52 Issue #1 *SPOILERS*

[Paul Newell]

Made ya look! :)

OK guys n' gals....Same drill as Infinite Crisis, Countdown and Identity Crisis. There'll be a new thread every week!

And now the boilerplate:

This thread is for posting about issue #1 of 52. Please put reviews and thoughts on the issue here. By limiting it to this particular thread we hope to head off the duplicate conversations which plagued the releases of Identity Crisis and Countdown. If you wish to post speculation or something tangental to this issue then please feel free to start a separate thread. Any separate thread that deals directly with the issue will be merged here. As with previous issues, if you do get your hands on a copy earlier than the release date, or come across spoilers online, then please use the [SPOIL ] [/SPOIL ] tags until the issue is available freely.

And, as always, please be aware of the rules and guidelines of this board and stay on topic. Thanks.

[Thor Reborn]

My first post ever

so here are the spoilers from the dc boards
The book starts of with numerous shards with a piece of DC history in each on swirling together with the end result being Earth. The book then starts off with Week 1 Day 1 where you see Ralph Dibny holding a gun and talking on the phone. You see that the Dibny house has been torn in two from the Monster Society when they rampaged through Opal City. Cut to Gotham where you see Montoya in a bar, cut to Paris where Steel is helping in the rescue recover of that town and the destruction there. Day 2 Ralph is still in his house going through the wreckage, Montoya is still drinking and Steel has rescued somebody from the rubble in Paris. Day 3 Ralph is on the phone and still holding a gun, and Montoya is still drinking. Day 4 Steel is talking with one of the rescue workers in Paris. Day 5 starts off in Metropolis with Skeets announcing Booster Gold who has Mammoth over his head while flying over the streets hamming it up for the press. You see that Booster has become a corporate ***** with sponsor labels on his costume while he gives fake tears for the camera when asked about Superboy. He then flies off with Skeets planning their next move according to Skeets history records. Cut to Ralph who puts the gun he has in his mouth and is about to pull the trigger when he gets a call that a message was left on Sue’s tombstone. Cut to Metropolis where Steel is flying in with his niece Natasha and she is talking about going off to the Teen Titans. She says that the armor is her’s and that she earned it. Steel then pulls out a remote and turns her armor off telling her that if she wants armor she can build it herself and he flies off. Cut to Kahndaq where Black Adam is flying over his people. A terrorist then comes out of the crowd with bombs strapped to him. Black Adam rips the bombs off and throws them into the sky so nobody is hurt. He then rips the terrorist’s right arm off telling him “you have three more chances to tell me who sent you”. Day 6 starts off in Doctor Sivana’s lab where two mystery figures arrive and ruff him up before taking off with him. Cut to Metropolis where a number of heroes are gathered – look in the crowd it’s Nightwing but is it Dick or Jason, but didn’t Dick just leave with Bruce. Booster is certain that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman will be showing up to start a new Justice League because history said so. The Big Three do not appear as history has said and Booster starts to freak out since it was to be his big shining moment. At that time Skeets starts acting up falls to the ground apparently out of order. J’onn trying to restrain Booster and is told by a bystander that they are not coming. You then see Clark with a bloody nose from Booster when he was struggling with J’onn. Clark is asked how he knows and Clark replies to Booster “I just know and I’m sorry”. Day 7 the Question rips the bat symbol off of the Batsignal and paints a question mark it and turns it on. The light shines into Montoya’s apartment where you see her drinking. Montoya closes her blinds and you see that the Batsignal is now the Question Signal.

So Montoya is a drunk, Ralph is still overly depressed and we have no idea who he is always on the phone with, Booster Gold is a selfish sell-out, and Steel is the only one acting like a hero. Besides that Black Adam is just his kick ass self. Overall not a bad way to start a 52 part story when it is kept in it's proper perspective.

[nathanmcmaster]

Is there realy supiost to be 52 of them cool now anyhow batman and superman will be dead and the new team i can't remember there name but the main team anyhow will have to stop a globe liberating force.

[LoneWolf21]

I was under the impression that Natasha built her armor. John's attitude towards her seems odd.

[sly_kat]

Here's a lot that was sorta left out:)!!
The book opens with the swirling shards of the past universe. Inside each shard is an image of a hero or villain. Saw a couple with Adam Strange and Animal Man, who are supposed to be prominent figures in 52 too.These are converge and boom, its EARTH!.
The second day of 52:D , A wierd set of reports surface saying that Batgirl showed up in Toronto and Houston simultaneously. (the twists begin!!)
Steel goes on about how a person with a bow helped save some of the people in St. Louis.
Ah the third day of 52....Ralph is tinkering with a handgun while talking to someone on the phone. My guess is its Bea, just cause well who else, lol. Ralph throws in "He is? Finally, some good news!" (who knows what that means...)
On the fifth day of ole 52....After Booster's short claim to fame over Mammoth (man in the fearsome five just kicking it now) some kids are upset, saying Wonder Woman is dead. Booster steps in, (like he knows how to talk to kids), saying hes from the future and how 'shes fine', and 'theyre all fine'. Booster breaks into a sales pitch, but Skeets warns him that the public is still distraught over Superboy's death, and nows not advertising time, Booster fakes some tears for the good ole media. As he exits, he talks about the big day, when he gets invited to join the Justice League (the new one, "the best there ever will be"). He also talks about the historic speech that Supes is set to give tomorrow (ah Booster and his glorious know how of the future...) Then after Ralph's hearing the defacing of Sue's grave, and Steelturning off his neice's armor... we head over to Black Adam's one arm juggling game, where after thats all done, the big part hits...the plaque once stating "Themscyria House" is removed and replaced with a sign that says "Embassy of Kahndaq"
Moving on to the 6th day...Sivana is mugged after belittling Black Adam's televised speech on tv and insulting magic over science (while Mr. Mind watches his butt dragged away... course MR. Mind is still stuck in his jar) We head off to Metropolis (whats left of it) where heroes are gathering... the ones i see off the bat...
Geoforce, Azrael (yup..i said it) , Power Girl, the female Dr. Light, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Ray (yup hes still kicking) Flash Garrick, Bart Allen, Connor Hawke, Hal, Fire, Martian Manhunter, Ragman, Blue Devil, Detective Chimp, Enchantress, Nightshade, Zatana, Martian Manhunter, Guy, Firehawk, Jon Stewart, Sand, Metamorpho, Robotman, Nightwing (not sure which...but ibet its Jason... considering Bruce and the boys just took a minivacation and dont seem to be able to come back... wonder what keeps them away?), Black Lightning, Black Lightning's daughter, Vixen, Gypsy, Aquaman, Mera, Stargirl, STRIPE, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Rebis, Hourman, Manhattan Guardian, Plastic Man, Jakeem Thunder, Thunderbolt, Chief, Wildcat, Mr. Terriffic, Katana, Sasha Bourdeaux, Changeling, Wondergirl, Tasmanian Devil, Raven, Mr. Miracle Norman, Frankenstein's Monster, Klarion, Dr. Midnite and Mr. Bones. Theres a bunch more outsiders, doom patrol, and couple other... plus it appears all the SEven Soldiers are present except the Shining Knight.... perhaps this is who kicks the bucket and not Mister Miracle, like the infinite #7 splash page could suggest. Green Arrow speaks of the loss of most of the Freedom Fighters (*tear*), while Bart explains how Wally just needed some time away (perhaps a year would be enough time?;)) As Skeets predicts the Trinity's arrival, he tells Booster to his the stage, while Martian Manhunter asks for Ralph is (look for gun, huh). Hal figures supes will give a eulogy for Superboy's loss. After the "Big Three" fail to arrive, Booster panic, Skeets craps out, and Booster bumps into Clark Kent, who informs Booster their not coming, and he states "I just know" (take that and stick it up your futuristic timeline! Man i love Booster:p )
lastly, day 7, after the question spray paints a question mark on the signal, and Montoya's reminiscing about her ex-gf, the shining question mark flashes in her window, to which outside, the Question asks "Are you ready?" (supposedly their supposed to spend most of 52 uncovering who Batwoman is... ayear long mystery).


Overall pretty good... but i got this bad feeling that Black Adam will kick the bucket in the end after building him up to be this heroic figure in a foreign countries eyes... its either that or the Question... cause well they seem to like killing off the Charlton figures which would really tick me off! Anyhow thats that.... for now not a bad start.. lil slow... but im really interested in seeing how off the timeline is that Booster is going off of... already hes screwed up his big chance... Wow you save the world once and this what you get... fame and stardom, haha.

[Xero]

... cause well they seem to like killing off the Charlton figures which would really tick me off!

Really, hey why don't you do me a favor and list all the dead Charlton heroes that DC owns. Excluding Judomaster who only had his back broken, and Thunderbolt to whom they lost the rights. Tell you what I'll do it.

1. Blue Beetle II (Ted Kord)
2. Peacemaker III
Real short list, and by the way the copyright they own is for the name Blue Beetle not for "Ted Kord, Blue Beetle" so they can put anyone they want in that role, and in fact they did. Same goes for Peacemaker seeing as he was the third one, there will probably be a better fourth version out soon.

Question - very much alive
Captain Atom - alive
Son of Vulcan - new incarnation
Nightshade - alive
Sarge Steel - alive
Judomaster - alive but effed up
Mr. Muscles - never relaunched
Nature Boy - never relaunched
Prankster - never relaunched
Shape - never relaunched
Spookman - thankfully never relaunched
Mercury Man - never relaunched

[Bat-Mite]

there will probably be a better fourth version out soon.


With a better less embarrasing helmet, we hope.

[Cayman]

Any sign of Zauriel?

Cay

[Choppa]

Wait what? Azrael? How does he come back?

[Karl J. Barnes]

Just finished reading the issue and like all first issues is basically a set up for the events that will happen in the coming weeks.

The issue deals with three characters promiently, Booster Gold, Yolanda(?) Montoya and Ralph Digby aka The Elongated Man. Ralph's house has been destroyed and he is preparing for the coming Memorial for Superboy. Ralph's life is slowly coming unglued. Whereas Montoya is trying to drown her problems and Booster thinks that this memorial will be the turning point in his life and for those of everyone else.

Digby and Montoya both get a surprise as Ralph is informed that there is a message on his wife's headstone and Montoya gets a Question signal. Booster gets the biggest shock in that the Superman,Wonder Woman and Batman WON'T be showing up to the memorial and making his life right.

I liked the issue and will be getting the next one. I wonder, if this will be the swan song for Ralph, his last case as it were. Not saying that he is going to die, though his wanting to eat his gun does show that he is on the brink. I just think that he will finally put the death of his wife to rest and solve this one final mystery and then retire.

The re-introducing of the Question is pretty neat and wonder, if they are going to go with JLA cartoon version/Steve Dikto version or a mix of the two?

What do the rest of you think?

To the Mod: *If there is already a thread about the issue then could you merge or delete this one.*

[jerrymcl89]

I think the poster meant Zauriel, not Azrael, unless I missed something.

[Cayman]

Any Zauriel sightings?

*is quite concerned*

Cay

[TCJohnson]

So...a memorial for The Freedom Fighters and Superboy but nobody really cares that Ted Kord is dead yet? :(

[jamal Igle]

Any Zauriel sightings?

*is quite concerned*

Cay
Yes Zauriel is in the first issue of 52*, where the heroes gather in Metropolis Memorial Park

[Cayman]

Yes Zauriel is in the first issue of 52*, where the heroes gather in Metropolis Memorial Park

Thank you. I can buy it now.

Cay

[PatrickG]

I was under the impression that Natasha built her armor. John's attitude towards her seems odd.

Nope. It was a gift. JHI intended for it to be a gift IN THE EVENT OF HIS DEATH. But Natasha found the armor while he was in the hospital and used it to teasm up with Cir-El and Traci 13.

There WAS a prior suit that she had built for herself but the Fritz Lang suit that allows her to grow 50 feet tall is John Henry's work.

[LoneWolf21]

Nope. It was a gift. JHI intended for it to be a gift IN THE EVENT OF HIS DEATH. But Natasha found the armor while he was in the hospital and used it to teasm up with Cir-El and Traci 13.

There WAS a prior suit that she had built for herself but the Fritz Lang suit that allows her to grow 50 feet tall is John Henry's work.

Oh, I see. Thanks for clarifying for me.

[Adem]

Any sign of Zauriel?

Cay

Ya, he doesn't talk though.

[sly_kat]

yeah i meant zauriel, sry. apparently Natasha is supposed to have a big part in 52, and apparently jonah hex makes an appearance in the next issue... plus more Booster 'Coroprate' Gold and Skeet Skeet. I wonder how much his knowledge of the past from the future will change with how the past has been altered?

[Cayman]

Girl 13 should come back. She was cool.

Cay

[Tom]

I'm not filled with confidence on this one. Page 1: John Henry Irons is miscolored as a white guy. Not good. Booster: manages to not only land a ton of sponsorship deals less than a week after the battle of Metropolis, but also manages a complete 180 in personality in the same period. He's acting nothing like he did throughout the whole IC arc and there's no real explanation as to why. What was the purpose of that gathering in Metropolis? Memorial for Superboy? I guess. Hal mentions something about Superman giving a eulogy but it's never made clear and it seems pretty obnoxious to me that Superboy gets a memorial but apparently the dozens of other heroes who died don't. And how did they manage to get that giant statue of Superboy less than a week after his death? Why is Ollie walking around in public - in front of dozens of news cameras no less - without his mask on? Why are Grace and Power Girl comforting Dr. Light? What's her problem? Why isn't anyone comforting Power Girl?

If I thought these things were going to be answered down the line I wouldn't bring them up, but obviously, they're so trivial that I'm almost 100% sure they're all mistakes. For a first issue for such a hyped up event, that ain't good.

[bloodyarts]

Why is Ollie walking around in public - in front of dozens of news cameras no less - without his mask on?

Well, according to the first issue of his One Year Later book, Green Arrow becomes the mayor of [whatever city he lives in]. So, maybe this was the beginning of a "I'm one of you!" campaign to get into office.

[Tom]

I'm not reading GA, but my understanding is he still has a secret identity.

[davros42]

I'm not filled with confidence on this one. Page 1: John Henry Irons is miscolored as a white guy. Not good. Booster: manages to not only land a ton of sponsorship deals less than a week after the battle of Metropolis, but also manages a complete 180 in personality in the same period. He's acting nothing like he did throughout the whole IC arc and there's no real explanation as to why. What was the purpose of that gathering in Metropolis? Memorial for Superboy? I guess. Hal mentions something about Superman giving a eulogy but it's never made clear and it seems pretty obnoxious to me that Superboy gets a memorial but apparently the dozens of other heroes who died don't. And how did they manage to get that giant statue of Superboy less than a week after his death? Why is Ollie walking around in public - in front of dozens of news cameras no less - without his mask on? Why are Grace and Power Girl comforting Dr. Light? What's her problem? Why isn't anyone comforting Power Girl?

If I thought these things were going to be answered down the line I wouldn't bring them up, but obviously, they're so trivial that I'm almost 100% sure they're all mistakes. For a first issue for such a hyped up event, that ain't good.

They very clearly said that it was to be a memorial for all the heroes who died. Yeah, Superboy gets a statue in Metropolis, I'm sure some other heroes got one in other places. Superboy gets one because he died to destroy the tuning fork, he wasn't just some schmuck who got jumped by the Society. Yeah, you can argue the logic if you like, but I think that's what they're going for. Also, in world full of giant robots, suits of armor, green willpower rings, OMACs, space aliens, and magic you're questioning how they got a statue built in a week? Zatanna just said "!eutats yobrepuS" and it was there. Use your imagination man, it's a comic book.

Booster's got PTS? Or maybe on New Earth he's more in his original huckster out-for-a-buck vein and less moronic comic relief? Or maybe without Blue Beetle to balance him, he's slipping back to old habits? Also it was noted in Infinite Crisis itself that the new Blue Beetle only recognized Booster because
he was "the guy from the toothpaste" or some similar line. He's ALWAYS had the deals, only in the past week has he decided to dress up like a NASCAR driver and make his pitches absurdly obvious.

In my copy, the man with the sledgehammer on page 1 (you're assuming it's John Henry Irons, my first thought was the guy from New Frontier, but you're probably right) looks a very light shade of tan but not necessarily white.

Someone should be comforting Power Girl no doubt (maybe that's what Nightwing is doing with her in the two page spread). And the comforting of Dr. Light is a little strange (probably something there we don't know).

Seriously though, it looks like you're nitpicking for nitpickings sake.

Also, who the hell is the giant red guy with the T on his chest in the two page spread of the memorial service... A new Red Tornado???

[sly_kat]

naw hes still got the secret identity hence the whole both sides of the campaign factor... the mayor and green arrow factor...

[Tom]

They very clearly said that it was to be a memorial for all the heroes who died.You're right. I caught Ralph saying it on the phone. I still think it's a little obnoxious to hold it under a giant statue of Superboy when so many other people died. If anyone deserves a giant statue, it's Ted Kord.
Yeah, Superboy gets a statue in Metropolis, I'm sure some other heroes got one in other places. Superboy gets one because he died to destroy the tuning fork, he wasn't just some schmuck who got jumped by the Society. Yeah, you can argue the logic if you like, but I think that's what they're going for. Also, in world full of giant robots, suits of armor, green willpower rings, OMACs, space aliens, and magic you're questioning how they got a statue built in a week? Zatanna just said "!eutats yobrepuS" and it was there. Use your imagination man, it's a comic book.Sorry, no. Sloppy writing. With all the digging out and rescue work that obviously needed to get done that week, it's utterly bizarre and self-centered to make sure someone whips up a big fat statue of one of the heroes who died.

Booster's got PTS? Or maybe on New Earth he's more in his original huckster out-for-a-buck vein and less moronic comic relief? Or maybe without Blue Beetle to balance him, he's slipping back to old habits? Also it was noted in Infinite Crisis itself that the new Blue Beetle only recognized Booster because
he was "the guy from the toothpaste" or some similar line. He's ALWAYS had the deals, only in the past week has he decided to dress up like a NASCAR driver and make his pitches absurdly obvious. Makes no sense to me at all. He was down on his luck without any endorsement deals at the time of Ted's death and Mr. Serious and uber-competent all throughout IC and 5 days after it's over he's plastered with company logoes and shedding fake tears over Superboy's death? Very sloppy writing.
In my copy, the man with the sledgehammer on page 1 (you're assuming it's John Henry Irons, my first thought was the guy from New Frontier, but you're probably right) looks a very light shade of tan but not necessarily white.He's the same shade as Dick Grayson, who's right next to him.
Someone should be comforting Power Girl no doubt (maybe that's what Nightwing is doing with her in the two page spread). And the comforting of Dr. Light is a little strange (probably something there we don't know).

Seriously though, it looks like you're nitpicking for nitpickings sake. And I think you're forgiving way too much. I don't mind ocassional screwups, but this is way too many in a #1 issue of such a hyped event.

Also, who the hell is the giant red guy with the T on his chest in the two page spread of the memorial service... A new Red Tornado???
Tasmanian Devil - and in looking for the figure I noticed Thunder was also colored as a white person. Wow.

[Evil Sneak]

You're right. I caught Ralph saying it on the phone. I still think it's a little obnoxious to hold it under a giant statue of Superboy when so many other people died. If anyone deserves a giant statue, it's Ted Kord.
Sorry, no. Sloppy writing. With all the digging out and rescue work that obviously needed to get done that week, it's utterly bizarre and self-centered to make sure someone whips up a big fat statue of one of the heroes who died.

Makes no sense to me at all. He was down on his luck without any endorsement deals at the time of Ted's death and Mr. Serious and uber-competent all throughout IC and 5 days after it's over he's plastered with company logoes and shedding fake tears over Superboy's death? Very sloppy writing.
He's the same shade as Dick Grayson, who's right next to him.
And I think you're forgiving way too much. I don't mind ocassional screwups, but this is way too many in a #1 issue of such a hyped event.


Tasmanian Devil - and in looking for the figure I noticed Thunder was also colored as a white person. Wow.

I had thought about getting this book, but damn. I think I'll pass.

[davros42]

You're right. I caught Ralph saying it on the phone. I still think it's a little obnoxious to hold it under a giant statue of Superboy when so many other people died. If anyone deserves a giant statue, it's Ted Kord

Yeah, he does. I would have rather seen a Ted Kord statue myself, but just because I like him better than Superbot doesn't make him a candidate for a statue. Like or not, when you put on that S, you mean something more to the DCU than other heroes. Was Ted a bigger hero? Maybe. Is Superboy a bigger name, definitely.

Sorry, no. Sloppy writing. With all the digging out and rescue work that obviously needed to get done that week, it's utterly bizarre and self-centered to make sure someone whips up a big fat statue of one of the heroes who died.

Right because that's they way it always happens. We clean up the mess, then we honor the dead. Superman's statue was up really quick after his death and there was still a wide swathe of destruction to clean up (They're just now rebuilding Coast City!). Granted it was also his tomb, but for all we know Superboy is bured under this statue too. Self-centered, I'll buy that, but it's got precident in the DCU and a fair bit of precident in the real world too.

Makes no sense to me at all. He was down on his luck without any endorsement deals at the time of Ted's death and Mr. Serious and uber-competent all throughout IC and 5 days after it's over he's plastered with company logoes and shedding fake tears over Superboy's death? Very sloppy writing.

Sloppy writing or "New Earth" or are they the same thing? Remember things are not guaranteed to be the same as they were before or during Infinite Crisis. For better or for worse, things HAVE changed. Some subtle, some not. Retroactive continuity can be sloppy writing but I'm willing to see where it goes and where they take it. If this version of Booster (who seems to be closer to Booster's roots) can be used in an intriguing and interesting way and not just be the Blue Beetle's hi-larious mimbo comic foil (and don't get me wrong, I enjoyed that but it seemed kind of cheap for the character) then I can live with it. Your mileage may vary.

He's the same shade as Dick Grayson, who's right next to him.
Yeah... OK, I'll concede that. He still looks tan to me, but he's definitely the same color as all the "white" people. And lighter than he was colored later in the issue to boot.

And I think you're forgiving way too much. I don't mind ocassional screwups, but this is way too many in a #1 issue of such a hyped event.

Yeah, I may be forgiving too much. But it's the first issue. Trust me, if 52 starts sucking I will be the first one to dump on it but I'm feeling generous and I want to see where they're going with this. I thought it was a good start to a long series. Plenty of time for explanations forthcoming.

Tasmanian Devil - and in looking for the figure I noticed Thunder was also colored as a white person. Wow.
Ah, thank you sir. One big thing I've loved about Infinite Crisis and now 52, I can actually look at a splash page and not know who all the characters are. I've loved all the random cameos and stuff.

...Thunder is definitely a black person. That's him just across from Sand and Robotman, isn't it? With his arm up on some woman with a bared midriff's shoulder? Just behind Aquaman.

Also, that's the "old" Aquaman... So we still don't know where OYL Aquaman comes from... Except that he hasn't appeared yet.

[Tom]

Thunder is Black Lightning's daughter and she's the blonde haired white girl (:rolleyes:) in the pink and purple outfit standing just above Tasmanian Devil.

[davros42]

Thunder is Black Lightning's daughter and she's the blonde haired white girl (:rolleyes:) in the pink and purple outfit standing just above Tasmanian Devil.

Ha, you're right. Lighting, Thunder.... Same difference.

But, wow, yeah, they colored her as a blonde white girl. That's dumber than confusing her for her father.

Awful nice of DC to bring in all these new minority heroes... and then turn the old ones white.

[protege]

Really, hey why don't you do me a favor and list all the dead Charlton heroes that DC owns. Excluding Judomaster who only had his back broken, and Thunderbolt to whom they lost the rights. Tell you what I'll do it.

1. Blue Beetle II (Ted Kord)
2. Peacemaker III
Real short list, and by the way the copyright they own is for the name Blue Beetle not for "Ted Kord, Blue Beetle" so they can put anyone they want in that role, and in fact they did. Same goes for Peacemaker seeing as he was the third one, there will probably be a better fourth version out soon.

Question - very much alive
Captain Atom - alive
Son of Vulcan - new incarnation
Nightshade - alive
Sarge Steel - alive
Judomaster - alive but effed up
Mr. Muscles - never relaunched
Nature Boy - never relaunched
Prankster - never relaunched
Shape - never relaunched
Spookman - thankfully never relaunched
Mercury Man - never relaunched
What about Killjoy? I liked him. I'd like to see the ones that weren't relaunched, since i never saw them in the first place.

[noh-varr]

Booster Gold "knows" that he was about to become a member of the best JLA ever! So of course knowing that he is about to become a huge sucess, he's off to make several bucks. And wahla! He's covered in logos like a nascar. Makes sense to me.

[Kent H]

The re-introducing of the Question is pretty neat and wonder, if they are going to go with JLA cartoon version/Steve Dikto version or a mix of the two?

With Rucka involved he's more likely to be the O'Neil version, with maybe a lttle of the animated thrown in. Oh, & it's Renee, not Yolanda.

I liked it, and agree that it's basically a set-up issue, which isn't too bad since it's weekly.

[Kent H]

According to Steve Whacker, the editor, while Booster was fighting in IC, Skeets was making all the business deals. He also hints that this the Booster Gold from Booster Gold #1, ie he'sa different charcter than the one who went back into the future at the end of OMAC Project, and this is his first time in the DCU, for him at least. Though that doesn't explain why he would be so accepting of all the heroes already knowing who he is.

As for the charcte list in another post, that's Negative Man, not Rebis. And it looks to me like Thunder's got a tan/slighter darker complexion. While I'm not a regular reader of Outsiders, I thought that was correct, that she had a mixed skin tone.

[David O Burcham]

For a weekly book that spans a year, I'll forgive a minor coloring mistake here and there, especially if it isn't essential to the plot. From every appearance I've seen her, Thunder has always had a lighter skin tone than her father.

At least everyone of all races aren't the same ungodly purplish hues that have plauged most of the Marvel books for the last couple of years.

It was also nice for someone to remember that Mammoth is from Australia. I don't think Marv Wolfman (the guy who created Mammoth) wrote him as such.

I also enjoyed Steel putting his foot down against his neice. She had a responsibility with the great power of the armor that she wasn't willing to adhere to (where have I seen that before :)).

[protege]

wait- what? they rebooted booster?

[BoSoxJay]

So, um, if you live in Gotham have just survived the aftermath of "DoV' and "IC" and all of a sudden the sky where the batsignal used to shine is all ofa sudden filled witha big giant question mark aren't you thinking "Riddler"? Not to coin a pun but how does that help a new vigilantes "Q" rating in town?

[David O Burcham]

Yep... and the dialouge between Booster and Skeets is top notch funny-book writing.

It's sort of a Re-reboot, taking him back to his roots in his solo series.

[Tom]

Where was it said that Booster was rebooted? And his behavior here is completely at odds with his behavior in IC after he got back from the future.

[ZombieHavoc]

i looked through 52 and didnt feel too interested. my enthusiasm for the whole crisis thing has been waning since after about issue three or so of inifinite crisis and i had stopped buying any of the cross overs issues at all and was basically just buying the mini series. now that its over, i think its a good time to hang up my boots. really the only three books ill be buying on a monthly basis for a while is tec, batman, and american virgin.

[stealthwise]

Man, what a letdown. Seriously, while IC was a mess, it was a huge, epic mess, that at least got me excited for what came next until the poor finale.

This first issue does nothing at all for me, though. I don't really care about Booster (and I love the old JLI), I don't care about Ralph and his sad suicidey behaviour, and I don't care about the rest of the bunch that this book is focusing on. I figured that with all the talent on this book, they could at least deliver a top-notch first issue filled with intrigue. Are they SURE that Morrison is writing for this series? Really?

I already promised my comic guy that I'd give this series four issues, but now that I know they're returnable, I'm going to give it one more. I don't have money to waste on a weekly series that doesn't provide anymore more than half a raised eyebrow.

[mandog]

I have always hated Booster Gold. This book just reinforces that hatred. Other than Booster not a terrible issue, but I'll give it 2 more issues to get better.

[onenatv]

This issue is a good set up issue. Actually it's what I expected for a first issue. It's just a week after crisis, I don't expect big things to explode out of the pages right away. I like panels with Black Adam and Steel, those are cool. Big things are coming for sure, just wait and see.

[Sean Walsh]

Good start, though I found it kinda lackluster. Actually said "Aw man, I have to wait til next issue..."

Then I realized next issue comes out next week.

All better now. :p

[ultramandingo]

cool! you can still smoke in gotham bars!

[im399unot]

I just hated the first few pages. With the stinker that I.C. was I almost gave up on this thing.

I did stick it out and the book did get much better. I dont know how great this thing is going to be but I will stick with it unless it gets as bad a I.C.

What issues are being written by which writer?

I think my biggest concern is with G.J. I just hate his writing style. I am not in any way saying that he cant write I just hate his style. He is just so all over the place. I am really looking forward to the parts not written by him.

I am not a big D.C. guy. Started with I.C. :( I just hope that this turns out to be much better. This seems like a great way for me to learn about allot of the lesser known D.C. characters. The only D.C. characters I have ever bought were Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman and Flash; and I have only been buying these for a few months.

[Silvermane]

I have always hated Booster Gold. This book just reinforces that hatred. Other than Booster not a terrible issue, but I'll give it 2 more issues to get better.

Did you ever read Booster Gold #1 or any of his earliest run-ins with Superman when they both operated out of Metropolis? Good stuff. It might just change your mind. To my way of thinking, too many fans only know the buffoonish Booster Gold we got in JLI. If people dug that interpretation, hey that's cool. But it was never the Booster that I first met twenty years ago.

[Silvermane]

Man, what a letdown. Seriously, while IC was a mess, it was a huge, epic mess, that at least got me excited for what came next until the poor finale.

This first issue does nothing at all for me, though. I don't really care about Booster (and I love the old JLI), I don't care about Ralph and his sad suicidey behaviour, and I don't care about the rest of the bunch that this book is focusing on. I figured that with all the talent on this book, they could at least deliver a top-notch first issue filled with intrigue. Are they SURE that Morrison is writing for this series? Really?

I already promised my comic guy that I'd give this series four issues, but now that I know they're returnable, I'm going to give it one more. I don't have money to waste on a weekly series that doesn't provide anymore more than half a raised eyebrow.

See, I don't think this book had any less story than every other decompressed title on the stands today that we pay for weekly. The only difference is that with this book, you don't have to wait 30 days to find out what happens next.

[drwho]

What I like about the book is the variety of characters in it. You get a littl bit of everyone.

[stealthwise]

See, I don't think this book had any less story than every other decompressed title on the stands today that we pay for weekly. The only difference is that with this book, you don't have to wait 30 days to find out what happens next.

Well, my issue with this, er, issue, didn't have anything to do with decompression. I just found everything that occurred in it to be completely boring. The "incentive" of not having to wait a week didn't do much for me. And the "showing a week every week" gimmick was pretty, well, weak overall, as it didn't seem to impact the storytelling at all so far, they simply stuck in captions that said "Day 1, Day 2" etc.

I'm hoping that the second issue gives me a reason to care about this series.

[onenatv]

What issues are being written by which writer?

I think my biggest concern is with G.J. I just hate his writing style. I am not in any way saying that he cant write I just hate his style. He is just so all over the place. I am really looking forward to the parts not written by him.
.

All four writers are working together on every issues.

[Kent H]

Where was it said that Booster was rebooted? And his behavior here is completely at odds with his behavior in IC after he got back from the future.

http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/WAcker/5_2ABOUT52_01.html

Actually, looking at Steve's comment's again, I don't get why some at Newsarama are saying he's rebooted either. All he's implying is that Booster being characterized like he was in in his solo series.

[Tom]

http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/WAcker/5_2ABOUT52_01.html

Actually, looking at Steve's comment's again, I don't get why some at Newsarama are saying he's rebooted either. All he's implying is that Booster being characterized like he was in in his solo series.
Which is part of my complaint, because 5 days earlier (story-wise) he was characterized entirely differently. Not only that, but there were in-story reasons (his lousy rep among the hero set, Ted's death, his return to the 25th century and subsequent trip back) explaining why his character had changed. Now it's all been changed back for no reason.

[Kent H]

Well, in theory it depends on how long he stayed in the future. If he spent say, several months to a year, he could have gone through the grieving, acceptance, and so forth already. Though admittedly if that's true it needs to be mentioned at some point during 52.

[Wesley Dodds]

Booster: manages to not only land a ton of sponsorship deals less than a week after the battle of Metropolis, but also manages a complete 180 in personality in the same period.

Blue Beetle's death -- he's got PTSD?

[titanfan]

Page 1: John Henry Irons is miscolored as a white guy.

Where are you getting the mis-colored Steel and Thunder in the book? I went back to check after you pointed it out and they looked black to me. Thunder does have blonde hair in her OYP (One Year Previous) costume.

[Tom]

Steel is on page one at the bottom left. His skin tone is exactly the same as Dick Grayson's who's right next to him. Thunder is on the 2 page spread of heroes gathering, just above Tasmanian Devil and behind Metamorpho (or Shift).

[Michael P]

Thunder is Black Lightning's daughter and she's the blonde haired white girl (:rolleyes:) in the pink and purple outfit standing just above Tasmanian Devil.
Well, the blonde is the right coloring. (She wears a wig. Why, I don't know, but she does.)

[Tom]

Well, the blonde is the right coloring. (She wears a wig. Why, I don't know, but she does.)
Yeah, I know. I just always thought it was a poor choice to put a black superheroine in a blonde wig when there are so few black women in comics and the most notable one has long, straight, white hair.

[Jim Yost]

So, I DID run a search, didn't find any threads already discussing this. That said, if I missed it, please feel free to point me in the right direction...

Are there now going to be 2 Rays operating in the DCU? The 90's Quesada version is here, but there's one who looks like the original/Kingdom Come version in the Freedom Fighters...

What up with that?

[titanfan]

Are there now going to be 2 Rays operating in the DCU? The 90's Quesada version is here, but there's one who looks like the original/Kingdom Come version in the Freedom Fighters...


Quesada Ray in Classic Costume!

[SlightlyMad]

With Rucka involved he's more likely to be the O'Neil version, with maybe a lttle of the animated thrown in. Oh, & it's Renee, not Yolanda.

I liked it, and agree that it's basically a set-up issue, which isn't too bad since it's weekly.

It will be the O'Neil version because that's the only version Greg Rucka writes (he told me at a signing a few weeks back). Does anyone else think he's going to try to be a mentor/moral compass to Renee (like he tried with the Huntress in Cry for Blood)?

So, um, if you live in Gotham have just survived the aftermath of "DoV' and "IC" and all of a sudden the sky where the batsignal used to shine is all ofa sudden filled witha big giant question mark aren't you thinking "Riddler"? Not to coin a pun but how does that help a new vigilantes "Q" rating in town?

I though that too. Hopefully it will speed up a rematch between the Question & the Riddler (they first met in The Question #26 back in 1989)!

[GoGo Yubari]

I though that too. Hopefully it will speed up a rematch between the Question & the Riddler (they first met in The Question #26 back in 1989)!

Question versus Metrosexual Shane McCarthy Riddler would RULE. I would love for Q to be the first person to decisively defeat him where Batman and Green Arrow couldn't.

I enjoyed 52 #1. There were some dumb coloring moments, but I've seen much, much worse (the recent White Monet thing in X-Factor, for example). As for Booster, I DO think there needs to be a clear explanation for the sudden change in demeanor, but the Booster/Skeets banter amused the hell out of me so I'll allow it.

[Choppa]

I think the poster meant Zauriel, not Azrael, unless I missed something.

Yea I think you're right. I checked it out and didn't see him anywhere. And was pretty dissapointed too!

[Rhydaman]

Are there now going to be 2 Rays operating in the DCU? The 90's Quesada version is here, but there's one who looks like the original/Kingdom Come version in the Freedom Fighters...

What up with that?
Freedom Fighters is a year later, isn't it? Perhaps Ray changes.

[Super Sonic]

TBH, I'm buyin' this for The Question, it's an understatement to say i was a little dissapointed with only two pages given to him....one of which we've already seen.

But I think Montoya will get alot of attention in the series, with The Question almost playin' a supporting role to her.....I hope I'm wrong though.

[Damo]

And how did they manage to get that giant statue of Superboy less than a week after his death? That's what UNION work will get you! Support your local Teamsters.

Seriously though, superheroes were talking about getting together to mourn the fallen and take a head count. Zatanna l(or someoen with magnet powers) ooked at the empty place they were going to gather, said "that's not right" and whipped up a statue.

Why is Ollie walking around in public - in front of dozens of news cameras no less - without his mask on?

A better question might be why this is a surprise to people. Ollie's secret identity had clearly been public knowledge for a good while before Winnick took over the book and conveniently forgot the public funeral, and all the times he was shown running around maskless. =/


Why are Grace and Power Girl comforting Dr. Light? What's her problem? Why isn't anyone comforting Power Girl?

"DC still has you using the name and costume of a serial rapists that went on a killing spree at a high school?"
"Uh huh..."
"Oh you poor thing..."

*Shrugs.* That didn't bother me. Chalk it up to "maybe she saw something awful during the BATTLE WE NEVER FREAKING SAW." Or maybe she was taking one of the deaths hard, and wondering why only one person got a memorial. Feh.

Overall... Eh, it wasn't the hook I was hoping for, but goodish nonetheless.

Dang that's some sloppy coloring though. XD

[glennsim]

Freedom Fighters is a year later, isn't it? Perhaps Ray changes.

According to the 52.2 interview with editor Steve Wacker over at Newsarama, he has a different real name, so it's a new guy.

"Our" Ray probably retires or something. Or else it's one of the mysteries around 52.

Maybe he's Supernova...

Or maybe it's the same guy and he's in the witness protection program...

[Kara Zor El]

I think that with 52 you've just got to give it a few weeks. #1 is a set up issue and they are often a little bit frustrating.
The colour mistakes are outrageous really, but these things happen. I once had a Judge Dredd comic where his shoulder pads were pink.
Maybe Booster's change of personality will be explained and maybe it won't. I'd like it to be but if the overall story takes me for a ride, it'll just be a minor niggle for me.
The problem for me is that I enjoyed IC so much, (ducks for cover) that everything else is a bit anticlimatic.
You have to put a lot of faith into something like 52 and that's asking a lot of any of us. So I'll stick with it and hope it rams up and if it don't I'll fly straight through the center of Oa and recreate the big bang.

[DarthAstuart]

i really liked the characterization of Booster in this issue, so I don't know if I care that much if it's a sloppy bit of editing. but then, I will forgive a lot when it comes to internal logic if I like where the story is headed.

in fact, I liked all of the storytelling and dialogue. the art I wasn't as crazy about.

what stuff like the sloppy coloring and minor errors point toward is just some damn shoddy editing on DC's part. in fact, I'd go so far at this point as to call it a general issue for them, especially in these overhyped event books. maybe it's just that there are so many people reading them that the errors and inconsistencies and sloppiness really shows. But look at IC7--that was one hell of a messy book. It felt rushed, especially the artwork. and the musical cover stock thing with IC? just sloppy.

i hate to nitpick but I'd just feel better about buying and enjoying DC's books if they could deliver consistent quality simply on the level of production and editorial oversight. maybe they're not paying enough? not to turn this into another thread entirely but I thought Civil War #1 felt like a really quality book--good cover stock, sharp cover, sharp artwork and production, even an essay and a checklist. a checklist! would it have killed DC to sacrifice one ad page and give us a damn checklist of all the books they expect us to buy?

[protege]

Does Dr. Midnite always travel by rope? it sort of looked like he flew in. I'd like to know what role the seven soldiers are going to play in the DCU, especailly Frankenstein. And is it me, or has Booster's origin been rebooted?

[ExoKnight]

Two thumbs up for me. Good writing, nice start off to the series. Looking forward to each Wednesday to continue the story. Favorite character so is the question. The end of issue one was very cool. Great start.

Question, Ralph house get rampage by the Monster Society? Who the hell are they?

[Joe Rice]

Yeah, sounds like I'll pass. Morrison input does not a Morrison comic equal (see Skrull Kill Krew).

[Justin D.]

I'm fine with Booster's personality in this book. We know he had to be in the future long enough to recover, and since he didn't make it back in time to save Blue Beetle, I'm going to assume that he didn't find a machine to make it back too easily either. Of course, he was more serious during IC. That's what the time called for. Now that the crisis seems to be over, Booster might want to simply go on with life. I get the feeling that he wants to go back to the days he first arrived in the past. Days he might have thought of as simpler. I like Steve Wacker's description of Booster re-inventing himself. Seems simple enough. I've done it before so I'm not too taken back when a character does it, especially considering the emotional and pyschological trauma he's been through for the last year or so. Still, having said all that, I do want him to punch Batman in the face. Or, better yet, fire a shot at his feet one day when Batman's not expecting it and tell him that he could've shot higher. Maybe I missed it, but Batman really needs to apologize to Booster for the way he treated him during the OMAC mini.

One thing I'm surprised no one has mentioned here yet is this bit from Wacker on Newsarama: "As for his character, reinvention is exactly what Booster's about. He and his trusty robot know the future, so he's going to give his 80 year old self the best past possible."

Eighty? Booster Gold is 80? Whaaaat?

[stealthwise]

Yeah, sounds like I'll pass. Morrison input does not a Morrison comic equal (see Skrull Kill Krew).

Seriously? I just added the trade to my damn pull list. What's wrong with it? Is it more like a Millar book?

[David O Burcham]

If this comes off a-holish, I apologize in advance. But in just about EVERY comic book from BOTH companies over the last couple of years, the computer coloring has been so shoddy that it HAS been difficult to tell what race a given character is at just a glance. This is NOT new to comic books. Why, all of a sudden, people are taking offence to ONE PANEL of John Henry Irons and seemingly choosing to not notice the downturn in the art of comic book coloring the "advanced-age-of-computers" has wrought until THIS particular comic baffles me.

[Joe Rice]

Seriously? I just added the trade to my damn pull list. What's wrong with it? Is it more like a Millar book?

Very much so.

You can tell there are some good ideas . . .but it's not the Morrison we know and love.

[Tom]

If this comes off a-holish, I apologize in advance. But in just about EVERY comic book from BOTH companies over the last couple of years, the computer coloring has been so shoddy that it HAS been difficult to tell what race a given character is at just a glance. This is NOT new to comic books. Why, all of a sudden, people are taking offence to ONE PANEL of John Henry Irons and seemingly choosing to not notice the downturn in the art of comic book coloring the "advanced-age-of-computers" has wrought until THIS particular comic baffles me.
I like how merely pointing out a coloring error is seen as "taking offense." The fact is, except for the 2 examples I noted, every other depiction of a black character in the book left no doubt that they were actually Black. These were errors made by the colorist and not picked up by the editors. It had nothing to do with the technology used.

[David O Burcham]

SKEETS: "You know, technically, sir, I'm the one holding all all the data from this era. I can't even get you to read the files..."

BOOSTER GOLD: "And that is why we make such a great team. A couple of refugees from from the 25th century come back to the Heroic Age armed only with future weaponry, charm, and every news headline for the next half millennium... I may have flunked 21st Century History -- "

SKEETS: "Among your many accomplishments, sir."

BOOSTER GOLD: " -- but even I know that tommorrow is the defining moment of the century and I'm gonna be part of it."

Of course, Booster finds out that not only is his information flawed, but Skeets (his most important piece of "future weaponry") malfunctions. He is now forced to make his way through the year on his own and prove his worth as a hero. He's going to have to learn to be responsible with the tools at his disposal.

STEEL: "There's 800 tons of debris that still needs clearing, and most of a city that needs our help. You don't turn your back on that... you want something you don't deserve, not yet."

NATASHA: "I do deserve it! Dammit, why won't you let me do this?"

STEEL: "Because this isn't about grabbing a costume or someone giving you powers. It's about you, what you make of yourself. It's about what you earn, and using that to help others."

NATASHA: "...it's my armor and my life, and I'll do what I want."

STEEL: "... and it's clear to me you haven't earned it [turns off Natasha's armor via remote]... there are people out there doing more with far less, Nat."

What a horrible idea for a super-hero comic! Power and responsibility? What sort of gobbledy-gook is that?!!?

[David O Burcham]

I like how merely pointing out a coloring error is seen as "taking offense."

It does seem to be one of the major gripes some people are using in deeming whether or not to continue buying the book. Why is it so important with this one comic than the thousands of others in years before?

[protege]

I didn't like the Steel bit- i kind of like natasha, although i don't know too much about her.

[Tom]

It does seem to be one of the major gripes some people are using in deeming whether or not to continue buying the book. Why is it so important with this one comic than the thousands of others in years before?
I don't know if anyone else said they were dropping the book over this. I merely pointed it out as one among several examples of things that didn't fill me with confidence for future issues, mainly because they all come down to sloppy editing as far as I'm concerned. And in such a high-profile, hyped up book, there's no excuse for it. If you want the readers to buy the equivalent of four new titles a month, then you need to offer them something close to flawless. I'll be picking up the next issue and probably the next after that, but I kind of doubt I'm gonna see this one all the way to the end.

[David O Burcham]

I didn't like the Steel bit- i kind of like natasha, although i don't know too much about her.

I like Natasha, too. But Steel was pointing out that there were people who really needed her help and power at that moment. With the abilities of the armor she was wearing, she had a responsibility to help those people in need. She shunned that to go hang with the Teen Titans. Responsibility is the core of any hero, real or fictional.

[David O Burcham]

I don't know if anyone else said they were dropping the book over this. I merely pointed it out as one among several examples of things that didn't fill me with confidence for future issues, mainly because they all come down to sloppy editing as far as I'm concerned. And in such a high-profile, hyped up book, there's no excuse for it. If you want the readers to buy the equivalent of four new titles a month, then you need to offer them something close to flawless. I'll be picking up the next issue and probably the next after that, but I kind of doubt I'm gonna see this one all the way to the end.

As always, your fairness and logic have beaten me into submission (darn ya!). I still don't see what the fuss is when there have been equally high profile comic book projects with far worse mistakes than a slight coloring mishap that doesn't even register as a mishap to my eyes. Besides, in real life, I know Black people who have lighter skin than I do. It just doesn't seem that big of a deal to me when it is nothing I haven't seen happen in comics before.

[Shellhead]

I decided to give this issue a try, and based on this issue, I will stick with it for at least a couple more issues. The artwork was below average, but I have high hopes for the writers working on 52. As for the featured characters, it's kind of a mixed bag for me. I think that the Booster Gold and Question storylines look very promising. Steel got my attention like he hasn't since his early appearances. Ralph just doesn't work right anymore without Sue, I just don't see how his story will be entertaining. I don't give a damn about Montoya. Black Adam could be very good, assuming that Geoff Johns is writing his part and continuing the themes introduced in Black Reign.

[Damo]

*Sniffs.* Skeets BETTER not be permanently damaged! He's voiced by Billy West, dangit! Fry himself!

=(

"I got nothin'." Well said little robot. Well said.

[David O Burcham]

*Sniffs.* Skeets BETTER not be permanently damaged! He's voiced by Billy West, dangit! Fry himself!

=(

"I got nothin'." Well said little robot. Well said.

That's the voice I "heard" while reading the comic.

[Justin D.]

Know what's funny about you two disagreeing, Tom and Phoney? You're not disagreeing at all. It seems like Phoney thinks coloring has gone downhill and wonders why it took this particular comic for people to finally notice it.

[heystacy]

Yeah, I know. I just always thought it was a poor choice to put a black superheroine in a blonde wig when there are so few black women in comics and the most notable one has long, straight, white hair.


So true. I think the wig was a poor choice for Thunder.

**Thanks God she wasn't named "Black Thunder."**

[glennsim]

I like Natasha, too. But Steel was pointing out that there were people who really needed her help and power at that moment. With the abilities of the armor she was wearing, she had a responsibility to help those people in need. She shunned that to go hang with the Teen Titans. Responsibility is the core of any hero, real or fictional.

As a big fan of the Teen Titans, I somewhat take offense that being a part of that group is somehow shirking responsibility. When Trigon shows up, Steel better hope there's a good compliment of Teen Titans around.

[shaxper]

So I thought the DCU was going to become lighter and less focused on death, tragedy, and the dark sides of heroes from now on. So what's up with Ralph and Montoyo BOTH contemplating swallowing a pistol in the first issue?

I thought for sure they'd retcon Sue's death after IC and make Ralph his old lovable self again.

[Tom]

Know what's funny about you two disagreeing, Tom and Phoney? You're not disagreeing at all. .
I didn't think we were. We're in agreement that there were coloring mistakes. I just didn't see where anyone was taking offense over it or claiming they were dropping the book over it.

God, remind me never to point out a coloring mistake again.

[Tom]

God, remind me never to point out a coloring mistake again.
I can't help myself, and besides, I think it's funny: Dr. Mid-Nite was miscolored as the Manhattan Guardian on the final splash page of IC #7.

[SuperManny]

As a big fan of the Teen Titans, I somewhat take offense that being a part of that group is somehow shirking responsibility. When Trigon shows up, Steel better hope there's a good compliment of Teen Titans around.

I don't think the poster was insulting the Teen Titans. As far as the panel goes, you might be taking it out of context. Considering that Steel needed help at the time to clear rubble, and Natasha thought it was more important to attend a Teen Titans meeting because of their coolness factor, she deserved what she had coming to her.

*hopes Steel survives 52*

[glennsim]

I don't think the poster was insulting the Teen Titans. As far as the panel goes, you might be taking it out of context. Considering that Steel needed help at the time to clear rubble, and Natasha thought it was more important to attend a Teen Titans meeting because of their coolness factor, she deserved what she had coming to her.

*hopes Steel survives 52*

I didn't think the poster was, I thought Steel was. I guess it could be said that one flaw in that sequence is that we weren't clearly told why Natasha was going to the Titans. If it was just to hang out, that's one thing. But if it was because she's in a specific rotation to be on duty at certain times, or if she's been summoned for a specific mission, that's another. While Steel would have her digging people out of rubble, she could be preventing Brother Blood from releasing a virus that will kill most of the known world.

Basically, we're having to take Steel's word that what she's doing is less important than what he wants her to do, when I don't think what she wants to do has been established as unimportant.

[onenatv]

I don't think the poster was insulting the Teen Titans. As far as the panel goes, you might be taking it out of context. Considering that Steel needed help at the time to clear rubble, and Natasha thought it was more important to attend a Teen Titans meeting because of their coolness factor, she deserved what she had coming to her.

*hopes Steel survives 52*

I agree with every words you said.

[Lex]

I didn't think the poster was, I thought Steel was. I guess it could be said that one flaw in that sequence is that we weren't clearly told why Natasha was going to the Titans. If it was just to hang out, that's one thing. But if it was because she's in a specific rotation to be on duty at certain times, or if she's been summoned for a specific mission, that's another. While Steel would have her digging people out of rubble, she could be preventing Brother Blood from releasing a virus that will kill most of the known world.

Basically, we're having to take Steel's word that what she's doing is less important than what he wants her to do, when I don't think what she wants to do has been established as unimportant.You're right that it's a little vague. On my first reading, I assumed that Natasha wasn't a member yet and was on her way to join up. But, yeah, we're not given her context for wanting to go.

[Justin D.]

I can't help myself, and besides, I think it's funny: Dr. Mid-Nite was miscolored as the Manhattan Guardian on the final splash page of IC #7.

It is a little funny, but honestly, I didn’t notice the coloring mistakes when I first read it. I’ll have to look through it again tonight. I’m so going to speak for Phoney here again. He can virtually hit me if I’m wrong. I think people, even you to some extent, are taking offense to the coloring in the book, but it has nothing to do with race. People are offended to some small degree that the first issue of something that’s supposed to be so big, so revolutionary, so widely promoted has coloring mistakes at all. While it’s a valid complaint, I’m not too upset about it. From what I read, Phoney feels that this is just another example of colorists skipping steps and simply not doing as good a job as they did before the advent of computers.

I have to admit this issue made me curious about the first couple years of Booster Gold’s series. Since Dan Jurgens created Booster and is also doing the back-up stories in 52, I wonder how much input he has into the treatment of Booster Gold in 52.

[Lex]

After reading this issue several times, I have to say that I enjoyed it. It wasn't what I expected, but it wasn't horrible either.

Like many of you, I was expecting some kind of big hook in this first issue. But that might be the fact that the writers can't use the cliffhanger tool. It might take a few issues before they learn how to write a hook without that tool. So, for now, I'm comfortable thinking of this first issue as "set-up" to the interesting stories that will follow.

What I enjoyed the most were the scenes with Booster and Steel. As of this issue, I find their stories the most interesting.

I liked the Booster/Skeets partnership. Like a couple other posters, I "heard" the voice from JLU when Skeets talked. I'm glad that they used JLU as inspiration for Booster's story. Skeets makes a great straight-man. And I liked that Booster no longer has access to future knowledge. He was all set to become a famous super-hero because he basically cheated. But now he'll actually have to work to get there.

Another thing I liked was that one page with Dr. Sivana. I love the Captain Marvel characters so it was great to see him and Mr. Mind. I'm very curious about what's going on with him. It looked like he was taken by Killer Croc and a gorilla (I'm assuming Grodd).

So, while there wasn't as much of a hook as I had hoped for, I'm interested enough to keep checking it out.

[Lex]

Oh, and did anyone else notice that Nightwing was at the memorial service? Dick is supposed to be with Bruce and Tim at that point. Does that mean Jason has already assumed Nightwing's identity?

[Justin D.]

You're right that it's a little vague. On my first reading, I assumed that Natasha wasn't a member yet and was on her way to join up. But, yeah, we're not given her context for wanting to go.

That’s what I assumed too. That she was leaving to join the Titans to fill the spot left by Superboy. Seeing it that way, I can see why Steel might have been as firm as he was with her. I’m not sure why, but I never liked her. Or that is, I never liked her in that costume. The costume just doesn’t make any sense to me.

[Justin D.]

Another thing I liked was that one page with Dr. Sivana. I love the Captain Marvel characters so it was great to see him and Mr. Mind. I'm very curious about what's going on with him. It looked like he was taken by Killer Croc and a gorilla (I'm assuming Grodd).

I figured that was the Monster Squad, the arch-foes of the Marvel Family which is basically made up of the Universal Studios monsters. Jeff Smith said something about wanting to use them in his Captain Marvel series so this may actually be setting that up. Crazy.

[BoosterBronze]

I figured that was the Monster Squad, the arch-foes of the Marvel Family which is basically made up of the Universal Studios monsters. Jeff Smith said something about wanting to use them in his Captain Marvel series so this may actually be setting that up. Crazy.

Are you confusing the Monster Society of Evil with the 1980's kid adventure classic film "Monster Squad?" ("Wolfman has gnards!")

[MrBeebs37]

Anyone else think that Skeet is feeding Booster Gold information that isn't from the future but rather information that will make him a better hero that Skeet knows he has to become in the future? They seemed to make a pretty strong point of stating that Booster is not reading the info from the future himself and really, how hard would it really be for Skeet to manipulate BG?

[Paul Newell]

I just didn't see where anyone was taking offense over it or claiming they were dropping the book over it.
This is what people are focusing on Tom. It was Evil Sneak's reply to you intial post about the colouring mistakes, etc.:
I had thought about getting this book, but damn. I think I'll pass.

[Tom]

It is a little funny, but honestly, I didn’t notice the coloring mistakes when I first read it. I’ll have to look through it again tonight. I’m so going to speak for Phoney here again. He can virtually hit me if I’m wrong. I think people, even you to some extent, are taking offense to the coloring in the book, but it has nothing to do with race. People are offended to some small degree that the first issue of something that’s supposed to be so big, so revolutionary, so widely promoted has coloring mistakes at all. While it’s a valid complaint, I’m not too upset about it.

If I order a steak at a decent restaurant and tell them I want it rare and it comes out burnt to a crisp, does pointing out that they got it wrong mean I'm offended?

I'm not offended by coloring mistakes. I'm not upset by coloring mistakes. I haven't seen anything in this thread to indicate that anyone is. What I have seen (including some posts that have been deleted) are people getting upset that I pointed them out at all.

[Tom]

This is what people are focusing on Tom. It was Evil Sneak's reply to you intial post about the colouring mistakes, etc.:
I can't speak for Sneak (Hey, I like that), but he was responding to a post where I pointed out a bunch of things that rubbed me the wrong way about the first issue, including Booster's 180 in character, the weirdness of that memorial scene, and yes, the fact that there were a couple notable coloring mistakes.

I have to wonder, if they'd accidentally colored Clark Kent's hair blond and I pointed that out, would there have been this much discussion over it?

[Joe Rice]

Precisely. I'm not offended when someone does something wrong. But when they do it a few times, I probably am not going to pay for them to do that anymore.

[SuperManny]

Precisely. I'm not offended when someone does something wrong. But when they do it a few times, I probably am not going to pay for them to do that anymore.

Well, some people would be bitter, and probably forgive the person for the mistake. But it is human to feel a sense of anger from being letdown. I guess it depends on the urgency/severity of the situation. In the case of comic book coloring artists and the last splash page of Infinite Crisis, it's a sign that things are not very organized at the editor's desk.

By the way, I would be offended if the cook burnt my steak! :)

[DarthAstuart]

to me, this discussion isn't even about coloring mistakes. it's about sloppy editing. tom has pointed out some good examples. i agree with at least a few of them; others are things I'm hoping will actually be addressed in the series, and if they aren't, THEN they'll be sloppy editing for me.

i guess everyone has to decide to what extent they're bothered by stuff like that. i see where tom's coming from, but they weren't enough for me to leave the story and lose interest. honestly, i didn't even notice the coloring errors till they were pointed out to me, and the booster stuff also to a lesser extent.

another piece of this puzzle is that DC seems to have an awkward way of establishing the "mysteries" of this New Earth. showing us a new universe and letting us figure out what's different and wonder about stuff only works when we're confident that they won't leave plot threads or little bits dangling with no explanation, and that stupid mistakes won't distract us. nightwing at the memorial--mistake? mystery? who knows? steel looking white--definitely a mistake. but when you're analyzing every panel for "clues," and when the editors have suggested and encouraged that scrutiny, what ultimately defines a clue and what defines a screw up?

besides, what are they clues towards? future issues? another crisis? who knows? they're just "clues." clues aren't clues unless we know what they're trying to tell us. if you see a smoking gun in a room, but no dead body, is that gun a murder clue? i certainly don't think so.

anyway. given all that, i guess i like the issue less than i did. or rather, i still liked the issue a lot, I just have serious problems with DC's editorial and creative approach to the title and this whole IC business from day one. i still enjoyed the story and dialogue and characters, and have high hopes for those components throughout the process. the rest is just annoying carelessness.

[Tom]

snip
You are my new favorite poster.

[Justin D.]

Are you confusing the Monster Society of Evil with the 1980's kid adventure classic film "Monster Squad?" ("Wolfman has gnards!")

Indeed, I am. They had a showing of Monster Squad with three of the cast members here recently. Just a weird little note.

Anyone else think that Skeet is feeding Booster Gold information that isn't from the future but rather information that will make him a better hero that Skeet knows he has to become in the future? They seemed to make a pretty strong point of stating that Booster is not reading the info from the future himself and really, how hard would it really be for Skeet to manipulate BG?

That would be a cool, fun twist, but I’m not sure how it would they’d pull it off considering that we’d have to know about it, but Booster couldn’t. Plus, it may end up making him look stupid if he never catches on. I guess that could be it. He’d have to eventually catch on and confront Skeets.

In the case of comic book coloring artists and the last splash page of Infinite Crisis, it's a sign that things are not very organized at the editor's desk.

What happened on the last splash page of Infinite Crisis?

[Justin D.]

to me, this discussion isn't even about coloring mistakes. it's about sloppy editing. tom has pointed out some good examples. i agree with at least a few of them; others are things I'm hoping will actually be addressed in the series, and if they aren't, THEN they'll be sloppy editing for me.

i guess everyone has to decide to what extent they're bothered by stuff like that. i see where tom's coming from, but they weren't enough for me to leave the story and lose interest. honestly, i didn't even notice the coloring errors till they were pointed out to me, and the booster stuff also to a lesser extent.

another piece of this puzzle is that DC seems to have an awkward way of establishing the "mysteries" of this New Earth. showing us a new universe and letting us figure out what's different and wonder about stuff only works when we're confident that they won't leave plot threads or little bits dangling with no explanation, and that stupid mistakes won't distract us. nightwing at the memorial--mistake? mystery? who knows? steel looking white--definitely a mistake. but when you're analyzing every panel for "clues," and when the editors have suggested and encouraged that scrutiny, what ultimately defines a clue and what defines a screw up?

besides, what are they clues towards? future issues? another crisis? who knows? they're just "clues." clues aren't clues unless we know what they're trying to tell us. if you see a smoking gun in a room, but no dead body, is that gun a murder clue? i certainly don't think so.

anyway. given all that, i guess i like the issue less than i did. or rather, i still liked the issue a lot, I just have serious problems with DC's editorial and creative approach to the title and this whole IC business from day one. i still enjoyed the story and dialogue and characters, and have high hopes for those components throughout the process. the rest is just annoying carelessness.

I hate to just parrot Tom (squawk!), but that was very well put, Astuart.

[Tom]

What happened on the last splash page of Infinite Crisis?
They miscolored Dr. Midnite. I was so upset, I almost threw up my steak.

[DarthAstuart]

You are my new favorite poster.

i can only hope there is a ruth chris gift certificate involved. mmm...steak drenched in butter...drool...

[SuperManny]

They miscolored Dr. Midnite. I was so upset, I almost threw up my steak.

T-bone or Chuckwagon?

Hungry minds want to know! :p

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I'm of two minds about the project now, but overall, a good read. Just not as fantastic as I was expecting given the talent involved.

I was disappointed with some elements while really jazzed about a lot of other stuff in this first issue. I guess that's what multiple creative hands in the same basket will do.

Montoya is already boring me. I'm usually not that interested in the self-destructive alcoholic ex-cop character type to begin with, making that character a sexy latina lesbian doesn't change that. Maybe I'll come around to her when she does something other than drink.

Miscoloring Steel on the first damn page? Geez...

Ollie walking around without his mask? Huh?

Dan Dido's hyperbolic nonsense at the end? Ugh.

Aside from that though, this looks like it could be a really fun ride. With the exception of Montoya, all the other protagonists have hooked me...for the moment at least.

Natasha & Steel's relationship is intriguing. Making a young legacy super-heroine earn her way into the family business is something I haven't seen done this way before.

I love that Ralph's life has gotten so bad, it's dipped into parody. The man-shaped hole in his house was note-perfect.

Black Adam has finally usurped Billy as the coolest Marvel character to me now. There's so much meat to this character now that Johns has played up his Middle Eastern background.

There's some bumps in the road, but given the enormity of what they're trying to accomplish here, I'll give this book a month to make its case. I just wish that Dido would crank down the hype-o-meter a bit. He's only ringing the dinner bell so the fandogs can tear him to pieces.

[Lex]

I figured that was the Monster Squad, the arch-foes of the Marvel Family which is basically made up of the Universal Studios monsters. Jeff Smith said something about wanting to use them in his Captain Marvel series so this may actually be setting that up. Crazy.I don't think this will be setting up Jeff Smith's mini. I don't think it's part of normal continuity.

That scene with Sivana is probably setting up something that will be seen in future 52 issues.

[Justin D.]

They miscolored Dr. Midnite. I was so upset, I almost threw up my steak.

That’s a brilliant line that’s certain to down in CBR history at the burgeoning of an inside joke term.


Which I may have just jinxed.

[reggiegold]

"Dan Dido's hyperbolic nonsense at the end? Ugh."

I second that. That picture is a bit much, sizewise. Head honchos are more effective when heard, not seen.

I think that this title will shape up into something pretty cool. I do expect to see a few minor errors here and there, as previous posters have noted. As long as Supes' blue tights don't get colored fleshtone (I have an old Spidey ish where that happened:eek: ) it'll be OK.

[heystacy]

I hope the series picks up the pace. I'm willing to buy a couple more issues to see if its worthwhile.

[Sean Whitmore]

At best, I was underwhelmed. At worst, there were a lot of things that annoyed me.

I agree with those who said that the "drunk ex-cop" cliche and an even sadder Ralph do not make for interesting reading.

Booster's huckster persona is fun, and it's consistent with his history, but it's NOT consistent with the way he was acting FIVE DAYS before this issue started.

When did Natasha go back to being irresponsible? That may have been her character during Priest's Steel days, and that's fine, but she really stepped up and became mature when she became a Man of Steel regular.

Beyond that...eh, it was okay, whatever. The Question's scene was the best, followed by Black Adam's. I can't work up enough enthusiasm about Sivana to care about that subplot.


SEAN

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Booster's huckster persona is fun, and it's consistent with his history, but it's NOT consistent with the way he was acting FIVE DAYS before this issue started.

Really? I saw that as Booster was in a heckuva great mood once the New Earth was formed because he thought he'd suceeded in creating this Utopian Future where he'd finally get all the riches and fame he wanted. Then it turned out he was completely wrong. That all tracks for me. During Crisis he was tense, yeah, but once the danger had passed, it was time to part-ay.



When did Natasha go back to being irresponsible? That may have been her character during Priest's Steel days, and that's fine, but she really stepped up and became mature when she became a Man of Steel regular.


She's still a teenager. And, trust me, there's nothing consistent about the behavior of a teenage girl who's, what, 16 or 17? And, personally, I'm not that concerned with consistency with the past now. It literally is a New Earth, the past is now maleable as long as it makes for a good story in the present as far as I'm concerned. Whether or not 52 makes for a good story is still up in the air, however.

[Sean Whitmore]

And, personally, I'm not that concerned with consistency with the past now. It literally is a New Earth, the past is now maleable as long as it makes for a good story in the present as far as I'm concerned.


That's a fair way to look at things. With that frame of mind, nothing about the issue really irked me, but it was still kinda...bleh.


SEAN

[Babylon23]

another piece of this puzzle is that DC seems to have an awkward way of establishing the "mysteries" of this New Earth. showing us a new universe and letting us figure out what's different and wonder about stuff only works when we're confident that they won't leave plot threads or little bits dangling with no explanation, and that stupid mistakes won't distract us. nightwing at the memorial--mistake? mystery? who knows? steel looking white--definitely a mistake. but when you're analyzing every panel for "clues," and when the editors have suggested and encouraged that scrutiny, what ultimately defines a clue and what defines a screw up?


I don't know if this helps much, but the history of the DCU and character origins are going to appear as backup features in 52 beginning with issue 2, so I'm assuming that we won't need to figure it out for ourselves. From what the creators are saying, the backups should fill us in on a lot of the new Earth stuff.

As for the clues, according to the editors interview at Newsarama, there's a clue in every panel. Now, he could be exagerating, but maybe things like Nightwing at the memorial fall into this category.

Anyway, as for the issue itself, I enjoyed it. Any series that features the Question will automatically appeal to me, even if he only gets 2 pages here.

As a huge Gotham Central fan, I'm glad that Rucka is continuing her story here. She developed into a really interesting character in that series, and I'm glad she didn't shuffle off into comic book limbo when the series ended.

Both she and Ralph have really hit rock bottom. Obviously, 52 is going to give them the chance to get their lives back in order. There could be an interesting parallel between the 2 characters if the writers choose to highlight that.

I loved seeing Booster back the way he was in his original series. That book is still one of my favourites, so I'm glad they've dropped the buffoon routine. I'm interested to know how long Booster was in the future for.

Overall, this worked well for me as a first issue. They've set up where all of the major players are, both physically and psychologically. I'm in for the long haul.

[milly3cat]

I'm interested to know how long Booster was in the future for.

.

Booster was born in the future, He grew up there till the age of 25 ??

Working as a security guard in a museum, he was a common man with no life.

. He stole a time machine that he was guarding (on display at the museum) and came back to the present to live a dream life of wealth and fame..
He is a wanted criminal in the future. (Stealing a time machine)

[Sabrinaset]

I like how merely pointing out a coloring error is seen as "taking offense." The fact is, except for the 2 examples I noted, every other depiction of a black character in the book left no doubt that they were actually Black. These were errors made by the colorist and not picked up by the editors. It had nothing to do with the technology used.

There was a "What does an Editor do?" piece that Mark Gruenwald did years ago in which he says "If you didn't like the writing, blame the editor! If you didn't like where the letters were placed, blame the editor! Don't think the art is good? Blame the editor! Typo? Blame the editor! Miscolored pages? ...Uh, that might be the color seperators fault there."

The moral of this story is that in the case of coloring errors, it might...just MIGHT...be outta DC's hands, if even Mark, who would take responsibility for everything, would admit that there was one thing he couldn't completely control.

Or, you can just say that Superboy is retcon-punching these guys white.

[converge241]

anyone notice the book was lighter than other DC books? not complaining at all and sorry if it has been mentioned (i skimmed through) but i could tell a difference

[glennsim]

Booster was born in the future, He grew up there till the age of 25 ??

Working as a security guard in a museum, he was a common man with no life.

. He stole a time machine that he was guarding (on display at the museum) and came back to the present to live a dream life of wealth and fame..
He is a wanted criminal in the future. (Stealing a time machine)

I think he meant "how long did Booster stay in the future during his recent return". During IC we saw that Booster went...BACK TO THE FUTURE...and has recently returned to the present.

[malephoenix]

Question:

Is Skeets only visible to Booster? It doesn't make sense that everyone was frustrated/whatever with Booster when Skeets was right there saying something was wrong. Booster wasn't going mad, and it's common knowledge he's from the future right? So no matter what, shouldn't they have listened and thought, "Y'know, this guy might be on to something, here.":confused:

[Lex]

I think history played a big role in the reactions of J'onn, Metamopho and the others. They remember Booster from his JLI days as an attention-seeking idiot.

[Corrina]

As a huge Gotham Central fan, I'm glad that Rucka is continuing her story here. She developed into a really interesting character in that series, and I'm glad she didn't shuffle off into comic book limbo when the series ended.


As a big Montoya fan, I think Greg Rucka was one of the worst things to ever happen to the character. Wait, Rucka on Gotham Central, because I liked his work on Montoya in "No Man's Land" and in a few issues of his run on "Detective."

To me, in GC, Rucka took every positive character trait Montoya had and smashed it away with all the tragedy that was unnaturally visited on her. I still do not buy for one second her going medieval on the photographer following her in "Half a Life," not after the trauma she'd been through in NML and never broke. Plus, Montoya was never stupid before. Rucka wrote her actions in the Two-Face arc as utterly stupid.

And no, I don't object to her being a lesbian--though that was something Rucka made up out of whole cloth, the scenes with her family were affecting and the ones with Daria were sweet. But this out-of-control drunken Montoya is utterly and completely alien to any Montoya who's ever appeared before.

And yes, she was drunken and out of control BEFORE Cris Allen was killed. I'd pretty much like to throw out everything written by Rucka about Montoya in "Gotham Central."

That said, I hope he does something to bring her back from these depths in 52. But I have the feeling she's going to be dead when it's all over.

:sigh:

[TCJohnson]

I think history played a big role in the reactions of J'onn, Metamopho and the others. They remember Booster from his JLI days as an attention-seeking idiot.


Actually, he did not become an idiot until Superbuddies.

[Lex]

Actually, he did not become an idiot until Superbuddies.I know he's wasn't actually an idiot. But some of his schemes with Beetle gave the impression of stupidity.

[Damo]

Oh come on, Booster's island plan was genius! Okay, it didn't work out, but still!

Where's the "Deadpool" thread, where we discuss which character is likely to die?

My personal favorites are on Black Adam (since his magical nature makes it possible to bring him back in a big event a few years down the line), and Steel (since the "Hallowed Hall of Heroes That Died Saving Everyone During a Big Event" looks kinda "Whites Only" at the moment).

[sly_kat]

anyone notice that newsarama just put up the new covers for 13-17 weeks... and the couple major pointers are...
week 13 sue's attempt at being ressurected , week 14 steels holding his neice's head?! wah could that mean?!! ,
weelk 15 looks like booster could kick the bucket?!?! , week 16 marriage of black adam and isis , and week 17 LOBO!!!!!!! wahs everyone think?!

[David O Burcham]

I’m so going to speak for Phoney here again. He can virtually hit me if I’m wrong. I think people, even you to some extent, are taking offense to the coloring in the book, but it has nothing to do with race. People are offended to some small degree that the first issue of something that’s supposed to be so big, so revolutionary, so widely promoted has coloring mistakes at all. While it’s a valid complaint, I’m not too upset about it. From what I read, Phoney feels that this is just another example of colorists skipping steps and simply not doing as good a job as they did before the advent of computers.

Correctamundo. But I'm still gonna virtually hit you anyway, 'cuz that's how us Anti-Modern-Colorist critics roll!

K-POW!

[David O Burcham]

What I have seen (including some posts that have been deleted) are people getting upset that I pointed them out at all.

Say wha? Some people were so "passionate" over the topic of funny book coloring that their posts had to be erased from the thread?

Even for this community... that's just wierd.

[Tom]

Even for this community... that's just wierd.Not really. This isn't meant as a slam against anyone, but generally speaking, on the internet, people don't like hearing something that they like being criticized.

[Sabrinaset]

You know...I musta missed something, but wasn't it revealed that Skeets had been dissasembled and parts of him put into Blue Beetle's goggles so that they could keep an eye on him in the Countdown to Infinite Crisis Special? So, when did Skeets come back? Or is this a Skeets II...or did I misremember the whole thing...or was he simply miscolored...or what?

[Tom]

This Skeets came back from the future with Booster after he went back there following Ted's death.

[DonC]

Hey, uh, didn't they kill Firebrand, or whatever the female Firestorm's name was, in Identity Crisis?

Or is that one of those possible mistakes were supposed to be wondering about? Me, I'm wondering why Ollie was wearing his Green Arrow outfit without his mask when he has a secret identity again and is the freakin' mayor of Star City.

REPORTER: Mr. Mayor, was that you dressed as Green Arrow at the memorial for the fallen superheroes in Metropolis?

OLLIE: Uh, no.

REPORTER: But, Mr. Mayor, didn't you used to be Green Arrow?

OLLIE: Uh, no.

REPORTER: Sir, you openly fought crime in Seattle under the name Green Arrow. Do you not recall that?

OLLIE: Well, you see, I died.... Ah, screw it, they keep this up and I'll be worse off than Donna Troy and Hawkman.

[Sean Whitmore]

Hey, uh, didn't they kill Firebrand, or whatever the female Firestorm's name was, in Identity Crisis?


Firehawk? Nah, she was never killed. She's co-starring in Firestorm right now.


SEAN

[K'Nort]

Hey, uh, didn't they kill Firebrand, or whatever the female Firestorm's name was, in Identity Crisis?

From what I recall, she was in the scene where Shadow Thief killed Ronnie, but she wasn't attacked herself.

[Black Hole]

The whole Booster Gold "revert-to-miscreant-personality" thing killed this book for me. Why aren't characters ever allowed to grow?

There was so much opportunity here for Booster to become something more than a corporate shill. GOLDEN opportunity (no pun intended), and they ruined it. Now he is reset to a frankly unbelievable personality given what he has gone through.

These "writers" are creatively bankrupt. I really didn't care about anything in this book. Well, that's a bit dishonest...I was actually mildly disgusted so I must have cared somewhat.

Also, I'm tired of these heroes who just can't get along and go crazy without their significant other. Could we see just one damn "hero" who manages to face life, pick up the pieces and be strong, go out and get on with their life without some external impetus? Just like millions of real life people do every day?

I cannot believe that Ralph was going to eat his gun. Ugh.

[DMike]

From what I recall, she was in the scene where Shadow Thief killed Ronnie, but she wasn't attacked herself.

Yeah, she didn't die, she just quit. I'm assuming Oracle's "round all the heroes up to Metropolis, even the ones that are retired" request in the VU special brought her back into the fold.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Well, I finally got around to reading 52#1. I'm not very impressed, but it's not 100% awful, either.

The first two pages were a waste. Everything done there could have been done in probably half a page; that's space that could have been spent on actual story.

The stuff with a depressed, suicidal Ralph Dibny just turns my stomach. This is what I dreaded from IDENTITY CRISIS #1. I'm also not fond of seeing this depressed, alcoholic, self-loathing take on Montoya. This "hero hits bottom, comes back stronger" thing has some merit, but it is way overdone in current comics.

The stuff with Steel was pretty good. I thought he was a bit of a dick to Natasha, but his reasoning makes sense from his POV. It will be interesting to see where she goes from here. I've completely lost track of all the times Steel has been changed over the years, but apparently he's back to being John Henry Irons in a super-suit of armor? That works fine for me, and if that is one of the retcons to come with "new earth", I'm okay with it.

I'm not okay with this self-centered dork pretending to be Booster. If he'd decided to just shut down and stop caring about others, only care about himself, because of Ted Kord's death and other recent events, that would make a sort of sense, but that isn't at all how he was portrayed in IC, and as such, this turn really rubs me the wrong way. That forced tear thing, too... well, that's just more of the ugly, mean-spiritedness, along with this pathetic, suicidal Elongated Man.

The scenes with Black Adam and Sivana... intriguing, but not enough there to really give me much idea what's going to happen.

The scene with all the heroes... Booster makes an ass of himself, but otehrwise it wasn't real bad. Nice to see someone remembers Black Canary and Ray had a brief fling.

The bit with the Question... intriguing. Apparently he will be helping Montoya out of her pit in some way.

The art was serviceable - neither stellar nor bad. It was much better than the inconsistent art in INFINITE CRISIS. The coloring mistakes, though... just plain sloppy. As Tom pointed out pages ago, such gaffes don't necessarily speak well of so high-profile a project.

Overall, some stuff I disliked, a few bits I liked, some stuff I'm not sure on yet. Not a great comic, but not truly awful. It has potential, could turn out to be good, or it could turn out to be more of the same awful suckiness which has characterized such big DC crapfest events as IDENTITY CRISIS, COUNTDOWN and INFINITE CRISIS. Time will tell.

Grade = C

[glennsim]

OOOOH - hey, I just noticed, Black Lightning in #1 says "No man should have to deal with the death of his daughter".

Y'think this is a clue that in the history of New Earth, BL didn't have a daughter get killed?

Or was that his niece?

[JeffreyWKramer]

OOOOH - hey, I just noticed, Black Lightning in #1 says "No man should have to deal with the death of his daughter".

Y'think this is a clue that in the history of New Earth, BL didn't have a daughter get killed?

Or was that his niece?


In GREEN ARROW? I think it was his niece.

[The Xenos]

Man, I almost wish DC had the whole book dedicated to Montoya and Question. Then again, I'm also the one always advocating agaist a crossover divided across a million different books. Anyway, this was nice. Can't wait to see what's next.

[Rollo_Tomasi]

Hey, uh, didn't they kill Firebrand, or whatever the female Firestorm's name was, in Identity Crisis?

Or is that one of those possible mistakes were supposed to be wondering about? Me, I'm wondering why Ollie was wearing his Green Arrow outfit without his mask when he has a secret identity again and is the freakin' mayor of Star City.

REPORTER: Mr. Mayor, was that you dressed as Green Arrow at the memorial for the fallen superheroes in Metropolis?

OLLIE: Uh, no.

REPORTER: But, Mr. Mayor, didn't you used to be Green Arrow?

OLLIE: Uh, no.

REPORTER: Sir, you openly fought crime in Seattle under the name Green Arrow. Do you not recall that?

OLLIE: Well, you see, I died.... Ah, screw it, they keep this up and I'll be worse off than Donna Troy and Hawkman.

I think 52#1 happens way before Green Arrow is the mayor of Star City.

[van-zee]

I think 52#1 happens way before Green Arrow is the mayor of Star City.

Way before? Like maybe... one year!

Just wanted to chime in though:

It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out. As of right now we have six "main" characters, with more promised along the way. Are they going to focus at least a little on each character every week? And what about the rest of the DCU? Sounds like a lot to fit into 52 issues.

What was up with the credits page being in the middle of the issue? Back in my day you got the title on the front page(at most the second page), and that was that. Now they're always on the last page. I don't like it, but I'll deal. Now you tell me I have to flip to some random page in the middle to find out who wrote the thing?!?!

Is bringing Lobo back really a good idea? Whatever happened to Slobo?

When do we get a Dibney/Booster team-up? Ralph looks like he could use a friend...

[Sean Whitmore]

Is bringing Lobo back really a good idea? Whatever happened to Slobo?


Slobo died the slow, painful death that he deserved, and has been promptly forgotten. Paving the way for the true 'Bo to return! :D


SEAN

[Shellhead]

Which writers are writing which characters?

Johns: Black Adam
Rucka: Montoya & the Question
Morrison: Steel?
Waid: Booster Gold? Elongated Man?

[Tom]

I think the Booster Gold sequence has Morrison's fingerprints all over it.

[Super Sonic]

I think Morrison is mostly the idea man, comin' up with all the whacky storylines and guff.

[DarthAstuart]

my understanding based on interviews and panels and such is that no one writer is tackling any one character--they chop up each issue and just write chunks of it.

i like the feel of it cause personally, there's stuff I COULD theorize is by one writer or another, but mostly it all flows together.

[David O Burcham]

Ralph Dibney has just been through the ordeal of the murder of his wife. At the end of Identity Crisis #7, he is at the home they made together... in the bed they made together. He was talking to her in spirit. While a few readers interpreteded this as Ralph losing his mind, it rang true with me on a personal level.

For six years I lived with my grandmother. She helped bring me out of a very dark period in my life. When she died, I still lived in the house and rented it from my father and his brothers and sisters (who had inerited the place. It was a very traumatic experience for me to lose the only family member willing to put up with my bull*** in order to keep my sorry butt out of jail... maybe even alive. She helped me mature from a 16 year-old punk into a 22 year-old man. There was a void in my life and being able to stay at the old homeplace and talk to her "spirit" really gave me hope.

If some robbers or vandals or whatever had wrecked the old homeplace and destroyed ever memento I had of the woman who single-handedly kept me from desroying my life so soon after her death (although I can't say for sure, because it never happened), I probably would have considered eating a bullet, too.

[DonC]

I think 52#1 happens way before Green Arrow is the mayor of Star City.


Aww, hell....



Freakin' "One Year Later"...

[gorosaurus]

Another thing I liked was that one page with Dr. Sivana. I love the Captain Marvel characters so it was great to see him and Mr. Mind. I'm very curious about what's going on with him. It looked like he was taken by Killer Croc and a gorilla (I'm assuming Grodd).


I may be way off base, but the Monster Society from the 1940's Captain Marvel books had as a member Herkimer, the Crocodile Man. And the 'gorilla' could be Ibac- he's quite a hairy guy. Also, the robot behind Sivana in the first panel looks like Mr.Atom. Maybe these guys are the new Monster Society, under the control of Mr. Mind.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Which writers are writing which characters?

Johns: Black Adam
Rucka: Montoya & the Question
Morrison: Steel?
Waid: Booster Gold? Elongated Man?

Originally, different writers were going to be "in charge" of different characters, but I think as the writing process has continued, those lines have blurred substaintially. Early on, I think Waid was the primary writer for Ralph, Rucka for Montoya, Johns for Black Adam, Morrison for Steel and, reportedly, everybody loved writing Booster so much they would fight over who would get to write his scenes.

[geordiesteve]

I like DC comics and I support them. I read some of their titles every month. That being said...

I'm not sure how 52 can work, other than appealling to mature and fairly financially comfortable comic fans. No kid will ever be able to afford 52 issues, one a week for an entire year, unless a parent pays for it all. The series is a large monster, so it will not appeal much to new fans looking for something to try for a little while, like a mini or 6 issue limited series. After the first six or eight issues of 52, unless they start bringing it out immediately as trade paperbacks for people who slip behind or miss an issue, the number of readers will drop off.

Retailers are going to have an very interesting time juggling things as shelf space is limited to the newest and brightest, so holding stock of all previous issues is going to be very difficult, judging how many of each previous issue to keep. Are DC going to have all of their stock on a sale or return policy? I doubt it.

I know they are going to focus on different characters, but I don't understand the mechanics. Are they going to have first 6 or so with all characters, so you get a flavour for each of them, then move the story to focus on one or two of them at a time. How is it going to work? And to keep the story going and the fans interested for 52 issues released weekly.

I've read the first issue, I thought it was ok, and will try a couple more, but at this point I don't see myself buying more than the first six or eight. I'm going to be watching veryl closely to see how this all works out. Geoff Johns said at the weekend at the Bristol Expo Comic convention in the UK they were currently writing issue 26, so they're a good way in already.

[DarthAstuart]

I'm not sure how 52 can work, other than appealling to mature and fairly financially comfortable comic fans.

that, of course, is exactly their audience. :) I think both majors have given up any pretense of building their core books around a young audience...they've got books they produce for the "kids ghetto," as I think of it, but this is ALL for us twenty, thirty, forty, fiftysomethings, etc. who grew up on this stuff and have remained addicted.

After the first six or eight issues of 52, unless they start bringing it out immediately as trade paperbacks for people who slip behind or miss an issue, the number of readers will drop off.

well, they've already issued a "no trades till over" and "no reprints" edict on 52 so you're right--it will be VERY interesting indeed to see how this proceeds from a sales perspective. and as others have pointed out, this does not seem to be a very cancelable book, so once they're in, they're in for the haul. i guess if things go really bad sales-wise they could cram a conclusion into a few issues and forget it ever happened, but that would be a pretty disastrous move, IMHO.

I know they are going to focus on different characters, but I don't understand the mechanics. Are they going to have first 6 or so with all characters, so you get a flavour for each of them, then move the story to focus on one or two of them at a time. How is it going to work? And to keep the story going and the fans interested for 52 issues released weekly.

my understanding is that each issue is going to feature most of the major players, with maybe some spotlight, but you'll touch base with all the storylines each week, not unlike a weekly tv series.

that's an interesting aspect of the project to me--the sense in which comics is now swiping a few good storytelling tips from TV, just as TV series have swiped plenty of storytelling techniques from comics (such as the "illusion of change").

[titanfan]

Retailers are going to have an very interesting time juggling things as shelf space is limited to the newest and brightest, so holding stock of all previous issues is going to be very difficult, judging how many of each previous issue to keep. Are DC going to have all of their stock on a sale or return policy? I doubt it.

Yes, there is a return policy for retailers.

[EDmanwalking]

geordiesteve is right, DC better rush out a couple of trades frequently if they wanna stop reader numbers dropping off. Despite them saying there's none coming out till it's all over, I'm pretty sure they'll change their mind once they take a look at the sales. Does anyone know how well 52 #1 did in sales?

[Shellhead]

geordiesteve is right, DC better rush out a couple of trades frequently if they wanna stop reader numbers dropping off. Despite them saying there's none coming out till it's all over, I'm pretty sure they'll change their mind once they take a look at the sales. Does anyone know how well 52 #1 did in sales?

How would bringing out trades quickly help the sales of individual issues of 52? Wouldn't that force DC to compete with themselves? Or do you believe that some fans won't buy single issues unless they know there will also be a trade soon? Wouldn't the reverse be more likely, as certain fans "wait for the trade?"

[geordiesteve]

I think getting out trades asap would help 52 in the long run. If you miss a single issue of 52, you're stuffed. If there was a trade available, you can jump on later. I have come late to a number of titles, started with trades to get up to date and then continued with single issues. If someone come face to face with issue 32 of 52, took a chance and found it to their liking, I doubt there are many that will then go back and buy all previous 31 single issues, but collected as three trades, it's more likely.

So, yes you are right, in the short term, it won't help but in the long term it will bring readers to this long running event title and stop them from losing interest. Trades are also more cost effective for fans, and for those who can't afford to do the catch up like me, if there are no trades, it means they miss out on this event, which doesn't seem like good business sense to me.

[Lex]

I think getting out trades asap would help 52 in the long run. If you miss a single issue of 52, you're stuffed.That is exactly why DC doesn't want to release any trades until it's over. It will lead to high demand for the individual issues because readers won't want to miss out. That means that retailers won't be slowly decreasing their orders like they normally do on books over time.

[geordiesteve]

That is exactly why DC doesn't want to release any trades until it's over. It will lead to high demand for the individual issues because readers won't want to miss out. That means that retailers won't be slowly decreasing their orders like they normally do on books over time.

I would think this is going to be a bit of a nightmare for retailers, judging how many issues to keep, and how far to go back. All the way to issue 1 of 52? I just don't see many people who might not hear of it until late coming in and buy all back issues as singles and every shop keeping a stock of them.

Two of the biggest and most well known events in comics (superman's death and knightfall) were nowhere near this length. I don't think this is going to be anywhere as influential or wide reaching, and I think the drop off rate is going to be high from fans. Time will tell.

[scratchie]

I think getting out trades asap would help 52 in the long run. If you miss a single issue of 52, you're stuffed.I tend to doubt it. They're telling three or four different stories in each issue, so if you miss an issue, I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on in the next one.

[DarthAstuart]

i'd bet dollars to donuts that they'll eventually have some sort of 52 recap available, either somewhere in the comic itself or (more likely) online, so that latecomers can get caught up on the story.

[Shellhead]

I would think this is going to be a bit of a nightmare for retailers, judging how many issues to keep, and how far to go back. All the way to issue 1 of 52? I just don't see many people who might not hear of it until late coming in and buy all back issues as singles and every shop keeping a stock of them.

Two of the biggest and most well known events in comics (superman's death and knightfall) were nowhere near this length. I don't think this is going to be anywhere as influential or wide reaching, and I think the drop off rate is going to be high from fans. Time will tell.

I'm betting that the shelving hassles were more of a problem with Seven Soldiers and the Infinite Crisis minis and specials.