DC universe reading order suggestions

[killyrcomics]

So, in our podcast, my brother, Don, and I have been reading through the major recent events of the DC universe. We started with Identity Crisis, read the four miniseries of countdown to infinite crisis (Day of Vengeance, Villains United, ect), Infinite Crisis, and now we have just finished 52. Don has previously read all this material as it was coming out, but it is all new to me.

We are discussing if we want to tackle Countdown before Final Crisis or if there is some other series we should read before Final Crisis. 52 was a pretty massive undertaking, but we enjoyed it. Countdown seems much less well received, so we are hesitant. Would it be possible to just read part of Countdown, or is that even realistic? What other series should we consider reading before Final Crisis? Or should we just jump right into Final Crisis after 52?

I'm just looking for personal opinions of people who have read this stuff. Thanks in advance.

[JohnMayo]

You don't have to read Countdown in order to understand Final Crisis. You might even be better off not reading it. But if you do want to read it, I'd read it before Final Crisis. Reading things in the order they came out is usually a good idea.

Another series that lead up to Final Crisis was the Death of the New Gods. As was the case with Countdown, this series lead up to but was contradicted by Final Crisis in some respects. If you are unfamiliar with the New Gods, it might be helpful to read this before Final Crisis as they are key played in that story.

[killyrcomics]

You don't have to read Countdown in order to understand Final Crisis. You might even be better off not reading it. But if you do want to read it, I'd read it before Final Crisis. Reading things in the order they came out is usually a good idea.

Another series that lead up to Final Crisis was the Death of the New Gods. As was the case with Countdown, this series lead up to but was contradicted by Final Crisis in some respects. If you are unfamiliar with the New Gods, it might be helpful to read this before Final Crisis as they are key played in that story.

So, in your opinion, is Countdown worth reading, in and of itself, since it appears it is not integral to reading Final Crisis.

Also, I am generally a huge Jim Starlin fan. Is Death of the New Gods worth reading, on its own merits? I'm already somewhat familiar with the New Gods having read some of their older stuff.

[JohnMayo]

Only read Countdown if you love the multiverse or the overall DC mythology. Neither of those seem to be the case. Sounds like you should skip it.

Death of the New Gods was good and worth reading if you like the New Gods or Starlin. Overall, I enjoyed the series.

[BobBretall]

So, in your opinion, is Countdown worth reading, in and of itself, since it appears it is not integral to reading Final Crisis.

I'd say so. Countdown was mediocre, at best, and in my opinion does not seem worth reading/discussing/analyzing now that it's no longer current.

Death of the New Gods was much better, particularly worth reading if you're a Starlin fan.