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DCs Countdown Teaser Revealed; By Didio @ Newsarama
Topic Started: Jun 29 2007, 02:41 PM (170 Views)
TheHipCat
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Actual Article @ Newsarama

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Newsarama: First off Dan, let’s talk about the overall setting. As you’ve said before, nothing in this image was accidental or left to chance, so – why New York?

Dan DiDio: Because much of the larger story that will be taking place in the DCU will be taking place in New York, or there will be events taking place there that effect changes in the landscape. Also, New York plays two roles in the image – it hearkens back to the image of Kamandi #1 with the broken Statue of Liberty, but it also has ties to the Sinestro Corps War, which will be playing out later this year. Turns out that Sinestro wants to visit New York City.

Okay – but going deeper…the ground that they stand on is important, too. We put dead DCU characters in the foreground, and basically, anybody who was standing on the ground that the dead characters were laying in – that made them very vulnerable, with the idea being that they might not see the end of the year.

NRAMA: So the ground is the “dead zone?”

DD: Right. Anybody that was in the proximity of the dead zone is also in jeopardy.

NRAMA: So…Mary Marvel is going to die?

DD: No – Mary’s actually sitting on the Statue’s head, so it’s a safe bet that she’ll survive whatever’s coming up for her. If you look under the feet of Superman and Wonder Woman, it’s green, so they’re okay, Canary’s okay. Big Barda and Mr. Miracle…they’re in jeopardy.

NRAMA: Really?

DD: Where they are in that image…I’d say it spells out something like The Death of the New Gods…but that’s just me.

And then we also did one other bit, which may have been too subtle for the picture, and that was Flash having one foot on the statue and one foot off the statue, which meant that particular Flash, at that moment, had one foot in the grave.

NRAMA: And “that particular Flash” was Bart…

DD: That was Bart. It was Barry’s costume, which we meant to be indicative of the fact that Barry was our last dead Flash, so it was a symbolic moment. There was some symbolism in the image as well – it wasn’t all as clear cut as where characters were standing.

NRAMA: What was the importance of showing the dead characters in the first place, when this was a Countdown teaser image, and some of the characters died…what…over a year ago at this point…?

DD: Exactly. It was to show and remind people that characters that they have known and loved aren’t safe. No character in that picture should feel comfortable either.

NRAMA: The device between Jade and Maxwell Lord – what is that? It’s been a point of speculation among fans, given it’s Kirby-esque look…

DD: Yeah – I saw some folks saying that it looks to be a “Kirby device” or at least Kirby in origin, and that’s correct. More importantly, that device appears in our next teaser image as well…about which I can say more in a little bit.

NRAMA: Okay then, moving on – the Legion flight ring up by Blue Beetle’s hand…that was a pointer to “The Lightning Saga?”

DD: It was a little bit of that, but again, where is the ring, physically, in the image?

NRAMA: On the ground.

DD: Right. That’s important.

NRAMA: So the entire Legion is in danger, or the individual Legionnaire that the ring belongs to is?

DD: Whoever owns that ring is going to be in a world of danger that they just might not survive.

NRAMA: So the characters who are dead are on the ground, or have some contact with the ground, yet there’s a little red hand pointed the opposite direction from the ground…

DD: Coming back from the dead, so to speak…and that would be Ray Palmer.

NRAMA: Moving around the image – Kyle and Donna…

DD: The couple – a natural couple to be together…of course, Kyle has a conspicuous yellow ring on, which shows that he, as Parallax has joined the Sinestro Corps.

NRAMA: And Donna in her old costume…

DD: We wanted to give her the look that most people recognize, and identify her with. Also, the color is significant based upon where she’s looking, and another character there, who’s looking at her. Even though she’s standing side-by-side with Kyle, her color signifies that her allegiance might be towards a different character than Kyle.

NRAMA: She’s wearing Red…so, Red Robin?

DD: Right.

NRAMA: But both Donna and Kyle looking off into…

DD: One is looking to the sky; the other is looking toward Red Robin. A lot of them are looking to the skies, though – as if something is coming.

NRAMA: Okay – moving on to Red Robin then…is it safe to assume that’s Jason Todd?

DD: Not only is it safe to assume that, I’ll tell you that. It’s Jason.

NRAMA: And his looking at Donna is playing off the interaction we’ve already seen, and are seeing show up in Countdown?

DD: Absolutely.

NRAMA: Okay – Black Canary. She’s looking off to the sky a bit…why’s she there in the first place?

DD: One of the key beats that we were touching on when this was being worked on was the relationship between Green Arrow and Black Canary, and the fact that Green Arrow is looking towards her, but is apart from her, physically, and her not paying attention to him was our way of showing that Allie would be working hard to win her back over to him.

NRAMA: Batman – is that his son, is that a Batman from another world…who is that?

DD: It’s a very symbolic costume, and that’s a storyline that we haven’t announced yet that’s coming out at the end of the year. The scimitar he’s holding is key to what that costume represents, and who he’ll be confronting.

NRAMA: Would that be Ra’s al Ghul?

DD: I didn’t say that.

NRAMA: But Ra’s has a scimitar thing going on now and again…

DD: All I’ll say is that scimitar is from a very famous cover of a Batman comic book.

NRAMA: You want to make a bet – I’ll say someone will post that cover by the twentieth response…you want higher or lower?

DD: I’ll take lower – I have faith in Batman fans.

NRAMA: Okay – continuing, then…Mary Marvel, looking troubled, and up to the sky…

DD: And half of her is cast in shadow. We’ve had the promotional pieces out, and I don’t think it’s any surprise that she’s coming in contact with Eclipso shortly, and that shadow is a harbinger of that.

NRAMA: Moving to Wonder Woman and Superman…Superman crying…you’ve probably heard enough jokes about that…

DD: [laughing] Well, I think I have, but I’m sure I’ll hear some more.

NRAMA: But what’s the crying suggesting or hinting at? He’s barely appeared in Countdown to date, and he hasn’t seen major tragedy in either Action or Superman…

DD: There’s something key that’s going on in that Superman/Wonder Woman image and I can’t give away the story beat there. Superman’s crying, and it’s for a good reason, and looking for comfort from Wonder Woman. The position they’re in, how they’re seated…it all gives away bits of the clues as to the pain that Superman is feeling.

NRAMA: There have been those who’ve said it’s reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Pieta, which is Mary cradling the body of Jesus…a parent mourning over a lost child…

DD: There might be some familiarity with that positioning.

NRAMA: And the shield behind Wonder Woman – a sign of the (the) coming attack by the Amazons?

DD: That’s actually Hippolyta’s shield, and signified the return of Wonder Woman’s mother.

NRAMA: Okay – anything we missed…?

DD: Um…hm…let’s go through it…looks matter, body positions matter…Jason as Red Robin will drive a wedge between the Challengers from Beyond…Batman’s sword, someone’s coming…a Legionnaire is marked for death…Superman and Wonder Woman discuss parent issues…is that a Boom Tube up there…?

NRAMA: “Parent issues?”

DD: Who said that?

NRAMA: You did.

DD: Oh, yes I did.

NRAMA: And?

DD: And I said, “parent issues.”

NRAMA: That’s all you’re saying?

DD: [laughs] for now.

NRAMA: Just to wrap up then – in the end, were you happy with how this teaser image worked?

DD: It was a lot of fun to put together – and yeah, sometimes we felt too clever for our own good, but what amazed us was just how that every piece was figured out, more or less – not all of them were figured out at the same time, by the same readers, or on the same site, but everything was identified, and everything was there. It was something that people who know and love DC were able to have fun with and play along with, and that’s what prompted us to do the second one.

Newsarama Note: Check back Monday for the world debut of DC’s second Countdown teaser image only here at Newsarama
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