52 - Weekly Series

[Degato]

I'm going to start a new topic for the weekly series entitled 52 from DC Comics.

 

Week 1:

Booster Gold is back to his basics, except this time, he's doing some company promotions on his costume! It's great to read the banter between Skeets and Booster again.

Steel and Steel II: Good to see John Henry Irons back in the armor again. Loved the scene between him and Steel II. Steel freezing her armor and dismantling it, telling her to go home and build her own armor. Great stuff.

Elongated Man: Not sure I like the direction he's going. Didn't like him putting a gun in his mouth like that. But, I do understand the feeling. Wish it didn't happen to such a happy go lucky hero.

Black Adam: Vicious! Tearing off that terrorists arm. Wow!

Bart Allen: All grown up and no powers. Can't wait to see where the Flash legacy goes with the new comic.

Rene Montoya: Not really up to speed on her but she's falling fast and hard.

Question: Love what he did with the Bat-signal!

Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman not showing up to the memorial. Brilliant! Skeets have a seizure, Booster freaking out because this wasn't how the future told him it would be. Clark showing up.

 

Can't wait for next week!

[synch]

not really anything to do with w52 ... or is it ...

 

but I think they are gunning for a super kid/baby lol ... I mean clarks been with out his powers for a year and has a LOT more time to spend with lois..... yknow Plus I duno what if his powers would affectt him not being able to or something but...

 

I duno ... just the kinda vibe I been getting from the books of late...

 

 

& yes deg I agree with ya everything was great! Steel was awsome!! booster was awsome, skeet nooooo hope hes ok! I'm actaully surprised booster is still around ... I think him fliping out which was great btw lol!! was him being worryed about his own a self too! Can't wait to see what they do wit him!

 

I'm excited about Badam as well Should be interesting...

 

flashes I can't wait to see the twins in action ... yjust know its gona happen ...

 

& yea I was just all around impressed...

 

Think they are gona put out a hard cover for this series?.. I'm kicking my self for picking up the IC minis now and not waiting for the hardcover they are putting out of that!! :S

[candid rook]

Well i haven't read infinite crisis but i picked this up because i thought the focus on supporting cast without Batman or Superman getting in the way sounds interesting. Wonder Woman i don't know much about and i never really cared about one way or the other. Also the fact that Greg Rucka and Grant Morrison is writing this is a major factor in me picking this up. I haven't read any Mark Waid although i have heard he is good and I have never heard of ###### Johns.

 

Interesting to find out why they chose those particular characters.

 

I always liked Booster and liked his sections in the book especially the dialogue between him and skeets, as Degato has already said, and the fact he is commercialising the whole superhero thing. He is a pretty lighthearted character without coming over as annoying and that suits me fine.

 

I never really like Steel in the first place, just a boring character born out of the whole Death of superman event in the 90's.

 

Don't know much about Ralph Dibny so I can't comment. We will see how his story progresses as there has been nothing in the first issue to swing my opinion either way.

 

Black Adam on the other hand really made an impression. I am liking what i see alot so far. I have always thought Captain Marvel was one of the dumbest characters ever created. The very concept of him makes me cringe. This "dark" Captain Marvel is a character i can get behind. The scene with him ripping the terrorists arm off was class and his line about having three more chances was hilarious. Am looking forward to seeing what they do with him.

 

Another character that has really attracted my attention is the Question. I know absolutely nothing about him but the guys on the DC board seem to think he is pretty cool. My interest is piqued and i want to findd out more about him. Anyone got any background on him? When did he first appear? Whats the deal with him not having a face? He reminds me of that character in Detective Comics no. 30 something where Batman saved his Fiance from the Monk in Paris and then met this guy without a face (Really old Batman) LOL

 

Montoya is Montoya. Never was that interested in her either but we will see what happens.

[BigBot84]

Greg Rucka did write that last 30 issues of Wonder Woman before Infinite Crisis.

[candid rook]

Might have to check that out then. See if Greg can make her more interesting than i find her

[BigBot84]

Just to let you know what happened, Wonder Woman had to deal with fighting a close friend, went blind by Medusa, stayed blind for like 10 issues, killed Maxwell Lord, and had to say goodbye to Themyscira and her sisters. It's all good to read.

 

I didn't label spoilers because the spoiler-like info should have been found out in Infinite Crisis.

[The Avenger]

I couldn't help myself from not picking it up. I'll regret it, but whatever. It was an pre tty good issue.

[Degato]

52 - Week 2 (fifty more weeks to go!)

 

Cover: Love the fact that DC is bringing Booster back to his "I waan be famous" superheroing. Skeets and Clark Kent are chilling on the upper left corner of the cover.

 

Ralph Dibny: Ralph is seen taking pictures of Sue's gravestone. It's not revealed what the defaced gravestone looks like until the end of the issue. An upside down Superman symbol. It's explained that when it's right side up , in Kryptonese, it means 'Hope.' When it's upside down, it means 'Resurrection.' Which plays into Wonder Girl's story.

 

Booster Gold: Will Magnus is shown working on Skeets but he really can't do anything to fix him as his technology is too advanced for him and Skeets has a self-healing type mechanism. Booster is warned by Skeets that a plane is crashing. Skeets screws up again (as the plane is coming from the South and Skeets said it was coming from the North.) It looks like Booster saves the plane but....there's a news headline that hundreds died on flight 2428. What is UP with Skeets?! OMAC, maybe?

 

Doctor Magnus: It's revealed that Dr. Magnus has a monthly meeting to talk with Dr. T.O. Morrow. Apparently, as shown last issue, someone is kidnapping all the 'mad' scientists in the DCU. Morrow thinks it's probably Lex.

 

Rene Montoya: She's sleeping in bed with another chick and The Question decides to pay her a visit. She tries to shoot him and he disappears, leaving an address for her to go to. She ends up going and he recruits her (with three weeks advanced pay.)

 

Wonder Girl: Guess Wondy is broadcasting a "I miss Superboy" telecast over the net nowadays. She meets Ralph Dibny (re: above) who says the defacement on Sue's gravestone is a message for her.

 

History of DCU (part 1): Written and drawn by Dan Jurgens (the guy who created Booster Gold.)

Basically, Donna Troy (The Harbinger) is watching the history of what DCU was like, how groups came into being and what not. This one focused on Oa and the creation of the Guardians of the Universe and a bit about how Earth-One man came into being. Then, Donna focuses on Superman 1 & 2. That's about it. Not much revealed, not sure if it'll tie in with 52 or not.

[Midgarn]

Jumping in on a couple of points:

 

Candid rook: The Question is an old Charlton Comics character, that came over to DC in time for CoIE with Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Nightshade, and a couple others. As these Charlton characters served as the basis for the Watchmen, he was also the inspiration for Rorshach of that miniseries event. I'm not entirely sure what DC's done with him recently; I only had sporadic access to his recent miniseries, and I think it might have been Vertigo anyway, which makes it suspect to continuity.

 

But anyway, Vic Sage is a journalist who gained access to a 'pseudoderm' faceless facemask and special gas provided by an old college professor of his. The Question I recall had no powers, putting him on a Batman-like level, but this one apparently has some teleportation ability (either that, or the writers are believing the hype about ninja smoke pellets.) The character's had some good runs in the JLU cartoon too: that plays up his 'ultimate conspiracy theorist' paranoia.

 

On 52, Week 2.

 

Ralph Dibny: I'm not sure if he swore off Gingold with Sue's death, but I think he almost would have needed to, in order to commit suicide the way he had planned in Week 1. At the graveyard, however, his nose twitches -- not only a trademark sign of his 'smelling a mystery', but it means that he's taking his stretchy extract again. I think Ralph's finally turning the corner from grief into acceptance -- or at least, this mystery is distracting him from Sue's death enough to make that turn later on. Bravo.

 

Skeets and the newspaper: Booster Gold needs to get a butterfly sponsor, because I have a feeling he is a one-man living proof of Chaos Theory. "Time abhors a vacuum," so each time that Booster's in the right place and right time to avert a disaster out of his past, 'time' fluctuates around him not just to achieve a similar effect somewhere he is not, but to reveal to Skeets in hindsight the history that occured with Booster's presence in the 21st Century. At least, this is my theory.

 

The disappearing Mad Scientists: I don't think this is Luthor: too easy. I /do/ think it ties in to current (OYL) Teen Titans where Robin mentioned the inability for anyone to achieve human cloning since.. some event I can't recall (whether Crisis or something in 52). When Sivana's taken in Week 1, his abductors have distinctive arms: one scaly, the other furry. What's Professor Ivo's current status? Maybe pulling a Dr. Moreau and creating animal-human hybrids?

[candid rook]

Cheers for the background info on the question Midgarn. I love watchmen and am liking the sound of The Question.

[synch]

yup question is deffinitly cool... I Duno anything about em dcu wise... I only know of him from the jlu toon

 

hes kickass in 52 though!

[Degato]

52 - Week 3 (Only forty nine weeks left!)

 

Lex Luthor - So, we open this issue to see a dead Lex's body in Gotham. Oooohhh, how's Lex going to spin this? The body is taken to Metropolis so John Henry Irons (Steel) can confirm the body. Lex comes in with an entourage of media behind him saying he's now got proof that all the wrong doings that's been pointed at him during and after his presidency was because of his doppleganger. He says, "If you can't trust me, you can trust him," putting his arm around John Irons.

 

Steel - A great bit with John Irons and his niece about her having the brains for science but no wisdom. Nice to see Irons playing the role model again. I always liked that.

 

Power Girl - Seen fighting Terra Man (on an air bike that kind of reminds me of Hawkeye from the Avengers,) where she gets stopped by Black Adam as she's crossed over Kandaq air space. He asks Power Girl how many people died during the crisis.....five million, seventy-nine thousand, four hundred and thirty two....damn, that's a lotta people! He lets her off with a warning.

 

Black Adam - Apparently, Black Adam has now put up an embassy in New York for Kandaq. He's approached by two thugs bearing gifts from none other than Intergang. Typical power pushing moves are exchanged and Black Adam shoves on of the thugs head into the wall, killing him. Black Adam comes to New York and tells the reporters there that he's now focusing his attention on gathering heroes who won't abandon their post (ala Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.) Terra Man, who hooks up with Black Adam after Adam chased Power Girl away, is yet another victim of Black Adam's ferocity. Adam says, "People like this man don't deserve to live," and he tears Terra Man in half, splattering Terra Man goop onto the reporters (which includes Lois Lane.)

 

Booster Gold - Skeets is still messed up. Booster loses money on an investment that Skeets said would be profitable. This story continues. What I realized this weekend about Booster's new costume and all the sponsorships on his shoulders is that it reminded me of the Women's and Men's Beach volleyball players. They now have temporary tattoos on them when they're playing and Booster just reminded me of that. Not a big revelation, I know.

 

History of DCU - More about the difference in Earth-One and Two. Ooohhh, earth-One had MORE heroes than Earth-Two. Well, duh. Anyway, the last panel shows The Monitor and Anti-Monitor which may be a hint as to the 80 page special coming out in June "Brave New World." Look at the cover to that. Who's the character blacked out? Looks alot like The Monitor to me.

[Doom Saber]

I skipped week 2, so I have no idea if they said who the doppleganger is in that issue, but I am wondering if it is Alex lurther in week III? I mean lex can easily reconstruct his face and from the sound of his speech, it makes it as though it is Alex.

[Degato]

Yep.

[Degato]

52 - Week 4 (only forty eight weeks left)

 

Rene Montoya: She's been sitting in a car for a couple weeks doing surveillance on a house. At least she's not drunk! On a note pad she writes, "Day 10 - Nothing, Day 11 - Nothing," so on and so forth. The Question pops in on her and scares her half to death. He says he'll be back later on.

Montoya nods off and almost misses someone entering the house. She pursues and The Question follows suit a few seconds after her. They stumble across a trap door and find an alien carrying weapons.Montoya's gets her ass served to her and The Question tries to defend her. Rene uses one of the alien weapons on the alien and it's crisy alien for everyone.

 

Search for the space faring heroes: Looks like the government sent a search group of humans (and one with 'special' powers) to search for the heroes that we lost during the Rann-Thanagarian War. These people kind of remind of the Challengers of the Unknown but, I could be wrong.

Anyway, one guy says they have to pack up and go home. Another says, 'No Way,' and a lady with 'special' detecting energy frequency powers finds traces of Zeta Beam energy trying to come in to play. Zeta Beam = Adam Strange.

They focus their energy on Northern Australia as a source for the heroes returning. A giant beam comes down on Australia and out come Hawkgirl (who looks like a giant,) Alan Scott (who is bleeding from his left eye,) and, well, just see for yourself.

 

Booster Gold: Bosster's shown saving some kid from falling off a building, he's promoting some brand of burger, and Fire is asking Bosster to help them out finding the heroes in space. Booster passes since he's booked solid with promotionals and that pisses Fire off. She asks who he's doing the superhero work for, him or the people. He answers it's all for him.

 

Steel: Looks like John Henry Iorns is cracking up or hallucinating. Cuts of flashbacks are shown about why he became Steel and why he left the job in the first place. John sees a ghost of Steel and starts passing out. Before he does, he burns through some steel which looks to be attaching to his skin. And then....the room explodes.

 

Ralph Dibny and the Cult of Connor: Ralph's trying to figure out what this cult is and why there was an inverted Superman signal on his wife's gravestone. Wonder Girl says immersion in the striped waters of the river memon show signs of the future. Ralph tries it out....nothing happens.

 

History of DCU: Donna's reviewing the original Crisis. Not much, just a review.

[The Avenger]

It certaintly is getting interesting. The Steel, Elongated Man, and Question story arcs are really picking up. Bumblebee being shrunken makes sense, but why would Hawkgirl be giant?

[synch]

I think we will see that raph is in his vision now,justin the same place and in the next comic he will probly get iether shocked by something or come close to death and then wake up again

[candid rook]

Ripping guys in half and squishing their heads.....Black Adam is the dogs bollicks in this book. Its like seeing what someone with supermanlike powers could do if they took a more extreme method in dealing with criminals.

[Degato]

52 - Week 5 (only forty seven weeks left)

 

This read differently than the first four issues. They pretty much stayed on a few days of this week rather tan going through all seven days.

 

The lost heroes in space: Animal Man, Adam Strange, and Starfire are among the missing. Alan Scott visits Ellen Barker (Buddy Barker's wife) and tells her that her husband had been lost. She stays vigilant.

The after effects of Infinite Crisis was hard to take care of. Red Tornado is blown to bits (again), Cyborg and Firestorm are fused together, Hawkgirl becomes a 25 foot tall woman, Bumblee shrinks, Alan Scott is hit with debrise and loses an eye, and Adam Strange tries to lead the heroes to Rann by using Mal Duncan (aka Vox) to open a portal. *sigh* Lots of things happen in those two pages and I think that's the highlights of it.

Vox wakes up and yells, "It's coming! 52! 52!" and passes out.

We now learn that Starfire, Animal Man, and Adam Strange (now blind...looks like eyes are popped out and it seems like Alan Scott is using one of them.) Starfire likes where they've landed, Buddy just wants to go home, and Adam Strange is trying to fix their ship....blind. Also, some serpent type creature is hunting them down in this paradise.

 

Steel: Steel's story meshes with Alan Scott's and Dr. Mid-Nite's. Steel is asked to meet Alan at Project Camillus (a place for metahuman medical care) and he's asked to help Vox by using pseudocytes, a process that Steel created. This may be how Alan Scott get's his eyes back....er...eye....can't really tell about that other eye yet. It might be Adam Strange's eye. Oh yeah, I told you about Vox above but, Hawkgirl is being treated as well. It looked pretty intense.

 

Rene Montoya: After shooting and disintegrating an alien last week, Rene is in a bit better shape. She's in a cast and has stiches but, she's good to go. Captain Maggie comes to visit. She wants to believe Rene's story but, there's no evidence to be found and only Rene's injuries are left as evidence. Rene contemplates leaving the force and becoming a private investigator.

 

History of DCU: We're still on Crisis of Infinite Earths. Talking about Anti-Monitor, Barry Allen's sacrafice, and the multiverse become on universe. I like Donna troy's last line, "Even though it's my job to make sure such a rich history is never forgotten....sometimes I wish I could forget what happened next..." Ooohhh....

[The Avenger]

Steel: Steel's story meshes with Alan Scott's and Dr. Mid-Nite's. Steel is asked to meet Alan at Project Camillus (a place for metahuman medical care) and he's asked to help Vox by using pseudocytes, a process that Steel created. This may be how Alan Scott get's his eyes back....er...eye....can't really tell about that other eye yet. It might be Adam Strange's eye. Oh yeah, I told you about Vox above but, Hawkgirl is being treated as well. It looked pretty intense.

As of Outsiders #37 Alan Scott still only has one eye.

[Degato]

Check out the issue of JSA that came out this week. At least his green flame is giving him the appearance of an eye now.

[LiquidMetal]

Are Vox and The Herald the same guy?? They seem similar (IMO)!!!

 

#US1#

[The Avenger]

Are Vox and The Herald the same guy?? They seem similar (IMO)!!!

 

#US1#

I believe so. He became Vox because of the consequences of Infinite Crisis.

[Degato]

52 - Week 6 (only forty six weeks left!)

 

Booster Gold - This issue focused first on Booster Gold. From his self promotion (by hiring an actor to pretend to be a new villian so Booster Gold could defeat him) to him finding the last known place where Rip Hunter was living. He and Skeets get in to Hunter's home and finds out that Rip has found something out ("Time is Broken.") It also points out that Rip hunter deduces that it's Booster Gold's fault that "Time is Broken."

 

Green Lantern: Both John Stewart and Hal Jordan. We're now introduced to Grant Morrison's new Chinese superhero group.Both John and Hal are trying to stop a villian called "Evil Star" and they find themselves in contention with the new Chinese group. They have strange names (August General in Iron, Mother of Champions, Immortal Man in Darkness, Thunder Mind, etc.) but, they give the GL's a run.

 

Black Adam: Due to Black Adam's coalition now teaming up with China, the GL's are in violation of airspace. Black Adam continues on talking about who he's going to add to his coalition (Russia being one of the countries) and the Rocket Red help to protect the Green Lanterns.

 

Magnus & Morrow: Their monthly meeting happens again. This is one of those stories I've already forgotten about from last month. The 15 mad scientists that have disappeared just after the crisis finished are pretty much the conversation between Magnus and Morrow. Apparently, someone has ordered Morrow's cell to be cleaned out and was equiped with some 'equipment' by some unknown character...for now.

 

Anyway, that's pretty much it for this week.

 

History of the DCU: Donna Troy is now looking at the various incarnations of groups like the Justice League, Suicid Squad, Checkmate and Team Titans. It talks about the regression of Batman, the Invasion, the Death of Superman, the breaking of Batman, the birth of the Four Supermen, Hal Jordan becoming Parallax, the fall of the GL Corps, and the rise of the last Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner.) Looks like next issue will talk about Zero Hour.

Now, here's where I have to get opinionated. All the stuff that was focused on (the last two pages of this History) seemed like self promotion to me by Dan Jurgens. First he talked about Booster Gold (a character he created,) the death of Superman (which Dan drew...and helped wrote, if I remember correctly,) and then he hints at Zero Hour (which he wrote and drew.) *sigh* And the thing is, those stories were not a highlight in my DC reading. In fact, they sucked. Oh well, onto the next week.

[BigBot84]

I thought it was Luthor that bugged the cell.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, it looks like it's the one in charge of those Chinese heroes.