(***SPOILERS***) 52 Week 28

[Lonewolf36]

From mazingman728 on the DC Forums.

Cover has two Aborigines holding Red Tornado’s head.

The ticker at the bottom reads “Android gone Walkabout…Batwoman returns…”

The Origin of Catman by Mark Wade and Dale Eaglsham.

The solicitation quote for this issue reads as follows: “It’s Maybe our time here is over. Red Tornado's gone walkabout.” This happens near the end of Week 28 Day 2 in Australia.

Week 28 Day 2
Gotham: Renee and the Question are shining the Batsignal in the sky over Gotham to get Batwoman’s attention. Renee and the Question explain to Batwoman when she appears about the ritual with her getting her heart ripped out that is too happen in three nights. Renee is also wishes that the Question had stayed in Nanda Parbat with Richard and Tot, and the Question is doing a lot of coughing. Also a headline on the newspaper that the Question is reading claims that the Everyman Project has just created it's 10,000th hero.

Australia: A number of Aborigines are being evicted from their homes. One of the Aborigines uses a remote control on Red Tornado, still in his junk shop body, to attack those that are trying to kick them off their land. The evictors pull out rifles and start shooting at Red Tornado***one of the scenes from last weeks next in 52*** Red Tornado starts to spin his arms which causes two mini tornados. Red is then hit with a sledgehammer causing his head to fall off and them the body is torn apart by other men with sledgehammers. The man with the remote is arrested and the pieces of Red Tornado are tossed into the back of a salvage truck. We then see a sign that the land is to be used by Ridge Ferrick uranium mining. The whole time Red Tornado keeps saying “52”.

Space: Lobo is pulling the castaways and his dolphin friend in their spaceship while being chased by the Emerald Head ***this is a scene from last weeks Next in 52***and appears to have eluded the Head.

Week 28 Day 5
Gotham: Batwoman fights a creature in a church and is them shot with an electric blast by Mannheim. Mannheim is choking Batwoman and getting ready to start his ritual when Renee and the Question pop up from behind some pews. When he sees this Mannheim is surprised, “The questions…no…no you can’t be here, not yet…THE QUESTIONS HAVE NOT YET BEEN ANSWERED!” and he throws Batwoman at Renee and the Question. When Renee, Questions and Batwoman get back up they notice that Mannheim is gone.

Week 28 day 7
Space: The castaways, the dolphin and Lobo are shown standing in the jawbone of a skeleton in space. Lobo mentions that he came by the eye when “they found th’ Emerald Head guilt of blasphemy against the Triple Fish God. A plan is made to capture the Head by setting traps in the worm-tunnels of the skeleton they are on when the Head appears and starts attacking. The Head gets stuck in the bones and stops fighting. Kory then notices the insignia on the cockpit of the head being that of the Green Lantern. Kory believes that this is the Green Lantern from the solar system that was destroyed in the “Stygian Passover” as the Lantern puts it and the Lantern was not able to protect that solar system because Lobo had taken his primary weapon. The person in the ship claims to be Lantern of Vengar; and we only see a silhouette of the character. The castaways decide to stick with Lobo and the Head being as they are going in the same direction.

Next Week in 52: Has three panels. 1 with what appears to be Obsidian and Jade, the second one with Egg Fu, and the third is Green Lantern (Alan) flying away from Infinity Inc.

[sly_kat]

Decent issue... and thus the mystery deepens... im surprised that with all this "52" -ing red tornado has done, it hasnt been sighted in Justice League of America, lol. Musta had a bad last year... ya kno with the "52" and all:D

[milly3cat]

I will buy this because of Batwoman, I like her ....:cool:

[Economist]

They need to release Lobo of his vows. Please.

[Aaron King]

So what exactly is the Emerald Eye? A Green Lantern ring? Part of a Green Lantern construct? I don't think I understood that part.

[Kirayoshi]

So what exactly is the Emerald Eye? A Green Lantern ring? Part of a Green Lantern construct? I don't think I understood that part.Wasn't this the same Emerald Eye that the Emerald Empress(pre-Waid Legion of Superheroes villainess) used as a weapon?

[Aaron King]

Yes, it's the same eye. It also appeared in LEGION. And somehow it came from a Green Lantern. I guess I just don't understand how.

[Jack Zodiac]

So, is the Emerald Head of Ekron a creature in and of itself, piloted by a Green Lantern, or is Ekron a Green Lantern with a person living in its head? And why would Lobo gank its eye for the Triple Fish when he can't use it? And when is someone finally gonna' explain all this Lady Styx and "Stygian Passover" junk? And the only thing we get out of the only character left to explain anything is, "meh, it's a long story." Sad way to pick up that storyline again.

Meanwhile, the crap about Red Tornado's head going "walkabout" is about as interesting as an issue of Teen Titans where Cyborg goes shopping and can't decide between low-fat creamy Ceasar dressing or an Italian vinegarette.

And the one story that looked as if it would be nearing a climax got a boot in the face and didn't progress much at all. We still don't know who's behind Intergang trying to set up shop in Gotham, and we don't have any idea why they want Katie Kane's heart. It was an issue fulla' nothin'. The only thing this book had going for it was the Catman origin. The fact that they're doing one means they're serious enough about the character that they want people who wouldn't know much about him to know his story, which is awesome. Secret Six is one of the few books that came from the entire mess that was the Crisis that hasn't failed me in one way or another.

[sly_kat]

So, is the Emerald Head of Ekron a creature in and of itself, piloted by a Green Lantern, or is Ekron a Green Lantern with a person living in its head? And why would Lobo gank its eye for the Triple Fish when he can't use it? And when is someone finally gonna' explain all this Lady Styx and "Stygian Passover" junk? And the only thing we get out of the only character left to explain anything is, "meh, it's a long story." Sad way to pick up that storyline again.

Meanwhile, the crap about Red Tornado's head going "walkabout" is about as interesting as an issue of Teen Titans where Cyborg goes shopping and can't decide between low-fat creamy Ceasar dressing or an Italian vinegarette.

And the one story that looked as if it would be nearing a climax got a boot in the face and didn't progress much at all. We still don't know who's behind Intergang trying to set up shop in Gotham, and we don't have any idea why they want Katie Kane's heart. It was an issue fulla' nothin'. The only thing this book had going for it was the Catman origin. The fact that they're doing one means they're serious enough about the character that they want people who wouldn't know much about him to know his story, which is awesome. Secret Six is one of the few books that came from the entire mess that was the Crisis that hasn't failed me in one way or another.

Im right there with you...so the only real thing ive learned from 52 so far is.. time is 'f*@$%d' or the writers are using that as cope out... more and more mysteries, i like the series...but im hoping somethings start to get explained... otherwise they just wasted my tyme:p

[Cassius6303]

So, is the Emerald Head of Ekron a creature in and of itself, piloted by a Green Lantern, or is Ekron a Green Lantern with a person living in its head? And why would Lobo gank its eye for the Triple Fish when he can't use it? And when is someone finally gonna' explain all this Lady Styx and "Stygian Passover" junk? And the only thing we get out of the only character left to explain anything is, "meh, it's a long story." Sad way to pick up that storyline again.

Meanwhile, the crap about Red Tornado's head going "walkabout" is about as interesting as an issue of Teen Titans where Cyborg goes shopping and can't decide between low-fat creamy Ceasar dressing or an Italian vinegarette.

And the one story that looked as if it would be nearing a climax got a boot in the face and didn't progress much at all. We still don't know who's behind Intergang trying to set up shop in Gotham, and we don't have any idea why they want Katie Kane's heart. It was an issue fulla' nothin'. The only thing this book had going for it was the Catman origin. The fact that they're doing one means they're serious enough about the character that they want people who wouldn't know much about him to know his story, which is awesome. Secret Six is one of the few books that came from the entire mess that was the Crisis that hasn't failed me in one way or another.

I'm with both you and sly kat, Jack. As much as I enjoy this series, there should really be more reveals to some of the stories that are left dangling from the beginning. One page of Skeets and/or Steel every couple of weeks really isn't doing much to get things rolling.

Jamie

[Nogs]

The only way I can justify Lobo acting like he is, is if all this religious stuff is part of a "contract" he made with this so called triple-fish-god. It wanted him to go get the emerald eye for it, so it made an offer and contract for lobo, but made it really strict. Lobo always agrees with his bounty contracts to the alst word, maybe this triple-fish-god knew that and developed a highly effective contract.

I also think that this triple-fish-god is the one responisble for the destruction of that solar system. If that huge head was a green lantern, and lobo was sent by the fish god to take away its power. That leaves that section of space without a defender. Exactly what the triple fish god would need in order to destroy a solar system.

[titanfan]

So--who is the triple fish god going to turn out to be? Anyone think he's going to be someone we already know? I'm trying to think of a DCU villain who also looks like a fish, but other than Despero, I'm drawing a blank.

[Syphre Zero]

So--who is the triple fish god going to turn out to be? Anyone think he's going to be someone we already know? I'm trying to think of a DCU villain who also looks like a fish, but other than Despero, I'm drawing a blank.
Maybe the "triple fish god" persona is a mask for someone we already know, someone who has nothing to do with fish or godliness. We were led to believe that Darkseid would (eventually) have a part to play in Infinite Crisis; perhaps he devised this scheme in order to contract Lobo's services without raising anyone's suspicions (including Lobo).

I for one am getting increasingly weary of 52, for precisely the same reasons I got fed up with Lost. Preservation of a story arc is essential to the story, but it feels more and more like we get more new questions and fewer answers with every installment. In much the same way that we get to see The Others continue to torture Jack, Kate, and Sawyer every week without finding out why, we continue to see strange events unfold in 52 without any real exposition as to the purpose behind them. While I'm sure that the best revelations are intentionally being left to the final chapters, it would be nice if the writers could throw us a bone every few issues.

Oh, and while they're at it, enough with Montoya and Black Adam already. Hundreds of heroes in the DCU and we have to watch these guys do EVERYTHING, and without plausible explanations. Half the time the actions themselves aren't even that interesting. If we must endure further weeks of unexplained actions, we could at least get to see a wider variety of characters in the mix.

[ducklord]

Triple Fish God, eh?

Isn't that one way of drawing the ever-tricky Superman logo, by drawing three fish?

Lobbing hand grenades,
Mike

[Mineralogy]

Isn't that one way of drawing the ever-tricky Superman logo, by drawing three fish?I would be very pleased if you could elaborate on this concept, because after staring at the Superman shield for way too long, I don't see three fish inside it. And I'd really like to.

[sly_kat]

I'm with both you and sly kat, Jack. As much as I enjoy this series, there should really be more reveals to some of the stories that are left dangling from the beginning. One page of Skeets and/or Steel every couple of weeks really isn't doing much to get things rolling.

Jamie

It'll pick up real soon, i remember them quoting i believe round 32 or 33 it starts picking up pace... next issue looks sweet though'
...
Yeah with the race to end of Steel quoting" yeah well i had super powers as a test subject and lost them when i bad mouthed Luthor, what did you do during 52?"
Skeets: "I f*$%#d up time"

[Jack Zodiac]

I don't mind the pacing of the individual stories so much, but when you try to cram so much into one week, it sucks. I thought they learned that with Week Eleven, when they started focusing on one or two stories to make the issue instead of going in six different directions for three pages each, but they did it again this issue. This is the first time in months I've been displeased with this book because of storytelling, not content. Either way, I hope they start dealing with each individual storyline and focus on one or two to get out of the way before the year's up so they have room to play around with in a couple of months.

As for the Triple Fish God, I don't think it's anything other than it seems. Lobo found religion with space dolphins, of whom he is fond. Maybe it's part of some contract on the church's behalf, but the conspiracy theory about Darkseid being the Triple Fish and enacting this elaborate plan to destroy solar systems smacks a bit of boredom, like you're all trying to find something in a story that's not there. "This t-shirt is a clue."

[Damo]

...*Looks around.*

Seriously?

I'm the ONLY one that's going to talk about the most important thing to happen this week?

Huh. Wow.

Well, personally, having Bruno Manheim look at Renee and Vic and call them "The Questions" sent a shiver down my spine. Oh please please please no.

[ducklord]

I would be very pleased if you could elaborate on this concept, because after staring at the Superman shield for way too long, I don't see three fish inside it. And I'd really like to.

Actually, it may only be two fish, so I kinda fibbed.

Anyhoo, if your take a look at the negative space in the Superman 'S' (the yellow bits), the one in the upper curl kinda looks like a fish swimming one way, while the lower one kinda looks like a fish swimming in the opposite direction.

John Byrne made use of this illusion liberally while parodying Supes in What The -? #2

Mike

[Count Vertigo]

Just like the previous issue (or 2?) I was disturbed to see that egg freak again. I wonder what they have planned for that creature.

[Joe-Dono]

I noticed on the paper that The Question was holding on Page 3 panel 2 there are now 10,000 everyman heros.

[Montalban]

Could someone give me the URL for the 52 Steps? A URL that lists each of the weekly columns. I always end up having to search for it. Thanks and sorry to bother.

[hitokiri_]

so, how come in week 21, the guy who created the reddy robot looks all caucacian and on 28, he's all aborigine?

any thoughts?

[Quasar's Bands]

I agree on the confusion about the big green head. Is the SHIP the green lantern or are the people inside? If the people inside, why didn't they help them escape? If it is the people inside, where did the eyes get their power? Doesn't there have to be a ring somewhere? I am SOOO confused.

[Aaron King]

Well, there doesn't have to be a ring, per se. Some Lanterns wear belt- or bracelet-like things and one even has a bell.

[Jack Zodiac]

One is a bell. So one being a giant, disembodied head with a person living in its eye isn't too far out there.

[Rhydaman]

so, how come in week 21, the guy who created the reddy robot looks all caucacian and on 28, he's all aborigine?

any thoughts?
I thought he looked mixed race both times. Were they drawn by different pencillers?

[gentlesatirist]

...a DC hero do something noble and - gasp! - heroic? As Elongated Man did when he declined to torture Jean Loring for all eternity?

What year is this? 1954?


- FE
Wickliffe OH

[TheTen-EyedMan]

...*Looks around.*

Seriously?

I'm the ONLY one that's going to talk about the most important thing to happen this week?

Huh. Wow.

Well, personally, having Bruno Manheim look at Renee and Vic and call them "The Questions" sent a shiver down my spine. Oh please please please no.
There will be one mother of a backlash if this goes down.

I think even Steve Ditko would plotz. And that man just doesn't care.

This is from his Wikipedia bio. Swipe to read.
They then go separate again their ways, with Renee and Question travelling to Nanda Parbat to train with Richard Dragon There it is revealed that Question is dying of cancer and has been training Montoya as his replacement.

[Jack]

...a DC hero do something noble and - gasp! - heroic? As Elongated Man did when he declined to torture Jean Loring for all eternity?

What year is this? 1954?


- FE
Wickliffe OHOh, wait, I read what you said wrong.

[Syphre Zero]

Maybe it's part of some contract on the church's behalf, but the conspiracy theory about Darkseid being the Triple Fish and enacting this elaborate plan to destroy solar systems smacks a bit of boredom, like you're all trying to find something in a story that's not there.
Boredom being the operative word - I find myself less interested in 52 with each passing week. The only reason I continue to purchase the book is that my obsessive-compulsive nature won't allow me to leave the story (or collection) unfinished. (In much the same fashion, I can't start watching a television show three seasons in, which is why I have yet to see a single episode of Smallville. It's a curse.) I plan to avoid this particular problem by not purchasing Countdown at all; my experience with 52 has left me feeling that a weekly offering from DC is not only expensive, but in terms of content/entertainment, falls below the line of "equitable return on investment."

To be honest, I hadn't even considered the possibility that the Triple Fish God could be someone else until I had read titanfan's post. That was a guess made at the spur of the moment. Based on what I've seen in other posts on these forums, the New Gods may be making a reappearance in the near future; that would be a much more logical place for Darkseid to show up.

[infoghost]

My need to complete the series is diminishing every week. I am simply buying them to have them at this point. Reading it is a chore, something I don't have time nor desire for right now. It either stinks outright, or I just don't care about it, not sure which. Maybe both. Either way, I might draw the line today, and stop.

It's sad. With the exception of Batman and JLA (and even that is trying my patience) I have almost no interest in the DCU right now.

[TheTen-EyedMan]

Stealing a line from U2 and mangling it.

"Stuck in a habit you can't get out of"

[LtMarvel]

I'd say that this is the least interesting issue of 52 so far. I'm very happy with the series overall, and each week 52 is one of the first three I read.

[MadroxTMMan]

I feel the same way. The last three issues of 52 have really had that "jumped the shark" feeling to them. The only new thing of mild interest is the severed, malfunctioning Red Tornado head.

[shanejayell]

Actually, I'm liking 52, then again I'm more focused on "character" rather than "action." The slow pace CAN be annoying, but I trust there will be a payoff.

[The Shadow]

I'd say that this is the least interesting issue of 52 so far. I'm very happy with the series overall.
Same on both counts