, making it the nineteenth best selling comic book in May 2007. After the first issue, sales steadily dropped to a low of 72,077 copies with issue #40. Sales of subsequent issues briefly jumped to a high of approximately 88,000 copies per issue, before gradually declining into their current 67,000 range.Collected editions
The series has been collected into four trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Volume 1 (collects #51-39, 296 pages, May 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1789-3)
- Volume 2 (collects #38-26, 296 pages, July 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1824-5)
- Volume 3 (collects #25-13, 296 pages, October 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1911-X)
- Volume 4 (collects #12-1, 272 pages, November 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1912-8)
Other connected collections include:
- Countdown Arena (168 pages, August 2008, DC Comics, ISBN 1-4012-1822-9, Titan BooksTitan BooksTitan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
, ISBN 1845768671)
- Countdown to Adventure (192 pages, August 2008, DC Comics, ISBN 1-4012-1823-7, Titan Books, ISBN 1845768663)
- Dr Fate: Countdown to Mystery (160 pages, September 2008, DC Comics, ISBN 1845768663)
- Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer (168 pages, July 2008, DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, ISBN 1-4012-1798-2, Titan Books, ISBN 184576868X) - Countdown Presents: Lord Havok and the Extremists (144 pages, September 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1844-X, Titan Books, October 2008, ISBN 1848561210)
External links
- Myspace Comics Previews of #51 and #50
- Image gallery of the Countdown marketing campaign
- Weekly Countdown Review Jim Beard's Weekly Countdown Reviews at Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
- Countdown Breakdown John Hays' Weekly Countdown Breakdown, focusing on the back stories of characters and places in Countdown at Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...