COUNTDOWN MYSTERY #1

COVER TAGLINE: Madness, Magic and Mayhem with Doctor Fate and Eclipso RELEASE DATE: September, 2007 COVER DATE: November, 2007 COVER: Justiniano; Chris Chuckry PRICE: $2.99 U.S./$3.50 Canada COVER ART:   TITLE: More Pain Comics, Part One: Descent into the Psychosphere WRITER(s): Steve Gerber PENCILER(s): Justiniano INKER(s): Walden Wong COLORS: Chris Chuckry LETTERS: Pat Brosseau EDITOR(s): Stephanie Buscema; Joey Cavalieri CHARACTERS: Captain Marvel; Detective Chimp; Doctor Fate (Kent V. Nelson); Sargon the Sorcerer (David Sargent); Zatanna PLOT: The Helmet of Fate finds its new owner Dr. Kent V. Nelson in Las Vegas. After becoming disillusioned with his life as a successful psychiatrist, Dr. Nelson begins seeing one of the students attending his seminars. When his affair is discovered and his wife leaves him (with his child in tow), he becomes distant and apathetic towards his patients. This eventually results in one of them, Russell Keenan, having a psychotic break and driving into a crowd of people, killing 13 and injuring dozens of others. The resulting media blitz costs Dr. Nelson his practice and eventually resorts to bum-fighting for drinking money. After one of these fights, Dr. Nelson's unconscious body is robbed and then dumped into a near by dumpster. It is here that Dr. Nelson discovers the Helmet of Fate. He instinctively places the helmet on his head and begins immediately learning the storied history of the helmet and its past owners. Before taking him back to the present the helmet also takes him inside of Russell's delusions and re-lives the aftermath of the accident all over again. As he awakens from his journey, Kent Nelson is attacked by a hell-beast straight out of Russell's nightmares. He finds himself instinctively reciting incantations which kill the beast. Before he can marvel at his newfound abilities he finds himself in the presence of the demonic Negal who now wants to battle him.

TITLE: Occultation: A Syzygy in Plastic (Part One) WRITER(s): Matthew Sturges PENCILER(s): Stephen Jorge Segovia INKER(s): Stephen Jorge Segovia COLORS: Dan Brown LETTERS: Pat Brosseau EDITOR(s): Joey Cavalieri; Stephanie Buscema CHARACTERS: William Hanson; Spectre; Crispus Allen; Plastic Man (Eel O'Brian); Eclipso (Jean Loring) PLOT: In the streets of Manchester, England a murderer named William Hanson commits his final murder before attracting the ire of the Spectre. As punishment for his sins, Spectre rips out Hanson's heart and shows it to him. However before Crispus Allen can convince Hanson to move on, Spectre senses that a great storm is brewing - Eclipso has returned. In Gotham City, Plastic Man (Eel O'Brian) is apprehending some crooks. He uses his plastic-like body to capture the crooks and keep them tied to a tree. Unfortunately it isn't until hours later that the police show up to actually relieve him. After the crooks are taken away, Eclipso seizes the moment to tempt Eel with the power of evil. Playing up the fact that no one (including Eel's son) respects him, she inundates the hero with the power of evil. Eclipso then recounts how only two days ago she was floating in space before being called to Apokolips where it is revealed to her that the Eclipso stone was originally mined on Apokolips and crafted by Darkseid himself!

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