Countdown, Part 1 - Atop the Fourth Wall

[@Viccatrix]

My towns library, only has Countdown to Crisis in its comic book section, no joke. Really sums the town up..

[@jakearmstrong6993]

Viccatrix That might actually be WORSE than nothing...

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

i would prefer to have one more day over countdown (i am still waiting a follow up to the spiderman/deadpool storyline. A follow up where where spidey, mj, deadpool, silver surfer, doctor strange, x-23, loki and doctor doom, and ghost rider go to kick mephisto's ass. and blackheart's too)

[@DG-vb4vn]

What even is a comic book section

[@SuperDevolution]

Inadequate Charbroiled Steak Lots of public libraries have trade paperbacks. My local library had a ton of Spiderman comics when I was a teen.

[@JaelinBezel]

That reminds me: My public library also has a comics section (I remember it being mostly Superman and Supergirl but that was a few years ago so I could be wrong). Now that I've started reading comics (Kamala Khan and Wonder Woman fan) I should stop by there and see what they got.

[@Webshooters1]

You know what's funny about "Running Around Looking For Crap"? It's that the series was SO hated that in a following issue of Booster Gold on the chalkboard it says "Ignore Countdown" which is DC saying "Yeah this series is entirely non-canon."

[@sr.favopossodeixarvaziosim4595]

"Ignore Countdown. Focus elsewhere." And we ALL knew the Elsewhere we all were really focused on at the time... The Sinestro Corps War, hell yeah!

[@johnalogue9832]

DLC: The Comic Book.

[@alextelson4416]

EA the comic book : must pay $45 per page

[@RedTailedSmeargle]

I thought his name being Bob was a joke. That is his actual name. All of my what

[@Groundlord]

From what I found on the DC wiki, he's never called himself by a different name. Honestly, they should've just started with him introducing himself with some overly complex name, like... Bhobservhak, and someone asks if they can just call him Bob to keep things simple.

[@davidspring4003]

@@Groundlord "some call me...Tim?"

[@TheBronzeDog]

"You know after he's done tending the slave pits on Apokalips, he just plays with them." Now just imagining the doll scene from Space Balls with some character substitutions.

[@Mask0fFate]

The Mary Marvel stuff is even stupider when you realize that one super hero in the DCU, Osiris, got his powers from Black Adam as well, and from what I've read, Osiris is actually a pretty good kid. Heck, during Blackest Night, he sacrificed his life in order to stop a Black Lantern Sobek from further harming the citizens of Khandaq. Sounds like a hero to me.

[@dannyfenlon2476]

Samuel Johnson in other words? GO TO HELL COUNTDOWN

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

thank god grant morrison took advantage of "apokolips people possesing heroes" and chose mary marvel as the victims. is similar to the parallax explanation. too bad dc still watedto screw with mary after morrison somehow saved her dignity as a hero

[@cameronstone4495]

Hell the whole thing with Osiris was that he thought that Black Adam's powers were corrupting him and they totally weren't at all so there's no reason that they would make Mary Marvel evil...twice?!?

[@williamtimonen6814]

Yeah, the family Linkara was speaking about right before that happened.

[@furioussherman7265]

And now Young Justice is about to do the whole "Mary Marvel turning evil" shtick a hundred times better than this comic ever could.

[@CarlSlime]

It's pretty sad how interesting some of these stories sound. Searching the entire multiverse for Ray Palmer in an epic tale to stop a coming disaster, an entire issue dedicated to a funeral where we can see some humanity in characters and how they grieve and the consequences of losing friends and loved ones, a murder mystery involving somebody MURDERING GODS, Jimmy Olsen finding out Clark's secret. Interesting story ideas, to be sure. Too bad it's all shit.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

Not to mention the ideas of : New Gods/Apokolips People posessing heroes and villains (Granny godness possesed Athena, Desaad possesed Mary Marvel, etc). Jimmy Olsen getting all his powers of the silver age. This series had so many cool concepts all gone to the toiler. Fuck Dan Dio and Jonathan Tzachor and Joe Quesada iby the way (Tzachor did to Power Rangers Megaforce/Super Megaforce what Dio did to Coundown to final crisis and Quesada did to spiderman in one more day.). Thank goodness grant morrison managed to save Final crisis

[@Dreigonix]

“It’s a dead-baby monster that eats poop.” And suddenly Edmund Macmillan had a brilliant idea for a game...

[@Nala15-Artist]

8:08 - This is literally a great monologue to use to describe almost any reconning of a previously evil character with questionable morals into a "but the devil made them do it" story. This retconning CAN work, but it often makes the character uninteresting and gives them an excuse rather than having them be a legit foil for the morally good hero and/or it cheats them out of being complex.

[@HBHaga]

Linkara has said several times that the Teen Titans are his favorite super-hero group, with the Technis Imperative and Devin Grayson's run on the title being what got him into comics. I'm in much the same boat although, being older, it was the arc that had Duela Dent joining the team for me. As such I've always had a soft spot for the little loon and Countdown axed her in it's very first issue. DC caught some flack over yet another Titans death (they were dropping like flies at the time and would continue to do so for several years) and claimed that Dent's death would send ripples across the DCU! ... I've seen more ripples on a Pringle's chip.

[@janebyrne6463]

Linkara says, "This is why kids don't read comics anymore, they're more mature than the writers!" Actually, when I go to one of the local bookstores where I live, there are whole sections of graphic novels geared toward Elementary and/or Middle School aged children. There has been much controversy about if graphic novels should be counted as reading. Although I don't pretend to be an expert on learning, graphic novels can be (and are) instrumental in getting reluctant readers to read something not assigned by a parent or teacher. Since kids these days (who take a daily dose of irony along with their KZbin and/or TikTok) are more visually oriented than we were growing up. You have to get people in the church before you can preach to them.

[@LaineMann]

You know, this may be awful but I will give it one thing: Forager is adorable.

[@guyincognito7509]

Countdown is basically just a series of vaguely related filler moments, with some sort of beginning, middle, and end fit into there somewhere.

[@brianbrush5107]

Its truly astounding how a series can have way too much happen, yet Also have absolutely nothing happen.

[@MTdaBlacking]

This feels like every additional plot thread was meant to sell another batch of comics....And that just proves how greedy some people can be...

[@theicyartist4243]

Yup.

[@SammEater]

It was the comic book equivalent of the post credits scene. Nothing but a disguised ad for another product.

[@scarletspeed7]

Man, everything 52 did right, Countdown did completely and utterly wrong.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

Well Dan Dio Thought 52 was bulshit and countdown was 52 done right. That man is crazy

[@cameronstone4495]

Further proof of Dan Didio's insanity include; -Breaking up Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. -Making Geoff Johns turn Impulse into Kid Flash and get rid of his personality. -Making Greg Rucka quit DC by giving Wonder Woman: Earth One, which he was promised, to Grant Morrison . -Trying to kill Dick Grayson in Infinite Crisis (he was supposed to die instead of Superboy). -Made Wally West stop being the Flash and generally sidelining him from the DCU as a whole. -The New 52...enough said (also DC YOU). -He also worked on Beast Machines (the Transformers Beast Wars sequel) if that means anything to anyone.

[@kunami13sora]

Rob Lowe you’ve got it man!

[@Ale_LSH]

Cameron Stone He also said a new Legion comic series was coming and here we are still waiting, with the Legion forgotten during their 60th anniversary and not being even referenced during Action Comics #1000 despite being an important part of Superman’s history.

[@Jazzypants2007]

@@cameronstone4495 He's not crazy. Dan DiDio is, and always will be, a fucking IDIOT.

[@megamania7106]

So wait, it took HALF of the whole series to get all this information, JESUS! even the subspace emissary gives MORE information in one fourth of the subspace emissary.

[@jmhguy]

and none of them have any dialog at all(except snake who said"Kept you waiting huh?")

[@kimifw58]

+jmhguy Subspace Emissary is an excellent example of Show, Don't Tell. We can all learn from it.

[@Dreigonix]

+Kimi FW Yeah, it is! World of Light is cool and all, but The Subspace Emissary was much deeper.

[@FixTheWi-Fi]

Tabuu VS the Anti-Monitor

[@macrussell78]

3:17 Behold! I am the Monitor of Universe 52! There are some who call me...Tim?

[@TheRealGaucelm]

+Mac Russell "Greetings, Tim the Monitor."

[@Bauglir100]

"Tim, it's Susie! Our house is on fire, can you come over?"

[@MegaAnimazing]

I cannot Susie, I am a monitor.

[@macrussell78]

Jonathan Szuhai *watches Susie's house burn dow. We should do something! ...

[@MegaAnimazing]

*THEN ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE FIRE, GET SOME WATER TO PUT IT OUT, CALL THE FIREFIGHTERS, ANYTHING!!!!*

[@femoman]

It's a testament to the insane genius of Grant Morrison that he was somehow able to make something as crazy awesome as Final Crisis, out of the aftermath of this shit-heap!

[@alucardyoici]

+Michael Welsh (Femoman) it helps that he didn't bother reading countdown and just made the story

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

Grant Morrison. He might had some hiccups in his career (wanting to turn magneto into a sociopath, and wanting to kill rogue and put a substitute based in her x-men evolution incarnation), however, almost 90% of hat he writes is insanely awesome. God bless him. especilly because he alone saved Final crisis (i am surprised they didnt let him write countdown especially considering he was among the 4 people who made 52 awesome and he wrote final crisis.)

[@ecliptorcalrissian5014]

I hear Final Crisis, as in the thing Countdown was counting down to, actually ignored this totally, as if it never happened.

[@femoman]

@@ecliptorcalrissian5014 pretty much, yeah. There were a few things, like the universe destroyed by the Mortococcus virus being Earth 51, which the monitor Nix Uotan is framed for destroying. And the deaths of all the New Gods, with the Apokalips ones being reborn in new bodies, while the Genesis ones are reborn at the end when Earth 51 is brought back to life as the Kamandi universe. But yeah, the majority was ignored.

[@saidi7975]

Nah, both are shit. It's like picking cyanide over arsenic...

[@rossenator101]

So basically countdown making fear itself look like a masterpiece

[@infamousempire8302]

For those wondering why this comic sucks so much. The DC editors (Dan DiDio specifically) hated 52 because the executives gave the writers more authority over the book than them. So when they made Countdown, the point was that the editors would have complete control over every issue's creation, because they (supposedly) had better judgement than the writers themselves. Yeah......

[@christopherb501]

The stupid gut was and still IS a writer himself; he should've just pushed to join the team if he wanted it so badly!

[@genesismultiverse4896]

I'm surprised this was even a valid evidence to why editors should do the writing instead of editing

[@iamaunicorn1232]

As someone not familiar with the DC cannon this sounds like a marketing hub-series to push a load of mini-series. Y'know, for teh monies. XD

[@ethanedwards3357]

I kinda wish Duela Dent and The Jokester were permanent characters.

[@Gyarretto7]

I can't even imagine what it was like to read Countdown when it was first coming out. And for as much pain as I'm sure this review was for Linkara, I feel like the Countdown reviews are what made him the badass he is today! This is the kind of rite of passage that makes any great critic.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Gyarretto7 somehow futures end was even worse then countdown which I had no idea how that was even possible

[@SrGurkman]

I enjoy it when Marvel puts in footnotes to reference events in other books when they're referenced. In most of the DC solo series, since everyone doesn't live in the same city, they're not really necessary, but they'd really be helpful for event series. Not that this excuses Countdown doing silly stuff like this.

[@callianr6980]

PennyPlunderer Well, I know they did that with Dark Knights Metal since I read it recently.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Callian r yup and dark knights metal was epic

[@oblivious8868]

5:11 I don't know why this part makes me laugh so hard, but it does. Thanks, Lewis.

[@appabend]

2:42 Stones and Glass Houses, Jason Todd.

[@Bauglir100]

+appabend Wrong analogy.

[@tymiller2903]

Appabend I didn't know you liked Linkara.

[@CNWhatImSaiyan]

Knowing what's coming up in the following episodes of this, "Donna Troy: First Blood" is going to be my happy place from here on out

[@davidspring4003]

Donna Troy IS Rambo! ...I'd probably watch that...

[@SrGurkman]

Its probably the only way well get a Teen Titans movie.

[@JaelinBezel]

I would ABSOLUTELY watch that! :D

[@shanehudson3995]

@@JaelinBezel I watched the first episode of Titans. You don't want this.

[@JaelinBezel]

@@shanehudson3995 No i meant Donna Troy cast as John Rambo.

[@swguygardner]

Writing tip: If you have multiple teams of characters looking for different things: DO- reveal they are all, unknowingly, looking for the same thing in shocking, unexpected twist. DON'T- meander along for 51 issues and reveal that most of the plots are unrelated and ultimately pointless.

[@mitchellalexander9162]

I mean you COULD Do something where the actions of One Group unknowingly effect the Other like Killing the Big bad's Dragon or splitting his forces.

[@swguygardner]

@@mitchellalexander9162 yeah, I suppose the "DON'T" is more relevant than the "DO" XD

[@deviousj5868]

I love this end theme. It should be used more often.

[@fats3342]

So that's why it's "disaster stoppin' Ray Palmer"

[@DeathGodRiku]

I find it funny how past Linkara says there's no way he could do 51 issues for a review since Linkara has done several retrospectives

[@Ryushinku]

I love having your little retrospectives on these episodes as you upload them here. It's a nice look at what you were thinking and how you were going about them at the time, adds some flavour to it.

[@jakebryant3445]

Countdown= Dan Didio's wet fantasy of pointlessly and shamelessly killing off characters. Are we sure he isn't a serial killer?

[@anthonyrodriguez1119]

Jake Bryant maybe he's been repressing his darker desires by killing fictional characters.

[@autobotstarscream765]

He killed DC, everything bad goes back to Damn Dodo and Countdown.

[@jsb6975.ah.crapbaskets]

Depends on what we'd find in his basement.

[@billymccrary2246]

This proves that Dan Didio should've be completely banned from being a head editor of any comic book companies, just like... AT ALL!! That guy should been highly ashamed of himself with decisions like this and other stuffs.

[@lorddrayvon1426]

I think the main reason people don't read comics as much as they used to is simple. It has continuity so thickly intertwined that you'd be lost after missing one issue. This story continuium is also why many Nickelodeon shows are self-intertwined so they can air them in whatever order they plead. Sure, the MCU had the same issues but those movies are easier to get hold of and don't cease printing after the next film comes out. Even then, places like Netflix and Amazon Prime provide ways to watch these films.

[@Canadamus_Prime]

"What did you see?!" "No I did not see you playing with your dolls again." "Good!"

[@Bibliosection]

Do you think the writers (or maybe I should say editors) ever realized that having Piper and Trickster running around handcuffed together is like the most cliched fanfic prompt next to High School Au?

[@PixieoftheWood]

You know, one fan theory of why Trickster suddenly turned homophobic was because the sexual tension of being handcuffed to Piper was just too much for the Trickster to ignore anymore. This theory is somewhat supported by him referring to himself as 'hobosexual' in his last joke, then proceeding to use Hartley's name. If that was what they were getting at it would have been an interesting twist...but then they shot him in the head so we'll never know.

[@Bibliosection]

That actually makes a lot of sense. There have been lots of instances (in fiction and real life) of closeted homosexuals being particularly cruel to those out of the closet. And, let's be honest, the Piper is quite a catch, wouldn't surprise me if the Trickster felt a little something when with him. I rather like that fan theory, thanks for telling me it. (And that is a darn shame about Trickster dying before this speculative character arc could come to a completion)

[@adambesley4455]

Salvation Run was actually very good. Mostly because it told it's own story and had barely anything to do Countdown. It was just an awesome tale of Super-villains fighting for survival and their different personalities clashing.

[@sr.favopossodeixarvaziosim4595]

I think it would have been way better as an Elseworld. Think about it - Space Supervillain Australia. A world ruled and colonized by super-villains. Some would try to get back home, others would decide to rule this new world instead of the old one. Factions form and split. They have to deal with an alien world. New friendships, alliances, lovers and emnities form. The populace is composed mainly of metas, mad geniuses, criminals, genetically-enhanced folks, mystical monsters and aliens. Mental issues are common in the next generation, because so much of the founding stock is crazy. That, and superpowers. Never a good combination. Not to mention... What if the government keeps sending more criminals? What if it goes from supervillains to normal criminals? And on and on. Imagine... A world created by supervillains. And then Earth and these guys meet again, generations later. Its like... Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, with supervillains. But it ended being boring because they never ran with the concept

[@Jackstalkerfear]

Man looking at these old ones and then the new videos you can see how far linkara got!

[@Aqua-Marine-UK_1991]

that must of been a bitch to scan every page from 50 comics. holy crap i just notice this but in the titlecard linkara has his hand on her butt lol

[@princealigorna7468]

I know it's been years, but I still can't forgive the murder of Duela. I will say this though: for a character known for appearing like 2 dozen times in 30 years, sometimes going 5 years a stretch without a single mention, I'm glad the writer on Teen Titans at the time (I can't recall if it was Beecham or McKeever...funny how both were tied to this series) thought she was important enough to warrant a funeral scene. A WELL DONE funeral scene. I wish every Titan DC has killed off was worthy of that. The only other one I can think of in recent years was Terra II in 52, and I think that was part of a group memorial scene for all the characters Black Adam killed in the WWIII mini, and even then I got pissed off with it because Rose Wilson said she didn't really even know the characters that well: BULLSHIT, ROSE! You were best friends with Tara back during your first stint on the Titans, and Kyle said that you and her worked like a well oiled military tandem!

[@MTdaBlacking]

I wish they'd bring her back in less of a horrific form than the reboot form...

[@princealigorna7468]

I avoided the reboot form like the plague. If it's not a fantasy title or Vertigo like the Fablesverse, I don't read DC anymore. That's something I thought I would never say.

[@MrGMoney1944]

+Prince Aligorna oh you mean stupid daughter of joker? I am going to sew some guys face on mine and inject myself with Jokers blood. Seriously why did she do that? I mean it would be one thing if she thought by doing it she would get some powers or something.

[@princealigorna7468]

MrGMoney1944 Again, I don't know what they did with her for the reboot. I don't care what they did with her for the reboot. I'm sure it's something that would just piss me the fuck off

[@islamroks11]

1:26 Has anyone noticed that Linkara's left hand is on Harley Quinn's butt? It's not even like he's just trying to support her and that it was an accident since he could just use his arm. It really looks like Linkara's using the excuse of carrying Harley Quinn as an opportunity to cop a feel on her ass. Well, it doesn't look like she minds...

[@KidSnivy69]

As shamed I am to admit it, can't say I blame him.

[@shis1988]

islamroks11 (90s Kid pops up) DUUUUUUUUUUUDE! The obvious thing to do with a girl you save is grab her ass! She will fall even more with you and then allow you to TAP IT!

[@sonic8005]

They had a book called Countdown which tells the same story essentially but cuts out a LOT of the unnecessary garbage from it. It's a novel that's actually not a bad read if you ask me, though they still had to keep the dumbest part about Mary Marvel becoming evil a second time...

[@Judgebirb]

man comic book writers really need a guy who walks around asking what their working on and then hit them in the face with a stick

[@RoyalFusilier]

8:30 Oh hey, it's my problem with the Dark Side of the Force from Star Wars when it's presented as a corrupting influence you can't stop rather than choices people make nearly summed up years and years ago.

[@RoyalFusilier]

Hm. Well, put it this way. If somebody's forced against their will to do an evil act, are they evil? Most people in our society, and our society itself, would generally answer 'no' if they honestly had no choice. In fact, a working definition for 'evil person' might be gathered as 'person who chooses things we consider evil when they had alternate, less-evil choices'. This is why things like insanity are considered defenses in court. So, if the Dark Side truly corrupts and you don't have a choice about it, is the Emperor evil? Yeah, of course, he's a cackling evil bastard. But did he have a choice? The Jedi always present it as 'take one step and then you're down the dark path forever' but, uh. Well I guess that gets into my problem with the Light Side, since it's in a dichotomy with the Dark Side. Your options are either: Not live life to the fullest (deny emotion, sexuality, and ambition for yourself) OR become literally Evil, and those are The Only Two Choices. That by itself, regardless of other factors, is a really, really horrifying world to consider. It's bleak as hell. Thus, I don't like it. Basically, the sort of Free Will and Destiny and Nature of Evil discussions people have had forever.

[@flair541]

HuntrBlackLuna You. Are. Awesome.

[@tedculbertson6320]

HuntrBlackLuna The way I understand it, you have to choose to fall to the dark side, but once you've used that power, it can further corrupt you. Your emotions will tell you to kill and be evil, but of course you can turn your back on the dark side, like Vader did in the end. You're right about the light side though. The Jedi before Luke's era were stupid. Luke and Revan were both able to use positive emotions and self-control, rather than total self-denial.

[@kyriss12]

HuntrBlackLuna in the original trilogy it was implied the path to the dark side was a slow progression where a jedi compramises starts compramising their ideal a lttle bit at a time, kinda like in real life. there's actually a really cool bit near the end of the 3rd movie where Luke flips his shit and nearly kills Darth in anger, the emperor tries to goad Luke into changing sides and Luke's all like" no i fucked up, don't think I'm gonna do it again anytime soon.Then the prequels came and we learned that love can make you think it's a good idea to kill a bunch of children, and then turn on the person you loved in the first place.

[@flamemasterelan]

+kyriss12 It's not that love can make you kill children. It's that Anakin was kind of fucked up from the start, it's just that nobody noticed, or tried to change those aspects of his character. He was always willing to turn his back on his teachings and give in to rage. When he found out his mother was captured by the sand people, he went to rescue her. And after she died he flipped and started slaughtering every sand person, men, women and children who were there. You might create a separation between Sand People and humans, but that's difficult to do in a world like Star Wars, where you have creatures that look like Jabba the Hut being crime bosses on the same planet as the more humanoid Sand People.

[@JanetStarChild]

That ending song sounds really good; Like, damn, that was stellar!

[@WillEnglish]

Look on the bright side...at least Final Crisis chucked Countdown into the incinerator.

[@edwardramos4591]

Anyone remember that scene where Biff threw a ball on the roof? Most of these plot hooks are the comic equivalent of that scene.

[@New3DSLuigi364]

@2:48-2:54 Continuity Alarm: EH! EH! EH! Linkara: That was a Bit Delayed wasn't it? Continuity Alarm(You made a Good Point): Eh! Eh! Eh!

[@dreadpiraterobin8379]

What's funny about the Mary marvel subplot is there were, I believe, two black Adam miniseries following up on the events of 52 and WWIII, and both completely ignored it. Hell it doesn't even make sense for him to have his powers in countdown because at the time the only powers he had were those he was siphoning from Isis' bones, and he did so VERY rarely and wasn't in a position to give them away, since they were the only chance of bringing her back and didn't want to use their finite power.

[@LiveNiceness14]

Love triangle between Donna, Green Lantern and fucking Red Hood?? Damn, Rest In Peace Terry Long and her son.

[@101Draico]

Trickster, pied piper is not allowed to get married because dc refuses to let any characters get married.... because.... because... no one really knows and it annoys everybody

[@MrGMoney1944]

How about the new weird relationship between Lois and Clark were they have to do stuff and may or may not be married still.

[@DeclanCorey]

At least we can all agree that Zatanna is SMOKING HOT

[@sr.favopossodeixarvaziosim4595]

That's international consensus

[@LaineMann]

And with her comes my favorite DC villain. Who has barely any presence as usual. 😫

[@ZeromusHarvey]

Why doesn't Linkara use that ending song more? It's almost as good as the usual one. Like, 99.9% as good.

[@PaceFilmsProductions]

Zeromus22 it's better honestly.

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

Zeromus22 Nah, the usual one is better in my view.

[@deviousj5868]

I like it and want the full version.

[@RunyaEithelNar]

I susepct it would cost more, this song has two singers and the usual one has only one. It also avoids problems when they would break up and one side wouldn't want this song to be played. So even when I really like this song and prefer this from normal ending one, I understand this choice.

[@appabend]

5:21 That... is just five levels of wrong.

[@irrespondible]

Because Donna and Jason are in their early 20s at best and Kyle Rainer is, if my memories are right, several years above that, around his 40s. Hell, he was already grown up when both Donna and Jason were teens.

[@jimaalmcguire6267]

Richard Surraco Kyle is like 22, your thinking about HAL

[@irrespondible]

Yeah, I noticed that late. After all, Hall becomes a Titan in, like, the third iteration of the team or so.

[@dr.strangebat9397]

Inaudible profanity. Please stand by.

[@zacharypreval3186]

Wouldn't Jason be much younger than donna?

[@bigslim7777]

Jeez, i forgot how raw the og theme sounded...

[@DAsrada]

Bill The Monitor: Hey, we don't choose our names. I just popped into existence Bill the Monitor. Gatator of Universe 17 got a cool name. I work in Universe 6. Its where Linkara reviews holographic comics, and Nostalgia Critic reviews old forms of media.

[@babaracus9583]

Some say EA was inspired by this comic

[@Dovah21]

You feel hold when you realize this video is 10 years old.

[@theblacksheep1000]

03:31 WOW THIS COMIC PREDICTED ITS OWN OUTCOME! lol

[@lometraid6798]

Well.. on the topic of the name “Mr Action” it could be a reference to the fact that Superman appeared in ACTION comics bearing in mind that doesn’t lessen the stupidity of this comic

[@dreadpiraterobin8379]

It's a little funny that out of all the heroes they could've sent the legion sent triplicate girl... without her two other parts. So the one character on their roster who can't do anything.

[@TtheWriter]

So from what Linkara is describing, "52" isn't so much a comic story... as it is a throw-away zone for things that are happening BETWEEN about half a dozen other stories? Goodness, I haven't seen anything like this since the Dragonlance novels! D:

[@TheRiku57]

You'd be right..... BUT 52 actually turned up stories BETTER than what said stories were linking to.

[@sarahjamesinasarah6423]

If there’s one thing I’ll forever be thankful to this review for, it’s the only reason I first discovered “Countdown to Insanity” when i first watched it over a decade ago and it’s remained one of my favourite songs ever.

[@johnathancopson9328]

well I suppose after a tough day working the slaves pits he uses the toys as a sort of stress reliever, although it makes it harder to take him seriously after that revelation...

[@buddyb3165]

Me: Can someone explain countdown in 20 words or less? Linkara: THESE COMICS SUCK! Also Me: Ya did it in 3 didnt think you had it in you.

[@Obiwan1994Kenobi-iv4jf]

3:30 Bob, you... are my number one.... guy!!

[@PaceFilmsProductions]

I know he's entitled to his own opinion but it still blows my mind that he went with the current song over the one in the credits.

[@mattbrajkovic249]

The intro is a godsend

[@kevinbergman3784]

I gave this two issues and was like nope. I can't believe how many people kept reading the series because no one seems to like it.

[@Salixa456]

I'd need a flowchart that covered an entire wall to keep up with this...

[@snakes3425]

So how did the epicness that was Final Crisis come out of a debacle like Countdown again?

[@CNWhatImSaiyan]

They ignored Countdown and focused elsewhere

[@henrybelman7424]

14:39 that is tecnecly a continuity error as oberon is human and is in constant contact with MM and BB and has been thrown into both New genisis and Apocolyps(sorry about the spelling).

[@Thoran666]

Watching Linkara I sometimes wonder how DC became such a big player on the market

[@SorowFame]

Pretty sure it's a case of first come, first served. Also Batman.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

Watching Linkara, it does become obvious how Marvel eventually rose up to take DC's lunch money at frequent points of their shared history.

[@InTheSky521]

I know this reply is years late but didn't he really only cover bad comics specifically back then? I don't think the show should be used as the gauge for DC's usual quality.

[@davidspring4003]

you know, for a story that was an editorial mandate, the editors could have been doing their ACTUAL job a bit better than...the NON-EXISTENT EDITORS FOR SUPERMAN AT EARTH'S END!!!

[@RainaThrownAway]

+David Spring The editors were drunk. For an entire year.

[@davidspring4003]

Ryan P obviously, or this awful mess wouldn't have been mandated.

[@talk2myself315]

Just a question, Lewis: have you ever considered covering anything of the awful Countdown tie-in series? Like the Search for Ray Palmer, Countdown to Mystery or Countdown Arena? Personally, my picks for the worst are Salvation Run and Death of the New Gods. I don't if they would qualify as event comics for you or not, but judging from your comments and common sense I certain they would supply you with no shortage of material. I would appreciate your thoughts on it, if you don't mind. :) Edit: I do recall you mentioning Jim Starlin's recent work needed a dressing down. Death of the New Gods is a good way to start, it's a slap to the face of Jack Kirby, comics, religious people or anybody with basic taste or intelligence (in my opinion). Final Edit: This era was finally the death knell of over 40 years of reading comics. This series is a microcosm of why that happened. I'm actually proud and impressed with how you've continued on.

[@JaelinBezel]

So THIS is where Earth-11 came from. Gotta say, conceptually, it's easily my favorite.

[@isaacbailey3681]

5:43 for the win.

[@Jemini4228]

Sending the villains off to a random planet to fend for themselves. Jim Kirk can tell you that's a bad idea that will absolutely come back to bite you in a revenge served with a side of Moby Dick references!

[@cassiedevereaux-smith3890]

NGL, though, "Mr. Action" was super on brand.

[@ShinoSarna]

3:00 Bam? Maybe the "bam bam" that Red Hood heard were the punches of the Monitor?

[@Fanatic_Foremem]

to this day we still haven't gotten a solid explanation for buddy blank and brother eye from linkara. Kindof feels like one of those things he's planned to get to at some point.

[@AT4W]

+NekoVira Actually I recently explained Brother Eye (for the most part) in the Blue Beetle retrospective. ^_^

[@Fanatic_Foremem]

Linkara-AtopTheFourthWall didn't feel like a explanaition to me, just a mention of his involvement in the story.

[@AT4W]

NekoVira I get ya, though there really isn't much else that CAN be said - Satellite Network with artificial intelligence created by Batman who was co-opted by Maxwell Lord and Alex Luthor.

[@Fanatic_Foremem]

Linkara-AtopTheFourthWall wasn't there a superhero that was controled by brother eye in a similiar manner to khaji-da and jaime?

[@AT4W]

NekoVira OMAC, which was in itself a revival of an old character that the OMACs were based on. It's confusing and they keep trying to bring it back. XD

[@TevyaSmolka]

I still maintain futures end is dc’s new 52 countdown

[@ignacionadeo1306]

This was back when you lived with your parents, wasn't it? I hafta say, you've come a long, long way since. These days, you can scream with impunity.

[@MyMagnificentOctopus]

If her father is the Jokester, shouldn't Duela Dent be "The Jokester's Daughter"? (I know, the Jokester didn't exist until after they killed her, but still, seems a bit odd.)

[@michaeliv284]

That's her real name

[@autobotproductions1244]

I actually like the idea of Donna and Kyle in concept. Anyone have an idea where I could find a good execution of it?

[@princealigorna7468]

Let's move on to the love triangle: Donna and Kyle had a thing back during said Titans run with Terra II and Rose, at the same time her and Roy Harper were burying their timultuous relationship. It was a good story, at a time the Titans were known for being a shell of their former selves. Seriously, everything from after the Trigon Seed/Evil Bikini Raven era was really good though. I loved the Siege of Zi Charam, because of the stuff with Roy, Donna, and Kyle, and because of the crush between Damage and Terra II (Rose's stint came just after that story, and was the beginning of the wind-down of that Titans series, sadly, but those issues were pretty good too and Impulse's crush on Rose was both sweet and something I was glad Johns touched on in his reboot of the team). Anyways, I said all that to say this: I can understand them still having feelings for each other...but why Jason? Jason was 13 when he knew Donna, and that was long before she met Kyle!

[@theicyartist4243]

O_o

[@princealigorna7468]

Oh trust me, I'm a really big Titans fan. I'm not saying I know everything. Linkara probably knows 20x's more than I do, as there's large portion of the Wolfman era I don't have because they've never been collected. And both of us pale in comparison to Bill Walko. But I know more than enough to recognize how stupid that attempt at a love triangle was.

[@ericgallwey5406]

Seeing Jason Todd in this just makes me wish I was watching Batman: Under the Red Hood. Which is waaaaaaaaay better than this garbage. BTW Love your channel and keep up the good work.

[@PixieoftheWood]

The worst part is, countdown was literally the first time Trickster ever expressed any homophobia. Which would be fine if it was the first time he'd ever been shown interacting with Piper, but it's most definitely not. After Mirror Master framed the Piper for his parents' murder, the Trickster was the first person Piper went to for help after he broke out of prison, and once Trickster finds out that Piper was innocent, he ended up intentionally seeking him out to bring down the unreformed Rogues. They proceed to work together just fine. Prior to that, in the 90's, when the Pied Piper believed the man running for president was actually the Top (he wasn't, but he Vice President was), Trickster is the one he chose to seek out when Wally West wouldn't believe him. Prior to that, they had both been members of the same super villain team. In which they seemed to work together just fine. So I'm supposed to believe that Piper through all those years kept willingly associating with this guy who is apparently homophobic? Or did something happen to make Trickster suddenly freak out about the fact that gay people exist? Did Trickster get drunk and wake up next to some dude, and now he's taking his own uncertainty about his sexual orientation out on the only gay man he knows? We'll never know, because he was shot in the head before any of this could be clarified.

[@expleatifdelited982]

Holy moley and because I've been reading comics as far back as I can remember I can't lock down if that's from Robin the original Batman TV series or the original Golden Age Captain Marvel! This series went completely under my radar and boy am I glad I was able to skip it until this....recap. Thanks Linkara. Thanks for taking one for the team. By the way WHERE did you get the four finger bionic glove at the end of the video? I MUST KNOW FROM.... Yeah yeah I know the internet. Heavy sigh

[@Darkryu256]

The ending theme in this video is EASILY superior to his opening theme he's been using for so damn long

[@theangryholmesian4556]

Bob Monitor. Monitor Refrigeration.

[@AndrewBullXandrew]

Mechakara!

[@fionordequester6748]

I have a hard time following this one, due to the accelerated pace, but... I think I understand what's bad about this series? It's the fact that the narrative has ADD, and can't focus on a single thread for any decent length of time? And also the continuity errors? That about right?

[@ronaldhazelton7163]

I'll read this whole comic line, i feel unclean

[@dnhs5441]

I think a Donna Troy movie that was similar to a Rambo movie would work.

[@conservaduck7298]

dont worry,DC will fix the deaths of multiple teen titans by erasing them from reality in the new 52

[@TevyaSmolka]

RedRangerSpeedsterX-manWithAnOmnitrix/Lightsaber yep and then that gets undone thanks to D.C. Rebirth

[@callianr6980]

Tevya Smolka Sometimes, one is compelled to be thankful for retcons.

[@shanehudson3995]

I think they killed half of the current roster in 6 issues. And the went horribly.

[@xgray2012]

*facepal m!!!*

[@TevyaSmolka]

Callian r yeah that’s true you’re right about that

[@Mask0fFate]

Speaking of Brother Eye, can I make a suggestion for one of your future retrospective series'? Could you perhaps do one for OMAC?

[@bul13ts]

I suppose one could explain this all away by saying it was the ineffable will of Bob.