52: Week 4I figured I should get off my lazy ass and finally contribute something to this site again. So here we go: 52, Week 4. Don’t read it unless you want it spoiled; then again, the two of you who read this site probably knew that already.
Day 1
All right, so we start off with Renee Montoya doing a surveillance job for the Question. Nothing’s happening, she’s bored.
Up in space, astronauts and Halo are looking for the people who went into space during the Crisis, including the OG Alan Scott Green Lantern and Animal Man (whose series I just picked up in TPB form; mighty good stuff). Halo finds residual Zeta beam transportation waves, which apparently means Adam Strange has been ‘porting. They’re going to find ‘em!
Booster’s being his usual self-centered, sponsored whore of a superhero. Fire isn’t too happy. Booster argues that the future he came from spit in his face, so now it IS about him, dammit! Then he goes to an advertising meeting with Big Belly Burger.
Day 3 (Apparently nothing important happened on Day 2, or they just forgot their little caption box)
Montoya’s still bored with her surveillance, but the Question, who is fast becoming one of my favorite heroes, pops up in her car unexpectedly. He tells her to keep watching this house, since something will happen, even if nothing has for 2 weeks.
In Metropolis, John Henry Irons has some kind of vision/sickness, and remembers how bad it was when the world was missing a Superman the first time. Everybody just showed up and did a bad job of filling his shoes. Some ghost form of Steel shows up and talks to him, perhaps in a dream, while the current self staggers into the bathroom and barfs into a toilet. He then touches a computer, his hands turn silver, the silverness creeps into his face, and the computer explodes. He may have just been stoned. I really don’t know.
Day 4
Meanwhile, Ralph Dibny is still trying to figure out the resurrection symbol on his wife’s grave. The cult he’s visiting sticks him in the ‘striped waters of the river memon’ to show him the afterlife, and ask for something he values in return. He says he has nothing left after his wife’s death, they stick him underwater, nothing happens, and he comes up lacking his wedding ring. Poor guy just can’t get a break.
Day 5
Back with Montoya, a big creepy thing walks into the building she was supposed to be watching as she’s almost dozing. She wakes up and goes inside, only to be met by the Question. They continue on together, fall down a trap door, and find an ugly green monster loading up crates of alien weapons. A fight ensues, the Question is his usual badass self, and Montoya shoots the monster/alien/thingy-ma-doodle with one of the alien guns, killing it.
Day 7 (again, apparently Day 6 didn’t matter)
They’re bringing the stray Zeta beam transmission onto the planet (since apparently teleportation beams can be rerouted onto Earth now), and lots o’ people show up all bloody-like. I recognize a giant Hawkgirl and a bloodied Alan Scott (wasn’t he missing an eye in Checkmate? Well, it’s bloody here), but that’s about it, so I’ll give you a picture and you can see for yourself.
History of the DC Universe Backup Story
Meh. We learn about the Crisis up until Supergirl’s death. That’s about it.
Overall
Decent issue. I have no idea what in the Hell happened with Steel, though I did realize that the whole ‘mysterious-substance-creeping-over-a-person’s-skin’ thing is really overdone in just about every medium. The Question is truly awesome; he’s funny and badass all at the same time. I’m getting a little tired of Ralph Dibny and Renee Montoya whining all the time, but it’s understandable given their contexts. I also wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more help for less devoted readers, since many of the scenes are completely lost on me; I like to think I have a pretty decent knowledge of the DC Universe, but DC doesn’t do a damned thing to help explain who people are or why we should care what happens to them. OYL was great for newer readers, but 52 really isn’t, in any way, shape, or form. But I’m still enjoying it, since I know what’s going on for at least all of the major things. Until some other week when I decide to be a productive member of society, then, I’m off! Make good choices!
--The Almeister
Originally posted on waitingforwednesday.blogspot.com 6/1/06 Read more
