3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Adaptation, July 22, 2009
This review is from: Countdown (Paperback)
While the Countdown comic series was pretty maligned by the fandom, I thought the novelization did a good job with the story. Unfortunately several story lines are cut for length that I would have liked to have seen, but what is there is well done.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
for DC fans of the older Crisis on Infinite Earth saga, July 8, 2009
This review is from: Countdown (Paperback)
The New Gods live on two different worlds: the paradise New Genesis and the hell hole Apokolips that makes Dante's description seem mild. The ruler of Apokolips is Darkseid, who intends to destroy the multiverse that consists of fifty-two universes; in the end he plans to rule over a new multiverse. There are opposition forces trying to prevent his cataclysmic scheme from happening, but he is currently maneuvering former super humans as expendable chess pawns furthering his chances of success.
Jimmy Olsen suddenly develops super powers that activates when his life is in danger. The Monitor Solomon kidnaps Donna "Wonder Girl" Troy and former Robin, Jason Todd, a bitter young man,. They need to find Ray "Atom" Palmer who vanished due to grief after his wife became mentally insane and became a killer. The Atom holds the key to the survival of all fifty-two multiverses.
This follow-up to INFINITE CRISIS and 52 continues the story of the War between the New Gods with the COUNTDOWN to the end of the multiverse as "we" know it. There are several subplots besides those above including one involving Mary Marvel coming out of a coma and Catwoman coming out of enforced retirement (as did Todd and Troy). Fun and exciting especially for DC fans of the older Crisis on Infinite Earth saga and the Jack Kirby's New Gods pantheon will enjoy the latest novelization of the end of the multiverse; newcomers will be as confused as the original baby boomers were back in the post Silver Age.
Harriet Klausner
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Excellent, January 30, 2011
Though I don't follow the comic books, I wound up with this, and it's simply Excellent!
First, let me say, I've heard that the comic book version of this story was poorly reviewed, but this is not the same story.
With that out of the way, I'll start gushing :) I'd never even heard of Donna Troy, Holly Robinson, or Mary Marvel before, but the latter two turn out to be profoundly interesting. Their journeys are both engrossing to say the least, and sooo unpredictable. I couldn't even compare Mary Marvel's quest to any other superhero it is so unique. Both Mary and Ray Palmer (the Atom) had me misty-eyed in multiple scenes.
The big final battle is a little odd, and only scarcely involves the main protagonists of this book, but the character development is really the strongest I've ever seen in a superhero story.
I highly recommend the GraphicAudio adaptation, which is more a play than AudioBook as they utilize a cast of a dozen professional actors, and pro sound effects with amazing results.
UPDATE: I should probably mention Jimmy Olsen too, since he's technically the star here. Let's just say I always liked him, but had low hopes about his contributions to this story. It far surpassed my expectations, but it's more odd than creative, so of the four intertwined stories, I enjoyed his least. Like Donna Troy (Wonder Woman's former protege) and Jason Todd (Batman's former protege), Jimmy Olsen's circumstances change, but he's basically the same guy by the end. With Mary Marvel and Holly Robinson, their journeys have changed them irrevocably.
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