The comic-book industry isn't fading away, it's simply changing, according to a top DC Comics editor.

"I think it's transforming," Dan DiDio said in a telephone interview. "It's not dying."

The senior vice president/executive editor for DC Comics said collectability alone gives comic books much more appeal and greater issue longevity, than, say, newspapers. Today's comic-book readers also demand a slick product with a complex storyline, and that's what they're getting.

He's not sure comic books will ever become strictly an online product, because for comics the collectability is in the printed page. "But, there's room for both."

DiDio said comic-book speciality stores are also stabilizing the industry. "I think there's always an appetite for the market. Our audience is older and more sophisticated."

He also talked about DC's latest big project, "Countdown," a 52-issue weekly magazine that encompasses the entire DC universe, which he hopes will bring renewed interest to comics. "We're counting down to something," he said, stopping short of any spoilers. But "we're not bringing back the 'silver age,"' he quipped.

He admitted the "Countdown" stories currently seem to be focused on lesser characters, such sa Jimmy Olsen, Mary Marvel, Jason Todd and Donna Troy. But he promised that things will come together as the series progresses.

DiDio said "Countdown" has been in the works for more than a year at DC, and it is very difficult to keep all the writers on the same page. But being so far ahead in the planning process helps smooth out inconsistencies.

Superman's upcoming 70th anniversary won't specifically tie into "Countdown," he said, but it will be addressed. He said the "teaser" panel showing the Man of Steel crying next to a destroyed Statue of Liberty is also not a part of "Countdown" but will be be featured in Superman's own comic books by the end of the year.

There are rumors that "Countdown" will be followed by a "Final Crisis" series. DiDio didn't comment on that, but he did admit that he recently had lunch with Marv Wolfman, who was a part of the original DC "Crisis" team in the 1980s.

So far, he said sales of "Countdown" have been a little less than they were for "52," but he's hopeful things will pick up as the series progresses.

DiDio said that when he was growing up, the Metal Men and Adam Strange were among his favorite comic-book characters, as he gravitated to the more unusual offerings. But he confesses that he also had an affinity for Batman.

"Countdown" is numbering down to issue No. 0 in the spring of 2008. Each weekly issue sells for $2.99. Issue No, 45 came out June 20; Issue No. 44 debuted this week.

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