COUNTDOWN MYSTERY #2

COVER TAGLINE: The Devourer of Souls Stalks Doctor Fate RELEASE DATE: October, 2007 COVER DATE: December, 2007 COVER: Paul Gulacy; Laurie Kronenberg PRICE: $2.99 U.S./$3.50 Canada COVER ART:   TITLE: More Pain Comics, Part Two: Devourer of Souls WRITER(s): Steve Gerber PENCILER(s): Justiniano INKER(s): Walden Wong COLORS: Chris Chuckry LETTERS: Ken Lopez EDITOR(s): Stephanie Buscema; Joey Cavalieri CHARACTERS: Doctor Fate (Kent V. Nelson); Negal of Charn PLOT: Dr. Nelson does battle with Negal in the alleyway, once again winning the battle thanks to a series of incantations he instinctively recites. After the battle he takes the Helmet of Fate and Negal's scythe to a pawn shop where he trades them in for money to buy himself a new pair of clothes and a haircut. Kent then goes to one of the local motels and gets a job picking up trash in exchange for room and board. Nelson awakes in the middle of the night to find that the Helmet has followed him home. Urged to do so by the voices of his loved ones, Kent places the helmet on his head and finds himself in Negal's home world of Charn. There he finds Negal feasting upon the suffering of a bum that had previously robbed Kent and left him for dead in that dumpster the night before. Negal offers him safe passage out of Charn and promises to never prey upon the minds of those Nelson attempts to heal if Nelson is willing to let him have this one bum. Kent refuses to let the poor man suffer and challenges Negal to another battle. Nelson (as Dr. Fate) escapes from Charn with the bum via a portal. Once on the other side and back in reality, the bum flees and Nelson is left standing there in only his underwear and the helmet.

TITLE: Transit: A Syzygy in Plastic (Part Two) WRITER(s): Matthew Sturges PENCILER(s): Stephen Jorge Segovia INKER(s): Stephen Jorge Segovia COLORS: Dan Brown LETTERS: Ken Lopez EDITOR(s): Joey Cavalieri; Stephanie Buscema CHARACTERS: William Hanson; Spectre; Crispus Allen; Plastic Man (Eel O'Brian); Eclipso (Jean Loring); Creeper (Jack Ryder); The Offspring PLOT: Eclipso refuses to bow before Darkseid and challenges the New God in battle. Darkseid easily defeats Eclipso but lets her go as long as she goes back to Earth with the mission of turning the heroes against one another. Eclipso agrees and goes on her way. Back on Earth, Spectre is still punishing the sinful with Hanson in tow. Without warning Crispus Allen finds himself corporeal again and Spectre cannot tell why. After a bad encounter with son, The Offspring, Eel returns to a life of crime. Unfortunately he still cannot earn the respect of anyone - regardless of how big of a job he pulls off. In Gotham City Jack Ryder is just finishing up another successful taping of the hit show You Are Wrong. When he retires to his dressing room for the night he finds Eclipso wating. But she isn't waiting for Jack Ryder - she wants to speak to the Creeper!

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