52, countdown, WW3, Im confused.

[Gargus]

Ok I am reading 52 now and collecting countdown.

I wont read countdown till I am done with 52 first.

But I also have those 4 issues of world war 3.

Does ww3 have anything to do with countdown or 52? If so should I read it before or after countdown?

Im just confused with all this stuff.

Thanks.

[Cayman]

WW3 took place between two of the final issues of 52 and expanded on what occurred there. I suppose it has some connection to Countdown in that it's where a large status quo change for Black Adam occurred.

[G. Wayne]

Even though there's an issue of 52 (forget which one) that says "WORLD WAR THREE STARTS HERE!" on the cover, read the WW3 issues before that one.

Early on, Countdown briefly touched on what happened to Black Adam post WW3. That's now being explored in detail in the Black Adam:The Dark Ages mini that started this week.

[Gargus]

Ok, so I read 52 till I get to the issue that says "ww3 starts here", then I read the WW3 one shots first, finish 52 and then start countdown right?

[Captain Jim]

You can do that, but realize that 52 ends at the beginning of the One Year Later event and Countdown begins a year after that. So there's approximately a year in between the two.

[Erebus]

If you'd like, you don't have to read 52 first to understand Countdown.

[handOFfate]

52 and Countdown have the same kind of format in which five or six stories featuring B-listers intertwine occasionally, then go off on their own. 52 is far more coherant since a lot of Countdown's story is told in monthly titles. WW3 is essentially a spinoff from 52 that features the resolution of Black Adam's story.
52 main characters: Ralph Dibney, The Question/Renee Montoya, Booster Gold, Black Adam/Isis, Steel/Lex Luthor, Oolong Island saga featuring a lot of DC's scientists. All these stories take place in the OYL gap and read very well on their own with no tie-ins.
Countdown main characters: Mary Marvel, the Trickster/Pied Piper, Donna Troy/Kyle Rayner/Jason Todd, Holly Robinson/Harley Quinn, Karate Kid. This takes place in current DC time and some of the resolutions take place in other books. Flash: Fastest Man Alive #13 plays a huge part in the Trickster/Piper story, and you will need to read the JLA/JSA crossover "Lightning Saga" to make any sense of the Karate Kid portion.

[Captain Jim]

Flash: Fastest Man Alive #13 plays a huge part in the Trickster/Piper story, and you will need to read the JLA/JSA crossover "Lightning Saga" to make any sense of the Karate Kid portion.

See, I question that; especially the Lightning Saga part. You really don't need to know all the details of what transpired there to understand that Karate Kid and Una are stuck in the 20th century. I really doubt that their upcoming plotline has anything at all to do with Wally West returning.

[rerun]

Ok, so I read 52 till I get to the issue that says "ww3 starts here", then I read the WW3 one shots first, finish 52 and then start countdown right?

Yup. I believe WW3 starts during Week 50 of 52.

[4thHorseman]

Reading 52 will give you an idea of what led to World War 3. After issue 49, you will want to read the 4 WW3 specials, then read issue 50 to see the last part of WW3 (though some of it will be seen in the 4th special). After that, the Black Adam: Dark Age will be the next step before Black Adam's Countdown appearance, though the Dark Age series just started yesterday.

[Shellhead]

52 was very good, but I recommend skipping the sloppy 4-issue WW3 mini-series. 52 #50 tells you everything important that happened in WW3.