The Best Volume of the Series

books:

	• 52, Vol. 3 Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, ... DC Comics, 2007 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Series Loses Focus

For anyone who wants to keep up on what's going on in the DCU, 52 is sort of a necessity. It's the bridge between Infinite Crisis and Countdown to Final Crisis which will be followed by Final Crisis. 52 is perfect for people who suffer with attention deficit disorder or perhaps fans of soap operas. Issues came out weekly and storylines jumped around so much that readers could quickly become bewildered. My understanding is that the much of the series was written as it progressed and it shows. Some of the storylines started off with a lot of promise but withered as the series went on while others lost focus and just wandered aimlessly. The Question/Montoya thread is an example of a story that started off tight with the two of them hunting down Intergang. Next thing you know they're in Kahndaq preventing an assassination and then The Question gets brain cancer and Intergang is completely forgotten as Renee Montoya tries to get him to Nanda Partha for a cure. It just seemed sloppy and unfocussed.

For me, the highlight of this book was without a doubt the big reveal of Supernova's true identity. It wasn't just the highlight of the book it was the highlight of the entire series because it restarted the storyline that got me into 52 in the first place. The second best thing about the third book was how little attention was given to Kahndaq which has been my least favorite storyline. The Intergang thread is really heating up but Ralph Dibney's quest for powerful magic items is starting to grow tiresome and this had been one of my favorite parts of book two. Booster Gold's time travel story is moving again and I couldn't be happier because that was the storyline that originally got me intrigued by 52.

When it gets right down to it the second and third book have not lived up to the promising start in book one and I think it has to do with the way 52 was produced. Without fully plotting out where the stories go they often fall apart. The Luthor/Everyman storyline definitely has that `making it up as we go along' feel to it. Book four is really going to have to hit it out of the ballpark to make up for the drag in book two and book three. I can't say I regret buying 52 but it's unlikely that it will go down as one of my favorite series unless the final book has a total stellar ending.

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review for all four volumes

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.

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Dynamic and Quick Paced

This is the best volume so far in the series, and I was highly impressed by the tight plotting and narrative flow. The artwork is a little busy at times, but overall is excellent. I still think the series would have benefited from not having the Starfire, Adam Strange, Animal Man plot line, but as that arc is barely touched upon here, the whole series prospered.

Highly recommended.

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The Best Volume of the Series

This is probably my favorite of all three of the volumes. All of the stories really come to ahead and prepare for the final push. The Supernova story is probably the best story in the book as you finally find out who he is. The Black Adam story hasn't quite got to the climax but, it is close. The story of Dr.Magnus continues to get better. The Question and Montoya storyline really sends you down a sad path but, a very well written story and the art while nothing amazing is good enough.

52 - more than just a weekly

If you missed the weekly editions, this is a great way to catch up.
There are a lot of different story lines and it seems that some of them get forgotten for a while. I am looking forward to vol. 4 to see how it all gets tied together. Of course you must remember that this is followed by 'Countdown'

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reviews: page 1, 2

After the INFINITE CRISIS, the DC Universe spent a year without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman -- a year in which those heroes were needed more than ever as the fate of the world hung in the balance.

52 combines the brightest and best talents from the comic book writing field, Geoff Johns (INFINITE CRISIS), Grant Morrison (ALL STAR SUPERMAN), Greg Rucka (WONDER WOMAN) and Mark Waid (KINGDOM COME), working together with the world's finest artists to tell the tale of a world awakening from a nightmare to face a new day.

The DC Universe's most eventful year continues in this latest volume of the acclaimed series with Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, Black Adam, The Elongated Man, Animal Man, Lobo, Starfire and Adam Strange taking center stage.

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