Countdown to Infinite Crisis
Encyclopedia
DC Countdown, commonly referred to as Countdown to Infinite Crisis, is a one-shot publication
and the official start of the Infinite Crisis
storyline. It was released 30 March 2005, sold out, and quickly went to a second printing. When this comic was first published, the cover showed Batman holding a shadowed corpse, so as not to ruin the surprise of who dies. For the second printing, the shadows were removed to reveal the identity of the corpse. During initial solicitations the comic was entitled 'DC Countdown' to postpone revelation of an upcoming crisis.
Countdown was a special 80 page comic originally priced at $1, much lower than would normally be the case for an 80 page comic, although the second printing was priced at $2. The script was co-written by Geoff Johns
, Greg Rucka
, and Judd Winick
, while the art chores were divided up, generally on a chapter by chapter basis, between the penciller-inker teams of Rags Morales
& Michael Bair
, Jesus Saiz & Jimmy Palmiotti
, Ivan Reis
& Marc Campos, and Phil Jimenez
& Andy Lanning
. Artist Ed Benes
pencilled and inked his chapter.
member known as the Blue Beetle
, investigating the theft of funds from his company that has left him nearly bankrupt. Most of the other DC heroes dismiss Kord's concerns, either politely or outright. Only Booster Gold
, another superhero and Kord's best friend, eventually decides to help complete the investigation, but before he can he is seriously injured by an explosive trap.
Alone and unaided, Blue Beetle continues to follow the clues to Switzerland where he infiltrates the castle base of the Checkmate
organization. There, he confronts Maxwell Lord
, who is revealed to be using his Justice League files and Batman's satellite, the Brother MK I
, to keep an eye on the superhero community, which he considers a threat to the human race. After Beetle refuses to join Lord, Lord shoots him in the head and kills him.
. The events of Day of Vengeance
were foreshadowed, when the Beetle confronted the wizard Shazam
, but no particular hints about that title were made. The Rann-Thanagar War
was mentioned on a single page, but seemed to already be underway in the story. The main characters of Villains United
were featured in a single chapter of the book, but one that did not connect to the Blue Beetle storyline in any way.
collection of The OMAC Project, published November 2005 (ISBN 1-4012-0837-1).
Publication
To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...
and the official start of the Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
storyline. It was released 30 March 2005, sold out, and quickly went to a second printing. When this comic was first published, the cover showed Batman holding a shadowed corpse, so as not to ruin the surprise of who dies. For the second printing, the shadows were removed to reveal the identity of the corpse. During initial solicitations the comic was entitled 'DC Countdown' to postpone revelation of an upcoming crisis.
Countdown was a special 80 page comic originally priced at $1, much lower than would normally be the case for an 80 page comic, although the second printing was priced at $2. The script was co-written by Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
, Greg Rucka
Greg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
, and Judd Winick
Judd Winick
Judd Winick is an American comic book, comic strip and television writer/artist and former reality television personality...
, while the art chores were divided up, generally on a chapter by chapter basis, between the penciller-inker teams of Rags Morales
Rags Morales
Ralph "Rags" Morales is an American comic book artist known for his work on DC Comics' Identity Crisis, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Batman Confidential, and Hawkman, Turok Dinosaur Hunter for Valiant Comics and Magic the Gathering: Dakkon Blackblade #1 from Armada/Acclaim Comics.Morales is the...
& Michael Bair
Michael Bair
Michael A. Hernandez is an American comic book artist , best known for his work as an inker. His work includes Marvel Comics' Alpha Flight, and DC Comics' Hawkman...
, Jesus Saiz & Jimmy Palmiotti
Jimmy Palmiotti
James "Jimmy" Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.-Early life:Palmiotti is a graduate of the High School of Art and Design in New York City.-Career:...
, Ivan Reis
Ivan Reis
Ivan Reis , born 1976 in São Paulo, is a Brazilian comic book artist. He is known for his work on books such as Marvel Comics' Captain Marvel, and DC Comics' Green Lantern books...
& Marc Campos, and Phil Jimenez
Phil Jimenez
Phil Jimenez is an American comic book writer, artist and penciller, known for his work as writer/artist on Wonder Woman from 2000 to 2003, as one of the five pencilers of the 2005-2006 miniseries Infinite Crisis, and his collaborations with writer Grant Morrison on New X-Men and The...
& Andy Lanning
Andy Lanning
Andy Lanning is a British comic book writer and inker, known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and for his collaboration with Dan Abnett.-Career:Lanning works primarily at Marvel Comics and DC Comics as an inker...
. Artist Ed Benes
Ed Benes
José Edilbenes Bezerra is a Brazilian comic book artist, better known by his pen name of Ed Benes...
pencilled and inked his chapter.
Synopsis
The main plot concerns Ted Kord, the superhero and former Justice LeagueJustice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
member known as the Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes that appear in American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939.-Publication history:...
, investigating the theft of funds from his company that has left him nearly bankrupt. Most of the other DC heroes dismiss Kord's concerns, either politely or outright. Only Booster Gold
Booster Gold
Booster Gold is a fictional DC Comics superhero. Created by Dan Jurgens, he first appeared in Booster Gold #1 and has been a member of the Justice League, DC Comics' all-star team of heroes. The character is initially depicted as a glory-seeking showboat from the future, using knowledge of...
, another superhero and Kord's best friend, eventually decides to help complete the investigation, but before he can he is seriously injured by an explosive trap.
Checkmate (comics)
Checkmate, a division of Task Force X, is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
organization. There, he confronts Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a shrewd and powerful businessman who was very influential in the formation of the Justice League International in DC Comics.-Before the League:...
, who is revealed to be using his Justice League files and Batman's satellite, the Brother MK I
OMACs
The OMACs are a fictional type of powerful cyborg that exist in the DC Comics universe...
, to keep an eye on the superhero community, which he considers a threat to the human race. After Beetle refuses to join Lord, Lord shoots him in the head and kills him.
Crossovers
Countdown was bannered as a bridge to all four of the Crisis leadup titles, but featured each of them unevenly. The main plot was essentially an extended prologue to The OMAC ProjectThe OMAC Project
The OMAC Project is a six issue American comic book limited series written by Greg Rucka with art by Jesus Saiz and published by DC Comics in 2005.-Overview:...
. The events of Day of Vengeance
Day of Vengeance
Day of Vengeance is a six-issue comic book limited series written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano and Walden Wong, published in 2005 by DC Comics.-Publication history:...
were foreshadowed, when the Beetle confronted the wizard Shazam
Shazam (comics)
Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. He is an ancient sorcerer who gives young Billy Batson the power to transform into the superhero Captain Marvel...
, but no particular hints about that title were made. The Rann-Thanagar War
Rann-Thanagar War
Rann-Thanagar War is a six-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics in 2005. Written by Dave Gibbons, and illustrated by Ivan Reis, Marc Campos, and John Kalisz, the series concerns a war between the planets Rann and Thanagar, and features Adam Strange, the Green Lantern Corps,...
was mentioned on a single page, but seemed to already be underway in the story. The main characters of Villains United
Villains United
Villains United is a six-issue comic book limited series, written by Gail Simone with art by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, published by DC Comics in 2005...
were featured in a single chapter of the book, but one that did not connect to the Blue Beetle storyline in any way.
Collection
Countdown was reprinted as part of the trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
collection of The OMAC Project, published November 2005 (ISBN 1-4012-0837-1).