DC Countdown #1

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Countdown to Infinite Crisis

Twenty minutes ago, Blue Beetle) breaks into a building office and begins working on a computer. On the computer he finds a file containing information about Batman, including his identity as Bruce Wayne. He calls Oracle.

Four days ago, Oracle tells Blue Beetle that the previous day someone siphoned 20 million of his money to several dummy corporations, nearly bankrupting him. One of the names on the receipts is O.M.A.C. She also tells him that someone is using his ATM card. Beetle goes to where his card is being used and finds Booster Gold. Beetle tells Gold about his problems and Gold suggests they go see Maxwell Lord. Lord says he'll look into things and Beetle tells Gold they need to go see Bruce Wayne.

Gold leaves to shoot a commercial and Beetle goes to see Batman. Batman tells Beetle he'll look into it and Beetle leaves in a huff after he rudely tells him to leave. Alfred tells Batman to forgive and forget, but Batman hints that the reason he's paranoid is because he remembers the League had mind-wiped him.

Back in the office building, Beetle is looking through the file he has found and sees Superman's secret identity as Clark Kent.

Three days ago, Beetle calls a group of superheroes to one of his warehouses that has been burglarized. Among the items taken is 100 pounds of Kryptonite. The other heroes leave and an hour later, still at the warehouse, Beetle is attacked by six laughing villains known as the Madmen.

Back in the office building, Beetle continues to pore through the file, finding Captain Marvel's secret identity.

Two days ago, Beetle and Gold are doing some computer hacking, trying to find the source of Beetle's money problems. Gold spells Beetle at the computer and a bomb explodes. Gold is wounded and is taken to the hospital. Beetle's scarab begins pulsating and he follows the pulses to a door that leads him to the hall of the wizard Shazam. Beetle has a cryptic meeting with Shazam, in which he learns nothing before being teleported away.

Beetle goes to get into his Beetle shaped ship and it explodes. Beetle's wounds are tended at the JLA Watchtower, where Wonder Woman questions him about his investigation. She asks him to keep her posted and leaves for the embassy. Beetle tells J'onn J'onzz about what is happening and J'onnz receives a distress call from Adam Strange that the planet Rann is under attack by Thanagarians. J'onzz leaves to help Strange.

Beetle teleports home and then goes to see Gold in the hospital. At the hospital, Beetle tells Gold he has found a transmitter in his goggles that someone has been using to keep tabs on Beetle. Gold tries to get out of the hospital bed to help his friend and faints. After seeing Gold put back into the bed, Beetle leaves.

Beetle backtracks the signal from the transmitter he found in his goggles to a fortified complex in the Swiss Alps. He sneaks into the complex and gains entry to an office in which he finds on a computer a file that contains the secret identities of numerous heroes around the world. Beetle opens the file on him that is on the computer and sees that he is marked as deceased. The office lights turn on and Beetle whirls to find himself facing Maxwell Lord and three guards. Lord tells Beetle that he is the King of the new Checkmate organization, whose purpose is to stop the metahumans around the world. The computer files on the screen, disappear and Lord rushes to the computer to see what Beetle has done to them. Beetle uses the opportunity to try and escape. An O.M.A.C. unit disarms Beetle and once he has been immobilized, Lord asks Beetle to join him. Beetle refuses, and Lord shoots him in the head, killing him.

| Appearing1 = **Featured Characters:** * Blue Beetle) * Booster Gold)

**Supporting Characters:** * Batman) * Black Canary) * Hal Jordan) * Martian Manhunter) * Oracle) * Shazam) * Superman) * Wonder Woman)

**Antagonists:** * Checkmate) ** Maxwell Lord) ** O.M.A.C. * Despero) * Madmen) * Royal Flush Gang) ** Ace * The Society) ** Black Adam) ** Calculator) ** Cheetah) ** Chronos) ** Count Vertigo) ** Deathstroke) ** Doctor Light) ** Doctor Polaris) ** Doctor Psycho) ** Grodd) ** Lex Luthor) ** Mister 104) ** Ocean Master) ** Queen Bee) ** Scarecrow) ** Shadow Thief) ** Shimmer) ** Talia)

**Other Characters:** * Adam Strange) * Alfred Pennyworth) * Black Alice) * Breach) * Captain Atom) * Captain Marvel) * Cyborg) * Demon) * Doctor Fate) * Doctor Light II) * Elongated Man) * Fire) * Firestorm) * Flash) * Green Arrow) * Guy Gardner) * Hawkgirl) * Hawkman) * Jean Loring) Possessed) * Mister Miracle) * Nightwing) * Power Girl) * Red Hood) * Seven Deadly Sins ** Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride * Simon Stagg) * Spectre) * Speedy) * Starfire) * Sue Dibny) * Wildcat) * Wonder Girl)

**Locations:** * New Earth ** Brother Eye) ** Earth *** Switzerland **** Alps ***** Checkmate Headquarters *** United States of America **** California ***** Fawcett City **** Delaware ***** Metropolis ****** Daily Planet **** Illinois ***** Chicago ****** Highland Park **** New Jersey ***** Gotham City ****** Batcave **** New York ***** New York City ** Moon

**Items:** * Batcomputer * Batsuit * BB Gun * *Gotham Gazette*

**Vehicles:** * Blue Beetle's Bug * Blue Beetle Scarab) * Green Lantern Ring * Rannian Jet Pack * Adam Strange's Ray Gun

| Notes = * This issue is reprinted in The OMAC Project (Collected). * "*Chapter 5*" of this story is reprinted in: ** Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics (Collected) ** Wonder Woman: The Many Lives of Maxwell Lord (Collected) * This 80-Page one-shot carried a $1.00 cover price and functioned as a prelude to DC's 2006 crossover summer event, *Infinite Crisis*. * The 2nd printing of this issue made it clearer in its cover art that the victim in Batman's arms was Blue Beetle. * Considering that Hal Jordan is active as a Green Lantern again, this story takes place after Green Lantern: Rebirth. | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links = * [https://jigsawmen.googlepages.com/infinitecrisis06 The Annotated Infinite Crisis]

Creative credits

Writers: Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Judd Winick

Interior art: Ed Benes, Phil Jimenez, Rags Morales, Ivan Reis, Jesus Saiz

Color: Moose Baumann

Source records & attribution

Panel Profits keeps each source identity attached to its edition record.

COMICBASE: comicbase:327858

COMICBASE: comicbase:327860

COMICBASE: comicbase:327861

GCD: 249177

PANEL PROFITS: 25811