The 52 Omnibus

52 #1-4

by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka

After Infinite Crisis, the DC Universe had its most eventful year ever. It was a year without Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman...but not a year without heroes This massive hardcover collects the entire year-long run of the weekly series 52!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

1216 pages, Hardcover

First published November 27, 2012

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

52 Omnibus collects all 52 issues of 52, a weekly miniseries DC did in 2006-2007.

Event comics: you hate them, right? 52 spun out of Infinite Crisis, where Superboy died and the multiverse was reborn. The idea behind 52 was a year without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, but not a year without heroes.

Would DC really go a year without publishing 100 Batman comics? Shit, no! All the mainline books jumped a year so DC got to have its cake and eat it too. Anyway, I was dating a girl who was into comics at the time and she got me to get back into reading them. I sampled a few but 52 was the one I latched on to.

DC picked an interesting cast to elevate into headliners. Elongated Man is mourning his wife after the events of Identity Crisis. Adam Strange, Starfire, and Animal Man are stranded in deep space. The Question has recruited Renee Montoya for a quest unknown. Black Adam finds love and a family. Booster Gold struggles to fill Superman's shoes and still make a quick buck. Someone is kidnapping mad scientists and Will Magnus wonders who it is. Alan Scott has joined Checkmate. Nightwing is protecting Gotham while Batman finds himself and meets the new Batwoman. Lex Luthor is giving people super powers and John Henry Irons doesn't like it one bit. I think that's everybody.

While my enjoyment is slightly tainted on this reread since I know most of the main characters haven't done much since Flashpoint apart from Black Adam. Still, 52 is a wild ride and it's crazy that it all came together like it did. Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Keith Giffen crafted the stories and Giffen's layouts kept the ship running on time. There were easily 40 artists working on this but Keith Giffen's layouts more or less gave the series a unified feel, as did J.G. Jones' covers.

The various plot threads intersect and entangle at various points, usually involving Intergang or Nanda Parbat, although the Adam Strange/Starfire/Animal Man plot doesn't hit any of the other threads unless I've already forgotten. So much is packed into this book: Elongated Man having adventures with Dr. Fate's helmet as a guide; Black Adam finding a family and losing it; Booster Gold finally making good but not being able to tell anyone; Renee Montoya finding a new life; Animal Man and company having cosmic adventures with Lobo; Will Magnus doing something interesting for a change.

I don't remember which thread was my favorite last time I read this. This time, it has to be The Question and Renee Montoya, although I love Will Magnus getting caught up in the doings on Oolong Island. An island of mad scientists would make an awesome humor comic if comics were still allowed to be fun. The Booster/Rip Hunter/Supernova storyline was also well done. Thanks to the magic of aging, I forgot at least 75% of this so it was like reading it for the first time during great whacks of the book.

52 stars. Available with a substantial discount instocktrades.com

[Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic tale woven of wondrous threads spanning the multiverse, its ultimately about mystery and truth, identity, morality, and fighting evil at any cost. A must-read for DC continuity.

What’s it about? The void left by the absence of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Ralph Dibny’s quest to resurrect his wife Sue. Renee Montoya’s self-realization and healing through friendship with The Question. The rise and fall of the Black Marvel Family in Kahndaq. Lex Luthor’s creation of Infinity, Inc. to replace the Justice League. Booster Gold’s time travel mystery. Starfire, Adam Strange, and Animal Man stranded on the edge of the galaxy. Plus more!

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best weekly series from DC of all time.

World: The art is generally consistent and good, there are issues now and then that look out of place but overall it's solid. The world building is absolutely fantastic and meticulous. Following the events of Infinite Crisis we find the DC universe changed and this story is about that change, and not only that it's about the DC universe without the Trinity for a year and how it plays out. The world is interesting, the scope is huge, the characters from all across the DC universe, it's amazing.

Story: Wow, okay how do I start without spoiling anything. First the writers for this series, all amazing all in the A game and all taking a piece of the DC universe to play with and then thrown together. 52 is like Jazz, you have no idea what's happening and you don't know how it works together until you do and you appreciate the beautiful chaos that is happening and with this group of writers you get that. The idea of a weekly series without the Trinity is insane and ballsy and this is exactly what we get here, it's executed well with each issue making you want to read the next, the mulitple storylines intertwine and you as a reader don't know where it's all going until the end. It's great. The long length of the series also lends itself for so much character development which amazes. I'm running out of adjectives. I'll stop with the spoilers and I honestly don't think I can express this series unless we sit down and have a pint, but the best things to come out of this series are 1) The Question Rene Montoya 2) Booster Gold / Rip Hunter 3) Batwoman and 4) Black Adam these four pieces really make this series so amazing and worthwhile and their journey is insane. That last 7 issues! Holy wow!

Characters: So many characters where do I start without spoiling anything. This is a slow boil and it's great cause they have 52 issues to develop characters and stories giving so much breathing room for normallly quick action books. Booster is given so much more depth, and oh my God with Rene. Then there's Will Magnus, Black Adam...and the list goes on but I don't want to talk about it. The idea with no Trinity in the title really was great cause it allows the rest of the DC universe to shine and strut it's stuff and with the characters that are on display here the DC universe is pretty fucking fantastic.

I would not have expected a series like this to be so amazing. How can a series without the Trinity be something of substance, how can we care about these characters that normally are just meh. Yes it's not perfect, there are some pacing issues and knowledge of the DC universe does help a lot and there are some ridiculous plot lines (Space stuff) that just does'nt quite work but wow the stuff that hits is amazing.

Onward to the next book!

[OmniBen · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 2.25/5
Jesus tap dancing Christ, I'm pretty sure I'm done with DC event/ensemble books. Or at least ones written this century anyway. Having recently read (or suffered as much as I could handle) of Morrison's JLA, and the deacon of sexual deconstruction, Tom Taylor's Injustice omnibus, my faith in modern DC's event/ensemble books was seriously lacking. But I had this book sitting on the shelf since paying a somewhat hefty price almost two years ago, long before the reprint was announced (BTW, fuck DC for trying to start $175 omni's with this reprint). Just the named writing talent alone was enough to get me to shell out some serious cheddar, as well as inflate those failing hopes. Well, as you can probably tell from the score above, this book didn't restore my faith in DC events, it obliterated whatever was left.
If Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid (who is a scumbag) 's names weren't on this book... it would still be shit, but my expectations would have been more in line with New52 era writing talent levels, and I'd have known not to buy it. But you've got some of the best, more recent writers DC have been able to cobble together, and what did they come up with? A flat, horrid mess of a story, that drew me in about as much as a stranger in a dark van offering asparagus to passing children instead of chocolate. This book was chock full of characters I didn't give a toss about, stories I couldn't have invested myself in if I tried, and written with about as much passion and panache as Amber Heard has for truth, and honouring donations to charities. In short, SFA.
What you get here is 52 issues, released weekly, chronicling the (mis) adventures of a string of B,C and D list characters, written by supposedly Supposedly A list writers, putting in an E grade effort. The art was almost always really good to great, although god help the person who has to count the artists that got a credit on this book. pencillers alone might be close to 20 in 52 issues. Again, the art was almost always really good, and the styles were 'fairly' similar, but... I probably shouldn't complain about this, the art was by far and away the least of this books crimes. This makes me never want to read the aforementioned writers again, and I've loved all of these writers at some point, except for Mark Waid, who I haven't read anything of before, re: scumbag. Johns' best work I own and am yet to read, but Rucka and Morrison have been outstanding elsewhere. None of the writers should look back on this with anything other than shame and regret. I got over 3/4 of the way through and jacked it in. I just couldn't do it anymore. I flicked through the remaining pages and felt nothing. Nothing! Apart from being glad it was over that is. This was a sloppily cobbled together, uninteresting waste of wonderful tree's, and I never want to think about it again.
If you're someone who just likes page after page of poorly established action, weak or non existent characterisation and utterly stupid comic book tropes, then you might just have a good time here. For all those who actually value the craft of writing, clever plotting, meaningful dialogue and interesting and engaging characters, turn and walk in the opposite direction, cause there's nothing to see here. 2.25/5 (mostly for the art)


OmniBen.

[Siona Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting look at DC's B, C, and even D list heroes (I'd never heard of Offspring before outside of Multiversity, and I didn't know he was a pre-existing character outside of that. You could probably even call him a K list hero lol), and how they pick up the slack when Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman are no longer around.

There were many different plotlines in this omnibus, my favorite of which was (predictably) the Renee Montoya/The Question one. I really just love the Question and what the mantle represents (I don't have a particular favorite between Renee or Vic, they're both cool to me). I liked how Batwoman and the Religion of Crime (which is such a cool idea to me, I wish I could real O'Neils and the early 2000s runs of the Question) were intermixed with the plot.

The Black Adam plot line fluctuated for me. The introduction of Isis and Osiris were cool, and Sobek the talking crocodile too. But the conclusion wasn't really for me. There was never any redemption for Black Adam, which wasn't very satisfying.

The Booster Gold plot was.... something. The ending was not anything like I thought it would be, and definitely can only be something from the mind of Grant Morrison. I wrote in one of my first updates that I could see how Morrison could lose me quickly with this omni, but it wasn't until the end that he really did. I just don't get the point, I guess? I was not necessary to me.

The only other plot line that I found really interesting was the Ralph Dibney/Dr Fate plot line until the fake out ending. It was really just... not what I wanted, but it made sense in terms of the story I suppose. The other plot lines were okay, particularly the Steel one, the rest where just a little boring for me.

So, if I'm being honest, I'll probably always think of this as The Question and Friends omnibus, because that was the main reason I picked this up (to read a book prominently featuring the Question). But there are so many different things going on in this book, I think there is something for everyone here.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Infinite Crisis changed everything. In the wake of that universe-altering event, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman take a year off to re-assess their roles as heroes. This weekly series looks at the year in the DC universe without this Trinity, and focuses on the B and C-level heroes that step-up to the plate.

I thought this was a great idea, and shows that you don't always have to feature the big famous heroes to tell solid stories. Here the stars of the show are:

*John Henry Irons aka Steel, and his a growing feud with Lex Luthor, who is becoming a dangerous influence on his niece Natasha

*The always awesome Renee Montoya, who is struggling to cope with her losses since the events of Gotham Central Omnibus, and finds a friend in the detective, The Question

*Booster Gold (one of the best characters) who must find a way to move beyond his showboating ways and become a true hero

*Adam Strange, Starfire, and Animal Man, who are lost in deep space since Infinite Crisis, and find themselves in an epic galactic adventure to find their way back to Earth

All of these stories begin to converge in unexpected ways, until climactic events further change the DC Universe.

Written as a collaboration between four superstar comics writers and with its weekly release, I'm extremely surprised this worked as well as it did. The first half was absorbing and entertaining and the writing is pretty consistent given the varying styles. But it doesn't last all the way through as the stories start to fly off the rails a bit and it gets pretty messy and a little boring. But I'm a fan of Renee Montoya and I loved the characters of Booster Gold and Animal Man and I would love to read more books continuing their stories.

This is definitely worth a read if you're a DC Comics fan but as usual with events like this, prior knowledge of many other stories is important. For this, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with Identity Crisis, The Omac Project, Geoff Johns's JSA series (JSA: Omnibus, Vol 1), and of course Absolute Infinite Crisis.

[Eloi Batalla · Rating 5 out of 5]

La meitat de les 52 entregues han estat llegides durant les classes 👌

[Koen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story after the big finale of Infinite Crisis.. 52 weeks without Supes, the Bat and Wonder Woman.. And what a ride it was!
A full year with some major events concerning a lot of the other superheroes out there.. Animal man, Kory and Adam Strange looking for their way home and Elongated Man, Ralph, looking for his wife Sue... Also Booster and Skeets looking for what is happening to time itself..
Next you had Lex with his Everyman project and also the events concerning the Black Marvel Family.. Oeh, I almost forgot about Montoya and Question man!

As you can see: many, many things happening througout the world (universe) in these 52 weeks, and it's action packed, fun, there's drama, there's tragedy, comedy, love,... everything you could expect! And all the stories perfectly woven together.
I've ravished through this tome like a madmen, to get to those final pages and find out how everything develops... And what a turn of events it was! But no worries, no spoilers from me :)

I'm now looking for anything that was missing/wrong/felt awry.. But I can't compel myself to write any bad words on this.. Nothing was amiss - this was one of the most entertaining and compelling comic book stories of the past decade and it's a must read for all DC/comic fans.. (Preferably if you've just read Infinite Crisis of course ;))

[Arthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unless you're a diehard fan it's totally not worth the read

[Xavier Hugonet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seventh part of my re-reading of the DC crisis events in order : 52 (2006-2007).

After the events of Infinite Crisis, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman took a year long leave of absence. The Flashes were nowhere to be seen. This year has been chronicled in real time in the weekly series 52 and, this was way more interesting than the « One Year Later » titles coming out at the same time.

Without the heavy hitters, secondary characters get a chance to shine. Most memorable are The Question, Renee Montoya, Booster Gold, Steel, the Black Adam family, Adam Strange, Starfire and Animal Man (stranded in space), Will Magnus... The latest incarnation of Batwoman makes her debut here.

The Infinite Crisis has solved nothing. A vanished Rip Hunter has noticed that time is broken. So does Booster Gold. And, for once, a lot of « new Earth »’s denizen are aware that, if Armageddon has been averted, their world isn’t exactly what it used to be.

This format experiment will be repeated immediately later, and later on, in spite of the load on creatives and editors, for the critically acclaimed Batman Eternal. However, 52 remains, in my opinion, the best weekly series released by DC to date. Encompassing the whole universe, it weaves a complex tapestry of plots and characters, humor, drama, psychology, in a whole serving a greater purpose, with meaningful changes.

As with the Death of Superman and Knightfall earlier, it elevated Infinite Crisis (and, later, Final Crisis) into an event that really mattered, and not just gimmicky crossovers.

This leads directly into another weekly series, Countdown to Final Crisis (2007-2008).

[A E]

wow. this was damn impressive

I went into this thinking that I absolutely love the idea - a weekly comic occurring in real time - but I worried that the idea might be all the book had going for it. and I was an idiot for that, my expectations were completely blown out of the water

I thought it might feel disconnected with so many storylines, but instead the world just feels expansive, intertwined, and realized in a way that I never really get even from big crisis stories.
I found this series super engaging. it did a great job getting me invested into characters I haven’t read much of before, like Black Adam and the Elongated Man

there was mystery and intrigue, strong relationships with real feeling, and satisfying endings and beginnings.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several rotating story arcs happening at the same time over 52 weeks, written by 4 (very talented) writers and drawn by a ton of artists. I've finally read 52 and my opinion is: it's pretty good.

It's the kind of story that's a little daunting to me, because I don't know the DC universe that well outside of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, and the three of them aren't in this. (Well, they are, but hardly).

I liked some of the story lines a lot more than other. My favourite easily being Renee Montoya's journey to becoming the new Question. The Black Adam story line is also pretty good. But there are other's that I just didn't feel invested in at all, like the Infinity Inc plot line and the Booster Gold story.

I'd also like to know which writer wrote which bits. Not that it really matters, and it was probably a very collaborative process. I'm just curious to see what Waid or Rucka brought to the story, and if my guesses to what they did bring are right or wrong.

[JT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertainment Weekly said it best "As addictive as any good TV series."

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un'opera decisamente ambiziosa e nel complesso, riuscita.
Per 52 settimane la DC ha pubblicato questo settimanale in cui descrive la storia del suo universo dopo Crisi Infinita, un anno senza Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman.
Questa è una storia corale, e già questo per me è molto positivo. Segue le vicende di diversi personaggi minori, tra cui Elongated, Steel, Animal man, Adam Strange, Question, Black Adam, Booster Gold e Rip Hunter. Assistiamo alla sconfitta di nemici come l'Intergang, Lex Luthor, Sivana, Mister Mind, Necron. Assistiamo alla follia omicida di Black Adam e agli sforzi, inutili fino a un certo punto, per fermarlo.
Le storie sono portate avanti in parallelo, si intersecano, sono in continuity nel miglior modo Marvel (anche se è un'opra DC) e le uniche pecche, per me, sono due. Una è oggettiva e riguarda i disegni, e non poteva essere diversamente. Nonostante i layouts di Keith Giffen, disegnatori e inchiostratori diversi si alternano di continuo, dando una disomogeneità dal punto di vista grafico. Non si poteva fare altrimenti, il risultato però non è ottimale, ma poco più che sufficiente.
La seconda è puramente soggettiva: tra i personaggi di questa storia corale io avrei inserito anche altri che da sempre mi piacciono maggiormente, in primis Martian Manhunter, ma anche i Sea Devils. Comunque ci sono Rip Hunter e Adam Strange, e questo è positivo.
Sarebbero più tre stelle e mezza che 4, ma tant'è.

[Randy Lander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Post Identity Crisis I was pretty done with DC. But as things move forward and their books become more and more dark and uninteresting to me, I revisit the older works and find the stuff I didn’t like more palatable by comparison. Maybe in five years or so I’ll find the hidden gems of Rebirth and New 52.

At the time I read this, I was annoyed at the casual killing off of perfectly good characters, but even at the time I loved some of the stories here. The battle for Nat’s soul between Steel and Luthor, the friendship/mentor relationship between The Question and Montoya, the weirdness of Oolong Island and the space fellowship that included a blind Adam Strange and a pacifist Lobo, a focus on Booster Gold, some solid mysteries... it’s a good read, even if some stories (the Lady Styx story, whatever the hell that Mr Mind thing was at the end) don’t quite satisfy.

The art breakdowns are consistent thanks to Giffen but the guest finishers and obvious time pressures do mean that some art is stronger than others. Still, kudos to everyone for actually managing an on-time weekly book that delivered weekly reasons to keep reading and a satisfying story when collected years later.

On balance, I’d probably give this three and a half stars, but when considering whether to round up or down, there’s just enough that doesn’t work for me to call this good rather than great.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leído de los cuatro tomos de Sagas DC de Salvat. Me gustaría releerlo en inglés algún día pero no creo que pase en estos años. Por lo pronto, redondeo el puntaje promedio que suman los cuatro tomos, aunque para el final estaba menos enganchado que al principio.

[MannyLikesPie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it alot! Had a lot of really cool twists and turns, loved all the references towards the end. I wonder what happens next? Hmmm

[TheMadReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a let down. Wasted 5 hours of my life on this brick. All of these “Elite” writers and this was the best they could come up with? If you care for Booster, this is for you. Otherwise, stay away.

No character development. At the end of every issue, never cared for what happens next. Not once. Absolute waste of trees.

[Adam Bender · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a unique DC Comics series in that it highlights some of the more minor comic characters like Booster Gold, Steel and the Question. It was great seeing these characters shine without the big three (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman) overshadowing them.

It's also quite impressive that the four writers on this book (Johns, Morrison, Rucka and Waid) pulled this off. Somewhat like a soap opera, 52 weaves several individual storylines together into a year-long weekly series. The stories are mostly separate but interconnect in places. The writers make this work and they should be commended for that.

That said, 52 comics is quite a lot. Simple this story is not. I enjoyed the ride, but if you asked me what it was about, I'll be damned if I could give you a good answer. Superheroes fighting supervillains across time and space, I guess.

I'd say it's worth the journey if you're an avid DC Comics fan who gets a kick out of the history. You'll really like it if you can follow all that multiverse gobbledygook DC Comics writers like to have their characters spout as if it makes perfect sense.

Probably not a good introduction to comics, though.

I should say something about the art. It's serviceable. Nothing looks bad, but I was rarely wowed. There were a bunch of artists involved and understandably they went for a safe, consistent look.

Again, super impressed the writers and artist of DC pulled this off. But I have to say I'm relieved to be finished.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best DC stories of all time.
While not focusing on our main heroes of the DC universe, this is a great introduction to some of the more obscure characters of my favorite universe of all time, such as Animal Man, Booster Gold, the Question, and many many many others. I'm not a huge fan of Infinite Crisis, which kicked off this storyline, but the authors of this storyline handle those events well and use it to their advantage.
This is a super collaborative story between the head writers Rucka, Waid, Morrison, and Johns, but you can definitely feel who came up with what. That's not a negative quality of the book, it more just speaks to the tropes and stylings of these writers that define who wrote what. Rucka is huge on the detective aspect of the DCU, Waid's in love with the classic superheroics, Johns's love for the space aspect of the DCU, and Morrison's weird and quirky tropes. Everything about Morrison's work is strange and against the norm, I find it to be a David Lynch like quality if I'm being honest.
The story is able to blend these aspects together in a way that makes sense, such as Elongated Man's journey through the magic side of the DCU to revive his wife, Adam Strange and crew's journey back to Earth, the Question and Montoya's world travelling arc, Booster Gold's time travelling shenanigans, mad scientist's disappearing, the and the Black Adam family's rise to power in Khandaq. It all works really well, and I'm able to see why these writers shone a light on these particular protagonists.
Some of these stories are more interesting than others. I wasn't a huge fan of the mad scientist's side story. It could've been more fun and really grabbed me, but I think it was too Morrison for my tastes. As much as I think Morrison has written some of the greatest comics of all time, they've also written some of my personal least favorite. There's a really mean quality to their writing that I don't think other readers pick up on as much for some reason. Even All-Star Superman has this mean writing in there, sometimes I just feel this bitterness in the writing that doesn't always blend well to my tastes.
Thank God Johns is prevented from writing this all by himself. I think Johns has some good stories in him, but a lot of the times he writes things that's too on the nose. I literally can't read the Green Lantern run because every line reads like he's trying to create this really impactful quote, but when every line is supposed to sound important they all come across as really cheesey and dumb. Here, that's toned down a lot, but there's a line Raven says at one point in the book that is painfully melodramatic that I couldn't help but roll my eyes at.
Of the four writers, Waid and Rucka by far are my favorite. Rucka's great at writing female protagonists that are strong and not oversexualized, which is more than I can say for the mad scientist arc that had too many Morrison qualities. Renee Montoya returns from the excellent Gotham Central book from a few years earlier. I think setting her up as the new Question's such an awesome idea, especially for being ahead of the curve by creating a lesbian superhero before pretty much any other mainstream superhero book ever did. And we're not talking about just ONE lesbian superhero, which would be groundbreaking enough, but TWO. I just know for a fact Rucka's behind that idea, because of how strong his female leads end up being.
Waid's there to keep the history of the DC universe intact, the most editorial of these writers in my opinion. Booster Gold's story feels like something that Waid would totally be into as a superfan of the DC history. I'm about 90% sure he's also behind the Black Adam family as a contrast to the Captain Marvel/Shazam family. Waid's respect for the super families is something he definitely would want to expand, even if Black Adam's family is a brief setup with a tragic payoff.
Some of these stories don't change enough of the universe as much as I'd like them to. Ralph Dibney and Charlie Sage's deaths are great payoff to their respective stories. To my knowledge, neither of these characters have come back in the mainline universe, which I really respect DC for actually honoring even almost 20 years later. I almost wish Skeets hadn't made it by the end and Booster would've been stuck on his own for a while, even if eventually he would've been brought back as superhero comics tend to do.
Black Adam's family also should've stuck around in my opinion. I get that the death of Isis is the catalyst to the Adam's conclusion in the story, but I would've loved to see Isis' change of heart BEFORE her final breath, seeing Black Adam's ways of vengeance and mercilessness. It would've been a cool character arc and now you have a few more Shazam villains to use for future reference.
Osiris death was good though, I think that was a necessary inclusion to the story, at least far more than Isis. Its a connecting piece between why the mad scientists arc is included and its a good motive for Isis and Black Adam.
Moving over to some of the other stories here, I did like the inclusion of the new Infinity Inc and Luthor's maniacal plans behind it. Its awesome to see a Luthor without Superman involved, he still would've been evil with or without Supes and I think that's a really cool inclusion to the story. Natasha and John Henry Irons drama with each other wasn't as interesting to me, but it didn't hurt the book much. By the end, to see the rest of Infinity Inc. cower to the real responsibilities to superherodom was a great payoff.
Starfire, Adam Strange, and Animal Man's journey through space was great as well. I liked to see the dynamic there, and I'm always game to see Lobo hanging out in the universe. Especially as a religious figure, its probably the most unexpected thing for Lobo to do but it's perfect. Wish we'd seen more of him and gotten a pacifist Lobo for a few more years. Either way, it was fun while it lasted.
That's really all I have to say here. Really great run, enjoyed about 99% of the story as daunting as it was to read the entire omnibus. I recommend any DC fan read it, especially those looking to get out of just the Justice League and Teen Titans stories to see a more complete DC universe.

[Dean Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only weekly series DC did that was actually good. Countdown was terrible & Trinity was boring. Brightest Day was okay but it was bi-weekly. This has a whole cast of great writers writing different plot lines that cross over. This focuses on a lot of lesser known characters as the main stars. The Black Adam, The Question/Montoya/Batwoman, and Evil Scientists storylines were my favorite. Ralph Dibney's was really good also. It was full of references to DC History but I think a new reader could read it and understand it.

[Joakim Ax · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Follow up to the events of Infinite Crisis. With The Trinity taking their time to reinvent themselfs. Giving space for old, new and familiar faces to step forward and reach for a higher destiny. Booster Gold, Renee Montoya and Black Adam and so many more taking the stage and trying to make the leap to the next year a year that managed wiithout batman, Superman and Wonder-woman!

[La Revistería Comics · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tomotorotazo con los cincuenta y dos 52 en una edición tan inmanejable como insuperable. Lo mejor de los personajes segundarios, terciarios y hasta cuaternarios del viejo universo DC en un solo, bello e insuperable integral.

[Benji's Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story and art varied on this one, with all the different writers, but it was nice to see all the stories come together eventually. It was also really nice to get to know the not-so-big characters. I've wanted to learn more about Booster Gold, so this book really helps with that.

[Nolan Gutenschwager · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars. This was an incredible read and a great follow-up to Infinite Crisis. Johns, Morrison, Rucka, and Waid is an all-star lineup and there is great art throughout. I love that this focuses on so many lesser known characters with different arcs that largely come together at the end.

There is the great story about the Question Vic Sage passing the mantle on to Renee Montoya as she battles her personal struggles. Vic struggling and dying of cancer also gives this more emotional weight. This also gives us Batwoman action and some Nightwing with Batman being MIA trying to find himself all over the world. Black Adam is going to rule Kahndaq aggressively but eases up when Adrianna says he can be more of a hopeful figure, and ultimately BA gives her and her injured brother Amon his powers as they become Isis and Osiris. They are much more forces for good than BA and I like the dynamic with the three of them. Osiris inadvertently kills someone since they were set up by Amanda Waller and the public really turns on the Black Marvel Family. Osiris also befriended this crocodile Sobek who turns on him and kills him. A big battle ensues and Isis ends up dying too. BA goes on a total tear and almost starts another world war and it takes basically every hero to stop him. Great stuff with their evolving story and they cross paths with Vic and Renee several times.

Luthor starts giving people super powers and John Henry Irons knows he's up to no good, but Natasha Irons ends up signing up for the powers anyways. It was frustrating how bratty she was by ignoring John and shocker, Lex was up to no good. So Lex has his Infinity Inc. saving the day but it is all a farce and he can turn off people's powers when he wants, many of these kids die. Eventually Natasha comes to her senses and her and John stop Lex.

Ralph Dibny is still struggling after the death of Sue and he is on a quest to see if he can bring her back. At some point Cassie (Wonder Girl) is involved in some sham cult and they say they can help Ralph bring Sue back. Cassie is basically struggling after the death of Superboy in Infinite Crisis. Ralph kind of goes all over and ends up being alongside Doctor Fate's helmet. Turns out Ralph knew what was up a long time ago and how Felix Faust was posing as Nabu. Neron shows up and Ralph cleverly gets the two of them trapped in the Tower of Fate and seemingly dies, but he might be able to be with Sue now.

There is a whole outer space story going on with Animal Man, Starfire, and Adam Strange lost and trying to find a way back home, and they have to work with Lobo for a good chunk of the time (who himself is strange because he has vowed peace in some weird religious gimmick he is doing, obviously that does not last). This actually got me really invested in Animal Man, especially with his wife and kids being back home hoping for his return. Was great to see them come back successfully.

There is also this story with a bunch of mad scientists on Oolong Island including Sivana, Will Magnus, T.O. Morrow, Veronica Cale, and others. They are all caught up in some evil scheme making weapons but Magnus is cleverly rebuilding the Metal Men so he can put an end to this, it all kind of converges with Black Adam pulling up to their operation in a not-so-friendly mood.

The last main plot going on is Booster Gold, Skeets, and Rip Hunter. This was a great showcase for Booster Gold. He is constantly appearing as selfish and just chasing the fame and sponsorships. This new hero Supernova showed up in Metropolis and is getting the positive press. Ultimately it was this complex situation where Booster faked his death and time traveled to be Supernova, all with the help of Rip Hunter, because Skeets was hijacked by Mister Mind and was ultimately going to destroy the entire universe. And this is where the whole 52 thing comes in to play as it is revealed there are now 52 universes after the events of IC. It is all pretty crazy but comes together so nicely at the end, and Booster ends up very heroic. Also one of his ancestors plays a big role here and there is a nice time traveling situation where Booster gets to interact with Ted Kord again (who is dead now because of IC).

Yeah, many different plots going on and they all seemed unrelated until they mostly converged at the very end. Just an excellent read through and through with so many characters getting a much deserved spotlight.

[Justin Munday · Rating 4 out of 5]

As what has to be one of the most ambitious undertakings in the history of the medium, 52 succeeds on nearly every front. Four of DC's best writers alongside some of the industry's best veteran artists, colorists and editorial staff to deliver an engaging and multifaceted long-form story that is an absolute blast to behold.

Taking place immediately after his decade-defining event, Geoff Johns (Infinite Crisis, Green Lantern, JSA, etc.) teamed up with the infamous Grant Morrison (Seven Soldiers, Animal Man, All-Star Superman, etc.), as well as Greg Rucka (Gotham Central, Wonder Woman, The Question) and Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, Legion of Superheroes, JLA) created a 52 issue weekly series with a lineup focusing on what primarily comprises of B and C list DC heroes. In the gap year between Infinite Crisis and One Year Later, the Trinity goes AWOL. Superman has lost his powers after flying through a red sun to stop an unstoppable kryptonian foe; Bruce Wayne retraces the steps he took to become Batman in order to to rediscover what made him don the cowl all those years ago; and Wonder Woman travels to re-center herself after committing a murder that, while necessary, may have been avoidable. This year without the word's finest after a devastating multiversal conflict has left some unlikely characters picking up the pieces; characters like Renee Montoya and the Question, Teth-Adam (aka Black Adam), Steel, Ralph Dibny (aka Elongated Man), Booster Gold, and the unlikely trio of Adam Strange, Animal Man and Starfire. Even, apparently, the former President of the United States himself, Lex Luthor.

Because of the roundtable, television series-style of writing this series, every one of the multiple storylines is compelling and enjoyable (albeit some more than others). The space-faring journey of Strange, Animal Man and Starfire is a true Morrison-styled treat, packed with influence from the silver age of comics. The paranormal detective journey of Ralph Dibny, while admittedly a tad confusing at times, is full of twists and turns that only the best in comics can deliver. Rucka's work on Montoya's character is a brilliant fusion of murky neo-noir and superhero spectacle. Booster Gold is the Michael Scott of the comic book world, and it's hard not to love the train wreck that he is, and also to watch him redeem himself time and time again. Black Adam's character development makes what was already a fan favorite even more of a joy to watch. If there was a weakest story, it would likely be the Steel story set against Lex Luthor and his "Infinity Inc.," and this is likely due to its relatively familiar type of superhero storytelling. Even here however, the storytelling is top notch for the genre, and it stays entertaining enough to be satisfying. Every one of the stories interweaves with one another by the end (save for one, but no spoilers).

The art maintains the kind of style that could be readily expected by modern superhero comic fans, while still changing it up stylistically just enough to keep stories separate and be a fine showcase of DC talent. Keith Giffen does layouts, while pencillers like Eddy Barrows, Joe Bennett, Phil Jimenez, Dan Jurgens, Joe Prado, Darick Robertson, and a slew of others give the stories form. Each and every one of them is a treat to the stories they illustrate.

52 is a top notch example of long-form event-type mainstream comic book storytelling. It's never boring or overly-complex, and it's pacing and transitions from plot point to plot point are near immaculate. Does it slow down a bit at points? Sure. Are some stories stronger than others? Indeed. These are minor nitpicks in what is otherwise a fantastic read.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set during the events right after Infinite Crisis, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are no more. Well, not no more, they just not around to lead the world of superheroes. That means others have to step up and save it, but are they worthy?

This was a 52 week event, meaning ever week for a year, a issue came out. It was actually pretty smart, and having heavy hitters like Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, and Morrison to write this event/series. And each issue has usually had multiple stories going on, sometimes only 2-3 pages for each character per issue. This was a experiment on DC part, but for most people it paid off, and people ate it up.

We have many threads going on with Black Adam having enough of this world's villains and showcasing what he can do to them on national telavsion. But then his story turns into love when he finds a wife, and soon a brother in law whom he loves. But you know that won't last, but still great to watch and probably the strongest story in this collection.

The other great highlight of this book is the Question storyline. Especially reading Vic's adventure in his early years last year in his omnibus, to watch him again, and then dealing with a very real disease like Cancer with Renee Montaya was wonderful. It was touching, some badass detective moments, and a well crafted ending.

The Steel storyline is shaky at points, but Irons family dynamic with his Niece is solid and the second half kicks into high gear and really shows who Lex is, and if you didn't know, Lex is a loser piece of shit who deserves nothing more than a swift kick in the nuts till he can't breath anymore but that's just me.

There's a lot more in here, but my praise dwindles as we go on. Booster Golds story starts well enough with a lot of interesting ideas but as it gets more convoluted and nonsensical to the point I just didn't care by the last third, and was ready to get it over with.

Then you have probably the worst storyline for me which is anything to do with Lobo. Why? Cause Lobo fucking sucks. But that's besides the point. The storyline itself isn't all that interesting. It's basically Animal Man, Starfire, and Adam Strange trying to get home, which starts off interesting enough with them on a different planet, but never does much and the ending, again, is just strange as hell.

Overall, this series didn't 100% nail the feeling of "other heroes and their life and fight" for me. I enjoyed parts a lot, like I mentioned, but this is 52 issues, with so many storylines, and the duds are really, well, boring for me. And I could care less what some of these characters were doing, and minute men are never good, we don't need them here. But yeah overall, it's a interesting experiment, and most people seem to love this book, but I guess I'm the odd one out on this one. A 2.5 out of 5.

[Jonathan Keung · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for a long book to read while on a plane ride during spring break, I stumbled across this book while scanning for recommended books on my iPad. This book, “52 Weeks”, happened to be part of a book series I had read, that I really enjoyed.

“52 Weeks” is a fiction story about the world after a war that left billions dead and planets destroyed. It takes after its predecessor, “∞ Crisis”, and tells the story of the year following the events of the war, and although it is written as modern day, it's far more technologically advance, including time travel, teleportation, and the ability to modify human genetics. It begins with a boy named Michael, who traveled from the 25th century with his robot, Skeets, to visit a historic moment when one of the war heroes gives a speech that is still taught in history books of his time. It marked the rebuilding of civilization, that kept the world going after the effects of the war. However, the speech does not happen, and Michael is left to find out what happened to the timeline.

While the book is extremely long, it's interesting every step of the way. The chapters go by the weeks, which is what makes it quite long. Alluring as it is, it does get quite confusing at some points. It lacks introduction to characters and begins miniature storylines with new characters that dont always conclude. I would say that many of the chapters aren’t necessary and that if it stood to the main storyline, it would cut out maybe over a hundred fifty pages. However that doesn’t mean the miniature stories aren’t compelling too. They always end up having some connection, whether major or minor, to the main storyline. The greatest part of the story is that many great characters from “∞ Crisis” reappear in the other storylines to wrap up how they were able to return for the next book, “Final Crisis”, (Came out before 52 Weeks but takes place after) in which the characters mentioned how they came back, but now we were actually able to see it.

I recommend this book to anyone ready for a long adventurous story that is worth the read in the end. You should not however read this book before reading “∞ Crisis”, as it will be too confusing for you to follow along. If you enjoyed “∞ Crisis”, but were not interested in the side arcs(will understand if you read it), skip this book and go straight to “Final Crisis”, however if every part of the adventure in “∞ Crisis” was luring and just an all around fun read, make sure you don’t skip “52 Weeks”.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically the Hateful Eight for comic books. Good creators behind it, but a painfully long, uninteresting meandering mess that I hope to forget.
It’s admirable what DC is trying to do with this book. Get some of the greatest DC writers together and write stories that are starring some of the less popular characters to give them their time in the spotlight. Which as said before, is admirable. I feel like every time I look at a DC book, either Batman, or Superman is on the cover. Unfortunately these creators don’t do anything interesting with them for an excruciatingly long book.
The only somewhat interesting part was Black Adam. And this book will go five issues without showing him. Just more of The Question and Renee Montoya dicking around in a boring uninteresting mystery. Animal Man, Starfire and Adam Strange dicking around while stranded on an alien planet. And the most unlikable superhero, Booster Gold, dicking around and being the worst.
I said dicking around a lot because that’s all they do. The reason this book is so long is because all of these stories move so slow and don’t do anything to keep you invested.
Unless you love these characters and just want to read absolutely ANYTHING in which they feature, I mean this 100%, don’t read this. It’s boring, too long and will be a waste of your money. Don’t spend $50 on 52. Go rent John Wick 10 times on Apple TV instead

[Seth Abernethy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply put, this was a masterpiece. At the start, all over the place this idea seemed like it was going to crash and burn. It appeared on paper to be far too ambitious. For one thing, the main idea was to tell a story without Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, focusing instead of some of the "B-Heroes" who haven't seen the spotlight they deserve. That was a bold risk to take, as many fans are very stuck in their ways, and if at least one of those three characters isn't there they won't accept it. For another, the concept of making it a WEEKLY series and not monthly, with one issue every week for an entire year. That alone implies that the story would have had to be made in advance, because writing that with only a week's time would be asking the impossible, not to even mention DRAWING that. But like Mr. Miracle, the impossible was not impossible for the team at DC working on 52. Herein was crafted possibly one of the greatest comic book stories ever told. It was beautifully organized and orchestrated in spite of itself. It was gorgeously illustrated, it was engaging, entertaining, heartbreaking, twisting, eyebrow-raising, and intense. Everything you could ever want out of a comic. Stars that shined the brightest were absolutely Black Adam and his new family, Ralph Dibny the Elongated Man, and Renee Montoya, however every single character in this story was handled with poise and grace and will not disappoint. 52 can seem daunting to all kinds of comic readers, and can get lost in the slew of "Events" that occurred during this era, but please don't wrong yourself by writing this off. You will not be let down by this book, and at the risk of repeating a previous statement, it must be reinforced that 52 remains to this day one of the greatest stories ever told.