COUNTDOWN #32 Story by Paul Dini
Breakdowns by Keith Giffen
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Al Barrionuevo
Countdown continues this week with another decent effort. It is still not at a point where I would really recommend it to anyone, but the quality has improved ever so slightly in the last couple weeks. Though, there are still far too many convenient plot twists and odd character choices that serve only to move the plot ahead in my opinion.
This issue deals mostly with Black Canary party. Many of 's bacheloretteDC's female metas are present for the event and it pretty much mirrors the cover with the exception of Stargirl. The entire issue featured Supergirl and Wonder Girl trying to sneak some alcohol.Why the cover has Stargirl and Supergirl on it is a mystery to me, but probably some editorial mistake or artist error. I'm not sure on the age limits of strip clubs in America, but they serve alcohol, so shouldn't Supergirl and Wonder Girl be kicked out? Wonder Woman takes the liquor away from them but does not object to their being physically allowed in the party to watch the men strip.
I'm too lazy to go dig out last issue, but I thought Flash put the Rogues in Zatanna's home, not a hotel room. Seems odd to have a giant mummy guarding a hotel room just upstairs from the bachelorette party, but it is Countdown, so I'll let it slide. Another major problem was the Rogues having their weapons and tools of the trade. I'm pretty sure Deathstroke would have relieved them of them and I know Flash would have taken them away earlier. Yet, here he has to take them from the duo as they try to escape the room. How they escape the room after this is even more odd and the writer seems to be making fun of it with the dialogue as well. Piper uses the phone and random beeps from typing numbers to knock out the mummy. Even Trickster comments on how the mummy shouldn't even have a brain to be affected by the beeps hypnotic effect. Surely, they could have come up with something better than this for how they escaped?
Finally, the book deals with Mary Marvel's interaction with Klarion. After the last month or so of Klarion showing her around a bazaar, which was like ten minutes of interaction in the story, he offered to help her for a fraction of her power. As she randomly decides to help this person she just met and she has no real idea who he is or what he wants from her, I have to ask how can she really decide she wants to give him a fraction of her power? Yet, it's Countdown, so it has to happen for no reason. Ten minutes with someone showing you around town is more than enough time to determine you would want to give them part of your power. Despite her reaching her hand out to offer him power, Klarion decides to try and drain her of all her power. It seemed like it was completely out of left field and why he would do this when she was offering him power freely is beyond me.
Apparently, being betrayed by a blue skinng, creepy looking magic user she just met pushed Mary over the edge to the point where she does not trust anyone anymore and they are all just after her powers. This seems like a good time for DC to push the story ahead, so Eclipso finally makes contact and lures her to her location. Despite her protests of not trusting anyone, she seeks out this voice in her head offering to help her. Yes, it is a contradiction from the page before, but Countdown has no need for continuity, not even within individual issues. The book ends with Mary finding Eclipso in the Temple of Artemis, the Goddess of the Moon. I wonder if this is related to the Amazon's in anyway, what with Granny Goodness appearing on the promo ad for Countdown with Eclipso at her side and Granny having just been revealed in Amazon Attacks as controlling all the Amazons.
Despite my negative attitude throughout the review, the book is doing much better than usual. The stories are all finally starting to come together and things are finally starting to happen.
Verdict - Avoid It
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