Countdown to Infinite Crisis (80-page special)
mood: 
calm
calm
See, with all the excitement going on about DC's current mega-series "Countdown to Final Crisis", I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few of the gems that came right before.
Before Countdown to Final Crisis, there was the Infinite Crisis. And along with the Infinite Crisis came a lot of little one-shots, mini-series, and side-stories, one of which is the subject of today's entry.
Countdown to Infinite Crisis is a one-shot, 80-page special featuring the Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) as its unlikely star. Kord, who is about as second-string as one can get in the marvelous (har har) DC Universe, has always had a special place in my heart (right next to the lovely Michael Carter, a.k.a. Booster Gold).
Writers Johns, Rucka, and Winick clearly deserve a standing ovation for this one, as it features some of the best, most heartfelt character introspection that has ever graced the pages of DC Comics. And yes, I will say that this more than stands up against all of the Miller-esque, brooding, Batman inner-thought bubbles ever written.
By now, anyone who has ever picked up a recent DC comic will know that Ted Kord is killed by Maxwell Lord at the end of this special. Indeed, one of the Big Three says it every five minutes, so it's not even much of a surprise if you're reading backwards. Allow me to share, however, one of the most brilliant pieces of writing ever put into a comics page:
"My name is Ted Kord.
I am the second man to call himself the Blue Beetle.
I tell myself there will be a third."
He thinks this on the second-to-the-last page of the book, right before Maxwell Lord shoots him in the head. Ouch.
Of course, by now Booster Gold has managed to travel back in time and rescue Ted from certain death (Booster Gold #6), so my gut-wrenching pain over Ted's death is somewhat moot. Still, it's one of the finer moments in DC history, and I can definitely say that it's up there with rival company's Captain America #25.
Make mine Marvel? Nah. Still rolling with DC. ;)