COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS #14
Story by Paul Dini
Story consultant Keith Giffen
Scripts by Tony Bedard
Art by Pete Woods and Tom Derenick
I've said it over and over again this past month that I've really enjoyed Countdown. This issue does its best to keep the momentum going, but it seems to suffer from the weekly series syndrom of not being able to move the story along too much.
In that regard, this issue reads incredibly fast and feels like nothing happened. Like Astonishing X-Men, Countdown felt like it was treading water, essentially being a waste of money for this week.
Now that doesn't mean it was bad or even remotely close to what Countdown was like in the first half. It's just that, despite the improved art and better pacing, this was all a set up issue. First up was getting Jason Todd in the Red Robin suit and back in the action with the Earth-51 Batman. Next was the evening of the odds in the Monitor battle by having Donna Troy take command of the Myrmadon army after killing Queen Belthara. Finally, Solomon convinces Superman Prime that Earth-51 is his Earth and shows him the destruction, setting up a showdown with him and Monarch.
Does stuff happen this issue? Yeah, there's some nice table setting, but a comic fan's got to eat and this book was nothing but skin and bones. Next issue promises to be the main course with the Prime vs. Monarch battle. Hopefully we don't get bits and pieces of these fights for the next half a dozen issues.
Verdict - Check It. Can't all be slugfests and world destroying war issues. Grab it if you're reading Countdown. It's a good addition, but you won't miss anything if you skip it either.
In that regard, this issue reads incredibly fast and feels like nothing happened. Like Astonishing X-Men, Countdown felt like it was treading water, essentially being a waste of money for this week.
Now that doesn't mean it was bad or even remotely close to what Countdown was like in the first half. It's just that, despite the improved art and better pacing, this was all a set up issue. First up was getting Jason Todd in the Red Robin suit and back in the action with the Earth-51 Batman. Next was the evening of the odds in the Monitor battle by having Donna Troy take command of the Myrmadon army after killing Queen Belthara. Finally, Solomon convinces Superman Prime that Earth-51 is his Earth and shows him the destruction, setting up a showdown with him and Monarch.
Does stuff happen this issue? Yeah, there's some nice table setting, but a comic fan's got to eat and this book was nothing but skin and bones. Next issue promises to be the main course with the Prime vs. Monarch battle. Hopefully we don't get bits and pieces of these fights for the next half a dozen issues.
Verdict - Check It. Can't all be slugfests and world destroying war issues. Grab it if you're reading Countdown. It's a good addition, but you won't miss anything if you skip it either.
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