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: Way better then the actual event.
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been VERY critical of the Infinite Crisis. Rightfully so; it kinda sucked. 52, however, makes up for a lot of DC's mistakes. 52 is nail-bitting! The story for Vol. 1 is really a few different stories: Elongated Man still realing from the events of Identity Crisis, Adam Strange, Animal Man and Starfire stranded on an alien world, the Question and Montoya taking on Intergang, what's looking like a very interesting story about Black Adam and Lex giving everyday people powers after he is cleared from wrong doing as Alex's body has been found aquiting him of guilt for recent events.
I have not read past Vol.1, but so far, so good. Although a very strong story, some of the artwork is not the best, although, it is still pretty good; just not fantastic. That being said, I do recommend this to the DC disillusioned or anyone who likes a good super-hero story.
Book Review: best enjoyed on its own terms
Summary: 4 Stars
Other reviewers will invariably take 52 to task for a perceived neglect in achieving what they have taken to be the purported goal of this series. And while there is a certain legitimacy to these gripes, they do a disservice to the series which, on its own terms--which is to say, outside of reader expectations--mostly succeeds in weaving together a diverse collection of narrative threads and character arcs, and eventually coming to some rather clever and exciting, if occasionally confusing, conclusions.
It is true that the extent to which it speaks to the One Year Later stories seems almost an afterthought...but oh well. What it does do is introduce new readers (or reintroduce them to comics veterans) to an assortment of lesser-known but otherwise strong characters from DC's B-list and put into motion events that, by the end, allow each of those characters to shine in a way that a universe dominated by the Big 3 seldom allows. DC never entertained the idea that characters of the ilk of Booster Gold and Elongated Man could someday be A-list headliners of flagship titles. That's just silly. Instead, 52 is an ensemble drama that rewards readers for their attention.
If it has a weakness, it is that the real-time gimmick doesn't always bear out very well, as some plot lines seem absurdly protracted in order to coordinate story and thematic climaxes. But thankfully, this only begins to plague the series about two-thirds of the way in. The first collected volume, which only contains the set-ups, still manages to pack a good deal of narrative punch as it puts all of our protagonists into situations within which they are the decided underdogs:
Booster Gold discovers that he may in some way be responsible for breaking time. Animal Man, Adam Strange, and Starfire are stranded in deep space with a bounty on their heads. John Henry Irons stands as the only moral counterbalance to the hollow promises and Machiavellian intent of Lex Luthor's Everyman program. Ralph Dibny (Elongated Man) is living on borrowed time after a near suicide attempt while he attempts to put his final affairs in order. And so on. You may not care for all of these mysteries or all of these characters, but the chances are good that at least one of these plotlines will suck you in.
At its best, 52 is rousing. At its worst, plodding. Though never particularly bad, in my opinion. And the early installments were all fairly well-paced.
Book Review: review for all four volumes
Summary: 5 Stars
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.