Eric Travis
May 4, 2008, 10:32 pm
52: Week One
July 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week01thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week01full.jpg)
Story Title: Golden Lads & Lasses Must...
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett
Inker: Ruy Jose
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
The Crisis is over. New Earth is restored. The following day (Day 1), Ralph Dibny has found a pistol, and talks to a friend over the phone, while standing in the midst of his ruined home. Former detective Renee Montoya tries to drown her sorrows at '52 Pickup', a Gotham bar. Steel assists in rescue efforts in Paris.
Day 2, Ralph gets more updates over the phone, Renee continues to get hammered, and Steel has moved on to helping in St. Louis.
Day 3, Ralph is still alone, still playing phone tag. Renee is increasingly drunk.
Day 4, Steel takes a breather with a fireman in St. Louis, and fills him in on the basics of the Crisis.
Day 5, Booster Gold makes his 'dramatic debut', heralded by Skeets. Booster caught Mammoth trying to pilfer diamonds, and proceeds to subdue him. Afterwards, he takes a moment to comfort a couple of kids, a 'photo-op deluxe', and proceeds to play to the cameras, including plugging a sponser and offering crocodile tears for the death of Superboy. With the cameras fed, Booster and Skeets take off again, with Booster revelling in his success.
Meanwhile, Ralph has checked into a hotel, with a few personal belongings, including his phone and the pistol. He quietly listens to his voicemail while preparing to put the gun in his mouth. Before he pulls the trigger, he hears the message that someone defaced Sue's tombstone.
In Metropolis, Steel catches up with Natasha, who is on her way to hook up with the Teen Titans. John Henry argues that she doesn't yet deserve to play hero with the Titans, while Natasha says she does. John Henry tries to explain his view of being a hero, only to have Natasha refuse to listen. As a last resort, John Henry deactivates Natasha's armor and tells her she can wear it again when she makes it work on her own.
Black Adam addresses the gathered citizens in the capitol of Kahndaq, promising to lead by example. When a suicide bomber attempts to disrupt the assembly, Black Adam intervenes swiftly and ruthlessly.
Day 6, Dr. Sivana and Mr. Mind watch the news on television, but get interrupted by shadowed figures bursting through the door. Sivana is dragged away, while Mr. Mind can only look on.
Heroes gather in Metropolis, at the site of the memorial honoring Earth-2's Superman and Superboy. Various clusters talk and gossip, as the gathering grows. Booster Gold is there, and excited about the arrival of Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman. Skeets counts down, and Booster makes a big moment to welcome the Big Three, only to be confused when they don't show up. Nearby heroes mutter about Booster's behavior, while he starts to panic and demand answers from Skeets.
Skeets starts to glitch, then falls to the ground, unable to answer Booster's demands. Booster goes wild, and the Martian Manhunter tries to restrain him, but not before Booster's elbow catches Clark Kent in the nose. Kent tells Booster that the Big Three are not coming.
Day 7, in Gotham City, the Question strips the logo from the Bat-Signal, and uses spray paint to put a question mark in its place. He turns it towards Renee Montoya's window and turns the signal on. Renee gets home to find her ex-girlfriend, Daria, has still not returned. She's startled by the sudden light in her window, and grumbles as she shuts the blinds. On the Signal's rooftop, the Question simply asks, "Are you ready?"
Characters:
Aquaman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27035) (cameo)
Beast Boy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25850)
Black Adam (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Black Canary (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31655)
Black Lightning (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31256)
Blue Devil (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29088) (cameo)
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Bulleteer
Clark Kent (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Detective Chimp (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33628)
Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27376) (cameo)
Doctor Mid-Nite (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27914) (cameo)
Doctor Sivana
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Fire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27318)
Firehawk (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29028)
Flash (Bart Allen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26791)
Flash (Jay Garrick) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29842)
Geo-Force (cameo)
Grace Choi (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=38050) (cameo)
Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28505) (cameo)
Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29708) (cameo)
Green Lantern (Guy Gardner) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27427)
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Green Lantern (John Stewart) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25831)
Gypsy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31609) (cameo)
Hourman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29149) (cameo)
Huntress (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31764) (cameo)
Jakeem Thunder (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27854) (cameo)
Jimmy Olsen (cameo)
Katana (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28264) (cameo)
Mammoth
Martian Manhunter (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26199)
Mera (cameo)
Metamorpho (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28519)
Mister Bones (cameo)
Mister Mind
Mister Miracle (cameo)
Mister Terrific (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34862) (cameo)
Negative Man (cameo)
Nightmaster (cameo)
Nightshade (cameo)
Nightwing (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29644) (cameo)
Niles Caulder (cameo)
Plastic Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25849) (cameo)
Power Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35405) (cameo)
Ragman (cameo)
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
Robotman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28213) (cameo)
Sand (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29973) (cameo)
Sasha Bordeaux (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33318) (cameo)
Skeets
Stargirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=32829) (cameo)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Steel (Natasha Irons)
S.T.R.I.P.E.S. (cameo)
Tasmanian Devil (cameo)
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
The Ray (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28502)
Thunder (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28241) (cameo)
Vixen (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34228) (cameo)
Wildcat (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27872)
Wonder Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26458)
Zauriel (cameo)
<hr>
52: Week Two
July 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week02thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week02full.jpg)
Story Title: Looking Back at Tomorrow
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett
Inker: Jack Jadson
Letter: Travis Lanham
Color: Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
Day 1, Ralph Dibny stands at Sue's grave, taking polaroids of the vandalism and reminiscing on her death. The young groundskeeper of the cemetary approaches Ralph, gushing like a true fan. When Ralph mentions Batman, the young man counters that Batman doesn't have a wife to help keep others calm in a crisis. The topic turns to the vandalism on the headstone, and wondering who would do such a thing. Ralph figures out that it is a message, and the mystery is figuring out who left it.
Booster Gold is in the home of Dr. Magnus, to see if Skeets can be repaired, and if the glitch from last week could be isolated. As Magnus works, Booster noses around the lab, including picking up the inactive head of Platinum. Magnus expresses his fascination with Skeets, and warns that he's no expert on 'Tomorrowtech'. Skeets comes back online, sounding chipper and refreshed, and Booster tells Magnus he's still famous in the 25th century for his work with the Metal Men.
Magnus prepares to leave, late for an appointment. Booster asks Skeets how he feels, and Skeets comments that it was just a glitch. "Because if it wasn't a glitch, then someone is messing with the fabric of time." Booster shrugs it off, and offers the Doc a ride to Haven Security Village. At Haven, Magnus visits T.O. Morrow, the two scientists discussing their personal projects. Magnus lets Morrow know that the Red Tornado sacrificed himself during the Crisis. Morrow muses on the cause of that sacrifice, whether it's a self-destructive flaw in programming or the dawn of artificial courage. The two geniuses express their gratitude for each other, before Morrow offers a warning. He has been collecting news articles of the various 'Mad Scientists' who have gone missing, and fears someone is rounding them up. Names mentioned in the articles include Dr. Cyclops, IRA 'I.Q.' Quimby, Doctor Death, Doctor Tyme, Jeremiah Clugg, and Dr. Sivana.
Day 3, late night in Gotham City, The Question slips into Renee Montoya's apartment, past the mess, and into the bedroom. He finds Renee and her latest fling curled up together in bed, and wakes Renee by asking, "Who are you?" Renee lunges for her gun, and fires two shots at the intruder. The noise wakes up the other woman, and Question dodges the bullets to shove the woman into Renee's way. By the time the two untangle themselves and are able to get up, the Question is gone again. Renee is silent, looking, listening, while her lover pesters with scared questions of her own. Montoya finds a clue, listing an address with a bold question mark, left on a slip of paper, then tells the other woman to put her clothes on.
Day 4, in the sky over Metropolis, Flight 2824 broadcasts a mayday to the tower. Skeets mentions it to Booster Gold, who promptly takes to the skies to help out. With Skeets' guidance, Booster gets into the perfect position to catch the passenger liner heading in from the north. Unfortunately, it's coming from the south, and runs over Booster from behind. It takes some serious effort from Booster and Skeets to get the plane safely onto the ground in one piece. While emergency teams take over, Booster waves aside the press so he can catch his breath and yell at Skeets for the mistake. Skeets apologizes, and points out that Flight 2824 is just fine now. A flash of a headline from the Sydney Morning Herald reads: "Hundreds Dead On Flight 2428".
Evening in Gotham City, Renee Montoya deals with her hangover, and stares at the note left by Daria, as well as the clue left by the Question. Internal reflection wanders from the wreck of her life to the question of 'who am I', which she still can't answer. She grabs her coat and heads out, to investigate the address left for her. 520 Kane Street is an abandoned building near the docks. Annoyed that there's nothing more to the clue, Renee decides to return to her important work of drinking herself to oblivion. The Question appears behind her, and Renee lashes out, only to be tossed into garbage cans for her efforts. The Question returns her gun, and offers a roll of money for her services. He hires Renee to investigate the building, three weeks paid in advance, while smoothly avoiding answering any of her frustrated questions.
Day 6, in San Francisco, at Titans Tower, Wonder Girl has erected a shrine to Superboy, complete with Kryptonian crystals and webcam. She leads cult members around the world in a form of prayer, then ends the service. As Cassie grieves, Ralph Dibny lets himself in and confronts her with the pictures of his wife's tombstone. He's done his research, and compliments Cassie on the construction of her altar and shrine. Ralph informs her that he knows the 'S' is more than just a symbol on Superman's chest. It is a Kryptonian symbol as well, which reads as 'hope'. Inverted, as it was painted onto the tombstone, it means 'resurrection'.
Characters:
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Jimmy Olsen (cameo)
Platinum (cameo)
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
Skeets
T.O. Morrow
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
Will Magnus
Wonder Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26458)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 1
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Art Thibert
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
On New Cronus, Donna Troy reflects on her unique status within the DCU, as an amalgam of all prior versions of her counterparts rolled into one being. Earth-7's Dark Angel worked for the Anti-Monitor, just as Harbinger worked for the Monitor. Each was charged with the responsibility of recording the history of the multiverse. Donna has Harbinger's orb, and thus, all of Harbinger's recordings.
She tells the orb to show her the pre-Crisis multiverse, then hesitates, uncertain she can bear to see those worlds die. Donna finally decides to continue, to gain deeper understanding of what she has become.
The summary of the multiverse history resumes, going back to the origin with the original split, and the planet Oa. The rebel Krona's forbidden experiment unleashes the forces that created the evil Anti-matter Universe. This prompts the Oans to take up their role as Guardians, from binding wild magic to the formation of interstellar law enforcement. First came the android Manhunters, who rebelled against their creators, then came the formation of the Green Lantern Corps.
These events became particularly important to the world known as Earth-1, where history progressed from Anthro to the forerunners of the great heroes. Donna pauses the summary again and redirects her question, seeking more information on the people, on Superman in particular, rather than the history.
All of the myriad iterations of Superman share the common thread in the destruction of Krypton and their Earth-based upbringing. Of all these, though, the Superman of Earth-1 and his counterpart on Earth-2 were the greatest. It is opined that the presence of those two on those particular worlds caused the people of each to reach heights other Earths could not attain.
There were two Earths, with two Metropolises, with two Supermen, yet eventually only one would survive.
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Multiverse Cameos:
Anthro
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Firestorm (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25920)
Flash (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29842)
Flash (Earth-Two) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31713)
Green Lantern (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30343)
Green Lantern (Earth-Two) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Green Lantern Corps
Hawkman (Earth-Two) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28964)
Jonah Hex
Krona
Manhunters
Power Ring (Earth-Three)
Robin
Spectre (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34752)
Superman (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Superman (Earth-Two)
<hr>
52: Week Three
July 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week03thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week03full.jpg)
Story Title: New World Order
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett
Inker: Ruy Jose
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Noose, Rough House, Adrianna Tomaz
Death: Noose, Terra-Man
Week 3, Day 1: The Gotham police discover a body on the street, and call Captain Maggie Sawyer to take a look while they begin investigations. The murdered body bears a striking resemblance to Lex Luthor. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Power Girl pursues Terra-Man through the skies, to bring him in for robbing an airliner in midflight, and endangering the passengers. Terra-Man taunts Karen and fights back, until she knocks him for a loop. Before she can move in for another strike, Black Adam intercepts her punch and pulls her up short.
Adam explains calmly that he will not permit them to fight over Kahndaq airspace, and counters each of Power Girl's protests with his own cold logic. Before she can chase the criminal again, Adam demands to know how many people died. Not on the plane, but during the recent crisis. Power Girl doesn't know, so Adam tells her precisely: 5,079,432 people. Karen tries to reason with Adam, who states that he has acted on behalf of his people, and that they are under his protection now. For that reason (among others), he does not want metahumans interfering in Kahndaq.
Day 2: At the Steelworks in Metropolis, John Henry works on his computer in the living area of the building. Natasha arrives to learn why he failed to sign her up for a technology colloquium next week, only to find out that he is putting her in summer school as a result of her English grade the prior semester. Natasha is not pleased with the news. John Henry remains unphased by the tantrum she throws, more concerned with molding her character the way he sees best than with giving in to her more selfish (in his view) desires. Her intelligence is not in question; however, he does doubt her wisdom and her patience. The fight is interrupted by a phone call from Dr. Avasti at STAR Labs, who requests John Henry's help identifying a dead body.
Day 3: In Kahndaq's palace, Black Adam receives two guests, Rough House and Noose, representatives from Intergang. They seek to form an alliance with Adam, and offer two million dollars worth of African gold, as well as 'the most beautiful virgin in all of Egypt'. Intergang is seeking to profit from the lingering chaos after the Crisis, and want to use Kahndaq as a transit point to reach buyers in the Middle East. The young woman, Adrianna, suddenly struggles to get free, only to be restrained roughly by Noose. Rough House asks Adam for his answer. He replies by crushing Noose's head and saying 'no'. Terra-Man applauds the show from outside the palace window.
Day 4: Back in Metropolis, Booster Gold fights the armored Shockwave, while playing to the cameras and crowd, with Skeets providing advice and direction and free hype. After a bit of sports talk with Skeets, Booster zips off to sign his endorsement deal with Akteon-Holt Pharmecuticals. At the party afterwards, the celebration is cut short when agents of the Secret Service arrive to arrest Mr. Akteon on charges of securities fraud. Booster is stunned and upset, while Skeets tries to apologize for his continued malfunctions. Skeets offers to contact Dr. Magnus for repairs, but Booster tells him to track down a man named Rip Hunter.
Day 5: At STAR Labs, John Henry and Kala Avasti examine the corpse brought in by the Gotham Police. John Henry discovers contacts, and removes them to find the body's eyes are naturally blue, rather than the green of Lex Luthor's own eyes. They theorize that the body is a doppleganger from a parallel dimension, the (Alexander) Luthor of a different world. John Henry realizes that the contacts are new, undamaged, and wonders if they were inserted post-mortem. Before further tests can be conducted, Lex Luthor barges into the laboratory with a crew of reporters trailing along. A quiet exchange between Lex and John proves that Lex knew about the contacts, and leads to a media-friendly show in which Lex proves the body on the table is an imposter. According to Luthor, the imposter came from another reality, and wasn't the generous lovable businessman of this reality. Lex even goes as far as pulling the more honest and upstanding John Henry into the matter for support.
Day 6: Kahndaq's embassy in New York City opens with a mob of press and police, all cautiously eager to see what Black Adam has to say. Adam appears, floating over the crowd, with Terra-Man smugly hanging back behind. Adam delivers a speech in which he acknowledges the heroism of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, yet recognizes the problems implicit with their collective disapperance. The opening of his embassy is a signal that he hopes to gain allies to defend the innocent and deliver a message to those who seek to take advantage of the situation. Adam grabs Terra-Man and rips him in half, the gore falling on the crowd below. As he takes to the sky, Adam states that heroes need to stop patrolling the world and start changing it.
In Dr. Sivana's empty lab, Mister Mind's tube is occupied by a small silken coccoon.
Characters:
Adrianna Tomaz
Alexander Luthor Jr. (Earth-3) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29260) (deceased)
Black Adam (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Detective Jiang
Detective Josie MacDonald
Kala Avasti
Lex Luthor (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34778)
Lois Lane-Kent
Maggie Sawyer
Mercy Graves
Mister Mind (cameo)
Noose
Power Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35405)
Rough House
Shockwave
Skeets
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Steel (Natasha Irons)
Terra-Man
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 2
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Art Thibert
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
The history lesson continues, thanks to Harbinger's orb. The differences and similarities of Earth-1 and Earth-2 are mentioned, leading to the first Crisis that brought the two universes into contact with each other, and the first partnership between the JSA and the JLA. Donna muses that she knows many of these people, yet hardly remembers them. She tells the orb to give her more information on what still exists.
The amalgam Donna most closely reflects the life of Earth-1's Donna Troy, with her involvement in the Teen Titans, and the rush of growth in superheroes. Numerous 'new' heroes are highlighted, both individually and collectively, with the orb's commentary that Earth-1's population of heroes surged far beyond anything Earth-2 would produce, even into the far future of the Legion.
Earth-1 continued to grow, the heroes grew up and brought younger heroes up to greatness, establishing a legacy and a future for Earth-1. Donna asks if that future survived, and learns that it is only a partial survival. The multiverse itself was threatened by the looming evil of the Anti-Matter universe, and the Crisis across infinite earths.
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Multiverse Cameos:
Anti-Monitor
Batgirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28906)
Blue Devil (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29088)
Darkseid (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30610)
Doom Patrol
Justice League of America (Earth-One)
Justice Society of America (Earth-Two)
Krypto
Legion of Superheroes
Metamorpho (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28519)
Monitor
Orion
Superman (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Teen Titans
The Creeper
Warlord
<hr>
52: Week Four
July 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week04thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week04full.jpg)
Story Title: Dances With Monsters
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett
Inker: Jack Jadsen
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Devem
Day 1: In Gotham City, Renee Montoya continues her stakeout of 520 Kane Street, bored and cranky. She survives with plenty of aspirin and coffee, trying to figure out why she agreed to take the money for this.
In orbit above the planet, a team of astronauts keep watch for any sign of the missing heroes. The young woman named Halo keeps track of any potential incoming teleportation waves, just in case. Word from Mission Control has come in, ordering an official stop to the search. Before the arguments can gain much steam, Halo mentions she's seeing an incoming wave on the zeta frequency, similar to the Zeta Beam Transfer used by Adam Strange.
In Metropolis, Fire is visiting Booster Gold's penthouse to discuss their own search and rescue options, organized by J'onn J'onzz. Unfortunately, Booster is more interested in his next endorsement and his own glory, and Fire storms out, disappointed.
Day 3: Renee's stakeout continues to be uneventful, until later that night. While lighting up a cigarette, she's startled by the Question's sudden appearance in her car. He's there to check up on her progress, and the two exchange barbed comments for a few minutes. The Question leaves as calmly as he arrived, leaving Renee to fume about the time left on this particular job.
That same night, in the Metropolis Steelworks, John Henry is working on Natasha's armored suit. Disassembling the components, he starts to hallucinate. His fears for Natasha take the form of a 'retired' John Henry, setting the example for how to live without heroics. On the other side is his Steel identity, his integrity and heroic nature, observing wryly. John Henry discovers he's been poisoned somehow, and stumbles back to his workshop. When he touches a piece of metal equipment, his skin begins to turn silver, spreading across his body until an explosion rocks the lab.
Day 4: In Wonder Girl's Kryptonian shrine, Ralph Dibny is meeting with Cassie and other members of the cult, seeking answers to why his wife's tombstone was defaced. Cassie tries to explain what the cult is preparing for, and offers to give Ralph the chance to see for himself. Ralph angrily agrees, and rejects the attempt to exchange something of value, stating firmly that Sue was the only thing that ever mattered to him. He settles in the pool of water with the cult members around him, and allows them to hold him beneath the water. They hold him under past the point of panic, and he blacks out without seeing any visions. When he resurfaces and comes to, the cultists have all left, and his wedding band is missing from his finger.
Day 5: Back in Gotham, Renee's stakeout finally pays off when she spots a hulking form shamble into the building she's been watching. She chases the figure into the building, and meets up with the Question again. As they investigate, they stumble into a trap door, and plummet to the floor below. The two land almost directly in front of the monstrous form, a huge reptilian humanoid lugging crates of weapons. Renee tries to fight it off with her standard handgun, only to be tossed across the room. The Question leaps into the fray, the fight continuing until Renee picks up one of the Apokoliptian weapons and blasts the creature.
Day 7: Over Australia, rescue forces work with Halo and the Rannians to steer the incoming Zeta beam to a suitable location. When the beam impacts in the Northern Territory, the helicopters and heroes immediately rush to gather the survivors. As the beam clears and the dust settles, the rescue teams see the gruesome sight of the badly wounded survivors. Hawkgirl has become a giantess, while Firestorm and Cyborg have fused into one tangled mass. Alan Scott is on his feet, but bleeding from his ruined left eye. On the ground, Vox and Bumblebee appear gravely injured, possibly dead.
Characters:
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Bumblebee (cameo)
Cyborg (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26490) (cameo)
Devem
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Fire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27318)
Firestorm (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39562) (cameo)
Green Lantern (Alan Scott) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30343) (cameo)
Halo
Hawkgirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33636) (cameo)
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
Vox (cameo)
Wonder Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26458)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 3
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Art Thibert
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Donna Troy's journey through the history of the multiverse continues on New Cronus, with the onset of the Crisis. The emergence of the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor kindled the spark of destruction and war across multiple planes of existence. The nature of the multiverse, and the infinite number of vibrational differences, is again explained.
The multiverse proceeded unhindered until the Anti-matter Wave, a wall of white nothingness, began progressing across the infinite realities and erasing everything in its path. Earth-3 was an early victim, with the only survivor being the child of Lex Luthor and Lois Lane-Kent. Alexander Luthor was a being of both positive and negative matter, and possessing incredible powers. As the Crisis escalated, the Monitor assembled a diverse group of metahumans, both hero and villain, to work his plan to fight back the Anti-matter Wave.
They tried, but had no chance of success. Those plans were interrupted when Harbinger, possessed by the Anti-Monitor's influence, murdered the Monitor. For a short time, heroes on various worlds bravely tried to stop the spread of the Wave, with no success. Alexander Luthor and Harbinger brought together a large force of heroes from various Earths to combat their foe directly.
The force took the battle to the Anti-Matter Universe, willing to sacrifice everything to save the remaining worlds. One in particular died at the hands of the Anti-Monitor. Donna cries quietly at the memory of Kara Zor-El, Supergirl. Yet even her death wasn't enough to end the Crisis.
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Multiverse Cameos:
Alexander Luthor Jr. (Earth-3) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29260)
Anti-Monitor
First Assembly of Crisis Heroes
Flash (multiple Earths)
Harbinger
Lady Quark
Lex Luthor (Earth-Three)
Lois Luthor (Earth-Three)
Lord Volt
Monitor
Pariah
Power Ring (Earth-Three)
Second Assembly of Crisis Heroes
Supergirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35406) (Kara Zor-El)
Ultraman (Earth-Three)
<hr>
52: Week Five
August 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week05thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week05full.jpg)
Story Title: Stars In Their Courses
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Chris Batista
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti
Letterer: Phil Balsman
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
Day 1: Ellen Baker begins pulling the banners and decorations down from the outside of the house, while trying to find a way to explain to her daughter, Maxine, that it's been over a month without word. Alan Scott arrives to give Ellen the news that Buddy went MIA in space. Ellen chooses to hold onto the hope that 'missing' is not the same as 'dead', and begins unrolling her banner again.
Lex Luthor makes a special announcement on a general TV broadcast, unveiling his new metagene program, while a number of familiar faces listen in with varying degrees of skepticism regarding this 'age of super-citizens'.
John Henry Irons is paged as he dons his Steel armor. He joins Alan Scott and Pieter Cross at Saint Camillus, the first hospital specializing in metahuman treatment. While the two take John Henry on a tour of the facilities, they discuss Luthor's announcement, as well as the conditions of those space-faring heroes who recently returned. Hawkgirl remains twenty-five feet tall. Cyborg and Firestorm are still fused together, frozen in time until they can be safely separated. Mal Duncan is all but comatose, with traces of Red Tornado's circuitry still embedded in his body.
Dr. Cross explains Mal's condition, and the risks he's facing, and Dr. Irons offers the loan of the pseudocytes which he used to 'rebuild' his left hand. Alan Scott agonizes again on the horror of what happened out in space at the end of the Crisis, on what happened to the team that had joined Donna Troy. Alan slowly recovers his composure and apologizes for making a scene, but losing so many young faces, especially his own daughter, has hit him hard. Steel offers Alan some advice, when Mal suddenly goes into cardiac arrest.
In Gotham City, Maggie Sawyer pays a visit to Renee Montoya. Maggie attempts to pry information out of Renee regarding the incident at the warehouse, but leaves frustrated when Renee refuses to share any new information.
Pieter and Alan struggle to save Mal's life, while a number of doctors and nurses try to stabilize Hawkgirl outside. Steel grabs the electrical panel, and serves as a conduit to jolt Mal hard enough to trigger the Red Tornado's speaker in the young man's chest. Mal sits upright, his power amplifying Tornado's last words to painful and dramatic levels. After a vague warning about '52', Mal collapses again, leaving a trio of very confused heroes to make sense of it all.
Day 7: Deep in space, marooned on an unnamed planet, three of the missing heroes reflect on the Crisis and wonder about their friends. Animal Man and Starfire refresh themselves, with Buddy trying not to freak out about being so very far from his home and his family. Blinded, Adam Strange spends his time trying to repair and restore a broken Thanagarian warbird so the trio can start working their way back to familiar space.
Characters:
Adam Strange (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30719)
Animal Man
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Bumblebee (cameo)
Clark Kent (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931) (cameo)
Cyborg (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26490) (cameo)
Doctor Mid-Nite (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27914)
Ellen Baker
Firestorm (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39562) (cameo)
Green Lantern (Alan Scott) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30343)
Hawkgirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33636) (cameo)
Vox
Lex Luthor (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34778)
Lois Lane-Kent (cameo)
Maggie Sawyer
Maxine Baker
Red Tornado (cameo)
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525) (cameo)
Skeets
Starfire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26400)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Supergirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35406)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 4
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Norm Rapmund
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Donna Troy reviews the darkest days of the original Crisis, with the aid of Harbinger's orb. Virtually the entire multiverse was destroyed, and numerous heroes sacrificed everything to protect what was left. Supergirl was killed by the Anti-Monitor. Barry Allen disrupted the Anti-Monitor's plans to destroy the remainder of the positive universes, by racing against the flow of antimatter energy powering a massive cannon. He continued pushing himself until both he and the cannon were no more.
The war shifted to a point before creation began, and the heroes assembled to prevent the Anti-Monitor from gaining control. It took the combined might of the heroes, the mystics, and the Spectre to hold the Anti-Monitor at bay, and far in the future, a rogue scientist on Oa peered into the past, setting up a chain of events that led to the creation of a single composite universe. The multiverse was gone, but the threat of the Anti-Monitor remained.
Again the heroes of the new Earth fought, and eventually prevailed. A few, particularly a certain four, had no place to go. Alexander Luthor used his antimatter powers to open a gateway to offer Superman (Earth Two), Lois (Earth Two), and Superboy (Earth Prime) a well-deserved peace and rest. In the aftermath of the Crisis, memories shifted and forgot, until only the seemingly deranged Psycho-Pirate remembered the multiverse.
Donna muses on her responsibility to make sure such history isn't lost again.
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Multiverse Cameos:
Alexander Luthor, Jr. (Earth-Three)
Anti-Monitor
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Blue Beetle (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26120)
Captain Marvel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35400)
Firestorm (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25920)
Flash (Barry Allen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31713)
Flash (Wally West) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25959)
Hawkman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28964)
Hourman
Lois Lane (Earth-Two)
Martian Manhunter (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26199)
Metamorpho (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28519)
Mon-El
Pariah
Psycho-Pirate (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35402)
Spectre (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34752)
Superboy (Earth-Prime)
Supergirl (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35406)
Superman (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Superman (Earth-Two)
Ultra Boy
Wildfire
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
<hr>
52: Week Six
August 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week06thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week06full.jpg)
Story Title: China Syndrome
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett
Inker: Ruy Jose
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Manthrax, The Great Ten
Day 1: While the press reports on Booster Gold's latest victory over the evil armored Manthrax, Booster himself is having a meeting in an old subway tunnel with his alleged foe.
In pursuit of the alien criminal, Evil Star, two Green Lanterns come face to face with China's own team of metahuman defenders. Calling themselves the Great Ten, they insist on the Lanterns' quick departure from Chinese airspace. Hal Jordan and John Stewart are forced to fight the Ten, while trying to keep up with the fleeing alien.
Meanwhile, T.O. Morrow complains about his loss of privileges at Haven Security Village, while Will Magnus fills him in on the latest news about vanishing scientists. Neither man is aware that Morrow's quarters have been bugged, or that someone is watching.
Back in China, Jordan and Stewart simplify things by destroying Evil Star's spaceship, then taking the alien into custody. Before they can make a beeline out of Chinese airspace, Black Adam arrives to give the Great Ten some assistance in dealing with the interlopers. China has just joined the coalition of nations, formed between Kahndaq, Myanmar, and North Korea, and Adam is free to aid his neighbors. The Lanterns fly off, with Adam and the Ten in close pursuit, only to be brought up short by the sudden arrival of a Rocket Red squadron. The Reds permit the Lanterns to enter Russian airspace, and deny entry to their opponents. Adam remains confident that more and more nations will join his coalition, including Russia, and withdraws with the Ten.
Day 2: Booster and Skeets track down Rip Hunter's laboratory, an underground bunker in Arizona. Once Skeets hacks into the time lock, he must stay behind to keep it open, and Booster heads down to the lab alone. The lab is a wreck, with two fullsized chalk-boards covered in notes, equations, and chaotic thoughts focusing on 'Time Is Broken'. Dozens of clocks fill the chamber, each set to 11:52. Almost all of the equipment is wrecked, smashed, and in shambles. Scattered across walls and floors are numerous photos of Booster and Skeets, with the phrase "It's all his fault" disturbingly scrawled out, over and over again.
Characters:
Accomplished Perfect Physician
August General in Iron
Black Adam (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Celestial Archer
Evil Star
Ghost Fox Killer
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Green Lantern (John Stewart) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25831)
Immortal Man in Darkness
Manthrax
Mother of Champions
Seven Deadly Brothers
Shaolin Robot
Skeets
Socialist Red Guardsman
T.O. Morrow
Thundermind
Will Magnus
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 5
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Andy Lanning
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
With the Crisis behind her, Donna turns the focus of her review to the dramatic events that soon followed. Maxwell Lord created a new iteration of the Justice League. Booster Gold arrived from the future. The Suicide Squad recruited villains as a black-ops strike force, and Checkmate was set in place as a political entity. Over time, Batman withdrew more and more from the other heroes, to keep an eye on his own corner of the world.
Batman caught his parents' killer, and Dick Grayson shed the mantle of 'sidekick' to become a hero in his own right. Barbara Gordon was shot and paralyzed by the Joker. The second Robin, Jason Todd, was murdered by the Joker. Tim Drake assumed the role of Robin, and Batgirl became Gotham's own Oracle.
Threats came from deep space, in the form of Manhunters and Dominators, but new heroes arose to defend the Earth. But the 'good days' were short-lived. Superman fell before Doomsday. Batman was broken by Bane. Four new 'Supermen' arrived on the scene, and one in particular, caused ripples that are still being felt.
The Cyborg Superman destroyed Coast City, home of Hal Jordan, which left the Green Lantern vulnerable to the ancient yellow entity of fear known as Parallax. In the grip of the entity, Jordan all but destroyed the Green Lantern Corps, Oa, and the Great Battery itself. While Jordan merged with Parallax, the only remaining Power Ring found its way to Kyle Rayner, the sole torch bearer.
Donna reflects on the sense of growing darkness during this period, and the Orb mentions that Zero Hour was about to begin.
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos:
Bane (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29171)
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Black Condor
Cyborg Superman (Hank Henshaw) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26564)
Eradicator (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26565)
Extant
Barbara Gordon (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28906)
Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30541)
Joker (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28713)
Justice League International
Parallax (Hal Jordan) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Ray (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28526)
Robin (Dick Grayson) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29644)
Robin (Jason Todd) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29496)
Robin (Tim Drake) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26942)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Suicide Squad
Superboy (Conner Kent) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26567)
Team Titans
Waverider
<hr>
52: Week Seven
August 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week07thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week07full.jpg)
Story Title: Going Down
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciller: Ken Lashley
Inker: Draxhall
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Kate Kane
(No day given): The Space Heroes (Buddy, Koriand'r, and Adam) are still stranded on the alien world. Adam Strange continues struggling with repairs to the Warbird, eager to be gone before whatever's hunting them can actually find them. Kori and Buddy seem much less motivated, and more inclined to eat the fruit nearby, rather than waste their energy. Adam snaps at them and slaps the narcotic fruit away, reminding them that the broken-down Warbird is their only hope of actually reaching their homes again. Kori tries to shake off the effects of the fruit, and sets out on her own to clear her head.
Day 2: In Gotham City, Renee tries to sort through the flood of questions she's gathered in the last few weeks, while nursing her broken arm and holding onto the firearm she recovered from the warehouse. While puzzling through, she stumbles across a potential connection, and decides to enlist the help of one of her ex-girlfriends, Kate Kane.
Day 3: Booster Gold struggles to get creditors off his back, when he is visited by Ralph Dibny. Seeking assistance in his investigation of the 'Conner Cult', Ralph tries in vain to keep Booster focused, while Skeets keeps reminding him of his next appointment. Ralph is reminded that Skeets and Booster are from the 25th Century, and that they have access to historical data that most people can't even imagine. Ralph lashes out and demands to know why Booster didn't warn him Sue was going to die, then relents when Booster is unable to give much of an excuse. Revising his opinion of Booster downward, Ralph calls him out on all the glory-seeking and marketing, insisting that the people need a hero, not a celebrity.
In Gotham, at the lavish Kane Estate, Renee gets herself admitted to a private room while the Kanes host a charity event. After a few moments, Kate comes to see her. The reunion between the ex's is bittersweet, but Kate agrees to look into the question of 520 Kane Street.
Back in Metropolis, Ralph tags along to witness Booster's 'heroism', and watches quietly as the former League member saves the day. Afterwards, he speaks with the press, including Lois Lane. The interview is interrupted by the return of Bill Castell, the man inside the Manthrax armor. Castell accuses Booster of staging events just to make himself look like a hero. As proof, he holds up the check Booster gave him, since it bounced at the bank. Lois turns her sights on Booster, and the press starts to swarm closer with their own questions. Ralph Dibny interrupts with accusations of his own, then turns to the media to explain that Booster cannot be trusted. Between Manthrax's accusation and Ralph's own voice, Booster's reputation in the media is well and truly destroyed.
On the alien world, Starfire flies through the strange landscape, drawn towards an object of intense energy. The object is massive, but the owner is even more so, and Devilance the Pursuer reaches forward to reclaim his weapon.
Characters:
Adam Strange (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30719)
Animal Man
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Devilance the Pursuer (cameo)
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Kate Kane
Lois Lane-Kent
Manthrax
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
Skeets
Starfire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26400)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 6
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Norm Rapmund
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos:
Atom (Al Pratt)
Batgirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29826)
Damage (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26670)
Doctor Mid-nite (Charles McNider) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31798)
Extant
Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30541)
Hawkgirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33636)
Hawkman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28964)
Hourman (Rex Tyler) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29149)
Justice Society of America
Parallax (Hal Jordan) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Spectre (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34752)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Supergirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35406)
Superman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Superman (Earth-Two)
Waverider
<hr>
52: Week Eight
August 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week08thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week08full.jpg)
Story Title: Thief
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Eddy Barrows
Inker: Rob Stull
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Supernova (cameo)
Day 1: Late at night in the Steelworks workshop, Natasha is hard at work, attempting to repair her own Steel armor. John Henry checks on her, and casually deflects her request to go through the metagene therapy for "real powers". While Natasha continues to work, John Henry heads back upstairs to check the news before bed. His curious transformation continues unexpectedly, leaving a portion of his chest covered in metallic flesh.
In a devestated Star City, Ralph Dibny catches up with Green Arrow, busy prowling the city to right injustices (as he sees them). Ralph gives Ollie some much needed emotional support to keep up the fight, then draws his attention to the real reason he's in Star City. The two find a doorway marked with the upside-down Kryptonian sigil. Inside, they find an abandoned 'church', but no members of the Cult of Conner.
Day 3: At Star Labs, John Henry consults Dr. Kala Avasti about the disturbing changes happening to his body. While Kala runs tests on some samples, they discuss the possible origins of the transformation. The tests reveal that John Henry is changing into stainless steel, and it is a short jump to the realization that Lex Luthor somehow injected him with something like the metagene therapy. As the two talk, the samples begin to react violently, exploding almost before John Henry can pull Kala behind him.
Elsewhere in Metropolis, an elderly woman speaks with a reporter about the mysterious superhero who rescues her and her grandson from a major accident.
Day 4: A firefighter tells a similar story of being rescued from a collapsing, burning building.
Day 5: More people tell of such amazing rescues, none able to provide a good description of the new superhero. Where most people are genuinely grateful, Booster Gold is livid. He rants about his fading image and the sudden rise of this 'Captain Newguy', then asks the mild-mannered reporter if he knows who the mystery hero is. Clark Kent simply promises he's going to find out.
Natasha's quiet lunch at home is interrupted when Dr. Avasti calls to speak to John Henry. Kala confirms that it is Luthor's metagene strain rewriting John Henry's DNA, and she needs to speak to him as soon as possible. Natasha takes the news badly.
Later that night, Natasha is angrily working on her armor, and lashes out at John Henry, accusing him of lying, of being hypocritical, and confronts him with what she thinks she's discovered. Upset and unwilling to listen, the young woman storms out before Uncle John can explain.
On the distant alien world, Animal Man and Adam Strange fly in search of Starfire, who's been missing for days. They find her, hanging unconscious in a net. Just as they realize their mistake, a second net snaps up, and Devilance comes to collect his prizes.
Day 7: A huge mob of hopeful applicants gathers in front of Luthor's building, eager to be chosen for the metagene program. Luthor himself strolls proudly through the controlled chaos, only to be diverted when he sees Natasha arguing with one of his lackeys. Luthor smoothly takes control of the situation, and escorts Natasha inside as the first candidate of the day.
A few hours later, Natasha is strapped into the machine, a nervous look in her eyes, as Luthor instructs the technician to give her the whole package.
Characters:
Adam Strange (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30719)
Animal Man
Clark Kent (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Devilance the Pursuer
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29708)
Kala Avasti
Lex Luthor (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34778)
Mercy Graves
Starfire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26400)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Steel (Natasha Irons)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 7
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Andy Lanning
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos:
Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29826)
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Sue Dibny (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28069)
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Extant
Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28505)
Hal Jordan (as Parallax, Spectre) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Hippolyta (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26757)
Imperiex
Justice League of America (JLA)
Justice Society of America (JSA)
Outsiders
Robin (Stephanie Brown) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29628)
Robin (Tim Drake) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26942)
Supergirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35406)
Superman (as Blue, Normal) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Teen Titans (post-Young Justice)
Titans (Nightwing's team)
Titans (Ray Palmer, mentor)
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
Young Justice
<hr>
52: Week Nine
September 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week09thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week09full.jpg)
Story Title: Dream of America
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Shawn Moll
Inker: Tom Nguyen
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Colorist: David Baron
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Herakles, Batwoman (cameo)
New Costume: Natasha Irons becomes Starlight
Day 1: Luthor hosts a gala to celebrate the launching of his Metagene Program. John Henry comes looking for his niece, and interrupts the festivities. Shoving others aside, the fully changed stainless Steel grabs Luthor by the throat, deflects Mercy's bullets, and threatens to do some serious damage to Luthor if he doesn't give Natasha back. Natasha arrives with her new team, but insists on handling this herself, and rescues Luthor before punching her uncle through a window. The two argue their respective philosophies as they fight, with John Henry taking a more defensive posture and trying to convince Natasha that this is the wrong way to do things. Natasha is much more aggressive, and confident in the decision she made, the powers she took to become a hero. The fight ends with a mighty punch, sending Steel flying into the harbor.
On the alien world, Animal Man and Starfire work out a plan to escape their captor, while Adam Strange tries to keep Devilance distracted and talking about why a bounty has been placed on their heads. Buddy taps into the morphogenic field, mimics the flash-pulse of the native insects, and dazzles Devilance into stumbling into his own traps. Starfire breaks free of her bonds and steals the New God's lance, before returning to blast the trapped Devilance. As the heroes regroup, they agree that the lance will provide enough power to their warbird, and head back to the ship.
In Gotham City, a man named Charlie strolls into Molly's, a popular lesbian bar, and takes a seat next to Renee Montoya. A couple of pointed questions let Renee know that the stranger beside her is the Question, and that he might have some answers for her. Renee, annoyed, follows Charlie back to the streets, and the two have a chit-chat laced with sarcasm and occasional bursts of crankiness. Until Charlie demonstrates how he achieves the 'no-face' look, and honestly answers Renee's questions about the process, to prove that he trusts her and wants her help in finding out why Gotham is being targeted by Intergang.
On the roof above the two, the mysterious Batwoman lurks silently.
Characters:
Adam Strange (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30719)
Animal Man
Batwoman (cameo)
Devilance the Pursuer
Herakles
Lex Luthor (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34778)
Mercy Graves
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
Starfire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26400)
Starlight (Natasha Irons)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 8
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Andy Lanning
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos:
Atom (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26012)
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Black Canary (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31655)
Captain Boomerang[/i]
[url=http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28069]Sue Dibny (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29813)
Doctor Light (Arthur Light) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28235)
Jack Drake (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29167)
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Firehawk (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29028)
Flash (Barry Allen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31713)
Flash (Wally West) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25959)
Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29708)
Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30541)
Hawkman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28964)
Terry Long
Jean Loring
Martian Manhunter (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26199)
Robin (Tim Drake) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26942)
Superman (Earth-Two)
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
Zatanna (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29495)
<hr>
52: Week Ten
September 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week10thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week10full.jpg)
Story Title: Stop The Press
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Chris Batista
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti, Jack Jadson
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
Special Thanks To: Ivan Cohen
First Appearance: Supernova (first full appearance)
Day 1: Kahndaq. Black Adam welcomes the representatives of several nations to his palace, and expresses his confidence in the benefits of the coalition he has forged. Before he can outline his plans to the assembled guests, Adrianna Tomaz escapes her handlers and rushes through the meeting room in an effort to escape. When Adam inquires what the problem is, she accuses him of being a terrorist, then spits in his face.
Day 2: Metropolis. In Perry White's office at the Daily Planet, Clark Kent gets dressed down by his boss, who is angry about his sloppy handling of the Supernova story. Perry explains the ways Clark has been slipping so far this year, and reluctantly hands him a termination notice. Rather than protest and argue, Clark watches the new hero from Perry's window, then leaps out. As a horrified editor-in-chief watches, Clark is swiftly rescued from certain death by the mysterious Supernova. Clark promptly asks for an exclusive interview.
Back in Kahndaq, Adam visits Adrianna once she is returned to her own room. The two have a discussion about her status, and Adam informs her that she is free to leave at any time. Before she does, however, she gives Adam her own opinion about his crusade, and refuses to back down from his glare.
Day 3: In Metropolis, Lois Lane gives Clark a piece of her mind about the foolish stunt he pulled the previous day. Their dinnertime conversation turns to the effects of the latest Crisis on the general public, the status of a few major heroes, and what Clark experienced when he started his interview with Metropolis' latest superhero. He tells Lois of the impressive powers and bravery Supernova displayed when foiling a group of would-be terrorists, but still wonders who's behind the mask.
Day 4: Booster Gold wonders the same thing, all but screaming at Skeets, while movers calmly pack up his belongings to move him out of his penthouse condo and into a three-room apartment. Skeets is unable to offer any information about Supernova, but suggests an investigation as to why the current history is continuing to diverge from what he recorded from the 25th Century.
Day 6: Will Magnus visits T.O. Morrow again. Magnus talks about his visit to Sivana's laboratory, and the curious things he found inside, such as a broken and discarded cocoon.
Characters:
Adrianna Tomaz
August General In Iron (cameo)
Black Adam (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Cascade (cameo)
Clark Kent (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Ibis (cameo)
Lady Zandia (cameo)
Lois Lane-Kent
Perry White
Rocket Red #1 (cameo)
Skeets
Sonar (cameo)
Supernova
T.O. Morrow
Will Magnus
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 9
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Art Thibert
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos:
Adam Strange (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30719)
Arsenal (Roy Harper) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30308)
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Black Adam[/url
[url=http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777]Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Brother Eye (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35399)
Captain Cold
Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35400)
Deathstroke (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26996)
Doctor Psycho
Flash (Wally West) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31713)
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Grodd
Heat Wave (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28650)
Kid Flash (Bart Allen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26791)
Maxwell Lord (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33289)
Lex Luthor (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34778)
Mirror Master (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29240)
Nightwing (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29644)
Red Hood (Jason Todd) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29496)
Spectre (hostless) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34752)
Speedy (Mia Dearden)
Superman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Superman (Earth-Two)
Talia Al'Ghul
Weather Wizard
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
<hr>
52: Week Eleven
September 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week11thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week11full.jpg)
Story Title: Batwoman Begins!
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett, Todd Nauck
Inker: Jack Jadson, Marlo Alquiza
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
Day 5: Late at night, a trio of teens stroll through a Washington, D.C., park, only to be ambushed by a very frustrated Ralph Dibny, who demands to know where to find the Cult of Conner. Ralph is startled out of his rage by the young age of the girl he tackled and threatened, and gets knocked aside by her friends. As the kids run off, Ralph gets a call from Bernie at Opal City Storage. Someone broke into Ralph's storage unit.
Day 6: Gotham City. In a different park, Renee and Charlie have a discussion about why it's bad to smoke and why Renee doesn't care, simply to pass the time before Kate Kane joins them. The tension between the ex-girlfriends gets slightly uncomfortable before they get back to business. Kate tells the other two what she learned about the property at 520 Kane Street. Until six weeks ago, it was leased to Ridge-Ferrick Holding, a local company. Renee and Charlie accept the information, and start to leave. When Kate begins demanding answers, Renee is happy to briefly argue the point before storming off.
Charlie and Renee resume their discussion in the nearby parking garage as they return to his van. Charlie asserts that Renee still has a thing for Kate, and when Renee offers the predictable answer, Charlie uses that to again challenge Renee's perception of herself, pointing out her denial, her guilt, and her self-loathing since the loss of Crispus Allen.
Charlie rummages through his stuff until he finds what he needs, which is information about Ridge-Ferrick, and the people involved. The personal talk gets put on the back burner as the two discuss their plans, unaware that a cowled figure is listening in.
Later that night, a faceless Charlie and Renee break into the offices of Ridge-Ferrick Holding and find their way to a conference room. The two snoops eavesdrop on the meeting inside, hearing some discussion about Kahndaq. Before they can hear more, they are pounced by a very large, very angry wolf-creature. The tackle carries the two through the doors of the conference room, and right to the feet of Whisper A'Daire and her minions. Whisper indulges her curiosity only to find out Renee's name, then orders her shapeshifting men to kill the two.
Question strikes first, while Renee goes for her unique firearm, but before the fight can get out of hand, a batarang whips through the room, taking out the lights. Renee's sense of relief is short-lived when she realizes that it is not Batman who has come to their rescue. She can only watch in surprise as Batwoman skillfully and gracefully takes down most of the animal-men. One makes a rush towards Renee, who lifts her weapon, only to get smacked out of the way before she can fire by the Batwoman, who kicks the remaining thug up and out the window.
That hit provides Renee with her first clue, and the red hair offers a second. Batwoman makes a quick exit, leaving an amused Question and a stunned Renee behind.
Day 7: At Opal City Storage, Bernie and Ralph investigate the storage unit. The door was ripped off, marked with the inverted S symbol, and put back. Ralph and Bernie take a look through the contents, trying to figure out what was stolen. Elsewhere, Cassie and Devem dress a straw dummy in one of Sue Dibny's outfits, and slide the stolen wedding ring onto one of the dummy's fingers.
Characters:
Batwoman
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Kyle Abbott (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39732)
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
Whisper A'Daire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39733)
Wonder Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26458)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 10
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Andy Lanning
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos
Alexander Luthor, Jr. (Earth-Three)
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Brother Eye (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35399)
Firestorm (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25920)
Flash (Bart Allen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26791)
Flash (Jay Garrick) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29842)
Ion (Kyle Rayner) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30541)
Lois Lane (Earth-Two)
Monitor
Nightwing (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29644)
Power Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35405)
Superboy (Conner Kent) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26567)
Superboy (Earth-Prime)
Superman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Superman (Earth-Two)
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
<hr>
52: Week Twelve
September 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week12thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week12full.jpg)
Story Title: Mighty
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Eddy Barrows
Inker: Rob Stull
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: David Baron
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Isis
Day 1:
In Gotham City, Renee Montoya meets up with Maggie Sawyer, captain in the GCPD, to coyly inform her of the incident at Ridge-Ferrick Holding. Maggie gives Renee an annoyed reprimand and explains exactly what Renee's interference cost the Police Department, in terms of leads and investigation. A grumpier Renee returns to the cluttered apartment she shares with Charlie, and while Charlie contines his meditation, Renee quietly ruminates on what they've learned so far and on where all the clues are pointing. Eventually, Charlie agrees. The duo are going to Kahndaq.
In Kahndaq, Black Adam uses his power to divert a river to help a desperate village. When the grateful villagers begin to genuflect, Adrianna challenges Adam's motives. Adam hastily puts a stop to the 'worship', and explains to Adrianna that he only tries to help. Afterwards, the two continue their discussion about the proper application of power, as well as Black Adam's personal agenda. Adrianna wonders about his anger, and Adam promptly carries her back to his palace, then to the memorial of his fallen family. He explains his loss, and wonders in turn how Adrianna could not be angry at those who killed her family and sold her brother into slavery. Adrianna replies that she's not sure what she feels, other than 'alone'.
Black Adam triggers a secret switch, opening a hidden passageway leading beneath the palace. He and Adrianna head down the rocky steps, only to emerge inside the Rock of Eternity, with Captain Marvel struggling to remain in control of his new responsibilities. Interspersed with Billy's shouting at various Sins, Black Adam explains that he desires to bring Adrianna into the Marvel family.
In Philadelphia, Cassie Sandsmark returns to her apartment, and is startled to find Ralph Dibny waiting inside. After a bit of initial banter, Ralph gets to the point. Cassie's friends in the Cult of Conner stole one of Sue's outfits. Ralph wants to know why. Cassie explains how Devem has found a method to resurrect the dead, utilizing 'connective objects'. They intend to bring Superboy back from the dead, but wanted to make a trial attempt first. Because they stole Ralph's wedding ring, Sue was the obvious choice. Ralph listens, with varying degrees of outrage, shock, and irritation, but eventually asks Cassie to let him help.
In the Rock of Eternity, Black Adam explains the magic contained within the amulet of Isis, while Captain Marvel confirms that Adrianna is a worthy successor to that position. She has her doubts, but Adam is persuasive and able to calm her fears. Adrianna accepts the amulet and becomes Isis, and promises to help Black Adam with his crusade, once they rescue her little brother.
Characters:
Black Adam (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35400)
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Isis (Adrianna Tomaz)
Maggie Sawyer
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
Wonder Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26458)
Back-Up Story Title: The Origin of Wonder Woman
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Adam Hughes
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Asst. Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Steve Wacker
Special Thanks: Mark Chiarello
Created by: William Moulton Marston
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Cheetah
Hippolyta (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26757)
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
<hr>
Continued in 52: Weeks Thirteen through Twenty-Four
July 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week01thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week01full.jpg)
Story Title: Golden Lads & Lasses Must...
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett
Inker: Ruy Jose
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
The Crisis is over. New Earth is restored. The following day (Day 1), Ralph Dibny has found a pistol, and talks to a friend over the phone, while standing in the midst of his ruined home. Former detective Renee Montoya tries to drown her sorrows at '52 Pickup', a Gotham bar. Steel assists in rescue efforts in Paris.
Day 2, Ralph gets more updates over the phone, Renee continues to get hammered, and Steel has moved on to helping in St. Louis.
Day 3, Ralph is still alone, still playing phone tag. Renee is increasingly drunk.
Day 4, Steel takes a breather with a fireman in St. Louis, and fills him in on the basics of the Crisis.
Day 5, Booster Gold makes his 'dramatic debut', heralded by Skeets. Booster caught Mammoth trying to pilfer diamonds, and proceeds to subdue him. Afterwards, he takes a moment to comfort a couple of kids, a 'photo-op deluxe', and proceeds to play to the cameras, including plugging a sponser and offering crocodile tears for the death of Superboy. With the cameras fed, Booster and Skeets take off again, with Booster revelling in his success.
Meanwhile, Ralph has checked into a hotel, with a few personal belongings, including his phone and the pistol. He quietly listens to his voicemail while preparing to put the gun in his mouth. Before he pulls the trigger, he hears the message that someone defaced Sue's tombstone.
In Metropolis, Steel catches up with Natasha, who is on her way to hook up with the Teen Titans. John Henry argues that she doesn't yet deserve to play hero with the Titans, while Natasha says she does. John Henry tries to explain his view of being a hero, only to have Natasha refuse to listen. As a last resort, John Henry deactivates Natasha's armor and tells her she can wear it again when she makes it work on her own.
Black Adam addresses the gathered citizens in the capitol of Kahndaq, promising to lead by example. When a suicide bomber attempts to disrupt the assembly, Black Adam intervenes swiftly and ruthlessly.
Day 6, Dr. Sivana and Mr. Mind watch the news on television, but get interrupted by shadowed figures bursting through the door. Sivana is dragged away, while Mr. Mind can only look on.
Heroes gather in Metropolis, at the site of the memorial honoring Earth-2's Superman and Superboy. Various clusters talk and gossip, as the gathering grows. Booster Gold is there, and excited about the arrival of Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman. Skeets counts down, and Booster makes a big moment to welcome the Big Three, only to be confused when they don't show up. Nearby heroes mutter about Booster's behavior, while he starts to panic and demand answers from Skeets.
Skeets starts to glitch, then falls to the ground, unable to answer Booster's demands. Booster goes wild, and the Martian Manhunter tries to restrain him, but not before Booster's elbow catches Clark Kent in the nose. Kent tells Booster that the Big Three are not coming.
Day 7, in Gotham City, the Question strips the logo from the Bat-Signal, and uses spray paint to put a question mark in its place. He turns it towards Renee Montoya's window and turns the signal on. Renee gets home to find her ex-girlfriend, Daria, has still not returned. She's startled by the sudden light in her window, and grumbles as she shuts the blinds. On the Signal's rooftop, the Question simply asks, "Are you ready?"
Characters:
Aquaman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27035) (cameo)
Beast Boy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25850)
Black Adam (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Black Canary (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31655)
Black Lightning (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31256)
Blue Devil (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29088) (cameo)
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Bulleteer
Clark Kent (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Detective Chimp (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33628)
Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27376) (cameo)
Doctor Mid-Nite (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27914) (cameo)
Doctor Sivana
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Fire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27318)
Firehawk (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29028)
Flash (Bart Allen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26791)
Flash (Jay Garrick) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29842)
Geo-Force (cameo)
Grace Choi (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=38050) (cameo)
Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28505) (cameo)
Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29708) (cameo)
Green Lantern (Guy Gardner) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27427)
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Green Lantern (John Stewart) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25831)
Gypsy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31609) (cameo)
Hourman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29149) (cameo)
Huntress (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31764) (cameo)
Jakeem Thunder (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27854) (cameo)
Jimmy Olsen (cameo)
Katana (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28264) (cameo)
Mammoth
Martian Manhunter (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26199)
Mera (cameo)
Metamorpho (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28519)
Mister Bones (cameo)
Mister Mind
Mister Miracle (cameo)
Mister Terrific (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34862) (cameo)
Negative Man (cameo)
Nightmaster (cameo)
Nightshade (cameo)
Nightwing (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29644) (cameo)
Niles Caulder (cameo)
Plastic Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25849) (cameo)
Power Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35405) (cameo)
Ragman (cameo)
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
Robotman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28213) (cameo)
Sand (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29973) (cameo)
Sasha Bordeaux (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33318) (cameo)
Skeets
Stargirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=32829) (cameo)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Steel (Natasha Irons)
S.T.R.I.P.E.S. (cameo)
Tasmanian Devil (cameo)
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
The Ray (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28502)
Thunder (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28241) (cameo)
Vixen (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34228) (cameo)
Wildcat (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27872)
Wonder Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26458)
Zauriel (cameo)
<hr>
52: Week Two
July 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week02thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week02full.jpg)
Story Title: Looking Back at Tomorrow
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett
Inker: Jack Jadson
Letter: Travis Lanham
Color: Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
Day 1, Ralph Dibny stands at Sue's grave, taking polaroids of the vandalism and reminiscing on her death. The young groundskeeper of the cemetary approaches Ralph, gushing like a true fan. When Ralph mentions Batman, the young man counters that Batman doesn't have a wife to help keep others calm in a crisis. The topic turns to the vandalism on the headstone, and wondering who would do such a thing. Ralph figures out that it is a message, and the mystery is figuring out who left it.
Booster Gold is in the home of Dr. Magnus, to see if Skeets can be repaired, and if the glitch from last week could be isolated. As Magnus works, Booster noses around the lab, including picking up the inactive head of Platinum. Magnus expresses his fascination with Skeets, and warns that he's no expert on 'Tomorrowtech'. Skeets comes back online, sounding chipper and refreshed, and Booster tells Magnus he's still famous in the 25th century for his work with the Metal Men.
Magnus prepares to leave, late for an appointment. Booster asks Skeets how he feels, and Skeets comments that it was just a glitch. "Because if it wasn't a glitch, then someone is messing with the fabric of time." Booster shrugs it off, and offers the Doc a ride to Haven Security Village. At Haven, Magnus visits T.O. Morrow, the two scientists discussing their personal projects. Magnus lets Morrow know that the Red Tornado sacrificed himself during the Crisis. Morrow muses on the cause of that sacrifice, whether it's a self-destructive flaw in programming or the dawn of artificial courage. The two geniuses express their gratitude for each other, before Morrow offers a warning. He has been collecting news articles of the various 'Mad Scientists' who have gone missing, and fears someone is rounding them up. Names mentioned in the articles include Dr. Cyclops, IRA 'I.Q.' Quimby, Doctor Death, Doctor Tyme, Jeremiah Clugg, and Dr. Sivana.
Day 3, late night in Gotham City, The Question slips into Renee Montoya's apartment, past the mess, and into the bedroom. He finds Renee and her latest fling curled up together in bed, and wakes Renee by asking, "Who are you?" Renee lunges for her gun, and fires two shots at the intruder. The noise wakes up the other woman, and Question dodges the bullets to shove the woman into Renee's way. By the time the two untangle themselves and are able to get up, the Question is gone again. Renee is silent, looking, listening, while her lover pesters with scared questions of her own. Montoya finds a clue, listing an address with a bold question mark, left on a slip of paper, then tells the other woman to put her clothes on.
Day 4, in the sky over Metropolis, Flight 2824 broadcasts a mayday to the tower. Skeets mentions it to Booster Gold, who promptly takes to the skies to help out. With Skeets' guidance, Booster gets into the perfect position to catch the passenger liner heading in from the north. Unfortunately, it's coming from the south, and runs over Booster from behind. It takes some serious effort from Booster and Skeets to get the plane safely onto the ground in one piece. While emergency teams take over, Booster waves aside the press so he can catch his breath and yell at Skeets for the mistake. Skeets apologizes, and points out that Flight 2824 is just fine now. A flash of a headline from the Sydney Morning Herald reads: "Hundreds Dead On Flight 2428".
Evening in Gotham City, Renee Montoya deals with her hangover, and stares at the note left by Daria, as well as the clue left by the Question. Internal reflection wanders from the wreck of her life to the question of 'who am I', which she still can't answer. She grabs her coat and heads out, to investigate the address left for her. 520 Kane Street is an abandoned building near the docks. Annoyed that there's nothing more to the clue, Renee decides to return to her important work of drinking herself to oblivion. The Question appears behind her, and Renee lashes out, only to be tossed into garbage cans for her efforts. The Question returns her gun, and offers a roll of money for her services. He hires Renee to investigate the building, three weeks paid in advance, while smoothly avoiding answering any of her frustrated questions.
Day 6, in San Francisco, at Titans Tower, Wonder Girl has erected a shrine to Superboy, complete with Kryptonian crystals and webcam. She leads cult members around the world in a form of prayer, then ends the service. As Cassie grieves, Ralph Dibny lets himself in and confronts her with the pictures of his wife's tombstone. He's done his research, and compliments Cassie on the construction of her altar and shrine. Ralph informs her that he knows the 'S' is more than just a symbol on Superman's chest. It is a Kryptonian symbol as well, which reads as 'hope'. Inverted, as it was painted onto the tombstone, it means 'resurrection'.
Characters:
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Jimmy Olsen (cameo)
Platinum (cameo)
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
Skeets
T.O. Morrow
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
Will Magnus
Wonder Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26458)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 1
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Art Thibert
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
On New Cronus, Donna Troy reflects on her unique status within the DCU, as an amalgam of all prior versions of her counterparts rolled into one being. Earth-7's Dark Angel worked for the Anti-Monitor, just as Harbinger worked for the Monitor. Each was charged with the responsibility of recording the history of the multiverse. Donna has Harbinger's orb, and thus, all of Harbinger's recordings.
She tells the orb to show her the pre-Crisis multiverse, then hesitates, uncertain she can bear to see those worlds die. Donna finally decides to continue, to gain deeper understanding of what she has become.
The summary of the multiverse history resumes, going back to the origin with the original split, and the planet Oa. The rebel Krona's forbidden experiment unleashes the forces that created the evil Anti-matter Universe. This prompts the Oans to take up their role as Guardians, from binding wild magic to the formation of interstellar law enforcement. First came the android Manhunters, who rebelled against their creators, then came the formation of the Green Lantern Corps.
These events became particularly important to the world known as Earth-1, where history progressed from Anthro to the forerunners of the great heroes. Donna pauses the summary again and redirects her question, seeking more information on the people, on Superman in particular, rather than the history.
All of the myriad iterations of Superman share the common thread in the destruction of Krypton and their Earth-based upbringing. Of all these, though, the Superman of Earth-1 and his counterpart on Earth-2 were the greatest. It is opined that the presence of those two on those particular worlds caused the people of each to reach heights other Earths could not attain.
There were two Earths, with two Metropolises, with two Supermen, yet eventually only one would survive.
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Multiverse Cameos:
Anthro
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Firestorm (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25920)
Flash (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29842)
Flash (Earth-Two) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31713)
Green Lantern (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30343)
Green Lantern (Earth-Two) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Green Lantern Corps
Hawkman (Earth-Two) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28964)
Jonah Hex
Krona
Manhunters
Power Ring (Earth-Three)
Robin
Spectre (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34752)
Superman (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Superman (Earth-Two)
<hr>
52: Week Three
July 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week03thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week03full.jpg)
Story Title: New World Order
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett
Inker: Ruy Jose
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Noose, Rough House, Adrianna Tomaz
Death: Noose, Terra-Man
Week 3, Day 1: The Gotham police discover a body on the street, and call Captain Maggie Sawyer to take a look while they begin investigations. The murdered body bears a striking resemblance to Lex Luthor. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Power Girl pursues Terra-Man through the skies, to bring him in for robbing an airliner in midflight, and endangering the passengers. Terra-Man taunts Karen and fights back, until she knocks him for a loop. Before she can move in for another strike, Black Adam intercepts her punch and pulls her up short.
Adam explains calmly that he will not permit them to fight over Kahndaq airspace, and counters each of Power Girl's protests with his own cold logic. Before she can chase the criminal again, Adam demands to know how many people died. Not on the plane, but during the recent crisis. Power Girl doesn't know, so Adam tells her precisely: 5,079,432 people. Karen tries to reason with Adam, who states that he has acted on behalf of his people, and that they are under his protection now. For that reason (among others), he does not want metahumans interfering in Kahndaq.
Day 2: At the Steelworks in Metropolis, John Henry works on his computer in the living area of the building. Natasha arrives to learn why he failed to sign her up for a technology colloquium next week, only to find out that he is putting her in summer school as a result of her English grade the prior semester. Natasha is not pleased with the news. John Henry remains unphased by the tantrum she throws, more concerned with molding her character the way he sees best than with giving in to her more selfish (in his view) desires. Her intelligence is not in question; however, he does doubt her wisdom and her patience. The fight is interrupted by a phone call from Dr. Avasti at STAR Labs, who requests John Henry's help identifying a dead body.
Day 3: In Kahndaq's palace, Black Adam receives two guests, Rough House and Noose, representatives from Intergang. They seek to form an alliance with Adam, and offer two million dollars worth of African gold, as well as 'the most beautiful virgin in all of Egypt'. Intergang is seeking to profit from the lingering chaos after the Crisis, and want to use Kahndaq as a transit point to reach buyers in the Middle East. The young woman, Adrianna, suddenly struggles to get free, only to be restrained roughly by Noose. Rough House asks Adam for his answer. He replies by crushing Noose's head and saying 'no'. Terra-Man applauds the show from outside the palace window.
Day 4: Back in Metropolis, Booster Gold fights the armored Shockwave, while playing to the cameras and crowd, with Skeets providing advice and direction and free hype. After a bit of sports talk with Skeets, Booster zips off to sign his endorsement deal with Akteon-Holt Pharmecuticals. At the party afterwards, the celebration is cut short when agents of the Secret Service arrive to arrest Mr. Akteon on charges of securities fraud. Booster is stunned and upset, while Skeets tries to apologize for his continued malfunctions. Skeets offers to contact Dr. Magnus for repairs, but Booster tells him to track down a man named Rip Hunter.
Day 5: At STAR Labs, John Henry and Kala Avasti examine the corpse brought in by the Gotham Police. John Henry discovers contacts, and removes them to find the body's eyes are naturally blue, rather than the green of Lex Luthor's own eyes. They theorize that the body is a doppleganger from a parallel dimension, the (Alexander) Luthor of a different world. John Henry realizes that the contacts are new, undamaged, and wonders if they were inserted post-mortem. Before further tests can be conducted, Lex Luthor barges into the laboratory with a crew of reporters trailing along. A quiet exchange between Lex and John proves that Lex knew about the contacts, and leads to a media-friendly show in which Lex proves the body on the table is an imposter. According to Luthor, the imposter came from another reality, and wasn't the generous lovable businessman of this reality. Lex even goes as far as pulling the more honest and upstanding John Henry into the matter for support.
Day 6: Kahndaq's embassy in New York City opens with a mob of press and police, all cautiously eager to see what Black Adam has to say. Adam appears, floating over the crowd, with Terra-Man smugly hanging back behind. Adam delivers a speech in which he acknowledges the heroism of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, yet recognizes the problems implicit with their collective disapperance. The opening of his embassy is a signal that he hopes to gain allies to defend the innocent and deliver a message to those who seek to take advantage of the situation. Adam grabs Terra-Man and rips him in half, the gore falling on the crowd below. As he takes to the sky, Adam states that heroes need to stop patrolling the world and start changing it.
In Dr. Sivana's empty lab, Mister Mind's tube is occupied by a small silken coccoon.
Characters:
Adrianna Tomaz
Alexander Luthor Jr. (Earth-3) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29260) (deceased)
Black Adam (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Detective Jiang
Detective Josie MacDonald
Kala Avasti
Lex Luthor (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34778)
Lois Lane-Kent
Maggie Sawyer
Mercy Graves
Mister Mind (cameo)
Noose
Power Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35405)
Rough House
Shockwave
Skeets
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Steel (Natasha Irons)
Terra-Man
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 2
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Art Thibert
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
The history lesson continues, thanks to Harbinger's orb. The differences and similarities of Earth-1 and Earth-2 are mentioned, leading to the first Crisis that brought the two universes into contact with each other, and the first partnership between the JSA and the JLA. Donna muses that she knows many of these people, yet hardly remembers them. She tells the orb to give her more information on what still exists.
The amalgam Donna most closely reflects the life of Earth-1's Donna Troy, with her involvement in the Teen Titans, and the rush of growth in superheroes. Numerous 'new' heroes are highlighted, both individually and collectively, with the orb's commentary that Earth-1's population of heroes surged far beyond anything Earth-2 would produce, even into the far future of the Legion.
Earth-1 continued to grow, the heroes grew up and brought younger heroes up to greatness, establishing a legacy and a future for Earth-1. Donna asks if that future survived, and learns that it is only a partial survival. The multiverse itself was threatened by the looming evil of the Anti-Matter universe, and the Crisis across infinite earths.
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Multiverse Cameos:
Anti-Monitor
Batgirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28906)
Blue Devil (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29088)
Darkseid (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30610)
Doom Patrol
Justice League of America (Earth-One)
Justice Society of America (Earth-Two)
Krypto
Legion of Superheroes
Metamorpho (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28519)
Monitor
Orion
Superman (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Teen Titans
The Creeper
Warlord
<hr>
52: Week Four
July 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week04thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week04full.jpg)
Story Title: Dances With Monsters
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett
Inker: Jack Jadsen
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Devem
Day 1: In Gotham City, Renee Montoya continues her stakeout of 520 Kane Street, bored and cranky. She survives with plenty of aspirin and coffee, trying to figure out why she agreed to take the money for this.
In orbit above the planet, a team of astronauts keep watch for any sign of the missing heroes. The young woman named Halo keeps track of any potential incoming teleportation waves, just in case. Word from Mission Control has come in, ordering an official stop to the search. Before the arguments can gain much steam, Halo mentions she's seeing an incoming wave on the zeta frequency, similar to the Zeta Beam Transfer used by Adam Strange.
In Metropolis, Fire is visiting Booster Gold's penthouse to discuss their own search and rescue options, organized by J'onn J'onzz. Unfortunately, Booster is more interested in his next endorsement and his own glory, and Fire storms out, disappointed.
Day 3: Renee's stakeout continues to be uneventful, until later that night. While lighting up a cigarette, she's startled by the Question's sudden appearance in her car. He's there to check up on her progress, and the two exchange barbed comments for a few minutes. The Question leaves as calmly as he arrived, leaving Renee to fume about the time left on this particular job.
That same night, in the Metropolis Steelworks, John Henry is working on Natasha's armored suit. Disassembling the components, he starts to hallucinate. His fears for Natasha take the form of a 'retired' John Henry, setting the example for how to live without heroics. On the other side is his Steel identity, his integrity and heroic nature, observing wryly. John Henry discovers he's been poisoned somehow, and stumbles back to his workshop. When he touches a piece of metal equipment, his skin begins to turn silver, spreading across his body until an explosion rocks the lab.
Day 4: In Wonder Girl's Kryptonian shrine, Ralph Dibny is meeting with Cassie and other members of the cult, seeking answers to why his wife's tombstone was defaced. Cassie tries to explain what the cult is preparing for, and offers to give Ralph the chance to see for himself. Ralph angrily agrees, and rejects the attempt to exchange something of value, stating firmly that Sue was the only thing that ever mattered to him. He settles in the pool of water with the cult members around him, and allows them to hold him beneath the water. They hold him under past the point of panic, and he blacks out without seeing any visions. When he resurfaces and comes to, the cultists have all left, and his wedding band is missing from his finger.
Day 5: Back in Gotham, Renee's stakeout finally pays off when she spots a hulking form shamble into the building she's been watching. She chases the figure into the building, and meets up with the Question again. As they investigate, they stumble into a trap door, and plummet to the floor below. The two land almost directly in front of the monstrous form, a huge reptilian humanoid lugging crates of weapons. Renee tries to fight it off with her standard handgun, only to be tossed across the room. The Question leaps into the fray, the fight continuing until Renee picks up one of the Apokoliptian weapons and blasts the creature.
Day 7: Over Australia, rescue forces work with Halo and the Rannians to steer the incoming Zeta beam to a suitable location. When the beam impacts in the Northern Territory, the helicopters and heroes immediately rush to gather the survivors. As the beam clears and the dust settles, the rescue teams see the gruesome sight of the badly wounded survivors. Hawkgirl has become a giantess, while Firestorm and Cyborg have fused into one tangled mass. Alan Scott is on his feet, but bleeding from his ruined left eye. On the ground, Vox and Bumblebee appear gravely injured, possibly dead.
Characters:
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Bumblebee (cameo)
Cyborg (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26490) (cameo)
Devem
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Fire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27318)
Firestorm (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39562) (cameo)
Green Lantern (Alan Scott) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30343) (cameo)
Halo
Hawkgirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33636) (cameo)
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
Vox (cameo)
Wonder Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26458)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 3
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Art Thibert
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Donna Troy's journey through the history of the multiverse continues on New Cronus, with the onset of the Crisis. The emergence of the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor kindled the spark of destruction and war across multiple planes of existence. The nature of the multiverse, and the infinite number of vibrational differences, is again explained.
The multiverse proceeded unhindered until the Anti-matter Wave, a wall of white nothingness, began progressing across the infinite realities and erasing everything in its path. Earth-3 was an early victim, with the only survivor being the child of Lex Luthor and Lois Lane-Kent. Alexander Luthor was a being of both positive and negative matter, and possessing incredible powers. As the Crisis escalated, the Monitor assembled a diverse group of metahumans, both hero and villain, to work his plan to fight back the Anti-matter Wave.
They tried, but had no chance of success. Those plans were interrupted when Harbinger, possessed by the Anti-Monitor's influence, murdered the Monitor. For a short time, heroes on various worlds bravely tried to stop the spread of the Wave, with no success. Alexander Luthor and Harbinger brought together a large force of heroes from various Earths to combat their foe directly.
The force took the battle to the Anti-Matter Universe, willing to sacrifice everything to save the remaining worlds. One in particular died at the hands of the Anti-Monitor. Donna cries quietly at the memory of Kara Zor-El, Supergirl. Yet even her death wasn't enough to end the Crisis.
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Multiverse Cameos:
Alexander Luthor Jr. (Earth-3) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29260)
Anti-Monitor
First Assembly of Crisis Heroes
Flash (multiple Earths)
Harbinger
Lady Quark
Lex Luthor (Earth-Three)
Lois Luthor (Earth-Three)
Lord Volt
Monitor
Pariah
Power Ring (Earth-Three)
Second Assembly of Crisis Heroes
Supergirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35406) (Kara Zor-El)
Ultraman (Earth-Three)
<hr>
52: Week Five
August 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week05thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week05full.jpg)
Story Title: Stars In Their Courses
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Chris Batista
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti
Letterer: Phil Balsman
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
Day 1: Ellen Baker begins pulling the banners and decorations down from the outside of the house, while trying to find a way to explain to her daughter, Maxine, that it's been over a month without word. Alan Scott arrives to give Ellen the news that Buddy went MIA in space. Ellen chooses to hold onto the hope that 'missing' is not the same as 'dead', and begins unrolling her banner again.
Lex Luthor makes a special announcement on a general TV broadcast, unveiling his new metagene program, while a number of familiar faces listen in with varying degrees of skepticism regarding this 'age of super-citizens'.
John Henry Irons is paged as he dons his Steel armor. He joins Alan Scott and Pieter Cross at Saint Camillus, the first hospital specializing in metahuman treatment. While the two take John Henry on a tour of the facilities, they discuss Luthor's announcement, as well as the conditions of those space-faring heroes who recently returned. Hawkgirl remains twenty-five feet tall. Cyborg and Firestorm are still fused together, frozen in time until they can be safely separated. Mal Duncan is all but comatose, with traces of Red Tornado's circuitry still embedded in his body.
Dr. Cross explains Mal's condition, and the risks he's facing, and Dr. Irons offers the loan of the pseudocytes which he used to 'rebuild' his left hand. Alan Scott agonizes again on the horror of what happened out in space at the end of the Crisis, on what happened to the team that had joined Donna Troy. Alan slowly recovers his composure and apologizes for making a scene, but losing so many young faces, especially his own daughter, has hit him hard. Steel offers Alan some advice, when Mal suddenly goes into cardiac arrest.
In Gotham City, Maggie Sawyer pays a visit to Renee Montoya. Maggie attempts to pry information out of Renee regarding the incident at the warehouse, but leaves frustrated when Renee refuses to share any new information.
Pieter and Alan struggle to save Mal's life, while a number of doctors and nurses try to stabilize Hawkgirl outside. Steel grabs the electrical panel, and serves as a conduit to jolt Mal hard enough to trigger the Red Tornado's speaker in the young man's chest. Mal sits upright, his power amplifying Tornado's last words to painful and dramatic levels. After a vague warning about '52', Mal collapses again, leaving a trio of very confused heroes to make sense of it all.
Day 7: Deep in space, marooned on an unnamed planet, three of the missing heroes reflect on the Crisis and wonder about their friends. Animal Man and Starfire refresh themselves, with Buddy trying not to freak out about being so very far from his home and his family. Blinded, Adam Strange spends his time trying to repair and restore a broken Thanagarian warbird so the trio can start working their way back to familiar space.
Characters:
Adam Strange (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30719)
Animal Man
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Bumblebee (cameo)
Clark Kent (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931) (cameo)
Cyborg (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26490) (cameo)
Doctor Mid-Nite (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27914)
Ellen Baker
Firestorm (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39562) (cameo)
Green Lantern (Alan Scott) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30343)
Hawkgirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33636) (cameo)
Vox
Lex Luthor (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34778)
Lois Lane-Kent (cameo)
Maggie Sawyer
Maxine Baker
Red Tornado (cameo)
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525) (cameo)
Skeets
Starfire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26400)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Supergirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35406)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 4
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Norm Rapmund
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Donna Troy reviews the darkest days of the original Crisis, with the aid of Harbinger's orb. Virtually the entire multiverse was destroyed, and numerous heroes sacrificed everything to protect what was left. Supergirl was killed by the Anti-Monitor. Barry Allen disrupted the Anti-Monitor's plans to destroy the remainder of the positive universes, by racing against the flow of antimatter energy powering a massive cannon. He continued pushing himself until both he and the cannon were no more.
The war shifted to a point before creation began, and the heroes assembled to prevent the Anti-Monitor from gaining control. It took the combined might of the heroes, the mystics, and the Spectre to hold the Anti-Monitor at bay, and far in the future, a rogue scientist on Oa peered into the past, setting up a chain of events that led to the creation of a single composite universe. The multiverse was gone, but the threat of the Anti-Monitor remained.
Again the heroes of the new Earth fought, and eventually prevailed. A few, particularly a certain four, had no place to go. Alexander Luthor used his antimatter powers to open a gateway to offer Superman (Earth Two), Lois (Earth Two), and Superboy (Earth Prime) a well-deserved peace and rest. In the aftermath of the Crisis, memories shifted and forgot, until only the seemingly deranged Psycho-Pirate remembered the multiverse.
Donna muses on her responsibility to make sure such history isn't lost again.
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Multiverse Cameos:
Alexander Luthor, Jr. (Earth-Three)
Anti-Monitor
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Blue Beetle (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26120)
Captain Marvel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35400)
Firestorm (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25920)
Flash (Barry Allen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31713)
Flash (Wally West) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25959)
Hawkman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28964)
Hourman
Lois Lane (Earth-Two)
Martian Manhunter (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26199)
Metamorpho (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28519)
Mon-El
Pariah
Psycho-Pirate (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35402)
Spectre (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34752)
Superboy (Earth-Prime)
Supergirl (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35406)
Superman (Earth-One) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Superman (Earth-Two)
Ultra Boy
Wildfire
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
<hr>
52: Week Six
August 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week06thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week06full.jpg)
Story Title: China Syndrome
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett
Inker: Ruy Jose
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Manthrax, The Great Ten
Day 1: While the press reports on Booster Gold's latest victory over the evil armored Manthrax, Booster himself is having a meeting in an old subway tunnel with his alleged foe.
In pursuit of the alien criminal, Evil Star, two Green Lanterns come face to face with China's own team of metahuman defenders. Calling themselves the Great Ten, they insist on the Lanterns' quick departure from Chinese airspace. Hal Jordan and John Stewart are forced to fight the Ten, while trying to keep up with the fleeing alien.
Meanwhile, T.O. Morrow complains about his loss of privileges at Haven Security Village, while Will Magnus fills him in on the latest news about vanishing scientists. Neither man is aware that Morrow's quarters have been bugged, or that someone is watching.
Back in China, Jordan and Stewart simplify things by destroying Evil Star's spaceship, then taking the alien into custody. Before they can make a beeline out of Chinese airspace, Black Adam arrives to give the Great Ten some assistance in dealing with the interlopers. China has just joined the coalition of nations, formed between Kahndaq, Myanmar, and North Korea, and Adam is free to aid his neighbors. The Lanterns fly off, with Adam and the Ten in close pursuit, only to be brought up short by the sudden arrival of a Rocket Red squadron. The Reds permit the Lanterns to enter Russian airspace, and deny entry to their opponents. Adam remains confident that more and more nations will join his coalition, including Russia, and withdraws with the Ten.
Day 2: Booster and Skeets track down Rip Hunter's laboratory, an underground bunker in Arizona. Once Skeets hacks into the time lock, he must stay behind to keep it open, and Booster heads down to the lab alone. The lab is a wreck, with two fullsized chalk-boards covered in notes, equations, and chaotic thoughts focusing on 'Time Is Broken'. Dozens of clocks fill the chamber, each set to 11:52. Almost all of the equipment is wrecked, smashed, and in shambles. Scattered across walls and floors are numerous photos of Booster and Skeets, with the phrase "It's all his fault" disturbingly scrawled out, over and over again.
Characters:
Accomplished Perfect Physician
August General in Iron
Black Adam (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Celestial Archer
Evil Star
Ghost Fox Killer
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Green Lantern (John Stewart) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25831)
Immortal Man in Darkness
Manthrax
Mother of Champions
Seven Deadly Brothers
Shaolin Robot
Skeets
Socialist Red Guardsman
T.O. Morrow
Thundermind
Will Magnus
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 5
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Andy Lanning
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
With the Crisis behind her, Donna turns the focus of her review to the dramatic events that soon followed. Maxwell Lord created a new iteration of the Justice League. Booster Gold arrived from the future. The Suicide Squad recruited villains as a black-ops strike force, and Checkmate was set in place as a political entity. Over time, Batman withdrew more and more from the other heroes, to keep an eye on his own corner of the world.
Batman caught his parents' killer, and Dick Grayson shed the mantle of 'sidekick' to become a hero in his own right. Barbara Gordon was shot and paralyzed by the Joker. The second Robin, Jason Todd, was murdered by the Joker. Tim Drake assumed the role of Robin, and Batgirl became Gotham's own Oracle.
Threats came from deep space, in the form of Manhunters and Dominators, but new heroes arose to defend the Earth. But the 'good days' were short-lived. Superman fell before Doomsday. Batman was broken by Bane. Four new 'Supermen' arrived on the scene, and one in particular, caused ripples that are still being felt.
The Cyborg Superman destroyed Coast City, home of Hal Jordan, which left the Green Lantern vulnerable to the ancient yellow entity of fear known as Parallax. In the grip of the entity, Jordan all but destroyed the Green Lantern Corps, Oa, and the Great Battery itself. While Jordan merged with Parallax, the only remaining Power Ring found its way to Kyle Rayner, the sole torch bearer.
Donna reflects on the sense of growing darkness during this period, and the Orb mentions that Zero Hour was about to begin.
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos:
Bane (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29171)
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Black Condor
Cyborg Superman (Hank Henshaw) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26564)
Eradicator (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26565)
Extant
Barbara Gordon (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28906)
Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30541)
Joker (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28713)
Justice League International
Parallax (Hal Jordan) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Ray (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28526)
Robin (Dick Grayson) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29644)
Robin (Jason Todd) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29496)
Robin (Tim Drake) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26942)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Suicide Squad
Superboy (Conner Kent) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26567)
Team Titans
Waverider
<hr>
52: Week Seven
August 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week07thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week07full.jpg)
Story Title: Going Down
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciller: Ken Lashley
Inker: Draxhall
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Kate Kane
(No day given): The Space Heroes (Buddy, Koriand'r, and Adam) are still stranded on the alien world. Adam Strange continues struggling with repairs to the Warbird, eager to be gone before whatever's hunting them can actually find them. Kori and Buddy seem much less motivated, and more inclined to eat the fruit nearby, rather than waste their energy. Adam snaps at them and slaps the narcotic fruit away, reminding them that the broken-down Warbird is their only hope of actually reaching their homes again. Kori tries to shake off the effects of the fruit, and sets out on her own to clear her head.
Day 2: In Gotham City, Renee tries to sort through the flood of questions she's gathered in the last few weeks, while nursing her broken arm and holding onto the firearm she recovered from the warehouse. While puzzling through, she stumbles across a potential connection, and decides to enlist the help of one of her ex-girlfriends, Kate Kane.
Day 3: Booster Gold struggles to get creditors off his back, when he is visited by Ralph Dibny. Seeking assistance in his investigation of the 'Conner Cult', Ralph tries in vain to keep Booster focused, while Skeets keeps reminding him of his next appointment. Ralph is reminded that Skeets and Booster are from the 25th Century, and that they have access to historical data that most people can't even imagine. Ralph lashes out and demands to know why Booster didn't warn him Sue was going to die, then relents when Booster is unable to give much of an excuse. Revising his opinion of Booster downward, Ralph calls him out on all the glory-seeking and marketing, insisting that the people need a hero, not a celebrity.
In Gotham, at the lavish Kane Estate, Renee gets herself admitted to a private room while the Kanes host a charity event. After a few moments, Kate comes to see her. The reunion between the ex's is bittersweet, but Kate agrees to look into the question of 520 Kane Street.
Back in Metropolis, Ralph tags along to witness Booster's 'heroism', and watches quietly as the former League member saves the day. Afterwards, he speaks with the press, including Lois Lane. The interview is interrupted by the return of Bill Castell, the man inside the Manthrax armor. Castell accuses Booster of staging events just to make himself look like a hero. As proof, he holds up the check Booster gave him, since it bounced at the bank. Lois turns her sights on Booster, and the press starts to swarm closer with their own questions. Ralph Dibny interrupts with accusations of his own, then turns to the media to explain that Booster cannot be trusted. Between Manthrax's accusation and Ralph's own voice, Booster's reputation in the media is well and truly destroyed.
On the alien world, Starfire flies through the strange landscape, drawn towards an object of intense energy. The object is massive, but the owner is even more so, and Devilance the Pursuer reaches forward to reclaim his weapon.
Characters:
Adam Strange (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30719)
Animal Man
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Devilance the Pursuer (cameo)
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Kate Kane
Lois Lane-Kent
Manthrax
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
Skeets
Starfire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26400)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 6
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Norm Rapmund
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos:
Atom (Al Pratt)
Batgirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29826)
Damage (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26670)
Doctor Mid-nite (Charles McNider) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31798)
Extant
Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30541)
Hawkgirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33636)
Hawkman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28964)
Hourman (Rex Tyler) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29149)
Justice Society of America
Parallax (Hal Jordan) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Spectre (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34752)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Supergirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35406)
Superman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Superman (Earth-Two)
Waverider
<hr>
52: Week Eight
August 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week08thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week08full.jpg)
Story Title: Thief
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Eddy Barrows
Inker: Rob Stull
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Supernova (cameo)
Day 1: Late at night in the Steelworks workshop, Natasha is hard at work, attempting to repair her own Steel armor. John Henry checks on her, and casually deflects her request to go through the metagene therapy for "real powers". While Natasha continues to work, John Henry heads back upstairs to check the news before bed. His curious transformation continues unexpectedly, leaving a portion of his chest covered in metallic flesh.
In a devestated Star City, Ralph Dibny catches up with Green Arrow, busy prowling the city to right injustices (as he sees them). Ralph gives Ollie some much needed emotional support to keep up the fight, then draws his attention to the real reason he's in Star City. The two find a doorway marked with the upside-down Kryptonian sigil. Inside, they find an abandoned 'church', but no members of the Cult of Conner.
Day 3: At Star Labs, John Henry consults Dr. Kala Avasti about the disturbing changes happening to his body. While Kala runs tests on some samples, they discuss the possible origins of the transformation. The tests reveal that John Henry is changing into stainless steel, and it is a short jump to the realization that Lex Luthor somehow injected him with something like the metagene therapy. As the two talk, the samples begin to react violently, exploding almost before John Henry can pull Kala behind him.
Elsewhere in Metropolis, an elderly woman speaks with a reporter about the mysterious superhero who rescues her and her grandson from a major accident.
Day 4: A firefighter tells a similar story of being rescued from a collapsing, burning building.
Day 5: More people tell of such amazing rescues, none able to provide a good description of the new superhero. Where most people are genuinely grateful, Booster Gold is livid. He rants about his fading image and the sudden rise of this 'Captain Newguy', then asks the mild-mannered reporter if he knows who the mystery hero is. Clark Kent simply promises he's going to find out.
Natasha's quiet lunch at home is interrupted when Dr. Avasti calls to speak to John Henry. Kala confirms that it is Luthor's metagene strain rewriting John Henry's DNA, and she needs to speak to him as soon as possible. Natasha takes the news badly.
Later that night, Natasha is angrily working on her armor, and lashes out at John Henry, accusing him of lying, of being hypocritical, and confronts him with what she thinks she's discovered. Upset and unwilling to listen, the young woman storms out before Uncle John can explain.
On the distant alien world, Animal Man and Adam Strange fly in search of Starfire, who's been missing for days. They find her, hanging unconscious in a net. Just as they realize their mistake, a second net snaps up, and Devilance comes to collect his prizes.
Day 7: A huge mob of hopeful applicants gathers in front of Luthor's building, eager to be chosen for the metagene program. Luthor himself strolls proudly through the controlled chaos, only to be diverted when he sees Natasha arguing with one of his lackeys. Luthor smoothly takes control of the situation, and escorts Natasha inside as the first candidate of the day.
A few hours later, Natasha is strapped into the machine, a nervous look in her eyes, as Luthor instructs the technician to give her the whole package.
Characters:
Adam Strange (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30719)
Animal Man
Clark Kent (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Devilance the Pursuer
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29708)
Kala Avasti
Lex Luthor (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34778)
Mercy Graves
Starfire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26400)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
Steel (Natasha Irons)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 7
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Andy Lanning
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos:
Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29826)
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Sue Dibny (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28069)
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Extant
Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28505)
Hal Jordan (as Parallax, Spectre) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Hippolyta (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26757)
Imperiex
Justice League of America (JLA)
Justice Society of America (JSA)
Outsiders
Robin (Stephanie Brown) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29628)
Robin (Tim Drake) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26942)
Supergirl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35406)
Superman (as Blue, Normal) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Teen Titans (post-Young Justice)
Titans (Nightwing's team)
Titans (Ray Palmer, mentor)
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
Young Justice
<hr>
52: Week Nine
September 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week09thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week09full.jpg)
Story Title: Dream of America
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Shawn Moll
Inker: Tom Nguyen
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Colorist: David Baron
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Herakles, Batwoman (cameo)
New Costume: Natasha Irons becomes Starlight
Day 1: Luthor hosts a gala to celebrate the launching of his Metagene Program. John Henry comes looking for his niece, and interrupts the festivities. Shoving others aside, the fully changed stainless Steel grabs Luthor by the throat, deflects Mercy's bullets, and threatens to do some serious damage to Luthor if he doesn't give Natasha back. Natasha arrives with her new team, but insists on handling this herself, and rescues Luthor before punching her uncle through a window. The two argue their respective philosophies as they fight, with John Henry taking a more defensive posture and trying to convince Natasha that this is the wrong way to do things. Natasha is much more aggressive, and confident in the decision she made, the powers she took to become a hero. The fight ends with a mighty punch, sending Steel flying into the harbor.
On the alien world, Animal Man and Starfire work out a plan to escape their captor, while Adam Strange tries to keep Devilance distracted and talking about why a bounty has been placed on their heads. Buddy taps into the morphogenic field, mimics the flash-pulse of the native insects, and dazzles Devilance into stumbling into his own traps. Starfire breaks free of her bonds and steals the New God's lance, before returning to blast the trapped Devilance. As the heroes regroup, they agree that the lance will provide enough power to their warbird, and head back to the ship.
In Gotham City, a man named Charlie strolls into Molly's, a popular lesbian bar, and takes a seat next to Renee Montoya. A couple of pointed questions let Renee know that the stranger beside her is the Question, and that he might have some answers for her. Renee, annoyed, follows Charlie back to the streets, and the two have a chit-chat laced with sarcasm and occasional bursts of crankiness. Until Charlie demonstrates how he achieves the 'no-face' look, and honestly answers Renee's questions about the process, to prove that he trusts her and wants her help in finding out why Gotham is being targeted by Intergang.
On the roof above the two, the mysterious Batwoman lurks silently.
Characters:
Adam Strange (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30719)
Animal Man
Batwoman (cameo)
Devilance the Pursuer
Herakles
Lex Luthor (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34778)
Mercy Graves
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
Starfire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26400)
Starlight (Natasha Irons)
Steel (John Henry Irons) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26566)
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 8
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Andy Lanning
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos:
Atom (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26012)
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Black Canary (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31655)
Captain Boomerang[/i]
[url=http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28069]Sue Dibny (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29813)
Doctor Light (Arthur Light) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28235)
Jack Drake (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29167)
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Firehawk (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29028)
Flash (Barry Allen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31713)
Flash (Wally West) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25959)
Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29708)
Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30541)
Hawkman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28964)
Terry Long
Jean Loring
Martian Manhunter (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26199)
Robin (Tim Drake) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26942)
Superman (Earth-Two)
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
Zatanna (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29495)
<hr>
52: Week Ten
September 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week10thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week10full.jpg)
Story Title: Stop The Press
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Chris Batista
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti, Jack Jadson
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
Special Thanks To: Ivan Cohen
First Appearance: Supernova (first full appearance)
Day 1: Kahndaq. Black Adam welcomes the representatives of several nations to his palace, and expresses his confidence in the benefits of the coalition he has forged. Before he can outline his plans to the assembled guests, Adrianna Tomaz escapes her handlers and rushes through the meeting room in an effort to escape. When Adam inquires what the problem is, she accuses him of being a terrorist, then spits in his face.
Day 2: Metropolis. In Perry White's office at the Daily Planet, Clark Kent gets dressed down by his boss, who is angry about his sloppy handling of the Supernova story. Perry explains the ways Clark has been slipping so far this year, and reluctantly hands him a termination notice. Rather than protest and argue, Clark watches the new hero from Perry's window, then leaps out. As a horrified editor-in-chief watches, Clark is swiftly rescued from certain death by the mysterious Supernova. Clark promptly asks for an exclusive interview.
Back in Kahndaq, Adam visits Adrianna once she is returned to her own room. The two have a discussion about her status, and Adam informs her that she is free to leave at any time. Before she does, however, she gives Adam her own opinion about his crusade, and refuses to back down from his glare.
Day 3: In Metropolis, Lois Lane gives Clark a piece of her mind about the foolish stunt he pulled the previous day. Their dinnertime conversation turns to the effects of the latest Crisis on the general public, the status of a few major heroes, and what Clark experienced when he started his interview with Metropolis' latest superhero. He tells Lois of the impressive powers and bravery Supernova displayed when foiling a group of would-be terrorists, but still wonders who's behind the mask.
Day 4: Booster Gold wonders the same thing, all but screaming at Skeets, while movers calmly pack up his belongings to move him out of his penthouse condo and into a three-room apartment. Skeets is unable to offer any information about Supernova, but suggests an investigation as to why the current history is continuing to diverge from what he recorded from the 25th Century.
Day 6: Will Magnus visits T.O. Morrow again. Magnus talks about his visit to Sivana's laboratory, and the curious things he found inside, such as a broken and discarded cocoon.
Characters:
Adrianna Tomaz
August General In Iron (cameo)
Black Adam (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777)
Cascade (cameo)
Clark Kent (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Ibis (cameo)
Lady Zandia (cameo)
Lois Lane-Kent
Perry White
Rocket Red #1 (cameo)
Skeets
Sonar (cameo)
Supernova
T.O. Morrow
Will Magnus
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 9
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Art Thibert
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos:
Adam Strange (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30719)
Arsenal (Roy Harper) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30308)
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Black Adam[/url
[url=http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25777]Booster Gold (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Brother Eye (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35399)
Captain Cold
Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35400)
Deathstroke (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26996)
Doctor Psycho
Flash (Wally West) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31713)
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=31166)
Grodd
Heat Wave (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=28650)
Kid Flash (Bart Allen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26791)
Maxwell Lord (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33289)
Lex Luthor (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34778)
Mirror Master (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29240)
Nightwing (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29644)
Red Hood (Jason Todd) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29496)
Spectre (hostless) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34752)
Speedy (Mia Dearden)
Superman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Superman (Earth-Two)
Talia Al'Ghul
Weather Wizard
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
<hr>
52: Week Eleven
September 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week11thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week11full.jpg)
Story Title: Batwoman Begins!
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Joe Bennett, Todd Nauck
Inker: Jack Jadson, Marlo Alquiza
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
Day 5: Late at night, a trio of teens stroll through a Washington, D.C., park, only to be ambushed by a very frustrated Ralph Dibny, who demands to know where to find the Cult of Conner. Ralph is startled out of his rage by the young age of the girl he tackled and threatened, and gets knocked aside by her friends. As the kids run off, Ralph gets a call from Bernie at Opal City Storage. Someone broke into Ralph's storage unit.
Day 6: Gotham City. In a different park, Renee and Charlie have a discussion about why it's bad to smoke and why Renee doesn't care, simply to pass the time before Kate Kane joins them. The tension between the ex-girlfriends gets slightly uncomfortable before they get back to business. Kate tells the other two what she learned about the property at 520 Kane Street. Until six weeks ago, it was leased to Ridge-Ferrick Holding, a local company. Renee and Charlie accept the information, and start to leave. When Kate begins demanding answers, Renee is happy to briefly argue the point before storming off.
Charlie and Renee resume their discussion in the nearby parking garage as they return to his van. Charlie asserts that Renee still has a thing for Kate, and when Renee offers the predictable answer, Charlie uses that to again challenge Renee's perception of herself, pointing out her denial, her guilt, and her self-loathing since the loss of Crispus Allen.
Charlie rummages through his stuff until he finds what he needs, which is information about Ridge-Ferrick, and the people involved. The personal talk gets put on the back burner as the two discuss their plans, unaware that a cowled figure is listening in.
Later that night, a faceless Charlie and Renee break into the offices of Ridge-Ferrick Holding and find their way to a conference room. The two snoops eavesdrop on the meeting inside, hearing some discussion about Kahndaq. Before they can hear more, they are pounced by a very large, very angry wolf-creature. The tackle carries the two through the doors of the conference room, and right to the feet of Whisper A'Daire and her minions. Whisper indulges her curiosity only to find out Renee's name, then orders her shapeshifting men to kill the two.
Question strikes first, while Renee goes for her unique firearm, but before the fight can get out of hand, a batarang whips through the room, taking out the lights. Renee's sense of relief is short-lived when she realizes that it is not Batman who has come to their rescue. She can only watch in surprise as Batwoman skillfully and gracefully takes down most of the animal-men. One makes a rush towards Renee, who lifts her weapon, only to get smacked out of the way before she can fire by the Batwoman, who kicks the remaining thug up and out the window.
That hit provides Renee with her first clue, and the red hair offers a second. Batwoman makes a quick exit, leaving an amused Question and a stunned Renee behind.
Day 7: At Opal City Storage, Bernie and Ralph investigate the storage unit. The door was ripped off, marked with the inverted S symbol, and put back. Ralph and Bernie take a look through the contents, trying to figure out what was stolen. Elsewhere, Cassie and Devem dress a straw dummy in one of Sue Dibny's outfits, and slide the stolen wedding ring onto one of the dummy's fingers.
Characters:
Batwoman
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Kyle Abbott (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39732)
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
Whisper A'Daire (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39733)
Wonder Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26458)
Back-Up Story Title: History of the DCU – Part 10
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Andy Lanning
Colorists: Guy Major & Jeremy Cox
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Ivan Cohen, & Jeanine Schaefer
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Donna Troy (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30758)
Background Cameos
Alexander Luthor, Jr. (Earth-Three)
Batman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26196)
Brother Eye (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35399)
Firestorm (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25920)
Flash (Bart Allen) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26791)
Flash (Jay Garrick) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29842)
Ion (Kyle Rayner) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=30541)
Lois Lane (Earth-Two)
Monitor
Nightwing (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=29644)
Power Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35405)
Superboy (Conner Kent) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26567)
Superboy (Earth-Prime)
Superman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=25931)
Superman (Earth-Two)
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
<hr>
52: Week Twelve
September 2006
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week12thumb.gif (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/52week12full.jpg)
Story Title: Mighty
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciler: Eddy Barrows
Inker: Rob Stull
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: David Baron
Cover Artists: J.G. Jones, Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editors: Jann Jones, Harvey Richards
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Dan Didio
First Appearance: Isis
Day 1:
In Gotham City, Renee Montoya meets up with Maggie Sawyer, captain in the GCPD, to coyly inform her of the incident at Ridge-Ferrick Holding. Maggie gives Renee an annoyed reprimand and explains exactly what Renee's interference cost the Police Department, in terms of leads and investigation. A grumpier Renee returns to the cluttered apartment she shares with Charlie, and while Charlie contines his meditation, Renee quietly ruminates on what they've learned so far and on where all the clues are pointing. Eventually, Charlie agrees. The duo are going to Kahndaq.
In Kahndaq, Black Adam uses his power to divert a river to help a desperate village. When the grateful villagers begin to genuflect, Adrianna challenges Adam's motives. Adam hastily puts a stop to the 'worship', and explains to Adrianna that he only tries to help. Afterwards, the two continue their discussion about the proper application of power, as well as Black Adam's personal agenda. Adrianna wonders about his anger, and Adam promptly carries her back to his palace, then to the memorial of his fallen family. He explains his loss, and wonders in turn how Adrianna could not be angry at those who killed her family and sold her brother into slavery. Adrianna replies that she's not sure what she feels, other than 'alone'.
Black Adam triggers a secret switch, opening a hidden passageway leading beneath the palace. He and Adrianna head down the rocky steps, only to emerge inside the Rock of Eternity, with Captain Marvel struggling to remain in control of his new responsibilities. Interspersed with Billy's shouting at various Sins, Black Adam explains that he desires to bring Adrianna into the Marvel family.
In Philadelphia, Cassie Sandsmark returns to her apartment, and is startled to find Ralph Dibny waiting inside. After a bit of initial banter, Ralph gets to the point. Cassie's friends in the Cult of Conner stole one of Sue's outfits. Ralph wants to know why. Cassie explains how Devem has found a method to resurrect the dead, utilizing 'connective objects'. They intend to bring Superboy back from the dead, but wanted to make a trial attempt first. Because they stole Ralph's wedding ring, Sue was the obvious choice. Ralph listens, with varying degrees of outrage, shock, and irritation, but eventually asks Cassie to let him help.
In the Rock of Eternity, Black Adam explains the magic contained within the amulet of Isis, while Captain Marvel confirms that Adrianna is a worthy successor to that position. She has her doubts, but Adam is persuasive and able to calm her fears. Adrianna accepts the amulet and becomes Isis, and promises to help Black Adam with his crusade, once they rescue her little brother.
Characters:
Black Adam (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=33300)
Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35400)
Elongated Man (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=27142)
Isis (Adrianna Tomaz)
Maggie Sawyer
Renee Montoya (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39525)
The Question (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=39783)
Wonder Girl (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26458)
Back-Up Story Title: The Origin of Wonder Woman
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Adam Hughes
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Asst. Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Steve Wacker
Special Thanks: Mark Chiarello
Created by: William Moulton Marston
Summary Coming Soon...
Characters:
Cheetah
Hippolyta (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26757)
Wonder Woman (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=26212)
<hr>
Continued in 52: Weeks Thirteen through Twenty-Four