Countdown #51

Look to the Skies

Paul Dini Writer
Jesus Saiz Pencils
Jimmy Palmiotti Inks
Tom Chu Colors
Travis Lanham Letters
Jeanine Schaefer Associate Editor
Mike Marts Editor

Fresh off the rousing success of the 52 weekly series, DC immediately dove into another weekly series. But this time, they decided to shake things up a bit. Countdown was intended to literally count down the weeks to the next big event, hence the reverse numbering. It can get a bit confusing, but just keep in mind that issue #51 is actually the first issue of this series.

Our cover by Andy Kubert is three times as wide as a normal cover. I'm assuming it folded out somehow (I only have the digital version, so I'm not sure). The cover is a really neat image of every major DC hero triumphantly rushing forward. I am happy to see Bart's prominent placement in the middle, right next to old friend Tim Drake. On the left is Jay Garrick, Cyborg and even Red Tornado. Unfortunately, this cover is kind of misleading, as Countdown followed the model of 52 by focusing mostly on side characters. Many of the big names on this cover — Bart included — barely make an appearance in this yearlong story.

Our story begins on a rather haunting image of Darkseid's lackey, Desaad, torturing people and waxing poetically about the nature of life. Darkseid considers his views limited, and hints at an upcoming, reality-altering event, as he tends to a chess board with pieces shaped like superheroes and villains.

And that's all the "Bart" we get in this issue. But there are a couple of interesting tidbits I'll hit on. Duela Dent, whom we recently saw in the Titans East fiasco, is killed by one of the Monitors because she's from an alternate world. The original Trickster meets with Heat Wave to presumably discuss their plan to freeze time and kill Bart. Heat Wave is understandably suspicious of Trickster, who has spent the past few years helping authorities track down criminals. And neither of them notice the Pied Piper using his trained rats to spy on them.

The issue ends with one of the Monitors traveling to the Source Wall to find out what's going on. A floating hand appears and writes in burning letters, "Great disaster." The Monitor asks what's the solution to the great disaster, and the hand writes "Ray Palmer."




This was a mildly interesting start to a series that unfortunately failed to deliver on its promise. But in the meantime, I do kind of like seeing some of the Rogues outside the pages of the Flash. Technically, the timing doesn't match up very well with The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, but it was a nice gesture all the same.

Next time, we'll return to the main series with The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #12.