After the INFINITE CRISIS, the DC Universe spent a year without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman -- a year in which those heroes were needed more than ever as the fate of the world hung in the balance.
52 combines the brightest and best talents from the comic book writing field, Geoff Johns (INFINITE CRISIS), Grant Morrison (ALL STAR SUPERMAN), Greg Rucka (WONDER WOMAN) and Mark Waid (KINGDOM COME), working together with the world's finest artists to tell the tale of a world awakening from a nightmare to face a new day.
The DC Universe's most eventful year continues in this latest volume of the acclaimed series with Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, Black Adam, The Elongated Man, Animal Man, Lobo, Starfire and Adam Strange taking center stage.
REVIEW
Series Loses Focus For anyone who wants to keep up on what's going on in the DCU, 52 is sort of a necessity. It's the bridge between Infinite Crisis and Countdown to Final Crisis which will be followed by Final Crisis. 52 is perfect for people who suffer with attention deficit disorder or perhaps fans of soap operas. Issues came out weekly and storylines jumped around so much that readers could quickly become bewildered. My understanding is that the much of the series was written as it progressed and it shows. Some of the storylines started off with a lot of promise but withered as the series went on while others lost focus and just wandered aimlessly. The Question/Montoya thread is an example of a story that started off tight with the two of them hunting down Intergang. Next thing you know they're in Kahndaq preventing an assassination and then The Question gets brain cancer and Intergang is completely forgotten as Renee Montoya tries to get him to Nanda Partha for a cure. It just seemed sloppy and unfocussed.
For me, the highlight of this book was without a doubt the big reveal of Supernova's true identity. It wasn't just the highlight of the book it was the highlight of the entire series because it restarted the storyline that got me into 52 in the first place. The second best thing about the third book was how little attention was given to Kahndaq which has been my least favorite storyline. The Intergang thread is really heating up but Ralph Dibney's quest for powerful magic items is starting to grow tiresome and this had been one of my favorite parts of book two. Booster Gold's time travel story is moving again and I couldn't be happier because that was the storyline that originally got me intrigued by 52.
When it gets rightdown to it the second and third book have not lived up to the promising start in book one and I think it has to do with the way 52 was produced. Without fully plotting out where the stories go they often fall apart. The Luthor/Everyman storyline definitely has that `making it up as we go along' feel to it. Book four is really going to have to hit it out of the ballpark to make up for the drag in book two and book three. I can't say I regret buying 52 but it's unlikely that it will go down as one of my favorite series unless the final book has a total stellar ending.
Contents: My heart's own song; Quilt of may promises; Saints among us; Behind the closed door; Lost at sea; The rufugee guests; In the fourth watch; These are the children we hold dear; Just in time; A perfect boss; Swing low; Joann'a remarable journey.
