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Cover to 52 #1
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Halfway Through 52

Happy Wednesday, and welcome to another Comicscape.  This week, we dive into DC’s weekly event 52, which just crossed the halfway mark two weeks ago.  I would’ve covered it then, but the late-shipping Seven Soldiers #1 delayed that column and pushed back everything. Before we get to the goods – Mania has decided to run this column on Saturdays instead of Wednesdays.  The first column of the new schedule will run this weekend.  And, it’s going to be a letters column about 52, so write me at comicscape@mania.com or kurtamacker@yahoo.com.  Let me know what you think about the series so far.  Do you think it’s starting to connect with the current DC continuity?  Do you think you know the identity of Supernova?  Are you just mad that Lobo’s back?  Let me know and I’ll run your letters with my witty retorts.  Now, on with the show.  Watch out for spoilers.   

I find myself shocked and amazed that DC has released 52 series on schedule and that the story still makes sense.  When the first issue came out six months ago, I remarked, burned out on Infinite Crisis, “More of the same sh-t” in so many words.  After a year of convoluted, inconsistent, and poorly organized countdown miniseries, crossovers, one-shots, aftermaths, brave new worlds, and whatever else, I wanted to give DC the finger for having the audacity to publish 52 with a truly unconventional place in continuity – a real-time, weekly series that filled in the missing year between Infinite Crisis and the current titles.  I admit, were it my decision, I would’ve found another arrangement for fear of repelling new readers.  Try explaining the order and reasoning behind all this to someone not already accustomed to the retcons, erratic publishing schedules, and disorderly narrative arrangements of a shared comic book universe.  Try explaining it to your mom and see if she can repeat it. 

That said, 52 has thus far managed to not only clearly sustain several narrative threads, but keep them reasonably interesting as well.  The writers have also steeped it in DC continuity while still entertaining anyone that doesn’t know the origin of the Emerald Eye of Ekron.  Summarizing the entire thing would take up half the column and likely bore the hell out of anyone not already reading the series.  But, for those of you that want a detailed recap, I refer you to Wikipedia.  But, in brief, after the convoluted events of Infinite Crisis, someone keeps messing with the time stream.  Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are still missing, and the rest of the DC heroes struggle to fill void.  In Batman’s absence, Intergang tries to slowly assume control of Gotham City.  With no Superman to oppose him, Lex Luthor initiates a program that can activate the metagene in the human body – anyone can become a hero for a price, including Natasha Irons, Steel’s arrogant niece.  Ralph Dibny still mourns the death of his wife, Sue Dibny, to the point that he’ll flirt with a Kryptonian resurrection cult and follow the helmet of Dr. Fate to realms beyond our own.  And, some of the heroes are still missing after Infinite Crisis.  Best of all, the main man, Lobo himself, has returned – and he’s found religion.  There’s more than that, I assure you.  But, while the very talented stable of writers working on the book – Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Keith Giffen – have taken their time uniting the seemingly disparate storylines, the connections have started to emerge.  The Question and Renee Montoya have found their way in and out of Khandaq and warned Black Adam and Isis of Intergang’s intentions.  The island of kidnapped mad scientists to which Dr. Will Magnus – creator of the Metal Men – and Dr. T.O. Morrow disappeared have been tasked to work on a project called the Four Horsemen, which Intergang will likely use to destroy Khandaq.  It’s coming together, albeit slowly.   

As far as nitpicky academic interpretation, I can’t quite sum up the series yet.  With so many disparate threads still meeting and with the as-yet-unexplored connection to the current DC stories, I can’t just write “This week, I’m going to tell you what 52 is about.”  Obviously, time will become an issue with the death of Booster Gold.  Clearly, Rip Hunter’s lab revealed that Gold will somehow own the responsibility for whatever dark events lay ahead.  And through whatever unspecified slips in the time stream, his robot Skeet has clearly lost it, recently turning into a multi-unit, flying, gun-toting terror akin to one of the Hunter-Killers from The Terminator. The series offers some familiar comic books wisdom in the uncle-niece conflict between John Henry Irons – Steel – and his niece, Natasha – now Starlight, one of Luthor’s humans-turned-metahuman.  That subplot explores the nature of heroism, yet again.  In this case, the very obvious point reaches up from the page and flicks the reader between the eyes: superpowers don’t make a hero, but bravery, nobility, and sacrifice do.  The writers offer a pretty obvious parallel to The Odyssey with Adam Strange, Starfire, and Animal Man marooned on a planet with one of the very large New Gods, Devilance the Pursuer – think Odysseus and his crew trapped on the island with the Cyclops.  And, as no comic writer can avoid, we get some political allegory with Black Adam and his quest from authoritarian dictator to benevolent dictator in his country of Khandaq.  But, I can’t give you a concise answer.  The series may not even merit one at its conclusion.  I realize that comes across as a bit dismissive, but I’ve actually enjoyed 52 quite a bit.  It doesn’t quite offer the immeasurable subtextual weight of Seven Soldiers, but it also never reaches the overlarge scale of Infinite Crisis – too many writers trying to craft an epic that ultimately caves in on all of us.  52 offers some uncomplicated superhero thrills on an epic scale that feels neither convoluted nor stupid.  I read all of Seven Soldiers two weekends ago, and read up to the current issue of 52 last weekend.  While I enjoyed both, the latter felt like a breeze compared to the former.  Still, sometimes it’s safe to give your brain a rest.  I wouldn’t defend 52 if consisted of little more than big guns, big tits, and horrible dialogue.  It’s light years beyond Heroes Reborn or some of the other pallid “big events” we’ve experienced in the past decade. 

Some readers have lambasted the lack of emergent connections between 52 and the events of the regular DC titles that occur one year after Infinite Crisis.  I wouldn’t stress too much over it, though, because the stable of writers will have no choice but to bridge the events.  Whether they will satisfy readers remains to be seen.  As of today, 24 weeks remain in the series, and sweeping statements about DC’s lack of a coherent, overall story seem a bit quick on the draw.  At the same time, with the number of creators working in the main DC Universe, it seems almost impossible to avoid some disparity between 52 and the current continuity.  I don’t read very many DCU titles outside of a few Superman and Batman titles.  But, in the relatively short time since Infinite Crisis ended one would expect whatever happens at the end of 52 to still resonate with the main stories.  Obviously, something huge happens at the end of this event, but the difficulty lies in reflecting that without revealing it.  That means that the writers have the unenviable task of writing around the – one hopes – significant conclusion of 52.  As I said earlier, I would’ve found a different way to publish this that didn’t force the current crop of writers to dance around the event’s conclusion.  Regardless, I’ve enjoyed the series thus far and I hope the conclusion lives up to the anticipation.   

Now, what do you think? 

The Spinner Rack 
By Al Brown and Kurt Amacker

Al: This week: Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets the comic adaptation we've all been waiting for. Wait, that's not what I meant to say. Also, Daredevil: Father finally wraps to universal apathy, and the Punisher returns to Marvel 616 and, I assume, kills everyone for being shmucks.

Kurt: Frank’s back.  I’m getting the beer.  And, I apologize in advance for the weird formatting of the listings.  I swear I’m going to fix it by Saturday.

DARK HORSE COMICS

Escapists #5 (of 6) $2.99

Hellgate London #1 (of 4) $2.99

Al: I thought Hellgate was LA. Huh.

Path Of The Assassin Vol 3 TP (MR) $9.95

Samurai Heaven & Earth Vol 2 #1 (of 5) $2.99

Sock Monkey The Inches Incident #2 (of 4) $2.99

Al: And I thought Sock Monkey was when Chuck Austen posted anonymous defenses of his own work. Oh wait, that's sock puppets.

Kurt: And a crotch puppet is when Rob Liefeld posts thinly veiled legal threats towards Keith Giffen at Newsarama.  Old news, I know, but I’m still pissed.

Star Wars Knights O/T Old Republic Commencement Vol 1 TP $18.95

DC COMICS

100 Bullets #78 (MR) $2.99

52 Week #28 $2.50

Absolute DC The New Frontier HC $75.00

Kurt: Dear DC: Quit making me poor.

Aquaman Sword Of Atlantis #45 $2.99

Astro City The Dark Age Book Two #1 $2.99

Batman Legends Of The Dark Knight #212 $2.99

Birds Of Prey #100 (note Price) $3.99

Al: Somebody new joins the crew.

Kurt: The real question is whether she’s hot or not, isn’t it?

Catwoman #61 $2.99

Dr. Dastardly: The old Rogue Nuke is one of the classic doomsday plots, and it's even more feasible these days. North Korea will give you some plutonium for a cookie. Kim Jong Il is a really, really nice guy.

Kurt: I guess he’s not so ronrey any more.

Checkmate #8 $2.99

Claw The Unconquered #6 $2.99

Deadman #4 (MR) $2.99

Devil Does Exist Vol 8 $9.99

Al: Yeah, but didn't he get fired last week?

Satan: Um, I can’t exactly get fired.  See you in 2012, Brown.

Green Lantern Corps #6 $2.99

Hellblazer #226 (MR) $2.99

Hellblazer Empathy Is The Enemy TP (MR) $14.99

Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne Vol 6 $9.99

Krypto The Super Dog #3 (of 6) $2.25

Al: You do not want this dog to hump your leg.

Kurt: Try explaining that one to the doctors in the E.R.  “Hey doc, this Kryptonian dog with superpowers humped a hole in my calf and straight through the tibia.

Mad Kids #5 $4.99

Mad Magazine #472 $3.99

Omac #5 (of 8) $2.99

Omega Men #2 (of 6) $2.99

Omukae Desu Vol 2 $9.99

Robin #156 $2.99

Scooby Doo #114 $2.25

Shadowpact #7 $2.99

Supergirl #11 $2.99

Al: Supergirl joins the Outsiders, behind a cover that's been widely mocked for making her look just like a blow-up doll.

Kurt: Isn’t she in the Legion of Super-Heroes now?  What gives?

Superman The Man Of Steel Vol 5 TP $19.99

Testament #12 (MR) $2.99

Texas Chainsaw Massacre #1 (MR) $2.99

Kurt: As much as I love chain saw wielding redneck cannibals, I’m pretty much done with licensed comics.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Var Edition #1 (MR) $2.99

IMAGE COMICS

Battle Pope #11 (MR) $4.99

Al: Y'know, I go through the "Now on Sale" areas at each company's website every week to find stuff to write about for this here column, and Image's is an absolute disaster. I mean, none of the companies are capable of remembering what we're putting out this week, but Image...I clicked on November just now, and they showed me November 2005. Seriously. How hard is it to get an intern to keep these areas up-to-date? It's embarrassing. Anyway, I suppose I'll just guess what each comic is about.

Kurt: Have you ever had an intern or even been one?  It ain’t that simple, my friend.

Bomb Queen Vol 2 #2 (MR) $3.50

Al: Nipples.

Kurt: Ah, the boob jokes haven’t gone away.

Deadworld #6 (MR) $3.50

Al: Zombies.

Death Jr Vol 2 #2 (of 3) $4.99

Al: A dead kid.

Kurt: Sort of – Death’s kid.

Girls #19 (MR) $2.99

Al: No idea, and neither will you.

Girls Vol 3 Survival TP (MR) $14.99

Hunter Killer Silvestri CVR Cgc Graded 9.8 #8 $59.99

Al: Idiocy.

Invincible #36 (RES) $2.99

Al: Face-kicking.

Jack Staff #12 $3.50

Al: Uh, masturbation.

Good Taste: Hey, Kurt and Al – I’m taking off.  Later.

Outlaw Nation TP (MR) $15.99

Al: Cowboys?

PVP #29 $2.99

Al: Dimly likeable comic strips.

Kurt: I’m giving everyone your e-mail address.  Prepare to die.

Scribbler GN $7.99

Al: Oh wait, I actually know this one. A manga-influenced black-and-white standalone story of a woman who's using a machine to burn away her multiple personalities, it's gotten fairly positive buzz. Beautiful art; heavy-handed commentary on the use of drugs to even out our mental quirks.

Kurt: Someone call the papers.  We actually just said what a book’s about.

Sidekick #4 (of 5) (MR) $3.50

Spawn Armageddon Vol 1 TP (MR) $14.99

Waterloo Sunset TP $17.99

Al: Sounds like the sequel to "On Golden Pond" to me.

Kurt: Dude, you just made a pee joke.  Are you hurting for material that badly?

MARVEL COMICS

Anita Blake VH Guilty Pleasures #2 (of 12) $2.99

Al: First issue left me completely cold, but I don't think I'm the target audience.

Kurt: I think I’m the target audience, but I didn’t even read it.

Astonishing X-Men #18 $2.99

Al: I better find out that that person didn't betray the team after all.   Ten bucks says he or she didn’t.  (Note that I am avoiding spoilers for those waiting (endlessly) for the trade.)

Kurt: Next week, I’ll review the new book by Joss Whedon: How to Write Comics Part-Time.

Avengers And Power Pack Assemble Digest TP $6.99

Blade #3 $2.99

Kurt: Is it just me, or has Howard Chaykin’s art been terrible lately?  I don’t mean that to be vicious or anything, but this book has looked really half-assed.

Cable Deadpool #34 $2.99

Al: Conclusion of Cable's fight with the Six Pack, which I'm hoping is the same Six Pack as the barely competent coalminer-and-minority alliance from Amazing Race 10. What, you don't watch that show?

Kurt: That, or it could be about his harrowing personal struggle with alcoholism. 

Captain America & The Falcon Swine TP $29.99

Civil War #5 (of 7) $2.99

Al: Punisher! As lame as the characterization's been in Civil War, I am looking forward to Millar introducing the Punisher. You know it's gonna kick ass.

Kurt: Dear God, let this rule.

Civil War 175 Turner Sketch Var #5 (of 7) PI

Civil War Turner Var #5 (of 7) $2.99

Daredevil Father #6 (of 6) $2.99

Al: Hey guys...too late.

Fan Interest: Hey Marvel, I left months ago.  Turn the lights off.

Fury Peacemaker TP $17.99

Ghost Rider #5 $2.99

Al: Guest appearance by Satan!

Satan: That’s right, Al!  I see this as part of a larger public relations campaign to clean up my image.  Do you know what it’s like when half of the American public blames you for everything?  Seriously, I’m just trying to do my job and Joe Nobody thinks it’s my fault that he blew a tire this morning.  Do me a favor: buy Ghost Rider and give me another chance.

Iron Man #13 Cw $2.99

Al: Ostensibly explaining why Tony's been such a dick lately. I'll buy it, but I doubt this will be possible.

Kurt: We can only hope that he’s hitting the bottle again.

Marvel 1602 Fantastick Four #3 (of 5) $3.50

Marvel Adventures Avengers #7 $2.99

Marvel Westerns HC $20.99

Moon Knight #6 $2.99

Moon Knight Bloody Var #6 $2.99

Al: Dear Marvel, I will buy anything billed as a "Bloody Variant." No, seriously. Thanks, Al.

Ms Marvel #9 $2.99

Al: Guest-starring Rogue.

Kurt: I wonder if Ms. Marvel’s gotten over the whole stealing-her-powers-and-ruining-her-life incident.

New Avengers #25 Cw $2.99

Squadron Supreme #7 $2.99

Al: This has been lame since the moment they moved away from the Max imprint.

Kurt: You’re just mad that Power Princess and that gill-chick had to put clothes on.

Squadron Supreme Vol 1 Prewar Years Premiere HC $20.99

Thunderbolts #108 $2.99

Ultimate Fantastic Four #36 $2.99

Al: This, however, has been great. I'm liking Mike Carey's first arc a whole lot.

Kurt: “I’m liking”?  How about just “I like,” Borat?

Ultimate Marvel Flip Magazine #19 $4.99

Ultimate Tales Flip Magazine #19 $4.99

Union Jack #3 (of 4) $2.99

What If Spider-Man The Other $2.99

White Tiger #1 (of 6) $2.99

Al: Picking up on a subplot from Bendis's Daredevil run, another title aimed at fixing the Marvel Universe's chick shortage. Written by fantasy author Tamora Pierce and pencilled by Phil Griones, neither of whose work I'm familiar with. I'll check it out, but I wasn't that interested in the new White Tiger back when Bendis was introducing her, so I'm not overly hopeful.

X-Men First Class #3 (of 8) $2.99