It is the complexity of characters like these that make 52, a story about characters most DC Comics readers wouldntrs"t care about, a worthwhile read. I had never encountered any of these mad scientist characters until 52, and in this series, they get to become a central part of a plot and illustrate why being the strongest or fastest is not the only way to get the upper hand. There is not one bulging muscle in this bunch of brains, but they are nevertheless brazen, even with a man who can impale people with his fist knocking not only on mdash; but through mdash; their front doors. You have to be either really confident in your genius, totally insane, or both.
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen. 52 also led into a few limited series spin-offs.
The use of a weekly publication format is unusual in the North American comics industry, a model traditionally based upon monthly publication. 52 is the longest weekly comic book series published by a major North American publisher. The record was previously held by Action Comics Weekly. The story was originally conceived of as being a chronicle of what happened in the missing year between the end of Infinite Crisis and the beginning of One Year Later. It would especially focus on how the world dealt with the disappearance of the big three heroes in the DCU, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. As the series went on it became more of a way to set the stage for upcoming storylines in the DC Universe.
Taking advantage of the popularity of the series, DC issued several series of comics based on the individual threads of 52 that began several months after 52 ended. Booster Gold (vol. 2) is an ongoing series that sees the eponymous hero and Rip Hunter travel through time to fix history as the greatest superhero never known . The six-issue 52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen mini-series covers the Four Horsemen's battle with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Black Adam: The Dark Age, another six-issue mini-series, follows Teth-Adam's quest to restore his powers and bring Isis back to life; it takes place between the end of 52 and Mary Marvel's corruption in Countdown.
