A Big Reveal

So not to ruin Countdown 39 for you is you haven’t read but this post is going to be about what was revealed during the “History of the Multiverse” backup storyline. I’m actually going to only write about two panels because they felt like pretty crucial panels. Look here…

I don’t know about you guys but when I read those two panels I nearly lost it. There are so many questions and possibilities that are raised from those two panels because the last time those Shadow Demons made an appearance it was in the pages of my second favorite now cancelled series –

FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MAN

That’s right, my boy Jason Rusch went toe-to-toe with these nasties in the last few issues of his series. They weren’t called Shadow Demons though, they were called Parademons and they were working for Darkseid. Whoa man, beings of pure Anti-Life Equation working for the ruler of Apokolips, if we didn’t believe that Darkseid had mastered the ALE before we better believe it now. However, something about these two panels has been getting to me.

Look what Monitor Lincoln Beard says in the second panel. “Nothing can stop them save our calling them back.” Well, didn’t we see months ago that Darkseid is capable of calling them back? Shouldn’t he have said, “ Nothing can stop them save a few beings capable of calling them back,” or something like that? Since the statement is worded in the way that it is we have four options.

1) The Monitors don’t know that Darkseid has control of the Shadow Demons.
2) The Monitors don’t think that Darkseid’s control of the Shadow Demons is worth mention.
3) The Monitors are working in conjunction with Darkseid.
4) Jurgens was never told or forgot what happened in the pages of Firestorm.


Options 1 and 2 are unlikely and if either are the answer, I’d say it would be a mischaracterization of the Monitors and their powers. The Monitors can supposedly see every place but the Bleed and there is no indication that Darkseid is operating there. Also, one would think that the Monitors would notice (and comment on) another being taking control of their ultimate weapons.

Option 3 would explain what Lincoln Beard said. The Monitors don’t mention anyone else having control of the Shadow Demons because no one else does, they sent the creatures to aid Kalibak. In fact, I would love to have it be Option 3. It would add a new level of threat to the heroes of New Earth. All seeing beings in an uneasy alliance with the cruelest villain in the DCU, that would be sweet. Of course if the Monitors were working with Darkseid it would lead me to ask, “Who’s The Good Guy Here?” Which, interestingly enough, is the title of the post that will come tomorrow, Tuesday at the latest.

As much as I would like Option 3 to be the answer, my guess is that really it is Option 4. There is a lot going on at DC right now and I’m sure the editors there are super taxed and can’t keep up on everything. Maybe the tidbit about someone else controlling the Shadow Demons just missed being past onto Jurgens and thus he didn’t write the Monitors saying it.

Which option do you think?

Oh, on an entirely different subject, Sin in the Black Canary mini-series isn’t dead. The whole boat/Speedy/Green Arrow thing was just a ploy to make the League of Assassins think the little girl was killed so they wouldn’t keep trying to kidnap her. You know it’s a whole fake your own death thing.