Countdown 49 ***SPOILERS*** full credit mazinman

[Karl O'Neill]

Views from the Nanoverse: Countdown 49 ***SPOILERS***


Countdown 49

Stretching the Truth
Paul Dini, Head Writer, with Tony Bedard
Penciled by Carlos Magno

-Jimmy Olsen verses Killer Croc at Arkham Asylum.
While talking to Lois Lane on his cell phone, Jimmy Olsen is attacked by Killer Croc whom has just escaped his bindings. Croc gives a fierce swipe with his right claws against the left side of Jimmy’s face but is startled to find that Jimmy has stretched out his body. While on his back Jimmy give Croc a swift kick to the head. Croc comes towards Jimmy again but is hit with tasers from the guards and taken back into custody. When the guards check in on Jimmy, they find that he is alright and not sure what happened himself.

-When Monitors meet and disagree.
The Blue tunic Monitor and the Purple tunic Monitor have words with each other with the other Monitors present. Blue is still upset with Purple over killing Duela but Purple sees nothing wrong with it as she shouldn’t have been alive in the first place. Purple argues that they have seen what happens when individuals stray from one universe to the next and must we have another Crisis to move them into action. Purple points to a computer screen and asks them to look at the loose ends left over from the last Crisis. One the screen is Karate Kid, Nightwing, Supergirl, the “new” Legion, Red Hood, Ion, and Donna Troy.
***Okay Blue and Purple sound stupid I know but if I was to shorten it and call one BM that would be just as bad and set up a different mess of jokes***

-Karate Kid locked up.
Karate Kid is locked up in the JLoA Satellite. Roy is at KK’s cell and is asking him what is going on in the future where they have to come back to the 21st century. KK tells Roy that he is some hero, keeping him locked up for no reason. Roy tells KK that he might free him if he would only answer the question. KK tells Roy that he is the sixth person to interrogate him so why would he tell him anything when the other five were actually in the history books.
KK: “Red Arrow”? Red? Is originally not in vogue in this time period?
Roy: Oh, because Karate Kid is completely unheard of. Hey, do me a favor, would you?
Wax off.

Karate Kid laughs.

-Pied Piper helps steal 100 Million Dollars. IS he back to being a Rogue?
Trying to prove their worth to Mirror Master, Trickster and the Pied Piper steal 100 Million dollars from a guy that made money from selling bad stocks to old people. Using his flute the Pier instructs the man to wire the funds to an account and then to jump off the boat they are on out in the Atlantic. Once the money hits Mirror Masters account he is happy with the transaction but is quickly deprived of the funds by Pied Piper who says that it is payback for MM killing his parents. MM tells PP that it is fair enough but if he crosses him again that he is dead. The Trickster approaches Pied Piper who is now outside and say that he figured out what is going on, that Pied Piper used his flute to make the man they just robbed swim five miles back to shore without even tiring. Trickster tells Pied Piper to transfer the money into his account or he will rat him out to the other Rogues. Piper had initially sent the funds to a Children’s Homeless Fund.

-Mary Marvel goes to Gotham and finds herself in trouble. And wait until you see who her rescuer is.
Mary is chased by three street thugs into an old church. The first thug comes through the door and tells Mary that the place has no phone, power or water since the ragheads moved out. Two hands are then seen grabbing the thug and pulling him up; “Ragheads? I detest that term”. And with a “SKLUTCH” the thug is dead.
MM: (thoughts) The mugger flies apart in more pieces than I can count. If I could afford to eat today, I’d be losing my lunch. Tripped over something or someone.

Mary looks around while picking herself up off the floor to see a number of dead bodies.

MM: …Who…? Who are they…?

Mary looks up top see a man in the rafters.
BA: Drug Addicts, squatters, real estate agents…people stupid enough to intrude upon my solitude…people like you.

Black Adam flies down upon Mary.

MM: Adam? WAIT! It’s Me. Mary Marvel.
BA: Well, then. This day is not a total lose.


-History of the Multiverse, Chapter One
Written and drawn by Dan Jurgens
The history is about how the Multiverse started and the first meeting of the Flashes.

[CMBMOOL]

Wow Jimmy with the powers of Elastic Lad, temporary. :eek:

Black Adam in Gotham city, maybe the upcoming BA mini series would answer that. :confused:

Karate Kid and the Legion aren't suppose to exist said the Moniters ? :eek:


Man this issue is getting a little interesting. :o

[Hawkman]

I don't know, I'm still not feeling this series. It's obviously building up to something, but I haven't really felt very much intrigue in regards to the pay-off as of yet.

I'm assuming that I'm supposed to be unsure of whether or not Jimmy actually stretched, or if Croc was just out of it. But even so, I'm not that mystified by the concept. Piper and Trickster remain as throwaways to me here. I'm still waiting for their story to get into gear. And as for Black Adam, his appearance felt more like fan-service to me than anything else. I hope he's utilized more effectively in the next issue, because here it was just more gratuitous BA violence as far as I'm concerned.

So I'm still far from sold at this point. I'm giving it three more issues to convince me, but it's not looking good right now, I'm sorry to say. Hopefully, Ray will pop up in the next issue in some capacity, as that would probably go a long way in convincing me this thing is worth my $3 each week. Until then, though, I remain skeptical.

[Nintendite]

WOOT! Elastic-Lad lives!

[Cayman]

3 issues in and it's still just not grabbing me, plus the art was really poor in this issue. The elasti-Jimmy bit was interesting, but otherwise I thought the issue was a bore.

[ultramandingo]

......so when does jimmy olsen turn into a giant turtle? or at least a pocupine


I'm still pinning my hopes on seeing Elastic Lad again. :D
:)


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anodyne]

Views from the Nanoverse: Countdown 49 ***SPOILERS***
Countdown 49
-When Monitors meet and disagree.
The Blue tunic Monitor and the Purple tunic Monitor have words with each other
***Okay Blue and Purple sound stupid I know but if I was to shorten it and call one BM that would be just as bad and set up a different mess of jokes***
How about BTM (Blue Tunic Monitor) and PTM (Purple Tunic Monitor)?

-Pied Piper helps steal 100 Million Dollars. IS he back to being a Rogue?
Trying to prove their worth to Mirror Master, Trickster and the Pied Piper steal 100 Million dollars from a guy that made money from selling bad stocks to old people.<snipped> The Trickster approaches Pied Piper who is now outside and say that he figured out what is going on, that Pied Piper used his flute to make the man they just robbed swim five miles back to shore without even tiring. Trickster tells Pied Piper to transfer the money into his account or he will rat him out to the other Rogues. Piper had initially sent the funds to a Children’s Homeless Fund.
In defense of James Jesse, who even pre(original)-Crisis liked to think of himself as "not a mean man," I'd like to point out that he didn't know about the Homeless Children's Fund. He tells Piper to "take that money from wherever you REALLY transferred it and put it in MY account."
http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/Countdown/Marts/50b/Countdown50.html

[Jack Zodiac]

I don't see this book being as big, or even close to as big, as 52. It's pretty inaccessible for new readers, and it's pretty incomprehensible for steady readers. I mean, I understood everything about this issue, but I don't know what the hell's going on, and I'm finding less and less to care about- especially when the issue's shocking ending is an even more psychotic than usual Black Adam brooding in some church in Gotham killing meth addicts.

More and more, I'm thinking I might just skim these issues at the store and buy the ones that look the most interesting.

[Deus ex Chris]

3 issues in and it's still just not grabbing me, plus the art was really poor in this issue. The elasti-Jimmy bit was interesting, but otherwise I thought the issue was a bore.

I agree, and the dialogue was bad. What happened to DC? Are Greg Rucka and Grant Morrison the only DC writers capable of writing believable dialogue?

[converge241]

Im thinking this over the edge Monitor may go a little ANTI

[ChthonicSpirit]

So, it took Adam a grand total of what, three weeks, to figure out his new magic word? The one Billy said he would never guess?

Billy fails.

[shaxper]

That's not even one word.


Glad I haven't picked up this series beyond the first issue. I keep skimming for big Jason Todd moments but, not finding those, I've seen little else to make me want to buy the book.

[TheSaltedSuperman]

I'm actually liking it. I like the scale it's working on moreso than I did with 52, and it doesn't hurt that I mark for Jimmy Olsen in scary ways.

[NMoline]

It's interesting not nearly as many people are talking about Countdown as they did 52 on these boards. I like Countdown and more than anything I ejoy having a good comic come out weekly. I just wonder if the sales figures compared to 52 will be similar to the drop off in comments on this board?

[MWGallaher]

So, it took Adam a grand total of what, three weeks, to figure out his new magic word? The one Billy said he would never guess?

Billy fails.
It's not certain that Adam has his powers back, is it? I think he just killed the guy with his bare hands and exceptional strength, not Marvel powers. Mary will be commiserating with him next week over their mutual loss of superpowers, I betcha.

[Jack Zodiac]

So, it took Adam a grand total of what, three weeks, to figure out his new magic word? The one Billy said he would never guess?

Billy fails.

Between the end of 52 and the beginning of Countdown, One Year (Later) has passed. Adam's had an entire years to figure out what Billy's magic word was, but that won't be revealed until August when they roll out the "Aftermath" books.

More milk? Oh, I'unno... my stomach doesn't feel so hot.

[glennsim]

Between the end of 52 and the beginning of Countdown, One Year (Later) has passed. Adam's had an entire years to figure out what Billy's magic word was, but that won't be revealed until August when they roll out the "Aftermath" books.

More milk? Oh, I'unno... my stomach doesn't feel so hot.

I don't think a full year has passed since OYL began. Maybe a couple of months. None of the books have had enough happen since OYL to say that a full year has passed.

So Countdown doesn't start up immediately after 52, like some people think, but it's also not a full year either.

[Jack Tango]

Between the end of 52 and the beginning of Countdown, One Year (Later) has passed. Adam's had an entire years to figure out what Billy's magic word was, but that won't be revealed until August when they roll out the "Aftermath" books.

No. 52 is the missing year between the end of Infinite Crisis and One Year Later. Countdown occurs in the present time of the DCU.

Goes like this:

INFINITE CRISIS>52>ONE YEAR LATER>COUNTDOWN>

[PastePotPete]

It's interesting not nearly as many people are talking about Countdown as they did 52 on these boards. I like Countdown and more than anything I ejoy having a good comic come out weekly. I just wonder if the sales figures compared to 52 will be similar to the drop off in comments on this board?

I don't know. The Big Two have said it time and time again: Online reaction does not necessarily (or even usually) act as an indicator of the reaction among the general populace.

I'm enjoying Countdown. I like the characters they've chosen as leads for the series. I think it's a fun mix. I like how the book is going to tie into DC continuity. My favorite scene this issue was the one with the Rogues. They're my favorite characters right now. I've always been a Flash fan and I love seeing Trickster and Piper get their due.

One thing I have noticed that may rub people the wrong way is the way Dini & Co. aren't paying close attention to continuity. Red Hood is different from his earlier appearances. The New Gods stuff is going to ignore Morrison's Seven Soldiers continuity. I've NEVER been a continuity hound (and always consider new stories by different writers to stand on their own) so this doesn't bother me, but I know it will bother a lot of fans so it was a risky choice to make. Didio said he hired people with an outsider perspective on the DCU, but you don't want to stray too far outside or you lose your fanbase.

[Buried Alien]

One thing I have noticed that may rub people the wrong way is the way Dini & Co. aren't paying close attention to continuity. Red Hood is different from his earlier appearances. The New Gods stuff is going to ignore Morrison's Seven Soldiers continuity.

Apparently, this is deliberate, and if so, it racks up the intrigue factor because that would indicate something deeper behind these apparent continuity shifts.

I'm patient. If COUNTDOWN is going to run weekly for a year, I certainly don't expect the best moments to be frontloaded during the first few weeks (anymore than a jigsaw puzzle would look complete after the first three pieces have been fit together). It might be a few months before we can really begin to discern what's going on.

These series are not for the impatient, that's for certain.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[matt_hatyber]

yea its not for the impatiant..but im impatiant so its getting me mad, i just want jason to become red hood, for jimmy to die, for them to find ray, and for mary to get the new cotume

[Taskmaster]

Im thinking this over the edge Monitor may go a little ANTI

Didn't we already see an Anti-Monitor back in their first appearance in Brave New World?



One thing I have noticed that may rub people the wrong way is the way Dini & Co. aren't paying close attention to continuity. Red Hood is different from his earlier appearances. The New Gods stuff is going to ignore Morrison's Seven Soldiers continuity. I've NEVER been a continuity hound (and always consider new stories by different writers to stand on their own) so this doesn't bother me, but I know it will bother a lot of fans so it was a risky choice to make. Didio said he hired people with an outsider perspective on the DCU, but you don't want to stray too far outside or you lose your fanbase.

Meh, Morrison's New Gods deserve to be ignored

[shaxper]

I'm patient. If COUNTDOWN is going to run weekly for a year, I certainly don't expect the best moments to be frontloaded during the first few weeks (anymore than a jigsaw puzzle would look complete after the first three pieces have been fit together). It might be a few months before we can really begin to discern what's going on.


But, as we learned from 52, DC isn't planning all that far ahead. They're making things up as they go along. The entire focus of 52 changed on the writers' whims only a few issues in for just such a reason. I honestly think the writers are playing their cards as they pick them up.

[Sean Whitmore]

Black Adam again?

It's like this series is tripping over itself to try and be lame.


SEAN

[UniqueFrequency]

ok i didn't like seeing Black Adam again so fast (thought he'd be shuffling around trying to find that magic word for awhile more), but this issue was better than last i think. the pace was picked up abit. but i'm getting tired of the Monitor's bickering. fight already.

[jv2k]

So far this book seems to read way too quickly.

Plus I don't like the idea of Black Adam becoming even crazier than he was durring WWIII. I hope he turns out to be a fake.

[Jack Zodiac]

No. 52 is the missing year between the end of Infinite Crisis and One Year Later. Countdown occurs in the present time of the DCU.

Goes like this:

INFINITE CRISIS>52>ONE YEAR LATER>COUNTDOWN>

I know, Jack. My assumption was one year has passed since OYL, which probably isn't the case. And Countdown, in all likelihood, won't be accurately depicting an entire year passing in real-time like 52, which is something I thought it was going to do before.

In hindsight, though, there's no way in balls DC would actually show two whole years passing for all of their characters. Not when it would age them so quickly.

[Cayman]

I'd feel a little less disappointed in the book if it had been priced the same as 52, which was written by A-list writers.

I'm hoping the McKeever issues will outshine what we've seen so far.

[Karl O'Neill]

Black Adam again?

It's like this series is tripping over itself to try and be lame.


SEAN

Hardly, Black adam's apperance is not arbitrary.

All will be explained in his upcoming mini series.

And i say, the more Black adam the better:D

[Jack Zodiac]

He didn't say it was arbitrary, he said it was lame.

[Ian J.N.]

I know, Jack. My assumption was one year has passed since OYL, which probably isn't the case. And Countdown, in all likelihood, won't be accurately depicting an entire year passing in real-time like 52, which is something I thought it was going to do before.

In hindsight, though, there's no way in balls DC would actually show two whole years passing for all of their characters. Not when it would age them so quickly.
Last I heard, the series is going to be real-time like 52, except from month to month instead of week to week. All four May issues take place in May, the June issues in June, July in July, etc.

[glennsim]

Last I heard, the series is going to be real-time like 52, except from month to month instead of week to week. All four May issues take place in May, the June issues in June, July in July, etc.

Yeah, but in the long run, the events in the books in May and June could be compressed down to not have too much time have passed for the characters. Just as that is true for the regular books, the same will ultimately hold true for Countdown.

Of course, there's not really any reason that can't eventually hold true for 52 as well...

[Lex]

Yeah, but in the long run, the events in the books in May and June could be compressed down to not have too much time have passed for the characters. Just as that is true for the regular books, the same will ultimately hold true for Countdown.

Of course, there's not really any reason that can't eventually hold true for 52 as well...
I think you're right. I remember that No Man's Land was supposed to take place over a whole year in DCU time, but I doubt that is still the case today.

[Zero Hunter]

I don't even think that was Black Adam. Remember Mary Marvel is going to be dealing with Eclipso in her story. Plus we have the Black Adam mini series coming up and I really don't think they would ruin that by showing Adam with powers again this soon. I think it is Eclipso messing with her head pretending to be Black Adam. She will give Mary new powers witch Mary will think came from Adam, but will really be a much darker power given by Eclipso withc will start corupting her.

[PastePotPete]

But, as we learned from 52, DC isn't planning all that far ahead. They're making things up as they go along. The entire focus of 52 changed on the writers' whims only a few issues in for just such a reason. I honestly think the writers are playing their cards as they pick them up.

That may have been true for 52, Shaxper, but Paul Dini is on record saying that he has a bible with an outline for the entire plot of Countdown leading into the next (Final?) Crisis. In a recent CBR interview he said that while he left space for the individual writers to change details here and there, all the major turning points of the plot are more-or-less set and will not be changed. In other words, your complaints above are one of the things Dini and Didio set out to change with Countdown.

[Laminator_X]

So, it took Adam a grand total of what, three weeks, to figure out his new magic word? The one Billy said he would never guess?

Billy fails.

Being Billy, he picked something like "mercy" or "compassion" figuring that Adam would never say those things. Adam, being a brooding anti-hero proceeded to naturally use both of those words in his next regular soliloquy over his nature as a brooding anti-hero.

Billy should've picked something at least as difficult as "Rosebud," "Rumplestiltskin," or "Kltpzyxm."

[Sean Whitmore]

Billy: "I'm so clever! Adam would never think to use the word love."

Black Adam: "I would love to [bleep]ing kill Billy Batson--"

BOOM!


SEAN

[Laminator_X]

Adam: Say my name!

http://images.comicbookresources.com/previews/dccomics/countdown/47.jpg

Adam: That's right.

[BaconRobotChampion]

So, it took Adam a grand total of what, three weeks, to figure out his new magic word? The one Billy said he would never guess?



anyone else think that black adam tried to find a new source of magic and became the new spectre?

[Jack Zodiac]

Eh? There's already a new Spectre, fella'. I think it's either just Eclipso pretending to be Black Adam, or Black Adam figured out his new magic work really quickly.

[Robin3]

I think the "magic word" was just a plot device to delay Black Adam for a while. They built a lot of momentum with his character in 52, but since they can't have him being a problem during the "one year later" books, they needed something to keep him out of the spotlight for a while.

If they do this right, B.A. could become DC's version of the punisher, and then he'll be a regular. That would be cool, as long as they don't go with that whole, "haunted by the memories of the dead" junk.

Finally, I don't think that Black Adam was going around in a suit without powers. The reason is that when he's in human form, he has darker skin and a different appearance. This is based on the episode of 52 in which he de-powered in front on television.

[Robin3]

Adam: Say my name!

http://images.comicbookresources.com/previews/dccomics/countdown/47.jpg

Adam: That's right.

I hope they get some mileage out of a dark mary marvel. I find the whole B.A thing to be more intriguing than mary "cheerleader" marvel.

[Jack Zodiac]

I'm glad we've got Turner doing covers now. I always said, "Y'know, I don't think Mary Marvel looks enough like every other comic book female, and she could certainly show a little more ass."

[Robin3]

hmph. The sarcasm is noted, but I'm glad she's showing some tail. maxima/Starfire show a lot of ass, but with them, it's so "out there", it kind of doesn't have an effect. A little bit of skirt on MM does the trick though.

[Lex]

hmph. The sarcasm is noted, but I'm glad she's showing some tail. maxima/Starfire show a lot of ass, but with them, it's so "out there", it kind of doesn't have an effect. A little bit of skirt on MM does the trick though.
I hope I don't offend you, but I got a really creepy vibe from your post. I think that's because when I think of Mary, I think of her as eternally in the 10 to 13 year old range.

[Robin3]

I don't think that's correct.

Look at the wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Marvel

it clearly states in the 3rd paragraph that she's an adult in the Mary Marvel form. At least that's what I'm thinking. If you think otherwise, it's certainly not my take, and that kind of suggestion is way out there.

The comment is about a cartoon depiction of an adult character, but the inference made was pretty serious. I'm voluntarily choosing to make no further comment in this thread, because it has to stop right now.

[Jack Zodiac]

Even if she's sixteen, eighteen, or twenty, she's a wholesome character, and slapping her in some psuedo-dom gear once (in Giffen's Formerly Known As the Justice League) for parody is funny, but cutting half a foot off her skirt and putting her in leather as an attempt to revitalize the character is a sad, sorry ass mistake.

[Kevin Street]

Billy: "I'm so clever! Adam would never think to use the word love."

Black Adam: "I would love to [bleep]ing kill Billy Batson--"

BOOM!
You totally win at the Internet. :D That was really funny!

Now I have to wipe spit off my monitor...

[comicstar100]

One thing that really ticked me off about this issue was the fact that Jason, Kyle and Donna were on the cover yet never featured in it. Also while Jason has been in the first two issues we haven't heared a word about Kyle or Donna who were supposed to play major roles in the story, I know its just three issues in but this has been bothering me.

[Laminator_X]

One thing that really ticked me off about this issue was the fact that Jason, Kyle and Donna were on the cover yet never featured in it. Also while Jason has been in the first two issues we haven't heared a word about Kyle or Donna who were supposed to play major roles in the story, I know its just three issues in but this has been bothering me.

You could've blinked and missed them, but they were shown during the Parliament of Monitors discussion of what to do about people who don't belong.

[Lex]

One thing that really ticked me off about this issue was the fact that Jason, Kyle and Donna were on the cover yet never featured in it. Also while Jason has been in the first two issues we haven't heared a word about Kyle or Donna who were supposed to play major roles in the story, I know its just three issues in but this has been bothering me.
If this is anything like 52, they won't be able to focus on every member of the cast in each issue. Characters will move in and out of the story as space permits. And I believe the space heroes in 52 didn't appear until month two. So I'm not too worried about Donna and Kyle being missing right now.

Though I agree that they should've been featured more in this issue since they were on the cover.

[Lex]

I don't think that's correct.

Look at the wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Marvel

it clearly states in the 3rd paragraph that she's an adult in the Mary Marvel form. At least that's what I'm thinking. If you think otherwise, it's certainly not my take, and that kind of suggestion is way out there.

The comment is about a cartoon depiction of an adult character, but the inference made was pretty serious. I'm voluntarily choosing to make no further comment in this thread, because it has to stop right now.
It doesn't matter that she transforms into an adult because she's still a young kid. Just because Billy can transform into an adult doesn't mean it's a good idea for him to start drinking.

And I agree with Jack. If they use this revitalization of Mary to suddenly increase her sex appeal, then I think that misses the point of the character.