I know these come out two months and about two weeks in advance, but October already? I haven’t even decided on a costume….

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

It can’t be good for DC that I’m starting to think of Countdown as a virus, or that I’m wondering how well “insidious” describes it.

Ironically, the main book feels more coherent now than it did early on. However, looking at all the spinoffs and tie-ins in these solicits, Countdown has long since stopped being coy about its interconnectedness. I count seven issues (not including C. To Mystery or C. To Adventure) which claim direct ties to Vanilla Countdown: The Extremists, Ray Palmer, Captain Carrot (!?), Detective Comics, Gotham Underground, and two issues of Death Of The New Gods*. DC may say that because only one of those is an ongoing series, the regular books aren’t being disrupted; but again, 52 managed to tell a world-spanning story with a big cast in a lot less space than Countdown and its extensions will use. As Dorian points out, even if the stories are good, readers still get turned off by blatant grabs for cash.

Furthermore, the main book may have taken so many critical hits that it becomes the SportsCenter highlight-reel of events happening elsewhere. I don’t see DC cancelling Countdown, but if it did, I wonder if it wouldn’t then slap “Countdown #__” numbers on the covers of all these spinoffs. (It’s already putting the week’s Countdown issue number on other books’ UPC codes.) Maybe that’s what it should have done in the first place, and skipped Vanilla Countdown entirely.

As to the individual merits of those new series … the presence of Frank Tieri, who I understand has written some pretty bad comics for Marvel, makes me a lot less likely to pick up the Extremists or Gotham Underground miniseries. I’m not too keen on killing off the New Gods either. That leaves Captain Carrot And The Final Ark, which I would have bought regardless of its Countdown connection.

Accordingly, while I see a lot of bloggers dropping Countdown in favor of the original books, for me it may be cheaper to stick with Countdown as a “survey title” (and so I can stay nominally informed, in the I Read It So You Don’t Have To sense) rather than branch out into more titles I probably won’t like.

OCTOBER MEANS HARVEST

Batman and the Outsiders vol. 2 #1 ships in October, as does the new Green Arrow/Black Canary ongoing. Both are products of month-long special-event buildups, so seeing their first issues here is somewhat anticlimactic. I have no burning desire to read BATO, and it looks like I’m reserving judgment on the Ollie/Dinah series until after the wedding specials are done. However, the latter will have art by Cliff Chiang, who is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. (More Team 13, please!)

The other new superhero ongoing this month is Simon Dark, a Gotham-based book by Steve Niles and Scott Hampton. Honestly, this creative team might well have devised a new twist on the old “ZOMG! Worser then teh Bat-Man!” trope — but that’s still what it sounds like. For that matter, the BATO solicitation kinda sounds like that too.

In other non-Countdown miniseries, Greg Rucka and Tom Mandrake bring us lessons from the Crime Bible, featuring the new Question (and probably, later on, Batwoman). I liked Rucka’s first Whisper A’Daire stories from his Detective Comics run several years ago, and didn’t get enough of Whisper in 52, so I’m looking forward to this. Mandrake can do “horror” pretty well, but I’m not sure if he can do the “mannered creepy” that I get from Rucka. I’m probably comparing Mandrake unfairly with the different styles of those Detective and 52 artists.

The Metamorpho miniseries sounds like the pitch for a Metamorpho movie. The fact that it’s written by Dan Jurgens means the satire is likely to be pretty obvious. Oh boy, making fun of reality TV!

YOU’D THINK THEY’D SAVE RESURRECTION MAN FOR EASTER

I am glad to see the Infinite Halloween Special. It looks pretty decent, and if nothing else the thought of bloodthirsty Dan DiDio writing what sounds like an old-school Blue Devil story should make it worthwhile. Mitch Shelley probably makes it $5.99-worthwhile, though.

MORE EVENTS? IF YOU INSIST…

“Sinestro Corps” is a crossover event done right (so far): a singular special setting up the players, most of the action taking place in the two Green Lantern titles, and these specials fleshing things out. I’m on board for both the Anti-Monitor and Cyborg Superman specials, and I’m hoping the “reincarnation” promised in GLC #17 is Katma Tui. (It’ll probably be Stel, though.)

Another “event” is apparently The Resurrection Of Ra’s Al Ghul (him too?), which I presume starts unofficially in September’s Batman Annual and gets underway in earnest with Batman #670 and the Robin Annual.

SUPERMAN

About the last Johns/Donner issue – didn’t we just do “Escape From Bizarro World?”

Between the departure of Richard Donner and the wrap-up of “Camelot Falls,” the Superman titles are looking up. I’ve enjoyed “Camelot Falls” throughout, but the schedule has hurt it and it doesn’t seem as focused when things aren’t so apocalyptic. Also looking forward to the Batman & Robin guest-spots in Busiek & Rick Leonardi’s “The Last Kryptonian.” If Superman and Lois are going to raise a child, it’s eminently appropriate for him to be a foster child; and I’m eager to see what Busiek does with the kid.

ODDS AND ENDS

Aquaman: Sword Of Atlantis is cancelled with #57. Too bad — it’s been a fun read, but it hasn’t stayed with me month to month. Roger Stern guest-writes All-New Atom #15, and as much as I like Stern, it won’t be as good as Simone.

Here’s what gets me about JSA #10 featuring the Kingdom Come Superman: at the end of KC, Supes has made peace with the world – almost literally, since he comes close to destroying the United Nations. Thus, the story ends with reconciliation. The brief bits from the sequel, The Kingdom, don’t suggest anything different, at least not in my memory. So why does the Superman of Earth-22 still have the same problems with “heroes-gone-extreme,” if not simply to justify his dramatic role in this new story? And isn’t this another Stodgy Old Superman, just like the Earth-2 Supes in Infinite Crisis?

YOU HAD ME AT …

JLA/Hitman: “Bloodlines”

Teen Titans: “Starro”

Wonder Woman: “Monkey assassins” (well, “Gail Simone,” but humor me)

Metal Men: “Death-Metal Men”

Supergirl & The Legion: “E.R.G.”

PAPERBACKS

Usually I’d make a smart-aleck comment about World War III not being included in the last 52 collection. In that case, however, it’s definitely the right way to go.

Finally, DC mentions “Heroes” in connection with Tim Sale! Unfortunately, I don’t remember much about the stories in Tales of the Batman except the James Robinson-written Cavalier tale. That one was pretty good.

To me, it doesn’t make a whole lot of thematic sense to put the Grodd Vs. Ultramarines story together with the JLA/WildCATS crossover in the Ultramarines collection, but both are pretty entertaining. I give the edge to the intercompany crossover, even though it includes Electric Superman.

Pretty excited about the Showcase Presents volumes. The Suicide Squad collection guest-stars the JLI and the Doom Patrol (not Morrison’s Doom Patrol, though). The Secret Society collection might be able to fit all of the short-lived series in one volume. Wonder if it will include the Cancelled Comic Cavalcade story?

I like the new JSA figures. They look really well-designed.

THIS KOOL-AID REALLY IS TASTY

For once, I’m going to end this roundup on a happy note. Fans might someday look back on October 2007 as the month DC finally got its act together on its superhero titles. Each of DC’s most prominent books is on the schedule, and each has a writer about whom fans aren’t complaining (at least not too loudly): Paul Dini on Detective Comics, Grant Morrison on Batman, Geoff Johns on Action Comics and Green Lantern, Kurt Busiek on Superman, Gail Simone on Wonder Woman, Mark Waid on The Flash, and Dwayne McDuffie on Justice League. Yes, Dini, Morrison, Johns on GL, and Busiek have been in place for a while. Regardless, Johns going solo on Action, and Simone, Waid, and McDuffie on their respective books, each appear to address specific fan concerns about timeliness and/or quality.

Dick doesn’t see sales turning around anytime soon, and particularly thinks sales of JLA will drop after Brad Meltzer leaves. While I agree with Dick’s contention that fans want a Justice League book which feels “essential” (my word, not his) and not like a collection of inventory stories (because now there’s JLA Classified for those), to me it’s reasonable to think that McDuffie has enough goodwill from fans — and enough “essential League” in him from the Cartoon Network series — to bring back those in the blogosphere and elsewhere who have been turned off by Meltzer. I’d like to think that those who return, and those who leave with Meltzer, would cancel each other out for the most part. Of course, I thought Kurt Busiek would have an Avengers-like run on JLA, too.

Still, for one brief shining moment, DC’s core superhero titles all look pretty solid. Only one of them (this month) ties into Countdown, too. Dare I hope that this harmonic convergence, coupled with the elegant simplicity of the “Legends Live Forever” ad, might actually encourage new readers to check in with these decades-old characters, and be pleasantly surprised at what they find? The opportunities are there — DC just needs to capitalize on them.

* As opposed, of course, to Death of the Endless.

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