Countdown to Infinite Crisis
Before we even begin, I want to make no bones about the fact that this review will contain a major SPOILER regarding Countdown. Please continue only if you have read the issue or don't mind having aspects of the story revealed in advance.
Read below only if you've read the above disclaimer!
I thought Countdown to Infinite Crisis, which hit store selves yesterday, was well done. Both the art and narrative were were top shelf. Though many contributed to the issue, it didn't have that jumbled together feel some collaborative issues have had in the past. Start to finish, I was glued to each page.
I particularly enjoyed the way DC opted to take what is set to become a major series of events and narrate the opening story from the perspective of an everyday hero who, by the words of his own friends, has his "heart in the right place, it's his mind that keeps messing him up".
DC took a similar approach as they moved into Zero Hour though the Valor title back in late 1993 and 1994. Zero Hour started with very humble beginnings and grew into a much larger story which impacted the entire DC Universe.
In Countdown to Infinite Crisis, the hero who narrates the story is Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle. The story itself involves his company (Kord Omniversal), his investigation into a wider conspiracy, the introduction of four seemingly unrelated side-stories, his long time friend Booster Gold and, ultimately, his own demise.
The Blue Beetle character dates back to August of 1939 and was originally created by Charles Nicholas. The Golden Age Blue Beetle first appeared in Mystery Men #1 published by Fox Features Syndicate. To learn more about the early days of this fan favorite, blue tight clad hero, we invite you to visit Robert Bowman's Golden Age Blue Beetle website at bluebeetle.50megs.com. The site also does an outstanding job of walking through the history of each incarnation of the Blue Beetle (including the modern day version) on his legacy page.
The Countdown story itself is really quite tragic. We join the ever optimistic Beetle in an investigation into his own company as he tries to learn who's stealing from it. In turn, we learn that Beetle is near broke from the embezzlement and his longtime friend Booster Gold has given up the hero biz now living off Beetle's dwindling fortune. At every turn, Beetle feels as if he's part of something bigger than simple money laundering and suffers through two clear attempts on his life. As the tale unfolds, Beetle attempts to enlist aid from the "A" list heroes of the DC Universe only to be dismissed time and time again as an insignificant individual with insignificant problems. The harshest dismissal coming from his former teammate and clear backbone member of the Justice League, the Martian Manhunter.
Beetle, in the end, uncovers a conspiracy with ties to DC's recent Identity Crisis mini-series. The mistrust Batman now feels for his fellow heroes following Identity Crisis will clearly play into the events set in motion. There are hints that the O.M.A.C. (project tied to Checkmate) may be linked to the files Batman kept on each of his fellow heroes. We also see the start of an interstellar war, a gathering of classic villains and some mystic rumblings with hinted tragic implications for magic in the DCU. These stories have all the building blocks of something big and DC is launching four mini-series to prove that very point...
I really liked the fact that this series (and the follow-up mini-series) honestly seem steeped in DC continuity and tradition. Some of the hinted elements have been playing out in individual titles for some time and that kind of forethought to a cross-title event is something I truly respect. Countdown strikes a nice balance both rewarding longtime DC readers and pulling in those who may not have been on board with DC in a while. I consider that a real success in light of some past publisher "events" which have been, in year's past, stand alone stories at best.
The choice of the title Countdown to Infinite Crisis clearly harkens back to the classic DC series Crisis on Infinite Earths. That 12-issue maxi-series was published in 1985 and 1986. Within the story, DC condensed their vast comic multiverse down into a single universe. Longtime followers of the publisher's continuity understand just how important Crisis became to DC, how it shaped comic tales for years to follow and endeared itself to many fans as one of the best comic stories of all time. DC is promoting Infinite Crisis as something just as dramatic. I plan to take a "wait and see" attitude on this point as it has some massive shoes to fill.
Interestingly enough, DC has introduced a bit of mystery regarding which mini-series will actually produce the events that lead to the final Infinite Crisis. When reading the issue, do not miss the editorial comments on the page following OMAC's first appearance within Countdown. Those couple paragraphs of text do a lot to frame where this lead-in and the stories to follow are heading. Their bait ploy certainly hooked me as I'll be picking up all four mini-series to see how this all unfolds. In consideration of the mysteries to follow, we thought it would be fun to offer a few website tools saving you a lot of historical reading. Here are a few key links:
In summary, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, is a sad tale but a really good story. Did it live up to the hype regarding "who's Batman holding on the cover"? I think so. It certainly had the "WOW" punch I had hoped to obtain first seeing the cover a few months ago. My guess for who Batman was holding proved way off the mark and I think the use of Blue Beetle came as a bit of a surprise given DC's recent success with titles such as Formerly Known as the Justice League. Between Sue Digby's violent death in Identity Crisis, Blue Beetle's untimely demise in Countdown and the shocking revelation of the villain behind much of this story, the humor of both the recent Blue Beetle Justice League mini-series and the past Justice League title featuring Beetle and friends seem like a simpler, happier time. It's feels as if the fun, happy-go-lucky adventures have ended and DC has determined its time to get serious. I for one will read along for that ride.
Scale of 1 to 10 ... Countdown to Infinite Crisis: 8.5
March 31, 2005
