Countdown to Final Crisis #11

All of the regular players are now on Apokolips and...nothing much happens. After several issues in a row of action and story, this is the second issue in a row to pause and catch the reader up on who's who. Every storyline is present in this issue as all are getting adjusted to their respective situations on Apokolips. The Granny Goodness - Harley/Holly/Mary story has to be the most ridiculous. With the build up of "Amazons Attacks", Granny is taken down by a razor cut and the three amigos continue to bumble through the story. We get a little more Trickster with a mysterious one-handed visitor. Even as Red Robin, Jason Todd continues to be a dick. However, he does have some good observations about how one-dimensional this series has made both Kyle and Donna. Jimmy Olsen continues his wacky 60s & 70s revival meeting more silly characters on Apokolips.

As a wrap up, a whole lot of pages and not much moving forward. Let's get to the final bash and see what the hell is going on and why I'm buying this series.

Countdown Presents: Lord Havok & the Extremists #3 of 6

We are at the half way point for this miniseries and I think it just isn't worth my time or money. Given that the outcome of this mini has already been spoiled over in "Countdown to Final Crisis" I'm not sure it is worth reading the second half. The characters are not compelling.

I'm out.

Countdown to Final Crisis #23

The first half of this issue has the reader bouncing around catching up with all of the players that have been absent the last few issues. This issue is another step backwards in improving the series. It feels like this issue is there for stretching the story out.

Why are the Challengers here? They have all of those one shots they can deal with their plot line.
Why are the New Gods here? They have "The Death of the New Gods" for their story.
What is the importance of Piper & Trickster? Are they here just to get whacked?
What is the importance of Holly & Harley? That story has just gone nowhere.

The Karate Kid/Firestorm in Bludhaven plot has provide some good action and a good ending to this issue, but how does it all fit in. I'm ready to give up on this weekly. "52" was a compelling read that rose to the top of my weekly pull list. "Countdown to Final Crisis" has had some improvements but this issue misses the boat.

The Death of the New Gods #3 of 8

I'm still not seeing the impact to the DCU if the New Gods are dying off. I get that they have a stake in it but I don't see how this fits into the overarching "Countdown to Final Crisis" storyline. Some hints are dropped but it hasn't added up to much yet. Having said that, I'm starting to get into the story here. I like Jim Starlin's characterization of Darkseid, Mister Miracle, and Orion. This issue turns the corner and makes the characters interesting and moves the story forward quite rapidly. Besides a few awkward renditions of Superman, Starlins art is outstanding in this issue. He does a fantastic job of capturing the power of Kirby's Fourth World creations. I like his page layouts as he continuously keeps in interesting while supporting the story.

If you are not a fan of Kirby's Fourth World creations, then this miniseries doesn't have much to offer. However, if you have enjoyed Starlin's past work, you might like what he is doing here. At this point this series does not seem critical or required reading for the "Countdown" enthusiast.