52, Vol. 1 by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of 52, Vol. 1
Book Review: 4 writers, 52 weeks and little to show for it
Summary: 2 Stars
52 is a weekly series following storylines in Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis designed for 3 purposes: to show the effect on the Superhero world of a year without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, to provide a bridge from the Crisis stories to the World War arc, and to showcase some second tier DC characters.
52 does not realize the potential of the first goal as little reference is made to the Big Three's absence and there is not much exploration of this vacume on the psyche of remaining heroes. 52 is only occasionally successful on the third goal. There are 5 or so loosely intertwined stories featuring characters such as Elongated Man, Question, Adam Strange, Steel, Doc Will Magnus and Black Adam. The latter eventually becomes the dominant theme as well as the basis for World War.
Although the art is passable, it does not represent the energetic and innovative work you would hope for in DC's premiere series. The plot suffers from composition by committee as 4 top writers contribute.
The biggest failure is in elevating second tier characters to A-list status; an accomplishment that DC claims. Booster Gold may improve from silly and uninspired to mediocre but the collection of mad scientists remains just plain silly. There's a new Fate and Question. Adam Strange goes through Hell in space. Animal Man is transformed and Ralph Dibny transcends the grief of his wife's murder. But, I don't see any of these characters on the A or high B list.
I loved Identity Crisis and liked Infinite Crisis but have some concerns about developments in 52. Without much explanation, Luthor devolves from business leader and chief executive back to evil scientist. Black Adam goes through redemption, loss and revenge before literally killing millions of people. (This seems over the top even for a Dr. Doom-like character, let alone for someone who functioned well enough to be in the All-Star Squadron.) Finally, in the latter stages of 52, Adam fights Captain Marvel and all Earth heroes to a standstill. This again represents significant discontinuity with expectations built for the character over the years.
I am a big fan of what DC has done and is doing. I stuck with 52 to the end. But I would not advise others to do the same.
Book Review: 52, Vol. 1 and 2
Summary: 4 Stars
For fans of the DC universe this is an awesome collection. Collecting the first titles in the 52 comic series in a trade paperback collection. If you're like me and love comics but don't have time to hunt them down each week this is the way to go. The story line is that for 1 year Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have gone missing/walkabout to rediscover themselves and see what life holds for them outside of being a super hero. In the meantime all the other DC heroes are holding the line against the forces of evil. This collection also helps to tie together some loose ends that have come up since the last Crisis. Things like what has happened to the Elongated Man since the death of his wife. Whats going on with Black Adam and his rise to power in the middle east. What about the missing heroes from the war in space. Things like that. A great collection and after each chapter is a word from the creators. Well worth the price.Book Review: A year without Superman or Batman Part one
Summary: 4 Stars
After Dc Infinite Crisis, Superman, Batman & Wonder Woman vanished...was the world defenseless--NOT AT ALL. This 52 week maxi series divided in 13 issue arcs is what great comics are about.
DC did some housecleaning, but brought heros from ages ago and modern day together. It is good work. It is told over 53 weeks that the Superman, Batman,etc are missing.
However, at this books 13 issue division point, you crave for more and more... and the next volume is a month away-I got this first week in june, next volume is mid july-IT is Depressing
Now what DC comics did is better than the mess Marvel Comics calls the Civil War-It is not Civil, nor it is really intriguing, just a hype to spread over all its lines. This 52 week series uses characters and makes the readership involved-a trick Marvel has done for years. It is also One series of books, rather than millions-BRAVO
I can not wait until volume two--or three--or four...and then its 52 series sequal Countdown..OKAY I AM HOOKED
Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD
Book Review: A Challenging Work... both to the good and the bad
Summary: 5 Stars
52 was, if nothing else, a grand experiment. Initially, it purported to show what would happen in the DC Universe during a year without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Well, the answer there is, as you might expect, pretty much exactly what happens in the DCU books that aren't constantly pandering to the Big Three.
That said, what we do get in these books is an array of talent rarely seen in one place and at one time -- especially as regards third string characters.
While the quality of the artwork varies at times (and with the huge panel count pages no one involved in 52 could be considered a slouch), the writers miraculously provide a consistent and unified tone.
And while 52 does not directly embody the intricacy of an extended Rucka plotline, the unbridled insanity of Morrison, or the straight-up sass of Waid cutting loose; it does show delightful touches of all of three of these authors while remaining generally faithful overall to the work of tried-and-true DC stalwart Geoff Johns.
52 feels more like Geoff Johns on JSA than anything else -- only maybe a bit deeper, a bit nuttier, and a bit funnier -- and for the most part that's a very good thing.
Like Geoff Johns' JSA, you also wouldn't consider 52 an "easy" read. There are lots of panels, lots of tiny text bubbles, lots of storylines running haywire all over the place.
Countdown, the follow-up to 52 headed by Paul Dini, by counterexample, is a much simpler and more straight forward execution. Because of this, in the moment, it feels more engaging -- but does it resonate so thoroughly? Only time will tell.
As befits a book of 52's stature, there are highs and lows, bits that work (Black Adam, Skeets) and bits that don't (Adam Strange, Animal Man, Batwoman). If you plan to read it all, you'll enjoy it. You certainly won't feel gypped. Is it a story that resonates for the ages? No. Is it quote unquote important? No. Does it rival the best work of any of these authors individually? No.
But 52 is a solid story overall and one that in places does manage to captivate the soul.
Casual buyers, bear in mind that none of these trades will contain anything resembling an arc. For a complete story, you must purchase ALL of the 52 trades.
This book: 5 stars. 52, the series: 4 stars.
Book Review: A Creative Work of Passion, Collaboration, and Quality
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll admit it, I read every spoiler of this series on a weekly basis. I know how it ends, but even that did not diminish the sheer pleasure I derived in reading 52: Volume I. Reading the collected edition of this series cannot possibly mimic the experience of reading it on a weekly basis, but let me just say that the work most definitely holds up as a collected volume. It progresses smoothly with little to no breaks in consistency, and considering that the men writing it were working as a team and cranking this monster out for an entire year, AND never missed a deadline, well, that just makes me appreciate the work even more.
Make no mistake: Volume I is mostly setting up things to come. Even so, I am fascinated with the characters they're focusing on. They've chosen to spotlight characters that are not in the upper echelon of the DC pantheon because, after all, 52 is supposed to take place during a year without Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman. I love them using lesser-known characters because the reader realizes anything goes, which obviously lifts the level of suspense. But even by the end of Volume I, these lower-tier characters had already won me over.
I also need to tell you that while the writing is rock solid, the art changes from issue to issue (as you can surely understand). I found the art more than adequate, but for some people it may be distracting.
I truly believe you have to put yourself in the shoes of the creators with this work and keep an open mind on some of the production issues that they had no control over. They pulled off an amazing feat, and best of all, the quality is superb!
~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant