So, are we gonna talk about 52 or not?

**sk716** · 05-14-2006, 07:13 PM

The first issue is out and nary a peep from you guys. Whats up?

I can't say if I liked it or not. I think it's a little early to tell for me. But I really need to figure that out soon before I invest in all 52 issues.

**TCJohnson** · 05-14-2006, 07:28 PM

Here is what I thought about it: http://www.comixtreme.com/forums//sh...ad.php?t=27242

**Lester C.** · 05-14-2006, 07:36 PM

I thought it was good but it's for your hardcore DCU fan. In order to understand and appreciate what's going on you'd have to have read everything from Infinite Crisis to Gotham Central. I hope I'm wrong but I think this book is going to be like Justice Elite where sales start really strong and end with a whimper.

**Gail Simone** · 05-14-2006, 07:48 PM

Go ahead, I'd like to hear what y'all think.

Gail

**Corrina** · 05-14-2006, 08:04 PM

Not buying it unless I hear some spectacular reviews from those I trust. All I've heard from several quarters, including TC (nice review) is that the issue is setup.

Plus, I know I will get little enjoyment from watching Montoya stay a drunk and Ralph contemplate suicide. Yeah, I know, they might be built back up. I'm still annoyed they were knocked down in the first place. Which is not a complaint so much as acknowledging the fact I don't want to read something that I know will annoy me.

**blackcanary_416** · 05-14-2006, 08:07 PM

Kind of interesting, I'm more curious about the upside down "S" on the one Supers chest and then looking at solicits today that show a brotherhood cult of some kind. The Supernova mystery is nice too. I haven't really read outside BC books so I don't know how I feel about this, it could get old with me real fast.

**JeffreyWKramer** · 05-14-2006, 08:08 PM

Here's my take on the first issue, cross-posted from one of the DC forums here at CBR.

-------------------

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. Particularly with John Henry Irons and others being colored Caucasian. 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

**TCJohnson** · 05-14-2006, 08:16 PM

The thing about Montoya though...my favorite part of the book was the last two pages with the Question. Even though I have never read Gotham Central, it does give me hope that her part of 52 will be really good.

**Kevinroc** · 05-14-2006, 08:17 PM

I hope future issues aren't as... awkward as that first issue.

I don't think we should have had scenes with all six characters in that first issue.

The scenes with Elongated Man were a little strange. He finds out something funny happened to his wife's grave on day 5 of week 1. But we don't see this in the first issue. So Ralph just did nothing for a few days after hearing that news? I would think something this major should have been covered.

What was Nightwing doing at the gathering? I thought he was away training with Batman and Robin. And Jason Todd wouldn't have worked because he isn't that close with Earth's Heroes.

Bart Allen was walking around without any powers or a mask. Shouldn't people be suspicious as to who this guy is at such a public gathering? And what was Ollie Queen doing without his mask on? He wasn't wearing his mask or his hat? And he still has a secret identity?

Metropolis sure got the statue of Superman and Superboy up fast.

I'm a little curious on what the cut-off is on who knows whose secret ID. Booster didn't know Clark was Superman? But Jean Lorring knew that Tim was Robin in ID Crisis? Beetle knew who Batman was in Countdown?

Steel's scene didn't quite work out for me when he took away his niece's armor. I know his niece wasn't behaving as a true hero but to take her out of the game totally seemed pretty harsh. It seems that this point in time for DC could use as many hands as possible that aren't threatening people.

The scenes with The Question (much as I love him) just seemed really odd. The Question literally just came out of nowhere with no explaination to recruit Montoya.

Considering that Geoff also wrote Infinite Crisis, some of these continuity mistakes are extremely odd.

I think the script could have used some tightening and not every one of the six leads should have appeared in the first issue. Forcing scenes with all six of them (plus whatever other guest-stars will show up) will just make future issues extremely awkward.

This is a hell of an ambitious project and I wish DC luck with it. But some real awkward openings made the first issue a little weaker than it could have been.

**sk716** · 05-14-2006, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by TCJohnson

The thing about Montoya though...my favorite part of the book was the last two pages with the Question. Even though I have never read Gotham Central, it does give me hope that her part of 52 will be really good.

I fear for Montoya. She's been a favorite of mine all the way back to her introduction in B:TAS, I loved Gotham Central.

The book starts with two relatively suicidal people, Ralph literally, Renee figuratively. One or the other is going to get their wish.

**TCJohnson** · 05-14-2006, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by sk716

I fear for Montoya. She's been a favorite of mine all the way back to her introduction in B:TAS, I loved Gotham Central.

The book starts with two relatively suicidal people, Ralph literally, Renee figuratively. One or the other is going to get their wish.

I doubt it.

I think Booster Gold is going to die, and it is not just because of Waid, Rucka and John's habit of killing off JLI characters every chance they get.

The other possibility is Question may die. It looks like the question is going to be training Montoya to be a hero, kinda like how Richard Dragon trained The Question. And the death of her mentor would be good motivation to keep going as a superhero. Kinda like V.

**TCJohnson** · 05-14-2006, 08:54 PM

Originally Posted by Kevinroc

I'm a little curious on what the cut-off is on who knows whose secret ID. Booster didn't know Clark was Superman? But Jean Lorring knew that Tim was Robin in ID Crisis? Beetle knew who Batman was in Countdown?

There is a theory that all the jumping timelines and Alex Luthor's messing with reality created an alternative Booster Gold. This Booster Gold is new to our present, and was never a member of the Justice League and never knew Blue Beetle, Superboy or Superman. A Booster Gold from a timeline where Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman did show up at the memorial and created a new Justice League.

Then later this Booster Gold will be killed, and the question will become who killed him. A question that will be answered by a more mature, better equiped John Michael Carter...possibly using the name Supernova

It would explain Booster Gold's behavior in issue #1 and him not knowing who Clark Kent is.

But then this is just a theory a lot of people have, not an actual spoiler.

**Kyuubi** · 05-14-2006, 08:54 PM

I saw the issue as what it was meant to be seen as, an introduction. There isn't enough room to do anything with the characters except introduce them for future issues, which is fine with me since there are 51 other issues to fully explore what their purposes are in the book and what's going to happen to them.