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450th out of 1,497 books
—
3,011 voters
52, Vol. 1 (52 #1; issues 1-13)
by
Geoff Johns,
Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen , Eddy Barrows , Chris Batista , Joe Bennett
,
more…
After the events rendered in Infinite Crisis, the inhabitants of the DC Universe suffered through a year (52 weeks; hence the title) without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. How does one survive in a dangerous world without superheroes? This paperback, the first of a four-volume series, begins to answer that perilous question? Nonstop action amid planetary anarchy.
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
May 2nd 2007
by DC Comics
(first published 2006)
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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 themselve...more
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 themselve...more
I read this at Borders this afternoon with my roommate Bikki. I loved the concept of 52 (a weekly series unfolding in "real time," chronicling the lost year when Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman inexplicably disappeared) when I first heard about it. After the series run, the books were bound into four volumes with writers' commentary, script excerpts, and panel breakdowns following each chapter.
There are about six or seven major storylines in 52 and a daunting number of characters (practically...more
There are about six or seven major storylines in 52 and a daunting number of characters (practically...more
May 13, 2013
Harold Ogle
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
alternate-universe,
comics,
dimension-travel,
detective,
dinosaurs,
ensemble,
magic,
superheroes,
time-travel
I found this an interesting read, particularly as I'd just read "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" just before it, because both books provide interesting alternative takes on popular DC heroes, including Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Elongated Man, and so on. In this one, four esteemed comics writers (Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid and Geoff Johns) collaborated on a year's worth of weekly comics (one reason for the title "52") telling the story of the DC universe's recovery from first "Cris...more
I heard some buzz a while back about 52, and as a longtime comic book fan, decided to give it a go.
After plugging along for a few issues, I was buying into the story. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have disappeared, a bunch of heroes are either dead or scattered into space, and the world has been broken, awaiting repair, by a league of super-villains. Who will save these cities?
Great. Excellent. Promise of super-villains to come, and the combined weight of Metropolis, Gotham, and Star City m...more
After plugging along for a few issues, I was buying into the story. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have disappeared, a bunch of heroes are either dead or scattered into space, and the world has been broken, awaiting repair, by a league of super-villains. Who will save these cities?
Great. Excellent. Promise of super-villains to come, and the combined weight of Metropolis, Gotham, and Star City m...more
As far as DC Comics go, I'm mainly a Batman guy. I know next to nothing about the rest of the DC Universe beyond the basics like Clark Kent is Superman, Hal Jordan is Green Latern, etc. I know nothing about minor characters.
Thus, going into 52 I expected to be somewhat lost or unable to get into the story. I mostly picked it up because I found all four volumes for cheap and I was curious about Batwoman's first appearances.
That all said, I tore through Vol. 1 of the series. I had no few problems...more
Thus, going into 52 I expected to be somewhat lost or unable to get into the story. I mostly picked it up because I found all four volumes for cheap and I was curious about Batwoman's first appearances.
That all said, I tore through Vol. 1 of the series. I had no few problems...more
To sum up this series, its basically a really good TV series. After the events of Infinite Crisis, this is a look at the DC universe when Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman go missing for a year.
Juggling many different storylines, (Booster Gold, Will Magnus, Steel, Black Adam, Montoya, Ralph Dibny, three superheroes stranded ((Starfire, Animal Man, Adam Strange)), it teases by only giving us a part of each story before moving onto the next.
I think the main reason I enjoyed this series so much is...more
Juggling many different storylines, (Booster Gold, Will Magnus, Steel, Black Adam, Montoya, Ralph Dibny, three superheroes stranded ((Starfire, Animal Man, Adam Strange)), it teases by only giving us a part of each story before moving onto the next.
I think the main reason I enjoyed this series so much is...more
So my review of this book is colored by the fact that my comic-collecting heyday was in the decade between 1992-2002. One crossover too many was what ultimately killed off my interest in collecting multiple titles, and these days it is extremely rare for me to buy a single issue of anything. It's cheaper and more convenient to buy trades, especially with the lack of specialty comic stores in my immediate area, and with comic book companies no longer offering subscriptions by post to individual t...more
This is a really unusual "event" comic in that it was all self contained in one title rather than spread out across the whole line of DC comics when it came out, and it was done as a weekly format with a new issue coming out every week. And they were never late. Never. At the time DC had a reputation for late books, and this proved that they could keep a brutal schedule and keep a weekly book on the shelf every week for a year. But besides that, this had some of the best writers and artists at D...more
DC's latest string of Crises events (Infinite, Countdown, and Final) have been pretty disappointing. I'm not sure how I missed out on 52 the first time around (I suspect that I was turned off by the prospect of buying 52 weekly issues), but I'm glad I came back for a second look.
What immediately appealed to me is that 52 focuses on smaller characters in the wake of Supes/Bats/WW's disappearance from the DC Universe. Characters like Booster Gold, Animal Man, and Ralph Dibney are some of my favor...more
What immediately appealed to me is that 52 focuses on smaller characters in the wake of Supes/Bats/WW's disappearance from the DC Universe. Characters like Booster Gold, Animal Man, and Ralph Dibney are some of my favor...more
A good story about how Earth manages without it's greatest superheroes (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) and how a cast of lesser known folks fill in the gap. I really liked the plot pieces that revolved around the Question and Renee Montoya. The detective work done by Ralph Dibny aka the Elongated Man in his search for the missing heroes and the resurrection cult was pretty cool as well. I can't forget about the missing mad scientist mystery either - oh to be a prozac popping former super villai...more
I read this series two or three years ago, and I never thought I'd read it again. Not because it was bad (it wasn't), but because it a lot to commit to and I'm lazy.
But I recently decided that I wanted to reread everything I have from Green Lantern: Rebirth to the present, so yeah.
The first of four volumes, each with thirteen issues. There is a LOT to wrap your head around in this series. There are so many storylines going on at the same time (I think I counted eight), a lot of characters to kee...more
But I recently decided that I wanted to reread everything I have from Green Lantern: Rebirth to the present, so yeah.
The first of four volumes, each with thirteen issues. There is a LOT to wrap your head around in this series. There are so many storylines going on at the same time (I think I counted eight), a lot of characters to kee...more
I guess I am alone on thinking that this series was near perfect. This review is going to encompass all of the volumes because I only have the back issues.
Look, this is a series primarily for smaller characters. I guess that's too mainstream now or something because people keep hating on it. Yes, it has bigger characters in it, too. This was the little guys time to shine.. and they deliver.
There are multiple stories running at once. The ones that come to mind immediately are:
Black Adam
The Quest...more
Look, this is a series primarily for smaller characters. I guess that's too mainstream now or something because people keep hating on it. Yes, it has bigger characters in it, too. This was the little guys time to shine.. and they deliver.
There are multiple stories running at once. The ones that come to mind immediately are:
Black Adam
The Quest...more
Until I saw the (amazing) film WATCHMEN, I had never really been much of a superhero fan. Sure, I watched the movies and cartoon shows, but I never really read any comics. After picking up the original graphic novel, I realized what I was missing out on; the world of the DC Universe is a beautiful, exciting, amazing place, and 52 does a wonderful job of portraying that.
Picking up directly after the events of Infinite Crisis, 52 shows us a world without Earth's three greatest heroes: Superman, Ba...more
Picking up directly after the events of Infinite Crisis, 52 shows us a world without Earth's three greatest heroes: Superman, Ba...more
With so many good writers on this book, I almost can't tell where a hack like Waid's writing comes in. This is overall a good concept and a good read, and even where the story seems to jump around a little too much like it was edited by an epileptic, it's also enjoyable to keep seeing the subplots moving forward at a brisk pace.
I can't imagine how gruelling it must've been to try to keep this project on schedule. For that feat of coordination and endurance alone I admire this book, and the writi...more
I can't imagine how gruelling it must've been to try to keep this project on schedule. For that feat of coordination and endurance alone I admire this book, and the writi...more
Right after Infinite Crisis wrapped up, the regular DC books apparently skipped forward a year. 52, published at the same time, told the story of that missing year in 52 issues, published once a week yearly. I'm not sure what I expected out of it, but I didn't expect it to be very good. That's a pretty grueling schedule to keep up for an entire year. And what do you know, it is pretty good.
Because they were smart when they started. 52 worked on a team approach, with a team of writers and a team...more
Because they were smart when they started. 52 worked on a team approach, with a team of writers and a team...more
(This is a review of the whole 52 series, which comes in 4 volumes, but I sort of forgot what happens in which)
52 is a pretty crazy series.
It will take you on a very, very, very wild ride through the whole DC universe through small and otherwise forgotten characters, from the streets of Gotham to the far space, will drag you through all the 52 issues, and just won't let you go.
Yes, it's quite long and there are too many storylines to count, some of them are frankly dragged for maybe too long. Bu...more
52 is a pretty crazy series.
It will take you on a very, very, very wild ride through the whole DC universe through small and otherwise forgotten characters, from the streets of Gotham to the far space, will drag you through all the 52 issues, and just won't let you go.
Yes, it's quite long and there are too many storylines to count, some of them are frankly dragged for maybe too long. Bu...more
Lots of storylines and set up, but it's cool seeing "side characters" like Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, Black Adam, Question, Ralph Dibny, and Steel get their due. If the team of writers can resolve all the dangling plot threads, it could be a masterpiece. Even though some story beats like Starfire, Adam Strange, and Animal Man fall flat, there were great starts to character arcs, like Renee Montoya finding her role after her breakup and leaving the police and Booster Gold losing his fame and be...more
I want to love this series, but DC keeps letting me down. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I barely understood (or enjoyed) Infinite Crisis, althoughh the ending was pretty cool. I hoped that this would be a relaunch, of sorts, and help clarify what happened in IC and start a cool new story arc. Lord knows, the concept is cool enough. Execution, however, is much like the series before it. Confusing and dull. Booster Gold's character is cool, but other than that, there isn't much to see here. I love...more
Perused through it. The artwork was awesome and I really appreciated all of the backstory of Kate and Reyes but gotta tell you, I'm not really a DC girl (although I do really love Catwoman and I have a sort of crush on Wonder Woman)- didn't read Infinite Crisis and therefore couldn't really understand much of what was going on in here.
This book is definitely for those that one- have a working knowledge of the DC world 2- Like DC enough to stick around and 3- have read or have a working knowledge...more
This book is definitely for those that one- have a working knowledge of the DC world 2- Like DC enough to stick around and 3- have read or have a working knowledge...more
Jun 13, 2012
Megan
added it
An excellent start to a series that was HIGHLY recommended to me. I was definitely not disappointed, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
(Additionally, the notes after each week were an excellent bonus to the graphic novel, detailing how each week was created by different members of the staff. I'd have liked to see Geoff Johns or Grant Morrison have pieces, but they were likely busy with other work, so I understand. The presented array of opinions is more than enough...more
(Additionally, the notes after each week were an excellent bonus to the graphic novel, detailing how each week was created by different members of the staff. I'd have liked to see Geoff Johns or Grant Morrison have pieces, but they were likely busy with other work, so I understand. The presented array of opinions is more than enough...more
DC attempted something that had never been done before with 52. A weekly comic from four of the premiere writers in the business, juggling B-list characters while Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman took the year off. Re-read that pitch and try to imagine yourself in the war room, begging your publisher to sign off on this idea. That's a monumental undertaking without even bringing into question the art, broken down each week by the incomparable Keith Giffen. Reading 52 in issue form was a bit jar...more
What would the DC Universe be like if Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman stepped off the stage? Apparently all the "B" grade super heroes and lesbians would take over. I like this series so far despite the slop politics (especially of Grant and Rucka). Why do comic writers use super heroes to push their political agenda? The only thing more pretentious and misguided than comic writers believing I could be informed about "what to think" about politics and philosophy would be movie actors believin...more
DC's post-Infinite Crisis, pre-Countdown book starts off with... not a bang, but a lot of characters. Booster Gold, Rene Montoya, The Question, Elongated Man, Adam Strange, Steel, Animal Man, Black Adam, Starfire, and several new characters (Batwoman, The Great Ten, Isis) all get plenty of face time in this book that's telling a year in the life of the D.C. Universe. It's a good juggling exercise, but I bet it worked a lot better as a weekly series than it does in this trade, especially with the...more
This book should be a mess. It isn't. With 4 different writters, it reads like a season of 24. This book captures the first 13 of 52 weeks of comics.
It's cool for several reasons:
1) Makes you care about B level comic book hero. Don't know Steel, Booster Gold, Black Adam, etc... you will.
2) Weaves a complex set of stories that you care about "week" to "week".
3) Contains writter commentary that makes the stories more engaging for those of us who are not comic book nerds.
A worthy read.
It's cool for several reasons:
1) Makes you care about B level comic book hero. Don't know Steel, Booster Gold, Black Adam, etc... you will.
2) Weaves a complex set of stories that you care about "week" to "week".
3) Contains writter commentary that makes the stories more engaging for those of us who are not comic book nerds.
A worthy read.
Overall, this volume was good but didn't feel quite good enough to justify all the hype I've seen for it. I did enjoy some parts a lot, especially the Renee Montoya storyline. Also, the Booster Gold story was pretty good. However, there were some parts, especially the space characters, that seemed extraneous. Really, the one issue I have so far is that the story seems to suffer from jumping between a few too many plot threads, thus robbing some plots of having the attention they really need.
This book is just a lot of fun to read. When I started reading this for the first time, I did it mostly because I knew Batwoman would turn up. I did not expect to care for the characters in it, or at least not as much as I'd end up caring for them. In retrospect, it was probably the last straw when it comes to my interest in the DCU, because until then I had been able to limit my involvement to anything Bat-related and some JLA.
52 is set right after the end of Infinite Crisis, and it follows th...more
52 is set right after the end of Infinite Crisis, and it follows th...more
This is the first volume of trades for the 52 series in the DC Universe: A year without Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman. The comics are co-written, and came out weekly at the time.
Very enjoyable! I'm a sucker for D-list comics characters being included in titles like these, because you can do so much with them. I find superheroes going domestic really entertaining. I especially appreciate Renee Montoya and Kate Kane. <3
Great, focused storytelling, wonderful art.
Very enjoyable! I'm a sucker for D-list comics characters being included in titles like these, because you can do so much with them. I find superheroes going domestic really entertaining. I especially appreciate Renee Montoya and Kate Kane. <3
Great, focused storytelling, wonderful art.
So this is the year-without-the-big-three book. I'm enjoying it so far, there seems to be far too many storylines, but hey, that's how they get you addicted to the billion different books, so can't really blame DC for doing this. One thing I don't like about books like this is you know that the big three are coming back, because hey, they are the kind of the cornerstone of the DC universe. I guess at least the series acknowledges it since it calls itself 52.
Focusing on a lot of cool lesser-known characters, like The Question, Booster Gold, Steel, Animal Man, Starfire, Adam Strange, and Elongated Man (who is becoming one of my favorites). But it's an ongoing story (52 parts, of course) and I'm anxious to see where it all leads.
I also like the "History of the DCU" segments at the end - after reading Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis just recently, it's nice to have a condensed version explaining what the hell happened in those books.
I also like the "History of the DCU" segments at the end - after reading Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis just recently, it's nice to have a condensed version explaining what the hell happened in those books.
I'm not a huge DC Comics fan. I know some of the history but not a ton. I went into this with an open mind and really enjoyed it. The four different writers all had their voices heard and the art was usually very good. I loved reading the real time thoughts of the creators of the behind the scenes goings on. It was pretty fascinating on its own. I look forward to the next volume and hope I can keep up.
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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 1990’s 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...more
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