Countdown 49: More Ebb Than Flow

Countdown 49: "Stretching the Truth" (Dini, Bedard & Magno).

The fist real misstep in Countdown comes with the third issue, as Dini & Bedard attempt to jam too many sub-plots into one issue. Where last issue wisely focused on one main plot and worked others in around it, Countdown 49 has no main plot, just a series of separate, unconnected scenes. Ideally, of course, these individual plots will intertwine and/or pay-off in future weeks, but as a stand-alone issue Countdown 49 isn't very satisfying.

The issue opens with 5 pages of Jimmy Olsen at Arkham, surviving a Killer Croc attack by doing an apparent Plastic Man impersonation. Unfortunately, it's a padded sequence that reverts to 52's basic square/rectangular-panelled layout with a two-page splash tossed in. Either condense the dialogue to get more bang per panel or vary up the layout to avoid a monotonous progression. Other than Jimmy's apparent stretch-action, there's nothing of consequence in the five pages.

Up next is one of the two most-compelling set-pieces in the issue as we witness the Monitors having a discussion with the Vigilante Monitor who offed the Joker's daughter, Duela, back in Countdown 51. The sequence offers both a recap of Duela's death, a debate between the Monitors as to the actions of Vigilante Monitor, and a glimpse of his next intended targets: Jason Todd, Kyle Rayner, and Donna Troy. Vigilante Monitor's argument is that even the small anomalies in the multiverse can lead to Crisis events and he charges his fellow Monitors are bothered less by what he does than that he breaks protocol in doing it: "You real complaint," he accuses, "is that I didn't ask permission." I'm still not 100% where the Monitor angle is going (is this guy being set up to be the new Anti-Monitor?) but I'm enjoying it because it gives a top-down look at the events of the series.

The strong Monitor sequence is followed by a 2-page bit between Red Arrow and Karate Kid that adds nothing substantive, but does provide some of the best dialogue of the issue as the two try to get under the other's skin.

A five-page check-in with the Rogues is next, as Piper and Trickster attempt to prove their loyalty to Mirror Master by having a multi-millionaire transfer 100 million dollars to Mirror Master's account and then jumping into the water and kill himself. The key to the Rogues plot throughout Countdown so far is whether Piper and Trickster are fully back on the bad-guy side of the morality-line. It's a clumsy sequence that continues to give evidence on both sides and along with the Jimmy Olsen portion of the book is the weakest part of the issue.

The issue finishes with it's second strongest sub-plot as Mary Marvel runs into a building in Gotham to escape some thugs only to find Black Adam hiding out inside. The appearance of Black Adam at least ends the issue on an up-note, as the character was the one breakout star from 52.

On the whole, however, this was a down issue because it's just five separate sub-plot s placed one after another. If the writers had taken one of the plots and used it as the backbone of the issue (like last week) then at least there would have been a sense of real progression instead of five mini-steps forward.