52 The writing team that worked on 52 has managed to put together an incredible story that will truly be remembered within the DC Universe for many years and were able to reestablish a lot of b and c type characters and make them fun again... great story, action, comedy, mystery and art... this is amust have for any fan of the DC Universe.
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.
This is 52, a four volume collection of the unprecedented, critically acclaimed weekly series of death, danger, romance, terror and the never-ending search for heroism in the DC Universe's most eventful year ever.
The series features the best and brightest writers from the comic-book field: Geoff Johns (INFINITE CRISIS), Grant Morrison (ALL STAR SUPERMAN), Greg Rucka (WONDER WOMAN) and Mark Waid (KINGDOM COME), working together to tell the tale of a world awakening from a nightmare to face a new day. With their leaders gone, which heroes will stand tall? Who will fail at the most critical moment? Who will live -- and who will die?
REVIEW
review for all four volumes DC's 52 was highly ambitious, which made me more than a little nervous, since projects as big as these usually fall flat. With the big three missing, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, DC picks up some acilliary characters and kind of turns them into the modern age superheroes. Really DC is trying to kick start some other books. But they do a good job, especially since there is a book a week. Bravo gentlemen.
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 ofthe 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 right down 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.
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.
The story of 52 continues in this incredible second volume as Booster Gold's dubious heroism comes under fire, Lex Luthor's scheme for giving ordinary citizens super-powers explodes, and The Question heads into hostile territory to confront Black Adam The series 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).
REVIEW
Written by committee. The strain of holding together a story written by four people is beginning to show. The art by committee is nothing to brag about either.
In today's world, the basic building blocks of a Christian world view are often missing in people's lives. To help fill in this missing information, The 52 Greatest Stories of the Bible presents a foundational, clear synthesis of the most significant narratives of the Bible along with the implications and applications of these interrelated stories. It presents the big story in such a way that it will: Connect the dots for readers of the Bible, demonstrating how each individual story is really one chapter in the larger story; Show how Jesus is the point of the story, especially his death and resurrection; and Build a biblical world view by showing the reader how the Bible answers the ultimate questions of life.
REVIEW
In A World Full of Doubts - Some Good Biblical Answers Those of us who are Christians have learned stories from the Bible from the time we were little children, if we were lucky. John Alan Turner and Ken Boa take our favorite Bible stories and many more to a deeper level.
This weekly devotional study guide will fill our year with cogent, insightful and concise portraits of God's people and of His son from both the Old and New Testament. We will not only read one of those 52 important stories each week, but also be led to make applications of them to our own lives, wherever we are in our own journey through life.
I, myself, have been a baptized believer for more than 50 years, yet found new and previously unexplored corners of my life and world in the stories of this book within which to grow.
I highly recommend it to all who are searching for Biblical answers to some of the sticky problems of this world and to those who which to enrich their lives further.
Addressing both "cautious types" and "risk takers," 52 Ways to Have Fun, Fantastic Sex" offers new, creative ideas to try over the course of one year to help rekindle the passion in marriage.
REVIEW
52 ways to have fun, fantastic sex This book is a great sourse of practical information on fun ways to spice up your sex life. Nobody knows all the tricks to spice up a sex life but this book gives you some great tips and practical ideas to get you started and your sex life souring. Well I had a lot of fun.
Get in top condition for baseball—just like the pros! Major League players are getting bigger, stronger, and faster every season. Their conditioning level is at an all-time high, resulting in more towering home runs and blazing fastballs than ever before. With 52-Week Baseball Training, you can use the same baseball-specific training regimen to improve your performance and reduce the risk of injury.
As the strength and conditioning coach for the Houston Astros, Gene Coleman has helped develop the careers of Major League stars like Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. In 52-Week Baseball Training, Coleman provides a complete year-round conditioning plan to keep in shape in the off-season and for peak performance when it counts, during the season and playoffs. These day-by-day, week-by-week, season-by-season workouts include resistance training, total conditioning exercises, and position-specific activities.
The training plan can be used for high school, college, and summer-league competitive levels and schedules, and it organizes workouts into five sequential phases: • Postseason—Active Rest and Recovery • Off-Season—Fitness Training • Preseason—Training to Play • In-Season—Training to Win
Take the guesswork out of your training program and get the results that will pay off on the field. Use 52-Week Baseball Training to perform better at the plate, in the field, and on the mound—every game, every season.
REVIEW
A definitive, practical, effective program Gene Coleman's 52-Week Baseball Training is a definitive, practical, effective program for the aspiring athlete to achieve and maintain top physical conditioning for baseball, whether competing for a spot in the major or minor leagues, or just enjoying softball league or sandlot games. Coleman provides day-by-day, week-by-week, season-by-season workouts (including resistance training, total conditioning exercises, and position-specific activities) in a training plan that can be applied in high school, college, and summer-league schedules. Highly recommended for all novice as well as seasoned players, Coleman's 52-Week Baseball Training is laid out in four sequential phases: Postseason (active rest and recovery); Off-Season (fitness training); Preseason (training to play); and In-Season (training to win).
52 Mondays, 52 Activities, 52 Ways to Make a Life-Enhancing Difference.
Monday used to be the least favorite day of the week. Monday was the day that ended the weekend; the day you had to go back to work; and the day you started a diet or decided to quit smoking…again. Not anymore! Authors Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza do a total makeover on the bad image of Mondays and make that day mean something amazing, something incredible, something unbelievable. Every Monday Matters does this by taking 52 Mondays, providing 52 creative but doable activities, giving 52 down-to-earth ways to make a difference, one for each Monday of the year. It's a perfect way to have a positive impact, get others involved, and make a difference in your life and the lives of others.
Includes fifteen-minute bonus DVD providing two celebrity segments, a word from the authors, and codes to unlock special features of the EMM official website: EveryMondayMatters.com.
Book is made from 95% recycled paper.
REVIEW
Great way to start to make a difference! On the back cover of this Gen X/Y book is the question "Have you made today matter?" It's a great question because mostof us do not even consider this in our daily lives. Then, at the end of the day, we are kept awake at night wondering how we can ever make a difference in a world where so much is wrong.
Well, fear not, because the creators and writers of www.everymondaymatters.com have put together a list of 52 activities you can do alone or with your friends and family that will be good for you, your community, and the world. Although some of the tasks require planning and cannot be completed in one day, that leaves no excuse for not beginning the process of a more time-consuming task (#45 Get involved with Foster Kids). Some are so simple they can be done right at your computer (#44 Use Online Bill Pay). Either way, there are enough activities to give anyone a year full of Mondays that matter. As a side issue, if you find, as I have, that there is an activity listed you have already completed, such as #21 Learn CPR, feel free to substitute your own ideas or visit their website for resources and other activities you can do.
Get ready to make a difference one Monday at a time. As a bonus, the book includes a CD-ROM with videos of people making a difference and special links to exclusive portions of their website. The book is even made with recycled materials.
I give this book 5 stars and urge every family to get a copy.
Boeing's mighty B-52 Stratofortress has seen continuous operational service with the United States Air Force since the type was introduced in 1957. The aircraft has been upgraded several times and has assumed many different new roles since it was originally conceived and then provided the key airborne platform for America's strategic nuclear force. It is predicted that it will serve as a front-line aircraft until 2040.
Apart from the formidable threat it provided during the long years of the 'Cold War', the aircraft has played a significant part in all US overseas operations since Vietnam. The more recent include Desert Storm in 1991, the Balkan conflict, Afghanistan and the liberation of Iraq. Over 700 were built and around 80 remain in service.
This book includes chapters on Concept Requirement, Design and Development, Production, Evolution and Variant Models, Operational Tasking, Operational History (with first-hand accounts from crews), Weapons and Equipment Carried, Flying the Aircraft and Current Service Operations.
t will be highly illustrated with many original shots taken aboard B-52s, together with archive material and also color profiles.
REVIEW
Changing designs, models, concepts captured under cover! Martin W. Bowman's STRATOFORTRESS: THE STORY OF THE B-52 (1844152340, $50.00) covers the Boeing Stratofortress, another highly notable US craft which was introduced in the late 1950s. It's been updated numerous times over the decades, and chapters follow its evolving design, concept, different models, and history, including source material accounts from pilots and military men who flew the plane in battles. Accompany the history and battle survey are many original photos taken aboard B-52 during a recent visit by the author to their American base, with details on production versions polished models.
