COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS #24: First, it's the Sensational Character Find of 2007, the Jokester, who comes out as being sorta interesting, then is unceremoniously killed a week later, and now Earth-15, the "If Only" world where the sidekicks grew up to become their mentors -- really, the only of the (new) multi-earths that I liked. Superb...er, MAN-"prime", fresh from his well-I-guess-we-know-how-that-turns-out Sinestro Corps storyline (and, really, is it just me, or does it feel like someone in DC editorial is upset that Sinestro Corps hit with the audience, and COUNTDOWN didn't, and is actively trying to undermine it? They can't be THAT petty, can they?) decides to kill everyone and everything on that earth, in about the most gruesome ways possible. I mean, seriously, do we really need to see a pregnant woman get a spear through her belly in "the spine of the DC universe"? Really? The craziest part is that, other than that, this is even a less interesting issue of COUNTDOWN than usual -- and given how low their standards have been until now that's kind of saying something. What else happens this issue? Last issue's possibly intriguing scenario of Firestorm being taken over by Desaad is undone in almost the least possibly interesting way, and Mary Marvel, rather than being in Darkseid's grip.... isn't. Wow. That's it.

Man, this is just plain CRAP.

I just don't get DC editorial this decade...

TITANS EAST SPECIAL: Weirdly, Judd Winick seems to not to get the New Teen Titans at all -- I say "weirdly" because he's of the right age for them to be a primary influence, but the whole opening section of the book featuring them at their glory point is astonishingly badly voiced. I know its favorable to bash on Judd as a weak writer, but I've always had a great deal of affection for the man, so how badly bungled this was (down to the visible leg hair on Dick Grayson's short-pants Robin) really hit me hard. Jerking away from that travesty, we switch to Vic Stone in the present Trying to Get The Band Back Together, then switching over the B-List Titan brigade when no one wants to. Vic apparently didn't read the cover blurb which asks us "which one will die?" (hooray for selling points!), and then we're treating to a bunch on b-listers dying horribly. Wow, now the Band Can Get Back Together.... for Revenge! Hooray!

This shit just makes me fucking sad. CRAP.

I really really don't get DC editorial this decade....

What did YOU think?

-B