Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

52 #3-4

52, Book 2

Rate this book
Four of the most critically acclaimed writers in comics3/4Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid3/4are joined by breakdown artist Keith Giffen and a host of the industry s finest pencillers and inkers to create this unprecedented event in comics history.
DC s groundbreaking publication of the weekly comic 52 tells the story of a missing year in the DC Universe3/4in real time. The cataclysmic events of INFINITE CRISIS have left the world without its three biggest icons3/4Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Who will stand up in their absence?
Now, in the second of two volumes, 52 is collected with bonus material after each chapter, including concept designs, page breakdowns, scripts, alternate story elements and more! Collects 52 #27-52."

592 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

108 people are currently reading
136 people want to read

About the author

Geoff Johns

2,718 books2,410 followers
Geoff 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.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
185 (40%)
4 stars
174 (37%)
3 stars
70 (15%)
2 stars
27 (5%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Lyn.
2,009 reviews17.6k followers
December 20, 2021
Homelander (from Dynamite’s The Boys) “If I want to be as bad as I want, if I want to kill and destroy, what are you going to do about it????”

Black Adam: “Hold my beer”

The second volume in the EXCELLENT weekly series about a year without the big three, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, finds the DC universe taking care of business with the second string, thank you very much.

The multiverse is in trouble and needs saving, there is an island of misfit evil scientists and Khandaq’s sovereign goes a little crazy.

“We all go a little mad sometimes” – Norman Bates

What Geoff Johns and team have done with 52, besides a whole lotta love for the multiverse, is to spend some special time with some of DC’s lesser known heroes like Adam Strange, The Elongated Man, Justice Society of America, The Question, Renee Montoya, Animal Man, Black Adam, Booster Gold and many others.

It’s a love letter to DC fans everywhere and it was a ton of fun.

description
Profile Image for Christopher (Donut).
486 reviews15 followers
February 8, 2020
This... was about 600 pp. (It only felt like more), and it was part two.
Parts were more enjoyable than others.
Not to say Keith Giffen didn't earn his pay doing "breakdowns," but I imagine some of the really talented pencillers here resented having to work off them.
Individual parts are not credited, but it is pretty easy to detect a Mark Waid flavor here, a Grant Morrison flavor there, and so on.

When I bought this, I thought it would bring me up to date on the DC universe, or multiverse, but it raised as many questions as it answered.
Profile Image for Ale.
276 reviews20 followers
March 10, 2019
This whole series was something refreshing in DC.

This book show the potential that the DC Universe has even without their Trinity appearing now and then. Steel kicking ass, Montoya growing stonger, Batwoman origin, Booster Gold being the true hero, Black Adam plot...



This era on DC was a whole experience.
Profile Image for Robbs.
87 reviews
April 27, 2023
[3.5/5]
This second part of event was better than the first in my opinion. I mean I liked some of it but not all of it. Morrison and John’s really went off the rails with this story as this shit was crazy. I’d like to say that I didn’t care for the Adam Strange/Starfire/Animal Man except for the when Strange starts breaking down in front of Starfire. The Booster Gold story was boring at the start but slowly got a little better after that. The Black Adam story was good except for the whole part with the Chinese Government. The Intergang stuff was a sleeper for me. The Renee Montoya and Question parts were really good but I think my favorite part of this book was John Henry Irons story as that felt the most clean to me. I mean this event was something alright, I don’t know if it’ll even peak top 20 for me but it was something.
Profile Image for Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library).
4,896 reviews87 followers
September 24, 2017
The Good: What this series did well in the previous volume, it continues to excel at here. Fabulous artwork; a convoluted plot; plenty of action...all in all, what I've come to expect from modern DC comics.

The Bad: Unfortunately, this also contains the same negative installments as its predecessor: excessive profanity, bloody scenes, scantily clad women, occasional sexual content, scary monsters and villains, etc. So, just like the first one, this is a mixed bag.

Conclusion: When I saw the hype surrounding this series, I knew I had to check it out. It had its great moments...and its not so great moments. So, like with many modern comics, I have to say: Proceed with caution.
Profile Image for Colin Post.
1,032 reviews4 followers
December 28, 2024
This is a comic event that’s given room to breathe, to tease out the human stories behind the cosmic madness. I liked some of the storylines more than others - in particular, Renee Montoya’s transformation into the Question was the beating heart - but it holds together for the most part.
Profile Image for Aidan.
433 reviews5 followers
Read
August 13, 2022
This tanked in the end for me. I really dug Black Adam’s story for so long, and it became needlessly gritty at the end there. A dying Isis telling Adam to forgo all her ideals because she got killed (a not unsurprising result in her line of work) makes the character seem ridiculously naive and short sighted, and presents a wildly cynical view of humanity and the world. As opposed to taking the more challenging route of seeing what would happen were Adam forced to continue to fight his base instincts, Adam screams a lot, punches hard for a few issues, and commits a genocide. The senseless murder of innocents, which is not dug into at all, over the loss of his family is ridiculous for a character shown previously to view himself as a protector of the weak. That plot lost all dramatic weight and ended in a storyless brawl, lacking character, focus, emotion, or stakes. Gone is Black Adam the character, enter Black Adam the plot point for our latest crossover, World War III!

The stories that were able to wrap up prior to this I quite liked. Renee completes her transformation and we say goodbye to Charlie in some of Greg Rucka’s most restrained yet poignant comic writing.

Kate and the Religion of Crime are set for a brand new status quo in Gotham’s underworld.

The space adventure was always more about the journey, and keeps the finale of reunions concise and emotional.

Booster Gold’s finale was weird? I liked aspects but was also kind of gobbledeegook. The reintroduction of the multiverse is cool, but the decision to have it come about from Mister Mind’s butterfly form just, I guess, opening its mouth (?) feels meaningless and lacks any sort of visually interesting representation. I also had to laugh at 2000s DC making the Atomic Knight’s universe contain these devilish spotted steeds for the Knights as opposed to the friendlier and funnier dalmatiens. Mister Mind’s transformation represents so well DCs flaw during this period of shying away from goofy fun and replacing it with tasteless corruptions of “grit” and “maturity” that add neither to the concept.
Profile Image for Blake Strother.
62 reviews1 follower
July 3, 2020
52 is just one of the best universe stories I have read in comics. I gave this four stars simply because I enjoyed the first half the series more than the second half of the series. In this volume, the story comes to end quite rapidly as several story lines end in rapid succession in the last few weeks the book covers. What I think makes the 52 powerful is that ultimately it is not a story about any particular hero but is more broadly a story about finding meaning in transition. 52 uses the medium of comics and popular heroes to tell an important story around meaning-making when everything we have known about our selves and the world is suddenly thrust into shambles. I recommend this for comic book readers and non-comic readers alike.
Profile Image for Adam Spanos.
637 reviews123 followers
March 23, 2017
It's a damned fine read which has definitely stood the test of time. Great characterisation, a plot which ranges from small-scale, emotional storytelling, to massive multiverse epic plots. It's one of the best things DC has ever made in its history, and I think it's 100% a must-read for ANY DC fan.
Profile Image for Richard Gray.
Author 2 books21 followers
January 17, 2021
For my thoughts on the first half of the series, and 52’s place in the DCU overall, please check out my review for 52, Book 1 here.

The second half of this saga, opening with issue #27 of the weekly <52, begins with the Spectre, Dr. Fate’s helmet and a time travelling duo. It’s hard to imagine anything more in my wheelhouse.

I don’t think the second six months of the series worked quite as well as the setup. If anything, it was hampered by too much story and ironically too little space to wrap up all the threads - but dammit if they didn’t give it a red-hot go.

Artistically, some of my favourite moments are the straight-up horror moments with Darrick Robertson on the pencils. Mind you, there was also a moment involving a crocodile and Osiris that I half-remembered and anticipated but was simultaneously blindsided by.

The other thing that I noticed reading this was how much it relied on ‘real-time’ storytelling, with real-world seasons playing out at the same time the issues were dropping. This is something you lose a little bit in the binge-friendly omnibus edition.

Still, Ralph Dibny and Booster’s arcs come to satisfying conclusions, and there’s some wild multiverse stuff here that floats by little boat. Would I recommend this as essential reading? Probably not, but if you’re invested in DCU comics of the era, this is great background reading to pull all the pieces together in the aftermath of Infinite Crisis and in the lead-up to Final Crisis.

NB: Read as part of my DC Crisis and Beyond Journey: #22
Profile Image for Hugo Emanuel.
387 reviews27 followers
September 9, 2022
I finally finished the much lauded 52 series by DC, and, much like the first volume, found it to be an odd amalgam of the different styles of these writers that did not quite mesh. In fact, this second volume was alot less interesting, and at times, a bit of a chore to read.

While most of the stories did close properly, some of the plot threads or build ups either led nowhere, or did not justify the focus on certain characters. But it is mostly a book with a proper ending, which was a relief, as it was starting to feel like certain plots would be left dangling.

Ultimelty, though, while not exactly a chore to read, I did not found it to be that compelling of a story (or stories), it's oddly paced, and, again, some of these writer's styles, ideas and approaches are too distinctly different to really properly work together, especially the threads that seemed to be written by Morrison. Such a creative force felt ampered by the need to adapt their style to whatever was required of them.

Overall, good effort in focusing on less known heroes and villains, but can't help feel cobbled together and frustratingly paced, at least it did to me.
Profile Image for Nat.
289 reviews7 followers
March 20, 2023
(A review of the digital edition of the last 26 issues of the comic’s run.)

I have mixed emotions about this latter half. A lot of the various character arcs and stories are resolved but they never really come together.

I think this is a pretty big failing of the entirety of 52. Of all the various narratives they don’t really intertwine. Black Adam is on a rampage an needs to be stopped, Ralph has found what he’s looking for, Renee has her answer, Steele nabs his villain, some travelers get home, and the Big Three are getting ready to return.

And then there’s Booster. The entirety of the run is answered in the last issue. It comes almost out of nowhere and is FULL of exposition. However, Booster’s purpose was an interesting take for the character.

Because of the weekly release schedule, many artists were used to meet the demands of publication. This led to some pretty erratic quality in the issues.

However, I would recommend this entire run to anyone who has a passing interest in C and D-list characters and what it looks like when they become to primary heroes of the universe. It was an ambitious project and may never be repeated this way again.
Profile Image for Daniel Sepúlveda.
846 reviews85 followers
February 22, 2021
Puntaje: 4.6 Estrellas.
Aquí algunos de mis comentarios:

- Sin duda mi historia favorita de todas las que 52 nos brinda es la historia de Black Adam. Un personaje inmensamente poderoso que no se rige bajo los mismos estándares morales de los demás.
- Me gusta el choque generacional que hay entre la JSA y los nuevos metahumanos de Luthor, se ve como DC está dejando claro desde hace un par de años que la situación metahumana en la tierra esta fuera de control.
- Las trama de Booster Gold me gustó también, lastimosamente en el segundo volúmen este personaje no tiene mucho protagonismo.
- Las historias de los villanos en la isla y de los héroes en el espacio están entre mis menos favoritas.
- La historia de Plastic Man con el casco de Dr Fate está en un gran “Me da igual”.
- La trama de la World War III está bien intrigante y será lo próximo que lea de DC.
- El final tiene la típica escena de final feliz de DC, con todos los héroes reunidos una vez más.

También nos da una idea de que es lo que vamos a ver en los años siguientes en la cronología de DC Comics.
Profile Image for Jon.
22 reviews
November 16, 2017
I've been reading a lot of comic books lately. I read volume one and two over the course of 4 days. It's ridiculous popcorn entertainment that birders on hokey soap opera baloney. The whole multiversity is interesting conceptually but ultimately feels convoluted and contrived. Where is there a sense of immediacy of a million other planets similar to my own? I don't see it. It mostly feels like a desperate attempt to bring back old characters in a new framework. Feels weak.
The story overall is a lot of fun though. Bright and dark. Adventure and space travel. Drama and cornball humor. This was a really great example of why comic books are still a great format for story telling. Just don't treat the audience like they are stupid with this whole multiversity/omniverse horse poop.
Profile Image for Casper.
130 reviews2 followers
November 21, 2019
What a phenomenal finish to the many, many mysteries. This book is a miracle. A brilliant, but incredibly difficult idea that came together perfectly.

Consistency is the greatest achievement of 52. I wasn't ever not on the edge of my seat waiting to read further, ask more questions and hopefully get some answers. The finale was perfect, it left me completely satisfied.

I love that this story introduced me to so many great characters, that I wouldn't otherwise have known.

Definitely a great piece of DC history that anyone who likes the DC universe should read.
Profile Image for LordSlaw.
553 reviews
July 25, 2019
Fabulous artwork, engaging stories wrap up the monumental achievement that is 52. The ending was perhaps a bit convoluted, and I'm always a bit baffled by multiverse time-travel stuff (in this case I'm probably not helped by the fact that I'm not super-familiar with the DC universe), but I gotta say I found this to be an entertaining and enjoyable conclusion to a massive saga. Good stuff.
Profile Image for Jennifer Sigman.
419 reviews23 followers
March 14, 2022
Ugh.

We tick all the misogyny in comics boxes here - woman fridged for man-pain, non-consensual pregnancy horror, man mad that he sees a vision of his wife moving on with her life after he's been declared dead, and finally a barely pubescent boy gushing about a woman's breasts while she's passed out on his porch.

At this point, I regret reading any of this.
Profile Image for Jake.
320 reviews1 follower
September 5, 2018
Hmm... well, there were some storylines that I liked, and others that were kinda meh, and in the end, I guess it wrapped up alright, if not being a little confusing. Definitely an ambitious project. Just not maybe the most compelling story.
29 reviews
January 12, 2020
Not a satisfying conclusion

I really enjoyed the diversity of characters in this series, but the problem is once you tell a story like this with so many threads, it's hard to remember what's happened, even when you're reading several chapters at once.
Profile Image for Tory Thai.
865 reviews6 followers
July 13, 2020
I couldn't wait for this book to end.

I found this series to be a silly way to explain the universe resetting event.

I did enjoy seeing the conclusion of some story lines with Black Adam but overall i found this to be an incredibly skippable lifeless series.
48 reviews
July 24, 2020
52 part 2

This is the best graphic novel I have seen since batman year 1. The story line is impressive the writing is capital and the graphics are second to 9 I highly recommend us as a read .
Profile Image for Celina.
1,547 reviews68 followers
January 18, 2021
Shit was crazy, and the fight pictures were wow. Gruesome and intense. Black Adam, boy was he pissed. Nasty beast.

Now I just need a female version of Black Adam so that I can fall in love. I am a woman's person.
4 reviews
July 9, 2021
Fun and complicated

Any DC fan would enjoy this wild ride put together seamlessly by four master authors and great artists under the direction of Keith Griffin who subtly creates different frames for each of the major characters.
2 reviews
November 30, 2019
Great book.

This was a build up to a new multiverse. It took the three crisis stories that it made it to one universe and rewound it to the beginning.
2 reviews
January 4, 2020
Marvelous

Don't even think about passing this up. Read cover to cover as fast as I could. Definitely worth the meagre price.
Profile Image for Johnnie Bats.
43 reviews
April 11, 2020
Absolutely excellent. The last two issues felt rushed but altogether, very very good.
2 reviews
April 24, 2020
All over the place

Exposition that didn't reveal the true plot and left more to be figured out.
Story line was all over the place.
665 reviews
July 13, 2020
52 - WOW!

I just finished 52 vol 2 and wow! It started off slow since I didn't read Infinite Crisis, but finish strong.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.