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Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials

Countdown 14

Countdown to Final Crisis 14

Scheduled to arrive in stores: January 23, 2008

Cover date: January 23, 2008

"Choke On It!"

Writer: Paul Dini (head writer) and Keith Giffen (story consultant) with Tony Bedard
Penciller: Pete Woods, Tom Derenick & Wayne Faucher
Inker: Pete Woods, Tom Derenick & Wayne Faucher

Back-Up Story: "The Origin of Gorilla Grodd"
Write: Scott Beatty
Penciller: Arthur Adams
Inker: Arthur Adams

Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel

Click to enlarge



SUPERMAN PRIME

Superman Prime is upset, more so when the Monitor activates a view screen to show Prime's perfect Earth steadily being destroyed. The overdosed teenager flies off in a rage leaving the Monitor to face Forerunner's attack.

KYLE RAYNER & RAY PALMER

Ray and Kyle are trying to find Donna.

Ray wonders about Jason but Kyle dismisses his former teammate proposing Donna is their priority.

DONNA TROY

Another DC comic another giant insect infestation and hive hideout.

Belthera, one of Monarch's 'generals' and owner of the hideout is shocked to see her minion Wonder Girl enter the hive. She doesn't realize Wonder Girl's middle-aged doppelganger from New Earth is masquerading as her teenaged self. With one page of ease Donna defeats Belthera and becomes Queen of bugs - an Insect Queen...

Kyle and Ray arrive unseen and giggle childishly at Donna in her 80s costume.

RED ROBIN

Batman gives Jason Todd his doppelganger's costume, amazingly it fits like a glove.

Batman gets a little sentimental and then overdramatic at having his ideal sidekick, join him in a war he had once thought he had lost him to.

THE MONITORS

Monarch's minions battle the Monitors. Things are fifty-fifty despite the arrival of the new team Batman & Red Robin. They make a mark though, Batman poisons his opponent and Red Robin cuts out the eyes of his. Things are still looking grim until Donna arrives with a gazillion bug men to overrun Monarch's forces!

MONARCH

The villain frowns as his forces begin fading away. The villain is so dismayed that he orders his forces back so he can turn the tide back in his favour with an explosive energy blast. Monarch is about to leave when another of his minions notifies him of a surprise counter attack. A super speed 'missile' bursts through all the hideout defences and builds momentum with every millisecond.

Even more surprising to Monarch is the arrival of the 'missile'

A moody, petulant Superman Prime boiling with revenge...

To be continued...

Back-Up Story: "The Origin of Gorilla Grodd"
Write: Scott Beatty
Penciller: Arthur Adams
Inker: Arthur Adams

It was believed by some that Gorillas had reached their evolutionary peak but they had obviously never met the troop Solovar and Grodd belonged to. When investigating a downed spaceship they encountered a little alien who needed care and nurturing back to health.

As a gift, the alien endowed his rescuers with superior intellect and "force of mind".

Grodd, used his newly evolved intelligence and cunning to bide his time and when some humans stumbled onto the hidden city they had built, Grodd used his new powers to secretly have the humans execute the alien mentor that had once helped them.

However to his surprise instead of being given immediate leadership of Gorilla City, his rival Solovar was awarded the title. Solovar wanted no human interaction to cause the pain and damage the hunters had done with their execution of the alien so they encased the city with invisibility and an almost impenetrably shield.

When Grodd launched an attack to take the city for himself, Solovar was forced to remove the ban inviting human aid to the city. The Flash answered the call and would do so again and again along with the JLA, whenever Solovar needed them. The city meanwhile would stay hidden and safe.

Grodd will stop at nothing to rule Gorilla City and eventually human 'civilization' even the foolish race known as the 'super villains.'

One day Grodd will rule!

2Story - 2: In previous issues the story was so slow and off track spiralling into non-readership, the book looked like it should have been named 'The Death of DC Publishing' with how dicey it was. When week 25 came along the book got a kick in the backside and a change of direction. A stereotypical "Battle for the Universe" began like a Golan Globus 80's movie and continues to do so almost to laughable levels.

At least the story is gearing up for a finale that's all I can say!

Quick question to fans - When Superman was overdosed on yellow sun radiation, didn't he once blow up to hulkish size? Is that out of continuity now, does it now just temporarily age you twenty years? I'm a little lost so please enlighten me if anyone knows...

5Art - 5: Three artists flipping around a story is usually a book killer and so far the artwork in Countdown has been more than a little... craptacular on occasion. Surprisingly it's worked this month - with the exception of Superman Prime - who... looks like... a joke.

Remember the teaser poster? With how awesome he looked wasn't Prime cool - is he still now... ROTFLMAO.

4Back-Up Story - 4: The story of Grodd, Solovar and Gorilla City was previously unknown to me and this worked well to fill in the gaps. The story seems to be pretty silver age but the way it has been told seems like a skilful 'adaption' and not falling into the trap of being 'cheesy.'

A very nice and well told adaption that has obviously done its job well with me.

5Back-Up Art - 5: Art Adams really ought to be working on Superman, Supergirl or the JLA books.

Nuff said methinks!

3Cover Art - 3: Last week's cover led us to believe the New Challengers had taken down and killed Superman Prime... This week we see Superman Prime as a showstopper, posing on a spotlight for Monarch, Forerunner, The Extremists and the Monitors... um... yeah.

Even though it's definitely worth a five... It's a nice cover, expertly composed, beautifully illustrated and colored. It's just a shame it's irrelevant and misleading like last week and because it is absolutely so, it ruins it.


Mild Mannered Reviews

2008

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

January 2008

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