I wasn’t really planning on buying Countdown anyway, but this clinches it. If it’s going to be this boring, what’s the point?

Told you yu should've gotten DMZ .

I always want to say 'yan duurdsema' like it's a guy from Sweden, and I have to fight myself to get to call her Jan. Keep hope alive, Greg B!

I was first introduced to Winick's writing through Superman/Shazam First Thunder (and Frumpy the Clown, though I hadn't read a comic in years and didn't know ass from elbow from Winick, though it was pretty good), and I gave him an opportunity for the first several issues of Trials of Shazam!. It did not hook me and I've since let it pass.

Rex Libris has been great, but even though I have all the issues, I haven't read it since #5 because I don't feel like going to all the effort.

Mystery in Space was great!! I read about half my total comics by going through the dollar bin, so I think I've read 1, 3, 7, and 8 in the series. It's the perfect thing I could get if I wanted space, adventure, things I don't know about, and fun (I want all those things, so I considered it pretty close to perfect). The Starlin writing and drawing I thought was pretty fun, and the series seemed like it was happy to exist in the DCU and work towards new things, both of which I appreciate as good stories backed with hard work. It was a comic I could pick up and just enjoy.

That's because you are such a girl.

No need to apologize. I'd see a picture or two of the artist (which I'm sure many people have not). It's just an interesting fact, if you ask me. Confirm and make the correction (or don't) and delete my comment. End of story. I'd have sent the correction via e-mail, but I did not see your address. I must have missed it.

Of course, male or female has nothing to do with the art. But that was the sentence with the item I was questioning. So that's why I quoted it.

Nice to see a review of that comic, by the way. It's one I generally enjoy.

As for the Hulk thing, I didn't read Planet Hulk. Why on earth should I do any goddamned research to read a goddamned comic book? I had enough of research in college, for crying out loud. I didn't know what the deal was, so I asked the people here, and they answered me. There's my research, and now I think the subsequent issues, where we (presumably) learn that there's a traitor in the Hulk's ranks, will make more sense.

As for Jan Duursema, I always assumed she was female, but I recall reading other reviews who very distinctly called her "he." I apologize for that, but what the hell does her gender have to do with speaking of her art? She draws, and I mention it. It has nothing to do with whether she's a male or female.

I'm really sorry you hate my reviews. Get in line behind Joe Rice. I just don't really think I should have to "research" what's going on in a comic book like I was writing a goddamned master's thesis. Maybe that's why people don't like picking up new books. I don't mind being in the dark a little bit, but when nobody bothers to mention a character's name, it irks me a bit. And it's sloppy goddamned storytelling, which is far fucking worse that sloppy goddamned reviewing. At least you're not paying to read how stupid I am.

Why should that be a requirement? Remember the days when every comic was designed to be accessible to a new reader? (And when, for that matter, comics sold many more copies.) If "Outsiders" isn't accessible to a new reader, then its sales will drop. Oh, wait, its sales are dropping already.

I suppose it is Winnick and Rucka's fault that they didn't identify Grace Choi by any name other than Great Dane in the course of the issue, as it makes it confusing to new readers (regardless of the fact that it's part x of a y-part crossover). But after reading that, your Planet Hulk musings and the Duursema reference...

Do some F'ing research, man. You're almost as bad a comics reviewer as Hannibal Tabu. I understand that reviews are entirely opinion-based and that you aren't a "professional" so to speak, but you could at least show a tiny bit of professionalism or editing before you brain fart all over the keyboard and click "post".

Her name is Grace, not Great Dane. Checkmate is calling her Great Dane as a codename. They are calling all the members of the Outsiders by dog codenames.

Lady Styx kills Captain Comet in 52. I forget which week.

That's a completely different Jay Garrick on Earth-2. No one has been displaced from New Earth, there have just been new versions made of them.

THe Ralph and Sue Dibney scene is just the cap to their story in 52. Their dead, but together again. The end.

[i]"Duursema’s art is less angular and hard than it used to be, as he has softened up a bit, giving his art a more realistic look (even when he’s dealing with strange non-human creatures)."[/i]

Artist Jan Duursema is a woman.

My original understanding (of course, this is way back before 52 #1 even hit the stands) was that 52 was a play on 24 - 24 hours in a day, 52 weeks in a year. Of course, as the series went on we saw that there was 52 of something, so I guess the multiverse is as good a thing as any.

Thank goodness for MySpace, because I read Countdown #51 in its entirety and I was less than pleased, so I didn't pick it up. The first half of #50 looks intriguing, but that's primarily because it's Jimmy Olsen-cetric, and I've been praying for a new Superman's Pal: Jimmy Olsen series for years now...

-M

Good to know about all this Hulk stuff. It will help when the inevitable traitor is revealed.

- We know that the Illuminati wanted HULK off Earth.

- We know that they deceived him into fighting a "rogue" robot space ship.

- We know he was supposed to be carried on that ship to a pre-programmed desitnation (a PEACEFUL, unpopulated planet) where he could live out his days in peace at "alone" (which he always wanted to be ("Leave Hulk Alone").

- We know the ship went off course (partly from Hulk smashing it, partly due to Saakar's suck-hole trap (installed by Sakaar's rulers into trapping entities to fight in their arena and become slaves).

- We know that the Illuminati had NO idea that the plan went awry (although WHY they didn't have Dr. Strange do an astral "fly-by" to check on him... I dunno). I guess the plot required this monumental F-up, so that's what happened. Gah!

So, after Hulk takes over this new world and is set up as King and is at peace... suddenly the ship has a "Core Breach" and does the explodo.

At NO time is it even hinted that the Illuminati have rigged it to go boom.

The last "people" inside the ship were the Brood bug and Meik (having a little tryst).
THEY saw the video message that Richards, Stark, Boltagon & Strange left for Hulk.

So... in MY mind it was one (or both) of THEM who tampered with the core and set about this scenario of Hulk going to Earth to kick all kinds of ass.

Personally, with their history with Earthlings, I think the odds are that the BROOD is behind it all.
However, being that it's an easy leap of logic, the twist COULD be that it's MEIK who was behind the breach, setting up a reason to go out and conquer more worlds (he does seem to be a bit bloodthirsty, no?).

Anyway, in the end, it will probably be revealed that it was one of Hulk's inner-circle who made this happen, for reasons of their own.

Hulk will get mad, smash them, and slowly integrate back into Marvel Earth (after a long, drawn out"new status quo" of "Hulk is a threat again" is re-introduced to Marvel canon).

Oh. And "Illuminati" isn't really a bad name if you understand where the term originates - a secret cabal of high power, influential people (comprised, of the richest and most influential people in history) clandestinely dictating the course of world events and at the base of American and European history.

They are, rumored to be, at the absolute center of the Freemasons and the architects of the founding of America and it's history.

Even the SIMPSONS lampooned them. Remember the STONECUTTERS?

But that's just my 2cents.

~P~
P-TOR

"And actually, Brian, considering Duella’s insanity, it’s very likely her own deluded mind just used the “other Earth” thing as an excuse that just happens to be true according to the latest Dan Didio interview."

...so there you have it, a horrendously improbable "coincidence".

"The whole point of 52 turned out to be getting the multiverse back. That’s not what it started as, but somewhere along the way it became that"

I disagree, the fact that there's 52 of...something....out there to discover is hinted at in the series title. If it wasn't going to be 52 universes, what else could it have been? It was always going to be about bringing the multiverse back, which is especially evident if you reread all the issues. In fact, there's a whole ton of multiverse hints scattered throughout the last years worth of DC comics for that matter. What they *did* abandon in 52 was all that stupid OYL stuff....probably a good thing, considering most of it made no sense in the WW3 miniseries.

Countdown looks like its going to be a shambles. Also:

"Wait a second: wasn’t existence recreated in the final couple of issues of 52? And in Infinite Crisis? Those are just in the past year or so. Give it the fuck up, DC!"

TESTIFY!

I'm getting extremely fatigued by the universe being remade every year, or the universe being dissolved / recreated as the big threat for the next twelve months. Can't anybody come up with something else for a change? Its a bit stale now. And all those Monitors....no, no, no. The retro-referencing retconnery HAS! GOT! TO! STOP!

I am with you about the 6 part minis which mostly always have 2 issues worth of fillers

Do get to Heaven and Earth volume 2 soon...its worth it!

Keep up the good work here, Greg

Aleem