Hats off to DC. They finally managed to kill a superhero.

My biggest complaint with superhero comics has long been that everyone already knows how the stories will end. Rarely do the characters in mainstream superhero books face situations where their lives are really at stake. Sure, Superman and Green Lantern and Wolverine and Captain Whoever have to face off against an adversary whose very reason for being is the annihilation of said superhero, but rarely do stories reflect any real sense of consequence in these conflicts. Granted, the death of Blue Beetle is not exactly the earth-shaking event that has been hyped so extravagantly by DC, but it certainly raises the stakes for the rest of the characters in the DC pantheon as this story plays out.

Cheers also to writers Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka and Judd Winnick for demonstrating—far better than was done in Identity Crisis—that they “get” these characters. Whatever crocodile tears fans shed for Blue Beetle, the character has been ignored by most fans and writers (although recent incarnations in DC's more humorous books have been a hoot). Johns et al. bring this marginalization full circle, reflecting it in Blue Beetle's interactions with the other superheroes. And with a heartbreaking twist, we see that Blue Beetle recognizes that he is not in the same league (no pun intended) with the others but fights on anyway.

One question, though: how hard could it really be to find out the identities of the DC superheroes (which seems to be the engine driving this plot) if ALL of the superheroes seem to know each others' real names?

This was an excellently interwoven tale of revenge, magic, science fiction, and technical sabotage. The Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) takes it upon himself to find out who is transferring money from his company Kord Omniversal and siphoning it through Waynetech. Along the way The Blue Beetle is manipulated into the confrontation that is ultimately his last. Through his investigation he realizes within himself he is a hero, and not just a second rate wannabe man in a costume. Through the course of the story we are presented with preludes to the four Infinite Crisis titles: Day of Vengeance, The OMAC Project, Villains United and The Rann-Thangar War.

The writers pulled every emotion from me. I could not put this book down. I read it twice, and will read it again and again. The dialogue was heart wrenching and it made me think about the events taking place and feel the emotions of the characters at the very same time.

The artwork by the various artists was outstanding. This was a group effort by all the inkers and colorists. All the panels had the same feel and depth. Every detail was taken to keep the artistic flow of the book consistent from the beginning panel until the very end.

This is a comic book reader's dream. DC Comics really had the fans and the readers in mind for this epic undertaking. I commend them for their efforts.

I give this book a 5+ for an excellent and emotional story and outstanding artwork. Readers of the DC Universe get ready for the ride of a lifetime.

Does anyone else out there find the events in Countdown to Infinite Crisis running concurrently with I Can’t Believe It’s Not The Justice League a bit hard to take seriously? In one book we have the wacky adventures of the would-be Leaguers, including Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, headed up by Maxwell Lord, where the biggest problem is the drama of an ex-super villain opening a restaurant in the same strip mall that our heroes are based. In the other book, we follow Blue Beetle through many a jarring set-up towards his death at the hand of the same wacky businessman front lining the “Super Buddies.” The all-too-serious events told through two of the funniest characters in the DCU (Blue Beetle and Booster Gold) in Countdown to Infinite Crisis should seem silly, at best.

Now, with the editorial hand thoroughly degraded, I will move on to the actual storytelling. This was done very well. Greg Rucka, Judd Winick and Geoff Johns did a fabulous job of making this preposterous story readable. The artwork is fantastic. Rags Morales, Ed Benes, Jesus Saiz, Ivan Reis, and Phil Jimenez, while all have a similar style, add their own respectable voices to the fray. In other words, as opposed to the recent Marvel efforts with Andy Kubert, this book actually looks and feels prestige, and with a price tag of one buck, even if the plot is ridiculous, you can’t beat that.

As good as the book looked and read the foundation just wasn’t there. It set up the coming events, but it used a central character that for years has been utilized for comedy and thrust him into the most serious of roles. I just couldn’t take these seemingly world shifting events sincerely.