The Countdown Countdown

Two Weeks Left...

This week's Countdown #28 was actually a huge improvement over the previous week's, but that's not saying much. Aside from a small child using "I'll be your bestest buddy" to stop a crazed Brother Eye, there wasn't much to insult the intelligence like last week's installment. There was even some semblance of a couple stories actually starting to inch forward with Shadowpact looking to take down Mary Marvel and Jimmy Olsen finally having a purpose in investigating the deaths of the New Gods. But I have to say these new developments feel like part three of a story. Part one took place in the first few weeks of Countdown but we never got part two. How is Jimmy Olsen ready to go for a big time super hero mission when we don't even know why or how he has powers yet?

Could we really be leaving the Newsboy Legion behind so soon after meeting them? Like the Jokester and the majority of the characters from the other Earths, they just seemed to pop their heads up and say "Hi, we're in this book." and then fade away.

And would it kill DC give the reader a little heads up on whats been going on in the DCU between issues of Countdown? Marvel uses recap pages at the beginning of many of their books that make it possible to know what's going on in the event that you missed an issue. If ever a book screamed for that feature, it's Countdown. At the very least and check list of books you should read before reading this week's issue would help immensely. Then you wouldn't be spoiled on things like Big Barda's death in Death of the New Gods #1.