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52
52, Vol. 4
The story of the DC Universe's most eventful year concludes in this final action-packed volume in the series featuring an epic World War III between the planet's super-powered beings.
Discover the final fates of the stars of the series — Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, Black Adam, The Elongated Man, Animal Man, Lobo, Starfire and Adam Strange!
Collecting: 52 40-52
Discover the final fates of the stars of the series — Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, Black Adam, The Elongated Man, Animal Man, Lobo, Starfire and Adam Strange!
Collecting: 52 40-52
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 2007
27 people are currently reading
628 people want to read
About the author
Geoff Johns
2,716 books2,410 followersGeoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
January 16, 2014
When I started 52 Vol 4 I was ever-so-slightly fatigued. This isn’t too surprising, considering that the 52 story is told in real time over 52 weeks (one year). Compressing a year’s worth of story into a little more than a week might not necessarily be the best way to go about reading this... On the other hand, it’s so very addictive!
I’ve re-read the whole of 52 as part of my 2014 graphic novel binge. Volume 4 obviously concludes the saga with weeks 40 through 52.
The writers pull a number of surprises as the individual storylines wrap up. That said, I struggled to keep up with the very last issue (week 52), what with all the time-travelling and the multiverse. Hang on: wasn’t the whole idea of Crisis on Infinite Earths to get rid of this kind of thing? I loved the Booster Gold story throughout, but I was hanging on by my fingertips right there at the end (it probably didn’t help that I read this bit late at night).
The most provocative story here is obviously the one concerning Black Adam. Driven insane by grief and rage after the death of Isis (his wife) and Osiris, he goes on a killing spree that is known in the DC Universe as World War III. The story is also chronicled in World War III, which was published at the same time, and provides a lot more detail. It’s a fascinating study, considering that Adam’s power level is comparable with that of Superman (Alpha level). World War III shows the amount of carnage such a character could cause without restraint. And yes, it’s appalling. It becomes more interesting if you compare his loss to that of Ralph Dibny, who lost his wife in Identity Crisis and spends most of 52 trying, not only to come to terms with it, but to resurrect her in some way. It was always clear this wasn’t going to end well (for both these characters), but I couldn’t help but feel pity for Adam, given the fact that he was set up and intentionally provoked to destabilize the world’s balance of power (yes – entire nations go to war against him)… and just when he was pulling his act together. I’ll be reviewing the World War III collection separately.
…and Mogo makes a cool (if very fleeting) appearance (I’ve always loved the idea of a sentient planet being a Green Lantern) in the Adam Strange / Starfire / Animal Man sequence. Interestingly, this sequence even spawned a spin-off series called Countdown to Adventure.
In closing:
52 really has to be read as a whole to be able to form any kind of opinion. It’s a massive story that hangs together despite a great number of moving parts. I’m not sure how much of what happens here is considered canon, especially with the New 52 “reboot”, but I’d still recommend it highly.
Vol 4 – best bit no 2: Mogo “making the catch”!
Vol 4 – best bit no 1: Black Adam going off the rails and totalling everything in his path!
Next and finally: World War III
I’ve re-read the whole of 52 as part of my 2014 graphic novel binge. Volume 4 obviously concludes the saga with weeks 40 through 52.
The writers pull a number of surprises as the individual storylines wrap up. That said, I struggled to keep up with the very last issue (week 52), what with all the time-travelling and the multiverse. Hang on: wasn’t the whole idea of Crisis on Infinite Earths to get rid of this kind of thing? I loved the Booster Gold story throughout, but I was hanging on by my fingertips right there at the end (it probably didn’t help that I read this bit late at night).
The most provocative story here is obviously the one concerning Black Adam. Driven insane by grief and rage after the death of Isis (his wife) and Osiris, he goes on a killing spree that is known in the DC Universe as World War III. The story is also chronicled in World War III, which was published at the same time, and provides a lot more detail. It’s a fascinating study, considering that Adam’s power level is comparable with that of Superman (Alpha level). World War III shows the amount of carnage such a character could cause without restraint. And yes, it’s appalling. It becomes more interesting if you compare his loss to that of Ralph Dibny, who lost his wife in Identity Crisis and spends most of 52 trying, not only to come to terms with it, but to resurrect her in some way. It was always clear this wasn’t going to end well (for both these characters), but I couldn’t help but feel pity for Adam, given the fact that he was set up and intentionally provoked to destabilize the world’s balance of power (yes – entire nations go to war against him)… and just when he was pulling his act together. I’ll be reviewing the World War III collection separately.
…and Mogo makes a cool (if very fleeting) appearance (I’ve always loved the idea of a sentient planet being a Green Lantern) in the Adam Strange / Starfire / Animal Man sequence. Interestingly, this sequence even spawned a spin-off series called Countdown to Adventure.
In closing:
52 really has to be read as a whole to be able to form any kind of opinion. It’s a massive story that hangs together despite a great number of moving parts. I’m not sure how much of what happens here is considered canon, especially with the New 52 “reboot”, but I’d still recommend it highly.
Vol 4 – best bit no 2: Mogo “making the catch”!
Vol 4 – best bit no 1: Black Adam going off the rails and totalling everything in his path!
Next and finally: World War III
October 9, 2013
THE SERIES
This tale follows a “missing year” in the DC Universe after the groundbreaking “Infinite Crisis” story (see my review for that one) which was one of the bestselling graphic novels for the 2006 year. Note that "Final Crisis" follows after this and was published in 2009.
52 asks the questions who takes the role of the most popular superheroes (Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman) when they step down from their roles? There are a list of vying superheroes trying to make a name for themselves but everybody especially feels the lack of Superman in Metropolis. Meanwhile, it should be no surprise that the aftershocks of Final Crisis are far from resolved. Expect old and new villains, as well as some villains who have not been seen in some time.
Each chapter has a page of commentary from the writers and artists as well as a page or half page of script. The back has various art covers.
The writing team has to produce 52 issues in 52 weeks! That must have been intense. That writing team was: Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen, Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns. Artwork and such by (listing only some of them): Joe Bennett, Chris Batista and Ruy Jose.
Note that this series comes in four volumes.
VOLUME FOUR
And it all comes to a close in this volume revealing what “52” means in the series. See spoilers below.
Luthor and John Henry go at it and Luthor isn't as smart as I thought.
Those space dweebs make it back, Monotoya meets Princess Diana, Ralph Dinby figures more of the puzzle out and appearance by Mogo of the Green Lantern Corps.
Ralph Dibny shows us why he's one of the greatest detectives and some won't like the ending.
Black Adam suffers tragedies in his family and goes on a violent rampage that gets him into trouble with everybody, including the nerd scientists but Doctor Sivana is happy to see him.
Several scenes can't be mentioned as they are spoilers. Onward . . .
Bruce Wayne makes a short appearance and the Bat Family gets involved in some Gotham matters.
Captain Marvel cleverly fools Black Adam.
And then the big finale but I can't say much as its massive spoilers.
A very nice conclusion to the series.
ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B plus; STORY/PLOTTING: B plus to A minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; DC MYTHOLOGY: B plus to A minus; ACTION SCENES: B to B plus; OVERALL GRADE: B plus; WHEN READ: end of October 2012.
This tale follows a “missing year” in the DC Universe after the groundbreaking “Infinite Crisis” story (see my review for that one) which was one of the bestselling graphic novels for the 2006 year. Note that "Final Crisis" follows after this and was published in 2009.
52 asks the questions who takes the role of the most popular superheroes (Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman) when they step down from their roles? There are a list of vying superheroes trying to make a name for themselves but everybody especially feels the lack of Superman in Metropolis. Meanwhile, it should be no surprise that the aftershocks of Final Crisis are far from resolved. Expect old and new villains, as well as some villains who have not been seen in some time.
Each chapter has a page of commentary from the writers and artists as well as a page or half page of script. The back has various art covers.
The writing team has to produce 52 issues in 52 weeks! That must have been intense. That writing team was: Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen, Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns. Artwork and such by (listing only some of them): Joe Bennett, Chris Batista and Ruy Jose.
Note that this series comes in four volumes.
VOLUME FOUR
And it all comes to a close in this volume revealing what “52” means in the series. See spoilers below.
Luthor and John Henry go at it and Luthor isn't as smart as I thought.
Those space dweebs make it back, Monotoya meets Princess Diana, Ralph Dinby figures more of the puzzle out and appearance by Mogo of the Green Lantern Corps.
Ralph Dibny shows us why he's one of the greatest detectives and some won't like the ending.
Black Adam suffers tragedies in his family and goes on a violent rampage that gets him into trouble with everybody, including the nerd scientists but Doctor Sivana is happy to see him.
Several scenes can't be mentioned as they are spoilers. Onward . . .
Bruce Wayne makes a short appearance and the Bat Family gets involved in some Gotham matters.
Captain Marvel cleverly fools Black Adam.
And then the big finale but I can't say much as its massive spoilers.
A very nice conclusion to the series.
ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B plus; STORY/PLOTTING: B plus to A minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; DC MYTHOLOGY: B plus to A minus; ACTION SCENES: B to B plus; OVERALL GRADE: B plus; WHEN READ: end of October 2012.
January 9, 2012
The 52 project was so huge that I didn't feel like I could give a decent review after any given volume. How to review what is, really, just a small part of a much bigger story? Now that I've finished all 52 issues, I can give a sort of post-mortem.
There are so many storylines, and so much to wrap up, that the last 13 issues had huge events nearly every other issue. It certainly kept me reading. This was the only one of the 52 trades that I read all in one sitting. For the most part, I was pretty satisfied with how the various storylines wrapped up. Sad about how Black Adam's had to end up, but I suppose it was inevitable. Renee's character arc was probably the most satisfying. The important thing is that the writing was actually quite strong throughout.
The art also remained pretty good, in a fairly uniform style. Ok, it wasn't really anything earth-shattering from an aesthetic standpoint, but it did a hell of a job telling the story. Even better were the covers. Some really fine work there, with great, iconic images and a handful of really unique and interesting covers. Sadly, they were only printed in wee thumbnails in each trade, probably to help sell the 52 covers collection. I would have much rather had them reproduced full size in the trade.
Oh, and here's a great reason to buy the trades instead of the individual comics, covers aside: after each issue there would be a brief commentary from at least one person on the creative team. I love this stuff, especially when it shows exactly how much the team writing improved the overall story. It makes for a great addition to what is already a good collection.
There are so many storylines, and so much to wrap up, that the last 13 issues had huge events nearly every other issue. It certainly kept me reading. This was the only one of the 52 trades that I read all in one sitting. For the most part, I was pretty satisfied with how the various storylines wrapped up. Sad about how Black Adam's had to end up, but I suppose it was inevitable. Renee's character arc was probably the most satisfying. The important thing is that the writing was actually quite strong throughout.
The art also remained pretty good, in a fairly uniform style. Ok, it wasn't really anything earth-shattering from an aesthetic standpoint, but it did a hell of a job telling the story. Even better were the covers. Some really fine work there, with great, iconic images and a handful of really unique and interesting covers. Sadly, they were only printed in wee thumbnails in each trade, probably to help sell the 52 covers collection. I would have much rather had them reproduced full size in the trade.
Oh, and here's a great reason to buy the trades instead of the individual comics, covers aside: after each issue there would be a brief commentary from at least one person on the creative team. I love this stuff, especially when it shows exactly how much the team writing improved the overall story. It makes for a great addition to what is already a good collection.
July 30, 2011
Summary: too bad about the never-say-die multiverse addiction at DC.
Dibny's story? Awesome. Week 43 Day 1? Like a five-year-old wrote it.
Black Adam's finale was not written by that five-year-old, and works much better.
And the build-up to the final climax? Cool. I felt like I participated in something actually pretty wondrous.
Too bad about bringing back the multiverse tho. Seems like DC is just addicted to its easy outs - the many, many variations on the same themes that make it so easy to explain away any discontinuities. Is DC just fundamentally lazy? Some describe it as "enabling creativity", but sometimes endless possibilities leave you without having to think hard, make choices or come up with elegant solutions.
DC is the brute force method of writing superhero stories. Just keep bashing on the same characters until one of the iterations finally comes out with something good.
I still liked the ending to 52, but it sure reminds me of how tiring these "restarts" get every time DC lets its writers paint them into a corner.
Dibny's story? Awesome. Week 43 Day 1? Like a five-year-old wrote it.
Black Adam's finale was not written by that five-year-old, and works much better.
And the build-up to the final climax? Cool. I felt like I participated in something actually pretty wondrous.
Too bad about bringing back the multiverse tho. Seems like DC is just addicted to its easy outs - the many, many variations on the same themes that make it so easy to explain away any discontinuities. Is DC just fundamentally lazy? Some describe it as "enabling creativity", but sometimes endless possibilities leave you without having to think hard, make choices or come up with elegant solutions.
DC is the brute force method of writing superhero stories. Just keep bashing on the same characters until one of the iterations finally comes out with something good.
I still liked the ending to 52, but it sure reminds me of how tiring these "restarts" get every time DC lets its writers paint them into a corner.
May 29, 2012
Satisfying conclusion to the series. I felt greatly educated, by the end of it, of all the (relatively) minor DC Universe characters that I hadn't yet encountered, given that my exposure to the mainstream titles had been through Wonder Woman and Gotham-based books (oddly, I never read a lot of Batman titles. I did read a lot of Catwoman and Gotham PD books.)
Story-wise, the reveal with Sobek was a moment of "Holy shit, I can't believe they did that in a mainstream title!" Ditto for the bit with Isis. I loved what the creators did with Renee Montoya, and her relationship with Vic Sage really resonated with me. I would love to read of her on-going adventures, as well as those of Ralph Dibny.
This volume also confirmed for me what I'd long suspected, especially with the creator comments on the (creepy) Skeets reveal: comicbook plotting is far, far more amorphous than most would admit. I personally like that: it allows for a flexibility as well as a freshness to the genre when done right (of course, when done wrong, it only elicits head-scratching at best and fury at worst.)
Knowing that the characters then undergo some weird personality transplants in the subsequent 52 reboot makes me sad. But this series, at least, was well worth the effort.
Story-wise, the reveal with Sobek was a moment of "Holy shit, I can't believe they did that in a mainstream title!" Ditto for the bit with Isis. I loved what the creators did with Renee Montoya, and her relationship with Vic Sage really resonated with me. I would love to read of her on-going adventures, as well as those of Ralph Dibny.
This volume also confirmed for me what I'd long suspected, especially with the creator comments on the (creepy) Skeets reveal: comicbook plotting is far, far more amorphous than most would admit. I personally like that: it allows for a flexibility as well as a freshness to the genre when done right (of course, when done wrong, it only elicits head-scratching at best and fury at worst.)
Knowing that the characters then undergo some weird personality transplants in the subsequent 52 reboot makes me sad. But this series, at least, was well worth the effort.
August 14, 2023
A mostly strong finish.
Black Adams story goes fucking berserk at the end, with some cruel deaths, and big brawls. If only Black Adam's movie was half as good as this story was it would have been something worth watching. I also really dug Steel's ending with his niece, some great stuff. Questions stuff was solid, sad, but also worked for me. The animal man, lobo stuff, and Booster Gold storylines were so fucking weird, and nonsensical for me by the end.
Overall solid but not great. 3 out of 5.
Black Adams story goes fucking berserk at the end, with some cruel deaths, and big brawls. If only Black Adam's movie was half as good as this story was it would have been something worth watching. I also really dug Steel's ending with his niece, some great stuff. Questions stuff was solid, sad, but also worked for me. The animal man, lobo stuff, and Booster Gold storylines were so fucking weird, and nonsensical for me by the end.
Overall solid but not great. 3 out of 5.
August 3, 2009
I wasn't sure about this series as it intentionally focused on more supporting characters in the DC Universe (no Batman or Superman)in the year following the events of Infinite Crisis. However, the characters they selected proved complex and their storylines compelling. Unfortunately, like almost all of these special events, nothing ultimately happens or at least nothing really changes that can't be unchanged to suit writers' needs/lack of imagination.
October 14, 2015
This was an awesome serie but the landing doesn't totally stick for me. The art is much poorer in those last issues too.
October 12, 2016
In this book, every page I turned was more amazing than the last.
April 23, 2022
The task of putting together such a massive, complex series as a weekly comic must have been a daunting nightmare. That five of the top tier DC writers/artists: Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Keith Giffen came so close is impressive. But it started to fall apart in volume three, and it never quite recovered.
The pacing of this volume didn't work for me. Interesting storylines were ended too quickly while what seemed like filler stories: mainly the Animal Man in space, and the JSA's involvement, were stretched out as though they had been the focus of the series. It was pretty boring.
I spent the last six issues of the series just waiting for it to be over, and I wasn't shocked to discover the end was simultaneously melodramatic and underwhelming.
I do enjoy that 52 is a series that comes directly after the seismically rebooting Infinite Crisis, and right around the 3/4 mark of the Very First Year after that reboot, they're already plugging Final Crisis, the next seismically rebooting event. It must have been so tough to be a talented writer working with 21st century DC editorial, as they all appear to be hacky, short-sighted garbage.
While it had a paromising start, and it's nowhere near as bad as Countdown to Final Crisis, Vol. 1, no one who isn't a DC continuity buff should go anywhere near this series. Again, it's not awful, but there are just so many great stories out there, why bother reading such a long story that, isn't aprticularly interesting, and ultimately doesn't even matter to continuity.
The pacing of this volume didn't work for me. Interesting storylines were ended too quickly while what seemed like filler stories: mainly the Animal Man in space, and the JSA's involvement, were stretched out as though they had been the focus of the series. It was pretty boring.
I spent the last six issues of the series just waiting for it to be over, and I wasn't shocked to discover the end was simultaneously melodramatic and underwhelming.
I do enjoy that 52 is a series that comes directly after the seismically rebooting Infinite Crisis, and right around the 3/4 mark of the Very First Year after that reboot, they're already plugging Final Crisis, the next seismically rebooting event. It must have been so tough to be a talented writer working with 21st century DC editorial, as they all appear to be hacky, short-sighted garbage.
While it had a paromising start, and it's nowhere near as bad as Countdown to Final Crisis, Vol. 1, no one who isn't a DC continuity buff should go anywhere near this series. Again, it's not awful, but there are just so many great stories out there, why bother reading such a long story that, isn't aprticularly interesting, and ultimately doesn't even matter to continuity.
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April 6, 2021A very good ending to 52. The Black Adam and Question storylines were the strongest throughout and remain strong until the last issue. Some plotlines end earlier than others, and not all of them directly connect. That’s okay because there’s a sense of finality when the series is over. This volume has some great moments: Steel’s fight with Luthor, Diana’s conversation with Renee, and the scene between Booster and Blue Beetle to name a few. Speaking of the final issue: it’s a little choppy and rushed, but the batshit insanity makes it a joy to read. Also, I ended up liking the space storyline more as it progressed. Same with the Elongated Man arc.
Of course DC Comics continued after this, but 52 feels like a capstone of sorts to what I (and I’m sure many others) maintain is the best era of the publisher. I’ve used this phrase before, but the DC universe has a beautiful complexity to it, and that complexity is reflected in series like 52.
Of course DC Comics continued after this, but 52 feels like a capstone of sorts to what I (and I’m sure many others) maintain is the best era of the publisher. I’ve used this phrase before, but the DC universe has a beautiful complexity to it, and that complexity is reflected in series like 52.
September 18, 2014
You know the feeling when you finish a TV series, or movie saga you really love? That empty feeling of utter despair that this beautiful thing you love so much has come to an end, fused with the complete satisfaction that it was everything you ever wanted it to be. As i finished the last few pages of this book it hit me like a ton of bricks, my 52 journey has ended. This is to me, the perfect example of what a comic series should be. It had mystery, action, suspense and a whole load of ambition to boot.
As soon as we start in this volume we see story-lines coming to a close. Since each of these stories are so god damn good I'm going to briefly go through my opinions of each, whether you like it or not!
Kicking off the book we have the conclusion of the Luthor/Steel story. At the end of the last volume Lex Luthor had just obtained meta-human powers. Taking Natasha hostage he calls out Steel to bring it on, and he certainly does bring it. Calling in the remaining Titans to his aid he heads to Lexcorp, once again repping his classic Steel armor. John shows how much of a complete bad-ass he is here and lets loose on all of Luthor's cronies with no restraint. Though it was a satisfying conclusion, it would have been more satisfying if we got to see John give Lex the smack down. Especially since its been brewing since the first book.
After Charlie passed away in the last volume, Renee is still lost and looking for the big answers. We see some interaction with Wonder Woman, Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake in these sections as well which was cool to see, seeming how they haven't really appeared in this series at all. With Renee being forced to go home she is pulled back into action when she finds that Kate Kane has been kidnapped by Intergang. She has an epiphany FINALLY, and takes on her role as the new Question. This series has made me fall head over heels for little Miss Montoya, so much so that I have ordered the first volume of Gotham Central to see how her story starts.
What can i say about the Ralph Dibney story that can do it justice? After going on a massive soul searching magic ride with "Dr Fate" we get to what would appear to be the climax. Only then it takes a massive u-turn and mind f*&ked the shit outta me! I mean wow, just wow. When you assemble such amazing writers as you have here, its no wonder they can write such a superb twist. I was so glad to see Ralph get his ultimate savage on in this segment. Showing he is far more than the stretchy man people think he is. Speaking of stretchy we also get to see Ralph back in all his elongated glory here, which is a moment I've been waiting on this moment the entire series, even though it was brief it was so worth it.
We finally get some stories intertwining in this, as you would expect with it coming to an end. Its revealed that the "Science Squad" have been working on weapons to take out the Black Marvel family. Friends turn out to be enemies and heroes fall back into their evil ways. I really don't want to say too much cause I don't want to ruin anything for any of you, but trust me when I say that Black Adam is one of the most brutal characters in the entire DCU. I had no real opinions of Adam when i began on this journey, now he is one of my most loved characters. There is a massive battle with pretty much all of the heroes against Black Adam, including some other new faves of mine The Justice Society. How have i never paid them any attention before? Their character roster is bloody awesome, so next week I'm going to delve into the series Geoff Johns wrote.
The Adam Strange/Starfire/Animal Man story came to a close, well sort of. I would expect that we havent seen the last of Lady Stix seeming how it ended, maybe it will come into play in the Countdown to Final Crisis?
Last but certainly not least was the Booster Gold story. Now this has Grant Morrison oozing out of it, filled with crazy and leaking his genius. This story has been brewing slowly since week one and it takes form in something legendary here. Once again the story took a massive side step and caught me right off guard. I figured the 52 referred to the multiverse, but i didn't know how it would get there. All i can say is well done to the creative team for making this one of the most epic conclusions to a series I've ever read. I had to re-read the last issue to take in all the information, cause its pretty Morrison-heavy in its ambition, but thankfully it lands well. We get to see the formation of different earths in the multiverse. Some of my favorite being earth-3, the resurrection of the Crime Syndicate. And earth-22, which is the universe where the events of the mammoth Kingdom Come take place. I've always thought the idea of the multiverse was pure genius, it left so many door open for some fantastic opportunities. Booster Gold thrived in this story and much like Black Adam, he has become one of my favorite heroes.
All and all this series was one of the most enjoyable reads I've ever layed eyes on. Proving why the DCU is THE BEST comic universe EVER! Being that I jumped into comics with the New 52 I never really understood why people got so butt-hurt when they changed so much of the history of the characters. Although N52 is still cool to me, I now share the pain of all the non-believers. After bearing witness to some of the rich characters and world changing stories that have taken shape over the last 70 or so years, it seems like such a shame to mostly wipe the slate clean.
If you want a great example of an exceptional comic, then this is your go too read.
As soon as we start in this volume we see story-lines coming to a close. Since each of these stories are so god damn good I'm going to briefly go through my opinions of each, whether you like it or not!
Kicking off the book we have the conclusion of the Luthor/Steel story. At the end of the last volume Lex Luthor had just obtained meta-human powers. Taking Natasha hostage he calls out Steel to bring it on, and he certainly does bring it. Calling in the remaining Titans to his aid he heads to Lexcorp, once again repping his classic Steel armor. John shows how much of a complete bad-ass he is here and lets loose on all of Luthor's cronies with no restraint. Though it was a satisfying conclusion, it would have been more satisfying if we got to see John give Lex the smack down. Especially since its been brewing since the first book.
After Charlie passed away in the last volume, Renee is still lost and looking for the big answers. We see some interaction with Wonder Woman, Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake in these sections as well which was cool to see, seeming how they haven't really appeared in this series at all. With Renee being forced to go home she is pulled back into action when she finds that Kate Kane has been kidnapped by Intergang. She has an epiphany FINALLY, and takes on her role as the new Question. This series has made me fall head over heels for little Miss Montoya, so much so that I have ordered the first volume of Gotham Central to see how her story starts.
What can i say about the Ralph Dibney story that can do it justice? After going on a massive soul searching magic ride with "Dr Fate" we get to what would appear to be the climax. Only then it takes a massive u-turn and mind f*&ked the shit outta me! I mean wow, just wow. When you assemble such amazing writers as you have here, its no wonder they can write such a superb twist. I was so glad to see Ralph get his ultimate savage on in this segment. Showing he is far more than the stretchy man people think he is. Speaking of stretchy we also get to see Ralph back in all his elongated glory here, which is a moment I've been waiting on this moment the entire series, even though it was brief it was so worth it.
We finally get some stories intertwining in this, as you would expect with it coming to an end. Its revealed that the "Science Squad" have been working on weapons to take out the Black Marvel family. Friends turn out to be enemies and heroes fall back into their evil ways. I really don't want to say too much cause I don't want to ruin anything for any of you, but trust me when I say that Black Adam is one of the most brutal characters in the entire DCU. I had no real opinions of Adam when i began on this journey, now he is one of my most loved characters. There is a massive battle with pretty much all of the heroes against Black Adam, including some other new faves of mine The Justice Society. How have i never paid them any attention before? Their character roster is bloody awesome, so next week I'm going to delve into the series Geoff Johns wrote.
The Adam Strange/Starfire/Animal Man story came to a close, well sort of. I would expect that we havent seen the last of Lady Stix seeming how it ended, maybe it will come into play in the Countdown to Final Crisis?
Last but certainly not least was the Booster Gold story. Now this has Grant Morrison oozing out of it, filled with crazy and leaking his genius. This story has been brewing slowly since week one and it takes form in something legendary here. Once again the story took a massive side step and caught me right off guard. I figured the 52 referred to the multiverse, but i didn't know how it would get there. All i can say is well done to the creative team for making this one of the most epic conclusions to a series I've ever read. I had to re-read the last issue to take in all the information, cause its pretty Morrison-heavy in its ambition, but thankfully it lands well. We get to see the formation of different earths in the multiverse. Some of my favorite being earth-3, the resurrection of the Crime Syndicate. And earth-22, which is the universe where the events of the mammoth Kingdom Come take place. I've always thought the idea of the multiverse was pure genius, it left so many door open for some fantastic opportunities. Booster Gold thrived in this story and much like Black Adam, he has become one of my favorite heroes.
All and all this series was one of the most enjoyable reads I've ever layed eyes on. Proving why the DCU is THE BEST comic universe EVER! Being that I jumped into comics with the New 52 I never really understood why people got so butt-hurt when they changed so much of the history of the characters. Although N52 is still cool to me, I now share the pain of all the non-believers. After bearing witness to some of the rich characters and world changing stories that have taken shape over the last 70 or so years, it seems like such a shame to mostly wipe the slate clean.
If you want a great example of an exceptional comic, then this is your go too read.
September 16, 2024
3.75/5
I feel like overall, this series is a solid 4 stars, however my problem is that it really does vary book-to-book in the consistency of the quality of the content.
Regardless, I think this series was an incredible feat, to be pumping out these comics in real time in the span of an entire year, however I feel ultimately we have too many plot points happening where it not only becomes difficult to keep track, but it also just simply isn't all the most interesting. The parts where the comic DOES hit the mark though, really does hit.
I feel like overall, this series is a solid 4 stars, however my problem is that it really does vary book-to-book in the consistency of the quality of the content.
Regardless, I think this series was an incredible feat, to be pumping out these comics in real time in the span of an entire year, however I feel ultimately we have too many plot points happening where it not only becomes difficult to keep track, but it also just simply isn't all the most interesting. The parts where the comic DOES hit the mark though, really does hit.
June 24, 2020
This is serious silly business. And I appreciate the effort involved here. I had lost track of some of the narrative threads by the time I finished TPB 4, but that seems inevitable given the ambitious publishing arc with the dozens of characters. All in all I'd say that I have a newfound appreciation and interest in the DC universe of this era after reading "Identity Crisis" and now this series.
October 7, 2018
Awsome event\Project\series. Although it is heavily embedded in the old DC's continuety, it is such a fun read.
March 6, 2024
Tolle Idee. Spannende Handlungsstränge. Großes Wagnis, sich ausschließlich auf wenige B- und C-Figuren zu konzentrieren. Zum Ende hin wurden nicht alle Geschichten auf gleich hohem Niveau zu Ende gebracht - aber bei der herausfordernden Leistung, Woche für Woche ein Heft zu veröffentlichen, das mehrere Handlungen vorantrieb, ist das verschmerzbar. Ich hatte viel Spaß und wurde richtig gut unterhalten.
March 10, 2017
52 is a great example of never meet your heroes. Because this is a series I have praised up and down since it initially came out in issues. It had a way of creeping up on me. And to my high school self this was very much a seminal, important work in comics at the time. I'd never read anything like it, and by the end the series had left me satisfied, satiated, and impressed.
Now that I'm like... ten years older, this series leaves me underwhelmed.
There are issues all over this, none more glaring than the limitations of comics. Each issue has to cover a "week's" worth of story in the span of 22 pages. 22 pages of story in a comic is basically no time if you aren't Alan Moore (or perhaps Neil Gaiman). And here, this series has to service.... how many storylines? Let's see... Steel (and Natasha), Renee Montoya, Booster Gold, Ralph Dibny, Will Magnus & the Isle of Mad Scientists, Animal Man (and Starfire and Adam Strange) in Space, Black Adam... It's too much. Basically it means that everyone gets three pages of content per issue, and that's assuming a fair balance across all issues. This is to say nothing of the need to climax all of these disparate storylines, where basically this volume is issue after issue of climactic showdown that are exclusive to each character. One issue is just to wrap up Steel and Natasha, another is to wrap up Renee Montoya, another is to wrap up Ralph Dibny. And while the individual issues are quite good (in particular Renee Montoya's assumption of her new mantle or Ralph Dibny's ultimate showdown with The Devil... it... leaves something to be desired because it creates a structuring nightmare moving forward. There has to be a whole issue of Black Adam punching shit and going nuts because that's where we are.
If anything, it's just too ambitious, and where other volumes have been impressive in their ability to juggle disparate threads like it's all Game of Thrones, I'm not sure what the point of this is at the end. There's no unifying theme or thread that brings them all together. It basically is about these different people on their different journeys over the course of a year. But that's not particularly engaging. It means that individual stories live and die by their own piecemeal executions. It means that Montoya's storyline works because it's a thrilling new direction for that character. It means Booster Gold's doesn't because the vast majority of this series has been about him sitting on the sidelines waiting for the end of the year so he can get the entire overstuffed final issue to himself.
And sure, I get it. I get that the people who made this comic are limited by the nature of the format they're working in. And I get that they intended this series to come out once a week, but the truth is that it doesn't hold together all as one, and when you read it all at once all of its flaws come together. Moments are good, some of it is interesting, but it doesn't feel like the deep dive it could have been and you can tell that towards the end it's almost as if you can see the seams bursting by the time we get to the end.
And honestly, it's really disappointing. It continues on the thread of difficulty I've had with superhero comics, and the thing that's keeping me from jumping back into them full bore. The fact is that these four SUPERSTAR writers (who have all separately written comics that I have LOVED) can't end up making something I find thrilling and compelling when given all the opportunity to do so.
This final volume retroactively colors all the other volumes in a poorer light. And man is that disappointing given that I so much wanted this series to be something that it ultimately was not.
Now that I'm like... ten years older, this series leaves me underwhelmed.
There are issues all over this, none more glaring than the limitations of comics. Each issue has to cover a "week's" worth of story in the span of 22 pages. 22 pages of story in a comic is basically no time if you aren't Alan Moore (or perhaps Neil Gaiman). And here, this series has to service.... how many storylines? Let's see... Steel (and Natasha), Renee Montoya, Booster Gold, Ralph Dibny, Will Magnus & the Isle of Mad Scientists, Animal Man (and Starfire and Adam Strange) in Space, Black Adam... It's too much. Basically it means that everyone gets three pages of content per issue, and that's assuming a fair balance across all issues. This is to say nothing of the need to climax all of these disparate storylines, where basically this volume is issue after issue of climactic showdown that are exclusive to each character. One issue is just to wrap up Steel and Natasha, another is to wrap up Renee Montoya, another is to wrap up Ralph Dibny. And while the individual issues are quite good (in particular Renee Montoya's assumption of her new mantle or Ralph Dibny's ultimate showdown with The Devil... it... leaves something to be desired because it creates a structuring nightmare moving forward. There has to be a whole issue of Black Adam punching shit and going nuts because that's where we are.
If anything, it's just too ambitious, and where other volumes have been impressive in their ability to juggle disparate threads like it's all Game of Thrones, I'm not sure what the point of this is at the end. There's no unifying theme or thread that brings them all together. It basically is about these different people on their different journeys over the course of a year. But that's not particularly engaging. It means that individual stories live and die by their own piecemeal executions. It means that Montoya's storyline works because it's a thrilling new direction for that character. It means Booster Gold's doesn't because the vast majority of this series has been about him sitting on the sidelines waiting for the end of the year so he can get the entire overstuffed final issue to himself.
And sure, I get it. I get that the people who made this comic are limited by the nature of the format they're working in. And I get that they intended this series to come out once a week, but the truth is that it doesn't hold together all as one, and when you read it all at once all of its flaws come together. Moments are good, some of it is interesting, but it doesn't feel like the deep dive it could have been and you can tell that towards the end it's almost as if you can see the seams bursting by the time we get to the end.
And honestly, it's really disappointing. It continues on the thread of difficulty I've had with superhero comics, and the thing that's keeping me from jumping back into them full bore. The fact is that these four SUPERSTAR writers (who have all separately written comics that I have LOVED) can't end up making something I find thrilling and compelling when given all the opportunity to do so.
This final volume retroactively colors all the other volumes in a poorer light. And man is that disappointing given that I so much wanted this series to be something that it ultimately was not.
July 10, 2011
The best part, as in the other three volumes, is Renee's story. I especially liked her team-up with Dick. They should work together more often, especially with Kate.
I did like the John Henry Irons/Everyman storyline. Way to make things interesting, Lex.
I felt bad that Kory was stuck in such an uninteresting plotline, and I disliked the island of mad scientists, but the thing that kept me from truly loving this book was Black Adam's story. Ugh. I really wanted his redemption to stick and I really didn't like how that story played out. Predictable and also gross in terms of fridging Isis.
I will say that Booster's return didn't suck, and he definitely had moments where I liked him - mostly his concern for Skeets and the scene with Ted. I think he's probably only really bearable when Ted is around to balance him out.
Diana and Renee should team up sometime when they're not in mourning or flux because I would love to see them work together.
Lastly, it was nice, if by nice you mean heartbreaking but also happy-making from a shippy point of view, and I do, to see the actual canon moment where Tim says his new uni is in honor of Kon.
I did like the John Henry Irons/Everyman storyline. Way to make things interesting, Lex.
I felt bad that Kory was stuck in such an uninteresting plotline, and I disliked the island of mad scientists, but the thing that kept me from truly loving this book was Black Adam's story. Ugh. I really wanted his redemption to stick and I really didn't like how that story played out. Predictable and also gross in terms of fridging Isis.
I will say that Booster's return didn't suck, and he definitely had moments where I liked him - mostly his concern for Skeets and the scene with Ted. I think he's probably only really bearable when Ted is around to balance him out.
Diana and Renee should team up sometime when they're not in mourning or flux because I would love to see them work together.
Lastly, it was nice, if by nice you mean heartbreaking but also happy-making from a shippy point of view, and I do, to see the actual canon moment where Tim says his new uni is in honor of Kon.
December 2, 2010
I would rate this volume 3.5 rather than 4 stars, mostly because many issues are taken up with big plot summation dialogue. I understand why, given the number of threads that had to be tied up and the limited amount of space they had to do it, but it still was a bit repetitious to have so many expository scenes so close together.
That aside, it was still a fun ride and well worth my time and money. As a Bat-fan it was nice to see the early adventures of Batwoman (even if some of the back story here was retconned later), how Montoya becomes The Question, where Tim's last Robin costume came from, Bruce's Thogal ritual etc. But beyond that, it took a number of lesser characters I had no experience with and made me interested. What more can you ask for?
That aside, it was still a fun ride and well worth my time and money. As a Bat-fan it was nice to see the early adventures of Batwoman (even if some of the back story here was retconned later), how Montoya becomes The Question, where Tim's last Robin costume came from, Bruce's Thogal ritual etc. But beyond that, it took a number of lesser characters I had no experience with and made me interested. What more can you ask for?
March 8, 2016
That was quite the read. A lot of ups and downs. A lot of feels.
I must say that I really liked the story, although I found it a little odd. (Though, it is a comic, so it's bound to be a little strange.)
Black Atoms story I found really interesting and rather feelsy.
I also liked that not everything was wrapped up in the end. There is still a lot to explore in the story (which I am going to do.)
It was also pretty cool to see Rip Hunter play a major role in this. I found myself comparing him to how he is protrayed on the new Legends of Tomorrow television show. (And I must say that a time master being played by one of the Doctors compainions is fantastic.)
All in all I really liked this. It was interesting and rather hectic. A fun read.
I must say that I really liked the story, although I found it a little odd. (Though, it is a comic, so it's bound to be a little strange.)
Black Atoms story I found really interesting and rather feelsy.
I also liked that not everything was wrapped up in the end. There is still a lot to explore in the story (which I am going to do.)
It was also pretty cool to see Rip Hunter play a major role in this. I found myself comparing him to how he is protrayed on the new Legends of Tomorrow television show. (And I must say that a time master being played by one of the Doctors compainions is fantastic.)
All in all I really liked this. It was interesting and rather hectic. A fun read.
October 11, 2014
A good ending for 52. The plot lines for the Question and Black Adam were quite strong, while the rest were enjoyable, with the possible exception of the Elongated Man storyline, which very abruptly ended after a long snipe hunt.
Overall, 52 was a terrific concept carried off well. Sadly, DC was never able to duplicate it successful. Countdown was an absolute train wreck, Trinity was dull, and then when Brightest Day showed hope, the universe was abruptly rebooted, leaving it entirely moot.
But 52 was a bright, bright light during the last days of the DC Universe.
Overall, 52 was a terrific concept carried off well. Sadly, DC was never able to duplicate it successful. Countdown was an absolute train wreck, Trinity was dull, and then when Brightest Day showed hope, the universe was abruptly rebooted, leaving it entirely moot.
But 52 was a bright, bright light during the last days of the DC Universe.
March 27, 2015
Pues ya está, se acabó la saga. Ha estado bastante entretenida, aunque al final se ha hecho un poco larga. Las tramas no daban para tanto. El final es épico pero no me ha acabado de convencer, demasiados giros espectaculares algo gratuitos. Sin embargo, es un cómic bien disfrutable así que me quedo con buen sabor de boca y con ganas de leer más del Universo DC.
April 12, 2025
An astonishing achievement, grading on the curve of a 52 issue weekly superhero comic book. It all mostly works!
September 3, 2017
Ten years ago, 52 happened. At the time, I was just getting back into comics after having walked away while attending college. There's always a lot going on in comics, a lot competing for the title of "most important." Sometimes it's what everyone else is reading, or what the consensus best writer or best artist is doing, or what critics agree is the best. Or, the event book.
Sometimes it's a mixture of all these. That was 52. It sometimes needs reminding. After a while, the gimmick of it, the fact that it came out weekly for its year-long run, a novelty that became less novel in later years after DC did it again, to smaller degrees of success, with Countdown and Trinity, came to define its legacy. Which is a real shame.
Because 52 was a success all the way around. JG Jones made an art of covers in a way that hadn't really been done before. Later, Fiona Staples reminded everyone how significant covers can be with Saga, and that was just one of the many ways fans forgot. They also forgot, somehow, that 52 had Geoff Johns. And Grant Morrison. And Greg Rucka. And Mark Waid. All of them. At the same time. At various points and later, each of them were accepted as masters of their craft. Each with unique ways of demonstrating it. And this once, they did it together. Even separately a project by them should be considered a big deal. Most of them were continuing stories that are still considered milestones today.
That's right; 52 is a sequel. But it's also a self-contained statement on the nature of DC storytelling. It's an event book that had fifty-two concentrated issues to tell its story, and enough characters, new and old, to more than justify the length. Conceptually, it's really Identity Crisis crossed with Infinite Crisis, the intimate and the cosmic, a sequel to both but again, its own, given how each character's arc has a beginning, middle and ending within its pages, everything you need to know, perfectly explained. If superhero stories usually involve a tragic origin, that's what 52 began with, too.
But it has a happy, hopeful ending. That's what it was really all about. Much had been made of the violence and "realism" that had crept into comics in the previous decades. The whole point of Infinite Crisis was to address this directly, something that Identity Crisis had made its point in solidifying as endemic to the whole landscape. How to conclude that?
Apparently, by bringing back the wild possibilities of superhero comics. By bringing back the multiverse. Twenty years earlier Crisis on Infinite Earths had "simplified" things by getting rid of it. In reality, it meant everything got stuck in a box.
This is the end of the journey. Every story concludes, leaving ripe ground for other adventures, many and varied, which if you do a little research you'll see as exactly what DC ended up with, even if within a half-dozen years there was another reboot. Which, if you think of it, was really the result of everything 52 sought to accomplish, making it okay to do the impossible again, allowing everything to exist in the sandbox again, which is why there was another reboot later that's made it more obvious than ever.
Anyway, I think 52 is an evergreen classic, a must-read, in just about every way possible, and I think its ending, and results, help confirm this.
Also well worth mentioning, since I really haven't in talking about previous volumes, the incredibly insightful text commentary for each issue, offering the barest glimpses into the creative process behind the whole thing. Completely invaluable.
Sometimes it's a mixture of all these. That was 52. It sometimes needs reminding. After a while, the gimmick of it, the fact that it came out weekly for its year-long run, a novelty that became less novel in later years after DC did it again, to smaller degrees of success, with Countdown and Trinity, came to define its legacy. Which is a real shame.
Because 52 was a success all the way around. JG Jones made an art of covers in a way that hadn't really been done before. Later, Fiona Staples reminded everyone how significant covers can be with Saga, and that was just one of the many ways fans forgot. They also forgot, somehow, that 52 had Geoff Johns. And Grant Morrison. And Greg Rucka. And Mark Waid. All of them. At the same time. At various points and later, each of them were accepted as masters of their craft. Each with unique ways of demonstrating it. And this once, they did it together. Even separately a project by them should be considered a big deal. Most of them were continuing stories that are still considered milestones today.
That's right; 52 is a sequel. But it's also a self-contained statement on the nature of DC storytelling. It's an event book that had fifty-two concentrated issues to tell its story, and enough characters, new and old, to more than justify the length. Conceptually, it's really Identity Crisis crossed with Infinite Crisis, the intimate and the cosmic, a sequel to both but again, its own, given how each character's arc has a beginning, middle and ending within its pages, everything you need to know, perfectly explained. If superhero stories usually involve a tragic origin, that's what 52 began with, too.
But it has a happy, hopeful ending. That's what it was really all about. Much had been made of the violence and "realism" that had crept into comics in the previous decades. The whole point of Infinite Crisis was to address this directly, something that Identity Crisis had made its point in solidifying as endemic to the whole landscape. How to conclude that?
Apparently, by bringing back the wild possibilities of superhero comics. By bringing back the multiverse. Twenty years earlier Crisis on Infinite Earths had "simplified" things by getting rid of it. In reality, it meant everything got stuck in a box.
This is the end of the journey. Every story concludes, leaving ripe ground for other adventures, many and varied, which if you do a little research you'll see as exactly what DC ended up with, even if within a half-dozen years there was another reboot. Which, if you think of it, was really the result of everything 52 sought to accomplish, making it okay to do the impossible again, allowing everything to exist in the sandbox again, which is why there was another reboot later that's made it more obvious than ever.
Anyway, I think 52 is an evergreen classic, a must-read, in just about every way possible, and I think its ending, and results, help confirm this.
Also well worth mentioning, since I really haven't in talking about previous volumes, the incredibly insightful text commentary for each issue, offering the barest glimpses into the creative process behind the whole thing. Completely invaluable.
June 29, 2019
52 ha sido uno de los proyectos más revolucionarios de la historia del cómic contemporáneo, y además, una lectura muy entretenida y que merece muchísimo la pena. Después de Crisis Infinitas, DC se planteó un efecto "Un Año Después" para todas sus series, lo que permitió cambiar muchas situaciones , alineaciones, etc. Y para explicar qué había pasado en ese año, y además presentarnos la nueva situación del Universo DC, surgió 52. Fue una colección semanal, con un equipo de guionistas que reunía a lo mejor de DC (Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison y Judd Winnick), acompañados por los bocetos de Keith Giffen y toda una panoplia de nombres de dibujantes que tuvieron que currar para poder sacar un número completo a la semana.
52 arranca exáctamente después del final de Crisis Infinita, y lleva a primera plana a un montón de secundarios de DC en un año sin Batman, Superman ni Wonder Woman, así que nos encontramos una serie coral con diferentes historias y protagonistas: el Hombre Elástico que investiga la posible resurrección de Sue Dibny y se ve implicado en un culto basado en la figura del fallecido Superboy en el que se encuentra con Wonder Girl; Black Adam, que decide extender su familia incluyendo a Isis y Osiris y que decide cambiar el equilibrio político de poderes mundial; Renée Montoya, que se lanza a un viaje iniciático acompañado de Question; Steel, que investiga el proyecto de poderes para todos que lidera Luthor en Metrópolis; Will Magnus y sus Metal Men, implicados en un proyecto de científicos locos; Starfire, Animal Man y Adam Strange que tienen que participar en la lucha contra la abominable Dama Estigia; Alan Scott implicado en el resurgir de un nuevo Checkmate; y sobre todo, Booster Gold, que tiene que convertirse en un héroe que nunca se había imaginado ser.
52 fue un esfuerzo titánico, lleno de misterios (la pizarra de Rip Hunter ha quedado marcada en la historia), de momentos épicos, de personajes interesantes (increible la nueva Batwoman que Greg Rucka incorporó al Universo DC en esta colección y que luego tendría su propia serie), y de todo lo que tiene que tener un cómic, aunque también se convirtió en un formato que luego se reutilizaría con resultados mucho menos espectaculares en Cuenta Atrás a Crisis Final o Trinidad. Pero en sí, 52, es un cómic de matrícula de honor.
52 arranca exáctamente después del final de Crisis Infinita, y lleva a primera plana a un montón de secundarios de DC en un año sin Batman, Superman ni Wonder Woman, así que nos encontramos una serie coral con diferentes historias y protagonistas: el Hombre Elástico que investiga la posible resurrección de Sue Dibny y se ve implicado en un culto basado en la figura del fallecido Superboy en el que se encuentra con Wonder Girl; Black Adam, que decide extender su familia incluyendo a Isis y Osiris y que decide cambiar el equilibrio político de poderes mundial; Renée Montoya, que se lanza a un viaje iniciático acompañado de Question; Steel, que investiga el proyecto de poderes para todos que lidera Luthor en Metrópolis; Will Magnus y sus Metal Men, implicados en un proyecto de científicos locos; Starfire, Animal Man y Adam Strange que tienen que participar en la lucha contra la abominable Dama Estigia; Alan Scott implicado en el resurgir de un nuevo Checkmate; y sobre todo, Booster Gold, que tiene que convertirse en un héroe que nunca se había imaginado ser.
52 fue un esfuerzo titánico, lleno de misterios (la pizarra de Rip Hunter ha quedado marcada en la historia), de momentos épicos, de personajes interesantes (increible la nueva Batwoman que Greg Rucka incorporó al Universo DC en esta colección y que luego tendría su propia serie), y de todo lo que tiene que tener un cómic, aunque también se convirtió en un formato que luego se reutilizaría con resultados mucho menos espectaculares en Cuenta Atrás a Crisis Final o Trinidad. Pero en sí, 52, es un cómic de matrícula de honor.
February 4, 2018
(This review applies to each of the four volumes of the series)
This, for me, was the best crossover DC series I've ever read, and just about perfect. I devoured it in four huge chunks – it's a lot of comic – and was delighted with it all.
We follow the DC world over the course of a year after a massive battle. The Big Three (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman) are in various forms of awol, and the story has several interleaving arcs, involving characters who are either stepping into the vacuum left by them, taking advantage of their absence, or trying to deal with the fallout. While some of them are immensely powerful, the heart of the story lies with the human or limited-power characters and their own personal dramas, some of which are tragic, some uplifting. New heroes are created, and some are destroyed.
I was completely gripped with each of the stories – they're all important, and they're all done properly. So often the DC crossovers feel like they have random arcs for no reason other than to make sure everyone gets their moment in the spotlight. Here, everything worked together to form one, coherent story – and what a story it is. I was dragged in from the start, and at the end I felt that everything, even some of the terrible things, were *right*.
The four writers have worked fantastically well here. Individual writers took on particular segments, with contribution from the group, but I felt it was seamless. I love Grant Morrison, but sometimes feel he can't stick to just one idea, or even twenty. Here, he was providing some genius concepts and flashes, but the others were making sure it had time to play out, and the fusion was excellent.
The artwork is of a high standard throughout, the script is excellent (there are so many sneaky jokes, I loved it) and the thought that this was achieved at a rate of an episode per week is breathtaking.
(Incidentally, the version I read had comments from one of the writers or illustrators at the end of each episode, and they were fascinating insights into the process.)
This, for me, was the best crossover DC series I've ever read, and just about perfect. I devoured it in four huge chunks – it's a lot of comic – and was delighted with it all.
We follow the DC world over the course of a year after a massive battle. The Big Three (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman) are in various forms of awol, and the story has several interleaving arcs, involving characters who are either stepping into the vacuum left by them, taking advantage of their absence, or trying to deal with the fallout. While some of them are immensely powerful, the heart of the story lies with the human or limited-power characters and their own personal dramas, some of which are tragic, some uplifting. New heroes are created, and some are destroyed.
I was completely gripped with each of the stories – they're all important, and they're all done properly. So often the DC crossovers feel like they have random arcs for no reason other than to make sure everyone gets their moment in the spotlight. Here, everything worked together to form one, coherent story – and what a story it is. I was dragged in from the start, and at the end I felt that everything, even some of the terrible things, were *right*.
The four writers have worked fantastically well here. Individual writers took on particular segments, with contribution from the group, but I felt it was seamless. I love Grant Morrison, but sometimes feel he can't stick to just one idea, or even twenty. Here, he was providing some genius concepts and flashes, but the others were making sure it had time to play out, and the fusion was excellent.
The artwork is of a high standard throughout, the script is excellent (there are so many sneaky jokes, I loved it) and the thought that this was achieved at a rate of an episode per week is breathtaking.
(Incidentally, the version I read had comments from one of the writers or illustrators at the end of each episode, and they were fascinating insights into the process.)
January 11, 2018
Probably one that was best enjoyed in its original, serialized context, but I thought it would be fun to come back to 12 years on.
As is to be expected from an anthology with four writers and something like nine plots, it's uneven: what works is spectacular (Renee Montoya & Batwoman's story is still good, and I always thought it was a shame that she didn't get more stories ), what doesn't is a mess (the Black Adam family storyline is nasty and cynical and everyone's motivation is driven by the requirements of the plot rather than the logic of their characters) and the pacing is wildly off — in particular the "lost in space" plot which takes center stage for a long stretch and then vanishes entirely to keep it from resolving faster than the other plots.
Still, you have to respect the ambition of the project and much of the unevenness comes of a sense of the four writers learning what the comic was when they wrote it, and the sense of adventure they bring to writing an entire year of DC continuity all by themselves is a pleasure even where the comic falters.
I don't know as I'd recommend it to someone who hasn't read it before, but if you read it in 2006 and were wondering whether to reread it, it holds up pretty well.
[review is of all four books; there's no sense in trying to look at them individually]
As is to be expected from an anthology with four writers and something like nine plots, it's uneven: what works is spectacular (Renee Montoya & Batwoman's story is still good, and I always thought it was a shame that she didn't get more stories ), what doesn't is a mess (the Black Adam family storyline is nasty and cynical and everyone's motivation is driven by the requirements of the plot rather than the logic of their characters) and the pacing is wildly off — in particular the "lost in space" plot which takes center stage for a long stretch and then vanishes entirely to keep it from resolving faster than the other plots.
Still, you have to respect the ambition of the project and much of the unevenness comes of a sense of the four writers learning what the comic was when they wrote it, and the sense of adventure they bring to writing an entire year of DC continuity all by themselves is a pleasure even where the comic falters.
I don't know as I'd recommend it to someone who hasn't read it before, but if you read it in 2006 and were wondering whether to reread it, it holds up pretty well.
[review is of all four books; there's no sense in trying to look at them individually]
September 28, 2025
Et voilà, la fin d'une série, fin oscillante entre le très interessant - L'évolution de Black Adam, son conflit avec le reste de la population superhéroique ainsi que l'implication des génies scientifiques, le travail de Rip et de Booster accompagnant la révélation finale et l'implication de ce "grand" ennemi à travers la série. Et d'un autre côté quelques fin d'histoires dont on est passé vraiment à côté comme ce qui a pu arriver à Animal Man - pardon mais quoi ? qui a compris réellement ce qui a pu se passer et surtout pourquoi ? - Et même l'idée de revoir Dibny et sa femme. Bon sang, laissons les savourer leur repos.
Malgré tout, sur un chantier aussi complexe, quelques loupés ne peuvent mettre à mal un récit d'une aussi grande ampleur et le final a finalement réussi son paris de nous proposer de l'action en pagaille, des rebondissements cohérents et une horde de personnages coexistants.
Malgré tout, sur un chantier aussi complexe, quelques loupés ne peuvent mettre à mal un récit d'une aussi grande ampleur et le final a finalement réussi son paris de nous proposer de l'action en pagaille, des rebondissements cohérents et une horde de personnages coexistants.
February 8, 2021
Esse série é considerada um dos melhores quadrinhos da DC Comics, e antes de ler isso, eu estava com uma expectativa muito alta. E infelizmente fiquei bem decepcionado.
Resumidamente, 52 conta a história do que aconteceu aconteceu com o universo DC durante um ano após os eventos da Crise Infinita. São um total de 52 capítulos e cada capítulo se passa em uma semana e este volume compila o capítulo 40 ao 52.
Finalmente finalizei todos os volumes e minha impressão como um todo foi bem decepcionante. Os motivos são os mesmos dos reviews anteriores, protagonismo excessivo para personagens que não me importo com exceção de alguns, a falta de equilíbrio no protagonismo e mais protagonismo para outros personagens importantes da DC. Em alguns momentos parecia uma bagunça total e o destaque fica para o último capítulo quando explica mais a ramificação dos 52 multiversos. Mas é bem breve.
Resumidamente, 52 conta a história do que aconteceu aconteceu com o universo DC durante um ano após os eventos da Crise Infinita. São um total de 52 capítulos e cada capítulo se passa em uma semana e este volume compila o capítulo 40 ao 52.
Finalmente finalizei todos os volumes e minha impressão como um todo foi bem decepcionante. Os motivos são os mesmos dos reviews anteriores, protagonismo excessivo para personagens que não me importo com exceção de alguns, a falta de equilíbrio no protagonismo e mais protagonismo para outros personagens importantes da DC. Em alguns momentos parecia uma bagunça total e o destaque fica para o último capítulo quando explica mais a ramificação dos 52 multiversos. Mas é bem breve.
December 20, 2024
I was pretty disappointed with the volume, specially the ending pages/ending of certain storylines. In my opinion the only endings that didn’t feel rushed were the Steel/Everyman and Question subplots. Magnus forgave his professor for no real reason, The space subplot (aka the animal man, star fire and Adam strange) sort of just ends, with no real climax or satisfying conclusion. The character just kind of leave space and that’s it, I was specially disappointed that Animal Man being stranded in space was resolved way too quickly. Next, the finale to the Black Adam one just happened way too quickly, so when it’s mentioned that people are calling it WW3 you don’t believe it. And, lastly the booster gold plot line felt like a mess, and what it was ultimately about felt like it came out of nowhere.
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