Countdown #42

DC's weekly epic Countdown reaches issue #42, and the cover by Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson makes an immediate impression: a dark-suited woman with glowing energy clutched in her hands struggles desperately as swirling waves of mud engulf her, while two other figures — one clutching an umbrella — are nearly swallowed by the same churning mass. The bold tagline "Enter: Clayface" leaves little doubt about the threat pulling everyone under. With Paul Dini, Sean McKeever, and Tony Bedard collaborating on the script and Carlos Magno on interior art, this chapter of DC's sprawling 2007 crossover delivers the kind of visceral, larger-than-life peril that kept readers coming back every single week.