Countdown ?

[Shazam]

I've just acquired a complete set of Countdown and it's various crossovers and tie-ins.

Is there a checklist of the order in which they should be read ?

I've got Action # 853, 854; Arena # 1 - 4; Search for Ray Palmer # 1 - 6; Lord Havok & the extremists # 1 - 6; the 8 Countdown Specials; Countdown to Adventure # 1 - 8; Countdown to Mystery # 1 - 8; Crime Bible # 1 - 5; Four Horsemen # 1 - 6; Infinite Halloween special; Supergirl # 21, 22; All New Atom # 12 - 15 plus all the Countdown issues.

Thanks.

[Superboy-Prime]

hahahahahaha


Dude, you're going to regret ever buying Countdown and all its Tie-ins. Countdown is being largely ignored in the DCU. For the most part. All that money spent, makes me sad.

[carabas]

Countdown to Mystery is good (well, the Doc Fate half of it anyway) and Crime Bible is excellent (and also the only title listed here that is at all relevant towards final Crisis).
Four Horsemen is okey.

Read these in any order you like, and for your sanity's sake, do not read any of the others.

[Shazam]

That bad, huh ? :frown:

[Hawkman]

I liked Countdown to Adventure, too. But yeah, I'd agree with carabas otherwise. The rest just aren't worth your time.

[titanfan]

They don't make sense regardless of any order that they are read in. (I agree that Countdown to Adventure was the only mini I liked)

[The Xenos]

When Countdown to Final Crisis and its tie ins contracdict Final Crisis, the very story they were counting down to, that's a very bad thing. It seems the start of Final Crisis was done before they even made Countdown so they had something to aim for and somehow DC still couldn't match them.

[Mr. Nebula]

I liked Countdown to Adventure, too. But yeah, I'd agree with carabas otherwise. The rest just aren't worth your time.

I liked the creative team on C2Adventure and always love an excuse to showcase more Adam Strange and Animal Man, but thought that storyline was pretty Meh. I loved their story-arc in "52" (which, granted, was by better writers) but felt that worked BECAUSE they were three very different heroes forced into an adventure together. The repeated attempts to jam Adam, Buddy and Starfire into cosmic books like C2A and the even more bland Holy War just seems a bit forced and redundant. The Forerunner backup storyline in C2A's single issues seemed to pick up steam when she acquired that rag-tag space crew in the final few chapters, but was it as equally jarring to anyone else how quickly that story dropped all lingering plot points (like the unexplained carcass they picked up floating in space) to simply ditch the Forerunner character forever on that planet at the end? Hellooo, editorial decree!

My favorite of the tie-ins by FAR has to be the Lord Havok series... excellent work by Liam Sharp in updating those classic villains for the new Earth-8 (and the harsher redesign even fit into the "Ultimate Marvel" take on that universe that Frank Tieri seemed to be going for.)

Also: the one issue of Atom where the challengers from beyond meet Ted Kord in heaven, if only for the best line in comics in 2007: "stupid jetpack Hitler!!!"

[Mat001]

When Countdown to Final Crisis and its tie ins contracdict Final Crisis, the very story they were counting down to, that's a very bad thing. It seems the start of Final Crisis was done before they even made Countdown so they had something to aim for and somehow DC still couldn't match them.

Morrison has said that he will address this. So, yes, it still ties in.

[earl]

Action # 853, 854

Crime Bible # 1 - 5

I didn't read Countdown at all, but these are decent to pretty good stories, Action issues with Jimmy Olsen are fairly stand alone. I didn't feel like I didn't know what was going on.

The Crime Bible mini-series is probably better if you had read 52, as it follows up on The Question storyline, but the way Rucka put together that mini-series each issue is fairly stand alone.

[Kelson]

I liked the creative team on C2Adventure and always love an excuse to showcase more Adam Strange and Animal Man, but thought that storyline was pretty Meh. I loved their story-arc in "52" (which, granted, was by better writers) but felt that worked BECAUSE they were three very different heroes forced into an adventure together. The repeated attempts to jam Adam, Buddy and Starfire into cosmic books like C2A and the even more bland Holy War just seems a bit forced and redundant.

I have to admit I've never gotten around to reading the last 3 issues of Countdown to Adventure.

[Jeff O.]

My favorite COUNTDOWN tie-in miniseries by far is

CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK! (http://www.comicbookresources.com/images/solicits/dccomics/200712/dcu/CPTCAR-Cv3.jpg)

Even though the controversial ending

S
P
O
I
L
E
R


was an edict handed down from higher-ups at DC to (Bill) Morrison and Shaw!, I honestly wonder if (Grant) Morrison even knows the Zoo Crew are present as real but super-powered animals on New Earth. Grant said he is assembling a team of super-powered animals in FINAL CRISIS, and it would only make sense that the Zoo Crew would fight alongside Krypto, Streaky, and a jet-packed Tawky Tawny -- especially since the Zoo Crew had a whole miniseries setting up their journey to New Earth in the first place.

Time will tell!

[CBikle]

My favorite COUNTDOWN tie-in miniseries by far is

CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK! (http://www.comicbookresources.com/images/solicits/dccomics/200712/dcu/CPTCAR-Cv3.jpg)

Even though the controversial ending

S
P
O
I
L
E
R


was an edict handed down from higher-ups at DC to (Bill) Morrison and Shaw!

Yet another dumb Countdown-related decision that will probably be as ignored as the rest of the series.