DISHING WITH DAN: COUNTDOWN #48 AND MORE

[MattBrady]

This week, we catch up with DCU Executive Editor Dan DiDio about…well, Countdown and a few other things.

Newsarama: Since we’re kind of tight up against Mike Marts’ Q&A session coming up tomorrow, let’s be less Countdown heavy this week, and touch on a few other items that have come up recently…

Dan DiDio: Works for me.

NRAMA: First up then, the Flash teaser image that was released. The Flash isn’t looking too good…

DD: Yeah – thank Ryan Sook for that.

NRAMA: So what are you trying to get across in the image?

DD: [laughs] Naturally, it’s easy to focus on the Flash since “The Flash” are big words on that page, but it’s also reminiscent of the cover to Flash #174. And of course, the Trickster and the Pied Piper are the logical tie to Countdown.

And it seems that he may be at the mercy of his enemies. Or…can you have enemies anymore, when you’re…nevermind…

NRAMA: So far in Countdown, we’ve seen the “loyalty tests” that the Rogues have had for the Piper and Trickster, and the claims from the other Rogues that they’re soft because they’re friends of the Flash. Is what we’re seeing here and outcropping of that?

DD: Well, ultimately, the Rogues are re-gathering. They’re planning what I believe to be one of their greatest attacks on the Flash right now as organized by Inertia. Because the Rogues have gone through so many twists and turns throughout their careers, it’s clear – and understandable - that they want to know which side of the fence they’re al standing on at this time. Trickster and Piper were so clearly associated with the heroes when Wally was Flash – with a new Flash running around, the rest of the Rogues want to know where their allegiances lie.

They want to know if they can trust them to have their backs when the fight starts, and realistically, they want to know if their loyalty was based on the individual, or on the suit, which is another part of the question.

NRAMA: And if there’s anything that people should take with them from this image – the one word of the logo that’s completely destroyed?

DD: Which word was that?

NRAMA: “Alive.” As in “Fastest Man…”

DD: You can look at this in several ways, clearly. I think that one thing that comes across easily is that Flash is in jeopardy from the Rogues.

NRAMA: And not just sleepy?

DD: Next question.

NRAMA: Will people who aren’t reading Countdown be getting the full story in Flash #13?

DD: Yep. I know there was some question, and it looked as if we were duplicating story beats with JLA and Countdown with the Karate Kid fight, but what we’re trying to do is giving a complete reading experience to those people who read Countdown and to those who read Justice League. The scenes and the beats that appear in the issues were key and essential to the stories that were being told in each, so we felt that they needed to be in each.

But in this case coming up, the story that happens in Flash is essential to what’s happening in Countdown, but we’re taking pains to explain the stories in each as clearly as possible.

NRAMA: Let’s talk about how this all is organized between Flash and Countdown. For example, when Marc Guggenheim came on the series as writer, was he informed that Countdown would be coming up, and by week x the Rogues’ story would straddle the two titles?

DD: There’s a lot of coordination among all the titles with characters who are involved in Countdown, and we have a huge chart that gives month by month breakdowns of the key moments that are occurring in several books. As the different books are produced, we line them up to make sure they’re all coming out at the same point so that you can maximize the impact of a particular story beat, so you can see the repercussions not only in the main title, but also ino other series at the same time.

NRAMA: And the interaction between Countdown and the series goes both ways? Does Marc then feed Paul [Dini] the information about…whatever might be happening in issue #13 so Paul can reflect it?

DD: Pretty close. The pages get done, and then they’re shared among the writers and the artists so we have consistency in regards to how particular moments are being addressed.

The good part about Countdown is that we did a lot of the work in advance, so it’s easier to coordinate when you’ve got something complete, and in hand and can work other things against it, rather than trying to work two things up simultaneously.

NRAMA: Moving on to other Countdown/52 related topics – the DC Nation that was in last week’s books…most of the new projects we’d heard about, but there was something new - The Crime Bible, a miniseries written by Greg and starring the Question…got any more on that?

DD: What the miniseries will do is really explore the repercussions of the Crime Bible in the DCU in the current time, and Renee Montoya as the Question will be one of the key members of the storyline. Five issues, starting in October.

NRAMA: How’s it going to be framed? Just Renee investigating it, or…what?

DD: Actually, it’s going to be told in five different chapters, and each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the Crime Bible itself.

NRAMA: The last time we saw it, it was still in Tot’s hands up int eh Himalayas, correct?

DD: That’s where we think it’s at, but the problem with something like the Crime Bible is that it’s hard to keep in one place, because people are always after it.

NRAMA: No copies?

DD: Nah – it’s sort of like Cancelled Comics Cavalcade - there are only a very small number – if that – of copies around. And besides that, it’s printed on skin, so it’s hard to make copies…

NRAMA: Wait - Cancelled Comics Cavalcade is printed on skin?

DD: [Laughs] That’s the rumor – and inked with tears. But no – the Crime Bible is printed on skin. It’s not like it’s something that Gutenberg could’ve set up on a separate print job after running off copies of the Bible on the press. The Crime Bible’s hard to reproduce. Just to collect the material it’s printed on takes a while – not to mention finding the staples.

NRAMA: Got it. Okay – moving over to this week’s issue of Countdown - it starts off with the interchange between Black Adam and Mary. All this time, no one’s found Black Adam, and yet, he’s found his magic word?

DD: Yes he has. The Black Adam miniseries starting in August fills in the gap between his disappearance at the end of 52 and how he winds up in the Kandaq consulate at the start of Countdown. That particular miniseries will take you through his journey, and ultimately how he finds the magic word, and the changes in his life which occurred during that time.

NRAMA: When you’re weighing things out like this – Black Adam in the larger DCU…obviously, having Black Adam in the Countdown story is important, but at the same time, there’s a large expanse of time that’s passed during which he hasn’t been found. And this is despite the fact that he exists in a world full of “Greatest Detectives” task forces set up to find him, magicians, telepaths, and at least two folks with “Manhunter” in their names. How do you balance out the suspension of disbelief with the importance of the larger plot, and what’s the breaking point in your view?

DD: When you’re working on the superhero level, there are certain suspensions of disbelief that are just inherent, but at the same time, we line in a world where humans can’t find humans, so it’s entirely fair to apply that to the world of metahumans. If a person doesn’t want to be found, there are ways not to be found. Adam’s story and what happens along the way tells its own tale. Plus – we had the World War III event, not to mention all the other events that have taken up our heroes’ time. With Black Adam, granted, he wasn’t a threat at that moment, so many other threats arose throughout the DC Universe that took the attention. It’s not that there was a hit squad going around, trying to track Black Adam down – well, at least that we know of. But these are things that will be coming out in stories - Black Adam will tell what happened during that missing year. The Four Horsemen will tell of the survivors of Adam’s wrath. Those are key beats that will be playing out throughout the year.

And there are things coming up between Black Adam and Mary Marvel that may…change his status on the grid.

NRAMA: Take him off of it…again?

DD: It will change it – that’s all I can tell you. Also – there is an idea that he’s been hiding in places of magi where he can’t be found, too.

NRAMA: Likewise in that same venue of time…can you explain how it works in Countdown again? It’s not each issue covers seven days, but at the same time, we’ve seen Karate Kid being held by the JLS without charges or, as far as we can tell, reason, for three or so issues. Is that to say that he’s been in a cell for a full month?

DD: Again, one of the things we said with Countdown is that it’s not a week-by-week examination of the story, but month-by-month. So, as the storyline is spread out over the span of a month, a particular beat may have been spread out over a day, or over the course of several days. Mary didn’t take a week to get to Gotham, Jimmy went right back to the offices after he was in Arkham, and no, Karate Kid hasn’t been in a jail cell for a month. A few days at most.

NRAMA: Just to wrap things up from this week’s issue of Countdown - Lightray, as every indicator is pointing, is dead.

DD: Doornail.

NRAMA: What goes into killing a character like him? He wasn’t just a general character, or one made to be killed, but he was one with Jack Kirby’s fingerprints still on him. It’s probably not too much of a stretch to say that, as a character, he was revered, thanks to his creator…

DD: Yeah – Lightray is probably one of the more recognizable of the New Gods – and probably one of the most liked as well. There is an important thread that’s playing through the DCU in regards to the New Gods – for the last six to eight months, we’ve been getting people familiar with the New Gods, and now, with the death of Lightray, you’ll be seeing an escalation.

NRAMA: But still – killing him, taking him off the board…

DD: The death of Lightray was something that did go back and forth, and we wanted his death to carry tremendous importance, which I think it does in terms of Superman’s reaction, and also given who the character was, and his creative lineage. Both editorially, within the story and…what…extra editorially, the death of a New God should be affecting both our characters, as well as the story. This wasn’t a trivial character b any means, and his death isn’t a trivial death. As Superman shows, the idea that Lightray can die…who or what’s out there, and what does that mean for the rest of us.

These are the things that will be played out over the next months.

NRAMA: And Jimmy?

DD: Things are moving pretty fast for Jimmy these days. Some mysteries will unfold quickly, some a little slower, but it will all be told.

[caats19]

i don't think bart is gonna die. or maybe he will. which will lead into him being back with the others. and their attempt to send wally and bart back? i bet myself a 2 dollar bill i'm right. i think that'd be pretty neato. HA I BET DIDIO IS LIKE "CURSE YOU CAATS!" muahaa. anyway.

[ParisCub]

So far, I haven't been very impressed with Countdown... I'm giving the series 4 more issues and if it doesn't get better, I'll drop the title.

[Impulse2k1]

Yeah he wont be the Only fastest man anymore......Oh yeah here comes either Barry or Wally (Hopefully Wally)

[holtom2000]

Lightray was briefly in the GIffen-Dematties JLA
just saying

[j3h]

I wonder if Batwoman will be appearing with Renee in The Crime Bible?

[Nas-Vell]

There's some interesting stuff in here regarding the process of putting together the 'spine of the DCU'. It's very interesting. I just hope it doesn't fall apart too quickly, in terms of it being an editorial structure.

Also, the Crime Bible sounds cool. Glad Rucka is the one writing it, as not all the threads from 52 are followed up by 52 collaborators, per se. I'm talking about Black Adam and Metal Men in particular.

[Clem]

Why is nobody asking why everybody in the DCU knows who Jason Todd is?

[Akcoll99]

Glad to see them finally doing something with Renee as the Question. And with Rucka writing, I'm definitely onboard. I wonder how involved Batwoman will be in the series given her ties to the Crime Bible and Montoya? Are they even still doing a Batwoman project? And I'm still waiting to see somebody pick up the Ralph & Sue: Ghost Detectives premise and run with it...

[Anubis82169]

DiDio, I have but one request - "HAND IN YOUR RESIGNATION AS YOU SHOULD BE FIRED!!!!"

[TCJohnson]

And another new god is going to be duying in Tony Bedard's Birds of Prey issue.

Man, Didio likes killing off DCU characters, doesn't he?

[Erikcrusade]

Originally Posted by Anubis82169

DiDio, I have but one request - "HAND IN YOUR RESIGNATION AS YOU SHOULD BE FIRED!!!!"

Umm...even with their recent sales drop...DC's still selling far beyond what it was selling before DiDio got there. You better suck it up or put your money where your mouth is and stop buying the books.

[JonahsWhale]

Originally Posted by holtom2000

Lightray was briefly in the GIffen-Dematties JLA
just saying

LOL. I hadn't thought about that.

[pez dispenser]

Kudos to Didio for doing this. It's looking like a semi-regular column now.

[brannahdel]

Must they kill characters to make a story interesting?
Is this the new DC?
For some reason I haven't been able to get into this whole OYL from DC. It hasn't made things more fun or interesting. Just darker.

[caats19]

is everything didio's fault? it seems that anytime a character dies it's HIS fault. you guys are dumb

[caats19]

cough, i like bart

[cookepuss]

Originally Posted by Clem

Why is nobody asking why everybody in the DCU knows who Jason Todd is?

Y'know, I thought the same damn thing. I kept asking myself how the f**** did Perry know? Talk about a great reporter. Maybe I just missed something. Then again, maybe Dini actually has a point that it'll take a couple of months to get to.

I wonder if Batwoman will be appearing with Renee in The Crime Bible?

If she does then that might stand to kill the book, imho. I just didn't feel the chemistry between the two in 52. Batwoman felt too gimicky and underdeveloped.

So far, I haven't been very impressed with Countdown...

Well, I haven't been too impressed either, but at least I'm more interested in it now than I was in the 1st two issues. The first $6 of the series were agonizingly bad, especially the premature dismissal of Duella.

I'm kinda digging the Jimmy Olsen story now. Plus anything with Black Adam can't be too bad. The man's a certifiable nutjob. Not too keen on the possibility that he may return Mary to powered status. Kinda feel like that territory was covered with Isis. It'd have to be a completely new spin. I heard stuff about Mary Marvel's corruption, which might just do the trick for me.

is everything didio's fault? it seems that anytime a character dies it's HIS fault. you guys are dumb

Yes.
...
...
...
Nah. Just kidding. A guy in his position is bound to take the lumps for the rest of the team. JoeQ has to deal with the same ordeal over at Marvel. It's an unfortunate side effect of the job.

[Erikcrusade]

Originally Posted by caats19

is everything didio's fault? it seems that anytime a character dies it's HIS fault. you guys are dumb

Isn't it obvious? I hear Marvel's recent publicity troubles, the Yankees terrible record, the war in Iraq, the slowdown of the economy and Wolfowitz stepping down as the chair of the World Bank are all his fault too....

[Erikcrusade]

Originally Posted by cookepuss

Maybe I just missed something. Then again, maybe Dini actually has a point that it'll take a couple of months to get to.

Dini has said as much. The obviousness (?) of his identity being known is not a mistake and most definitely on purpose.

[cookepuss]

Originally Posted by Erikcrusade

Dini has said as much. The obviousness (?) of his identity being known is not a mistake and most deifnitely on purpose.

I figured as much. That or Tony Stark's superhero registration thing has gotten way out of control.

[Erikcrusade]

Originally Posted by cookepuss

I figured as much. That or Tony Stark's superhero registration thing has gotten way out of control.

I was quick to jump to that conclusion as well until I read the interview with Dini.

[Groovie Mann]

crime bible sounds good.

[gwangung]

Originally Posted by cookepuss

Y'know, I thought the same damn thing. I kept asking myself how the f**** did Perry know? Talk about a great reporter. Maybe I just missed something.

Um...yeah?

Reporter. Editor. What do they talk about?

[Eddie Young]

Originally Posted by Erikcrusade

Isn't it obvious? I hear Marvel's recent publicity troubles, the Yankees terrible record, the war in Iraq, the slowdown of the economy and Wolfowitz stepping down as the chair of the World Bank are all his fault too....

Marvel is having publicity troubles?