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THIS THREAD WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR 52

There.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 20:48 (nineteen years ago)

Anyway the first issue is solid rather than great - lots of spandex boilerplate with people hanging around discussing Infinite Crisis but the broad 'character arcs' all get introduced.

I'm not sure about dividing each issue up into days. We find out on day 3, with the Elongated Man, about Sue's grave being desecrated, but we won't find out how until 4-5 days later, story time, which means - what? do we just skip a lot of stuff.

But there's nothing really bad in it, and though the cool bits were trailed by DC, they're still cool. Tentative thumbs up.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 20:53 (nineteen years ago)

Because I am a thoroughgoing dork, I have actually started a blog to talk about 52: http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 21:18 (nineteen years ago)

Full disclosure: I did some scouting for 52 related LJ community names today before realising I had enuff blogs/communities/microsites/etc on my plate.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 21:45 (nineteen years ago)

I'm sure someone will start a website with funny (or "funny") weekly reviews of 52. Or an ILC thread. I'll just read that.
-- Jordan (jordan...), May 10th, 2006.

Thanks dudes!

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 22:14 (nineteen years ago)

Hey Douglas, you've got some fans at DC!

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 23:17 (nineteen years ago)

Huh?

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 11 May 2006 04:32 (nineteen years ago)

I thought the Booster Gold scenes were very Morrison, particularly the whole "It's all gone wrong!" aspects.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 11 May 2006 12:10 (nineteen years ago)

I FIND OUT TODAY!

YES!

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 11 May 2006 12:25 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.google.com/trends?q=superman%2C+batman%2C+wonder+woman

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 11 May 2006 12:59 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22blue+beetle%22%2C+%22booster+gold%22%2C+%22identity+crisis%22&ctab=0&date=all&geo=all

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 11 May 2006 13:31 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.google.com/trends?q=bruce+wayne%2C+clark+kent%2C+diana+prince&ctab=2&date=all&geo=all

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 11 May 2006 13:37 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.google.com/trends?q=wizard%2C+warlock&ctab=0&date=all&geo=all

― Warlock Magazine (Warlock Magazine), Thursday, 11 May 2006 13:40 (nineteen years ago)

At last, it is decided.

http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22alan+moore%22%2C+%22neil+gaiman%22&ctab=0&date=all&geo=all

(I seem to have wandered off topic)

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 11 May 2006 13:41 (nineteen years ago)

hahaha holy shit I didn't see the list of cities!

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 11 May 2006 13:43 (nineteen years ago)

Okay, guesswork time, who's writing who:

Elongo Man: Waid or Johns, though he's talking to Fire, who's part of Rucka's stable, still, I'm gonna go with Waid, just since nobody else seems to be blatantly Waidian.
Booster Gold: Time travel gone wrong, goofy goggles, encroaching NASCAR imagery, gotta be Morrison
Steel: Johns w/o a d.
Black Adam: Johns
Montoya: Rucka
Question: Rucka, though I hope Morrison steals him, but that's unlikely, since Question and Montoya are both in Gotham and their plots seem to be intertwined

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 11 May 2006 13:49 (nineteen years ago)

Question is Bruce Wayne, right?

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Thursday, 11 May 2006 13:57 (nineteen years ago)

Naw, I'm pretty sure that the Question is reg'lar ol' Vic Sage, based on comments by Rucka somewhere. Which is good. Did you read last year's Question mini-series? I think you'd like it. It's totally different from any other interpretation of the Question (Ditko's Ayn Randian objectivist or Denny O'Neill's zen seeker) and has completely wild psychedelic art. In that version, the Question is even more cryptic than usual, and actually communes with urban stuff..."Speak to me, Metropolis..." etc. The plot's sorta confusing (it was originally supposed to be part of some Superman event that didn't really pan out), but it's wickedly enjoyable.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 11 May 2006 14:05 (nineteen years ago)

I actually felt like the Booster stuff was more Waid-ish than Morrison, though it's probably a bit of both of them. It just felt a lot like what Waid does on Legion Of Super Heroes.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Thursday, 11 May 2006 14:12 (nineteen years ago)

You're probably right. I seem to remember reading in one of the 52 pre-game hype things that Morrison hangs back while the other three hash out the story and beats and stuff, and then says one sentence and everybody slaps their heads and starts over.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 11 May 2006 14:18 (nineteen years ago)

Where did the horrid term "story beats" originally come from?

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 11 May 2006 14:23 (nineteen years ago)

I did not read the Question mini... though I would like to, based on yer description. I am, sadly, not very well versed in DCU history/arcana.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Thursday, 11 May 2006 14:31 (nineteen years ago)

Slick Rick?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 11 May 2006 14:32 (nineteen years ago)

I think 'story beats' originally comes from American serial television production eg Star Trek

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Thursday, 11 May 2006 14:50 (nineteen years ago)

Its adoption by comics is nonsensical, then.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 11 May 2006 14:52 (nineteen years ago)

Why?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 11 May 2006 14:56 (nineteen years ago)

Do you have a non-standard reading speed, Mr. Ewing?

It is sort of applicable by analogy to the rhythm of comic reading: read left page, read right page, turn page, repeat. Garth Ennis used to put it to good use sometimes, in Preacher.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 11 May 2006 14:57 (nineteen years ago)

There's no such thing as a standard reading speed!

(Obviously I read comics somewhat differently from this 'turning pages' malarkey these days)

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 11 May 2006 15:01 (nineteen years ago)

I guess I'm looking around for someone/thing to blame for the 'everything stops while someone delivers a kewl line' school of pacing. If you're going to have story beats, let them be GABBA.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 11 May 2006 15:03 (nineteen years ago)

xpost - Well, yes. And yes.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 11 May 2006 15:04 (nineteen years ago)

okay.
But in this era of Editorial Mandate, I think "beats" actually mean something different from rhythm. I think it's like, "Okay, you can write whatever you want, just so long as by the end of the issue, Martian Manhunter is a woman, Animal Man is a hobo, and Elongated Man gets a perm."

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 11 May 2006 15:07 (nineteen years ago)

More ragga jungle comics pls

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 11 May 2006 15:07 (nineteen years ago)

Booster's first scene had the most recognisable Morrison verbal tics - "He's from the future! Isn't that GREAT?" and the "I have something in my eye" bit creased me up. Both seemed flagrantly Morrison.

'Story beats'... more like stylistic tricks that go with the physical medium (although not the digital) - the end of the page is a golden opportunity that shouldn't be thrown away, and the turn-page-SURPRISE trick is one that most people in comics use now because frankly, it works.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 11 May 2006 17:11 (nineteen years ago)

a "beat" - as per david mamet - is meant to be the moment following which the dynamic on stage or in the room or of the scene recognisably changes - which is really counter-intuitive, obviously, i used to puzzle over it as a stage direction wondering how on earth the 'beats' of this story were so arrythmic.

i think its popularisation might be something to do with robert mckee.

that said i can see how it might've got from television to either of those two, obviously.

― tom west (thomp), Thursday, 11 May 2006 17:16 (nineteen years ago)

Other morrisonism = the computers "I'm melting" voice.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 11 May 2006 17:20 (nineteen years ago)

I wonder how long they're going to beat us over the head with Renee Drinks subplot before, something actually happens with her.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 11 May 2006 17:20 (nineteen years ago)

Don't forget the Renee Has Unsuitable Dirty Dirty Almost But Not Quite Mature Readers Sex plot. That's up next.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 11 May 2006 17:25 (nineteen years ago)

There needs to be an Alcoholism In Comics thread. ALWAYS TERRIBLE. We're still at the "fill 'er up Joe" stage, there are MONTHS of meaningful wordless panels as character STARES AT A BOTTLE to come.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 11 May 2006 17:28 (nineteen years ago)

I see my war against 'story beats' is to be a lonely one. I am pretty sure however that I do not mean "the end of the page" - anyway that does apply in a digital medium, you have to press a button. But I am also pretty sure that Herge did not call them "story beats".

I can buy the dynamic changing thing as that definitely seems to be what (say) Johns is after with his endless WE-ARE-ENEMIES-NOW no wait WE-ARE-FRIENDS-NOW meaningful stare scenes.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 11 May 2006 17:30 (nineteen years ago)

To be honest, what I thought was a 'story beat' isn't one.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 11 May 2006 17:36 (nineteen years ago)

Story beat = Superboy punches the universe?

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 11 May 2006 17:40 (nineteen years ago)

What's to stop him getting out of his galacti-prison and punching a few more holes in the universe? I bet it happens during this series.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 11 May 2006 17:42 (nineteen years ago)

The new GLC series is just going to be a Bendis-style talking heads comic about the several dozen GLs assigned to hover over Superboy's cosmic cube, er, galactic polygon.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 11 May 2006 17:49 (nineteen years ago)

I've seen rough versions of the scripts for the first five issues (got sent 'em for review), & note that 1) at least for the early issues, they're doing some revisions to each other's work (and leaving notes like "can somebody put in some appropriate dialogue here?"), and 2) I'm pretty sure the Booster scenes in #1 are primarily Waid, or Waid with Johns. I think everyone's got a hand in the plotting, too. Morrison has significantly more obvious presence in several upcoming issues.

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 11 May 2006 19:25 (nineteen years ago)

It's weird to me that all the bits that people think are blatantly Morrison are the exact same bits that made me go "oh, this is very obviously Mark Waid." Have some of you just never read his Legion or Fantastic Four? (If not, you really ought to.)

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Thursday, 11 May 2006 19:39 (nineteen years ago)

Also, "story beats" are a really really common term in writing, Tom! I don't get what your problem with that is. It's a fairly common thing to say in reference to film scripts in particular.

From wikipedia:

A Beat-script or beatscript is a scripting aid used for describing story ideas. It offers a level of detail not afforded by the standard feature-film screenplay format. This makes it especially useful for describing short film, animation and short sequence ideas.

Its structure is focused on action rather than thought. This allows screenwriters to organise their narrative ideas in a concise manner that is conducive to screen presentation. It prevents authors from describing non-tangible, subjective elements that are unable to be effectively represented in screen form.

Beat-scripts are used as the starting-point for generating storyboards and shooting-scripts. While beats are used to describe action, shots are used to describe the visual screen presentation of action.

The relationship between individual beats and shots is not direct. In situations where an event is significant in a sequence, a single beat might equate to a single shot (and is likely to be framed as a close-up). Whereas where a series of beats might describe a general idea, these beats might collectively equate to a single shot (which is likely to be framed as a long-shot). The specific visual treatment of beat-script ideas is usually determined by the cinematographer or director (which on small projects is usually the same person).

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Thursday, 11 May 2006 19:43 (nineteen years ago)

It's not so much what happens in that first Booster scene, but the basic rhythms and cadences of the speech. Especially Mammoth. You could drive yourself insane trying to figure out who wrote what line of dialogue, though... in these days of writing credits, we're not used to playing that game.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 11 May 2006 19:45 (nineteen years ago)

Vic, that's what I'm saying - the rhythms and cadences were total Waid! I've been way into him lately, and I have a good sense of him, especially in comparison to Morrison. The thing with Waid is that he's basically the dorky American version of Morrison, he's the flip side of him, in other words.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Thursday, 11 May 2006 19:50 (nineteen years ago)

What a horrible thought...

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 11 May 2006 20:06 (nineteen years ago)

None of the dialogue in this issue struck me as blatantly Morrison-esque. The Question sequence certainly had his stink about it, though.

I buckled and read all of Infinite Crisis for the first time yesterday (thinking that it would help ease me into 52, which it did to an extent). Which was not nearly as clusterfucky or incoherent as I'd been led to believe (or at least no moreso than every other overly-grandiose superhero clusterfuck). Despite having never really read anything by Geoff Johns previous to this, I feel fairly confident about my ability to suss out what dialogue in 52 is his.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 11 May 2006 20:26 (nineteen years ago)

Can someone hitler?

― c(''c) (Leee), Thursday, 11 May 2006 20:29 (nineteen years ago)

Gah! Just had another read and you can see the join between the Morrison and the Waid... these multi-writer stuff is a creepy experience.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 11 May 2006 20:44 (nineteen years ago)

52 new answers!

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Friday, 12 May 2006 05:53 (nineteen years ago)

- (52 new answers) (52 new answers)
- David R. favoritie Van Sciver does cover for new Winger album! (16 new answers)
- YOUR WARLOCK TOP TEN FOR RIGHT NOW (8 new answers, 35 total)
- "Original Batman" (5 new answers, 25 total)

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Friday, 12 May 2006 08:38 (nineteen years ago)

not anymore!

I thought this was all fairly "meh" - the only bit I really liked was the Question section, though all the "hurrah! you're alive" stuff and the depiction of the confusion and aftermath was ok. booster story with "ohs noes, history is wrong" has potential to be interesting or very very annoying (see any time travel paradox story ever)

Re Renee's cliched drink problem - I also look forward to her throwing a full bottle of booze at a wall in self disgust

― Mark C (Markco), Friday, 12 May 2006 08:50 (nineteen years ago)

that's the thing about drinking problems... they're all so very cliched, but so very realistic simultaneously.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Friday, 12 May 2006 13:14 (nineteen years ago)

sez the guy bitter about his alcoholic ex girlfriend and his alcoholic father.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Friday, 12 May 2006 13:14 (nineteen years ago)

Tep explains it all

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 12 May 2006 13:32 (nineteen years ago)

http://img124.exs.cx/img124/8571/rorscach34rf.png

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 12 May 2006 14:40 (nineteen years ago)

So is sadface the page when Ralph is about to put the gun in his mouth?

― c(''c) (Leee), Friday, 12 May 2006 23:12 (nineteen years ago)

That certainly fits my definition. My hope is that they went heavy on the Elongo-sadface in issue 1 as a way of contrasting the direction in which he's heading. Because fuck that mopey shit already.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Saturday, 13 May 2006 02:03 (nineteen years ago)

life is pain, deric. superhero life is SUPERPAIN.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Saturday, 13 May 2006 05:12 (nineteen years ago)

wow what the fuck was i talking about last night? i tried to read KINGDOM COME when i was drunk on the train, on the way home last night.

Alex Ross is an abomination.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Saturday, 13 May 2006 20:16 (nineteen years ago)

reading anihlation prologue drunk on train stopped me gettign the series,

it's never the most productive reading environment

― secondhandnews (secondhandnews), Tuesday, 16 May 2006 09:43 (nineteen years ago)

Assuming that the Montoya/Question passages in Week 2 are all Rucka, dude needs to start working on his chops if he doesn't want to look like the perpetual weak link in this endeavor.

The mad scientist bits are at least part-Morrison, amirite? Booster = mostly Waid, Dibney = Johns.

It's beginning to feel like a TV show, somehow. But it's way too short.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Wednesday, 17 May 2006 21:39 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I was disappointed with the Montoya shit. She's being written very one-dimensionally. I also didn't quite understand who the two scientist folks were talking about the mad scientist raids? Ralph Dibney is kind of a cheezeball. Liked the Booster stuff though!

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Wednesday, 17 May 2006 22:04 (nineteen years ago)

I find Rucka the most mystifyingly overrated writer on ILC, even Q&C, but I'm enjoying this anyway.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Wednesday, 17 May 2006 22:15 (nineteen years ago)

The one who's locked up is T.O. Morrow, who created the Red Tornado; the one whose workshop Booster was in is Will Magnus, who created the Metal Men.

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 17 May 2006 22:21 (nineteen years ago)

That was much better, I thought.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 17 May 2006 22:46 (nineteen years ago)

The opening bit was really great, from Elongo in the graveyard through T.O. Morrow in the Haven (I thought they meant Bludhaven, which proves I need to go fly a kite or something for while, y'know, something normal kids do), the phone rang while I was reading the missing mad scientists stuff, and I was surprised at how FULL those early pages were.
The History of the DCU looks like a bust, though. Donna Troy is the Jerry Van Dyke of the DCU.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 17 May 2006 23:05 (nineteen years ago)

Rucka is DC's Bendis, unless Meltzer turns out to be DC's Bendis. Rucka is also DC's consolation prize in the Ed Brubaker sweepstakes. Back to the Bendis-thing, though, he has his moments of brilliance, but when you look at him big picture, the blunt obviousness of some of his "trademarks" casts a pall of hackery over him.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 17 May 2006 23:10 (nineteen years ago)

douglas--magnus is also the creator of booster's little floating companion? and what do i Need To Know abt the Red Tornado?

I guess I should have slogged my way through infinite crisis; then i wouldn't have so many damned questions.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Wednesday, 17 May 2006 23:13 (nineteen years ago)

That wouldn't have helped. (slogging through Inf Crisis)
Booster's buddy, Skeets, was a security robot in the 25th Century Museum of 20th Century History where Booster was a security guard before stealing a bunch of exhibits and coming to the past to reap the good life of a superhero.
Magnus is the creator of those WACKY robots, the Metal Men, who, I guess, where the beginning of A.I. in the DCU.
The Red Tornado was a robot from Earth-2 who was created to infiltrate and destroy the Justice Society. Howev, he turned good and moved to Earth-1 and joined the JLA, adopted a daughter, and had a girlfriend and everything. Because he's a robot, he blows up a lot and then gets put back together, because putting a robot back together is easier than putting Aquaman back together, though it would be cool if he blew up and we got to see his insides, cuz REALLY, HOW DOES HE BREATHE UNDERWATER WITHOUT GILLS?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 17 May 2006 23:19 (nineteen years ago)

Granted, it's maybe a little unfair to make this assumption based solely upon Rucka's work on this issue (and having otherwise only read Whiteout), but I'm going to go out on a limb and say:

Bendis = good hack
Rucka = bad hack

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Wednesday, 17 May 2006 23:55 (nineteen years ago)

Read Gotham Central.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 18 May 2006 02:22 (nineteen years ago)

Quality Rucka = the first 2 years of his Wonder Woman stint, most of Gotham Central, Queen & Country (regardless of cup size)

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 18 May 2006 03:59 (nineteen years ago)

oh, another question: is there any history to the upsidedown superman symbol? that struck me as being relatively contrived/forced feeling--also, what would lead ralph to eliminate all other suspects?

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:20 (nineteen years ago)

bereaved hook-up!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:24 (nineteen years ago)

i think the key is not the bereaved so much as the drunk?

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:29 (nineteen years ago)

no no, I mean Ralph and Wonder Girl! It ain't just his nose that's twitching!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:32 (nineteen years ago)

Tune in next week to find out!

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:34 (nineteen years ago)

oh, oh oooohh. i get it now i think? okay.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:40 (nineteen years ago)

what would lead ralph to eliminate all other suspects?

Well, the symbol (which seems new, I think the "hope" translation comes from Waid's Birthright mini, though) would have led Ralph to the webcast, and then it would be simple matter of tracing the IP address (though you'd think Titan's Tower IT Squad might have Norton or something). Which sort of, I don't, doesn't exactly jibe with Ralph's "old-fashioned detective" thing from earlier in the issue, where he's using an old Polaroid camera. But, then again, "old-fashioned" doesn't NEED to = "ignorant".

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 18 May 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

pwned"!

― S. (Sébastien Chikara), Thursday, 18 May 2006 16:01 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, dude doesn't stay the world's greatest detective by sticking solely with microfiche (or scorning it entirely, either).

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 18 May 2006 16:05 (nineteen years ago)

OMG - Will 52 tie in with Seven Soldiers? Numbering that adds up to, or refers to 52 is rampant throughout both issues so far, and Grant Morrison is involved and FIVE PLUS TWO equals SEVEN.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 18 May 2006 17:57 (nineteen years ago)

i regret that i stoppedreading 7 soldiers. sigh.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Thursday, 18 May 2006 18:28 (nineteen years ago)

Don't forget the Renee Has Unsuitable Dirty Dirty Almost But Not Quite Mature Readers Sex plot. That's up next.
-- Vic F (as...), May 11th, 2006.

I AM T O MORROW

Week 3 - Renee hurls a bottle against a wall.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 18 May 2006 20:06 (nineteen years ago)

Renee reminds me of my ex-girlfriend.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Thursday, 18 May 2006 20:22 (nineteen years ago)

I was just thinking the other day that I'd be very surprised if there aren't any Seven Soldiers appearances in 52. Otherwise...what the hell did they get up to for a whole year?

The more I think about it, the more it seems like running 52 and the whole "One Year Later" thing simultaneously is a potential logistical nightmare. How do you ignore potentially spoilerish things in the current titles and still maintain some kind of continuity with what happened in the previous year? I mean, I get that the end of 52 will probably lead fairly smoothly (relatively speaking...this is DC, after all) into the beginning of "One Year Later", but...will the 52 cast appear in any of the current titles, or do they take a year (or whatever a year of our time is in the DCU) off after picking up the slack from the absent heroes for a year?

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 18 May 2006 23:30 (nineteen years ago)

The problems seem to be creeping up already. After the next issue, the Green Arrow title (Green Arrow) is apparently going into a flashback for three issues to explain what happened during the missing year. Which seems to defeat the whole point of OYL and 52, if you ask me, which you didn't. I thought the whole point of stories jumping forward a year was to throw up new status quos (stata quo?) without boring us with a bunch of set-up, but whatever.
The 52ers, however, are EXCLUSIVE to 52 for the duration of the series, which unfolds in "real-time".
Remember, howev, that OYL DCU is NOT unfolding in "real-time" or even real-time or even real-time, so, like, in the case of some titles, only a week will have passed since the OYL issue. So, the 52anians won't exactly be MIA, or at least not for long. THOUGH, Batman said, when he hired Jason Bard, that Ralph Dibny was "unavailable", but that could have just been Robinson getting all meta.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 19 May 2006 00:02 (nineteen years ago)

So I'll just imagine that the 52 Crew worked really hard for a whole year and are off having naps/drunken benders/etc. between the end of 52 and their first post-52 appearances in other DCU titles.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Friday, 19 May 2006 00:23 (nineteen years ago)

I'm sure the last page of the last issue will imply something to that effect.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 19 May 2006 00:24 (nineteen years ago)

52 Editor Steve Wacker at N'r'ma: "Dear Internet: I know Nightwing was at the memorial. You were SUPPOSED to notice."

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 19 May 2006 16:03 (nineteen years ago)

I am ready to punch all you in your universes for any dis on Rucka/Queen & Country.

― c(''c) (Leee), Friday, 19 May 2006 19:29 (nineteen years ago)

i and indeed e, Nitwing was Jason Todd DO YOU SEEEEEE"!

― Pete (Pete), Saturday, 20 May 2006 01:30 (nineteen years ago)

WAIT NO I THOUGHT RED HOOD WAS JASON TODD. 52 IS COOL

― chaki (chaki), Sunday, 21 May 2006 21:54 (nineteen years ago)

OMG GIFFEN SKETCHES!
http://www.dccomics.com/sites/52/?action=specials

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 22 May 2006 04:19 (nineteen years ago)

Dear Geoff Johns,

Please stop making people pop. I think you have some serious issues, and you should seek some professional help.

Plus, you wrote too much of this week's issue. Please limit yourself to 1-2 pages/week tops. Thanks!

Love,
Deric W. Haircare

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 19:13 (nineteen years ago)

There was no splash for the History of the DCU installment in the 3rd issue. Feels like a mistake.

who is the green broad talking to Wonder Woman on the first page? is that supposed to be Jade? she's now a silver age person in the JSA?

waa-herrrrd to what Deric sez! shit's getting old…

― veronica moser (veronica moser), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 22:42 (nineteen years ago)

I hope it's She-Hulk.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 25 May 2006 01:07 (nineteen years ago)

52 is toooo big fer its britches. the only real continuity with last week is, what, booster gold? so, now we're back to steel & black adam? the luthor bits are okay, but i'm still a little fuzzy since not reading IC. i wish i could just read the parts of this story I (want to) care about. Hopefully some of the plot strands will condense sooner rather than later and become more readable.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Thursday, 25 May 2006 02:14 (nineteen years ago)

Isn't Jade v dead? Oh Jesus, how do I know that?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 25 May 2006 05:37 (nineteen years ago)

YOU LOVE INFINITY INC!!!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 25 May 2006 05:45 (nineteen years ago)

I guess it could be Jade, since she was from Earth-2 originally, even though by the time she showed up, Green Arrow had a beard, but it's a not a frigging photograph of an actual event, it's y'know, symbolic.
I guess it was probably supposed to be Black Canary, since that's the only other girl who was allowed to play with the superboys who didn't wear feathers or a top hat on her head.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 25 May 2006 05:55 (nineteen years ago)

Hmm, that was pretty awful, but it did seem like it was "Johns's Issue", which hopefully means it won't be again for a while.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 25 May 2006 19:12 (nineteen years ago)

when does the new artist start?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 25 May 2006 19:17 (nineteen years ago)

There's a panel where Clark looks like George Bush.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 25 May 2006 19:26 (nineteen years ago)

Enough of the rubbish gore!

That was OK, not as good as last week's, it does seem to be all subplot and not plot which is fine when you're in the hands of writers who are good at teasing, less when it's moral lessons from boring old Steel and rippy-rippy from Black Adam. The "every issue is a week" thing is a bit odd - the place feels very like a normal comic so far.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 25 May 2006 20:53 (nineteen years ago)

booster is such a fuck up!

― chaki (chaki), Thursday, 25 May 2006 20:57 (nineteen years ago)

At the moment, I'm banking on the better writers having a positive influence on the ~~shitty~~ lesser writers. I would like to think that if nothing else comes out of this endeavor, Johns will at least be put in a position where he thinks about his craft a little more. A little creative competition might force him to play to strengths he didn't know he had. And 52 could improve exponentially.

This is the ideal, though. The reality will probably involve a lot of imploding faces and anuses erupting with viscera.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 25 May 2006 21:47 (nineteen years ago)

ELONGATED MAN'S DIARY:

I pulled the big reveal on Cassie last week. I felt really good walking out of that. But then the manic depression hit and I spent all of this week sitting in a room, sobbing. The same thing happened just after I visited my wife's upside-down-S'd grave - I was incapable of anything for some days.

I might manage to do something next week. I'm not sure. Possibly the week after. I need my pills.

BLACK ADAM'S DIARY.

Five days without bursting anyone. My fingers itch.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 25 May 2006 22:27 (nineteen years ago)

Dear Vic Fluro, please contact Warlockmag-at-geemale-dot-com for a thrilling opportunity!

― Warlock Magazine (Warlock Magazine), Thursday, 25 May 2006 22:36 (nineteen years ago)

Is this the kind of thrilling opportunity that involves cash money? Because otherwise I'd have to handle it between other more thrilling opportunities.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 25 May 2006 22:40 (nineteen years ago)

Actually, if 52-pick-up is reading this, I could probably do a diary for every week based on similar hoary gags.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 25 May 2006 22:45 (nineteen years ago)

Oh fine. Go highbrow. Elitist.

― Warlock Magazine (Warlock Magazine), Thursday, 25 May 2006 22:52 (nineteen years ago)

Whore, you mean. And I plead guilty.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 25 May 2006 23:06 (nineteen years ago)

Seriously, though, folks, Warlock loves you. As Don Covay says, Drop By.

― Warlock Magazine (Warlock Magazine), Thursday, 25 May 2006 23:15 (nineteen years ago)

When is Booster and/or Skeets going to realize that the multidimensional, trans-spacetime closed timelike curves have been attenuated and irrevocably changed history while somehow preserving baseball games?

― c(''c) (Leee), Thursday, 25 May 2006 23:54 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe Skeets isn't Skeets at all! Maybe Skeets is...MY FATHER!

― Warlock Magazine (Warlock Magazine), Friday, 26 May 2006 01:14 (nineteen years ago)

Skeets is really Krang from TMNT.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Friday, 26 May 2006 01:23 (nineteen years ago)

Actually, just before the whole Infinite Crisis shebang, GeoJo was dropping some very serious hints that Rip Hunter is not really Rip Hunter (hey, who's another blond time traveller who parts his hair to the right?) and was possibly possessed of dark secrets and shame (like, oh, fucking up the timestream to get paid) and also that he had probably really wished he had married Cleopatra when he had the chance.

― Warlock Magazine (Warlock Magazine), Friday, 26 May 2006 01:25 (nineteen years ago)

Batwoman Spoil-AH in the NYT today.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Sunday, 28 May 2006 10:28 (nineteen years ago)

Right, missed the other thread. Never mind...

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Sunday, 28 May 2006 10:44 (nineteen years ago)

Jesus christ, Rucky. Your dialogue gives a whole new definition to generic (adjective: could have been cranked out by a machine; see also: craptastic OH WAIT THAT'S EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE OLD DEFINITION).

Sigh. Morrison's getting more "screen" time soon, right? Someone please tell me that Rucka and Johns aren't gonna be running the bulk of this show. Because I dig things like subtlety, surprises, people occasionally not blowing up, interesting & believable characters, and if not naturalistic at least stylized dialogue that reads like it was written by someone with firing synapses. [/screed]

I don't even know who 3/4 of those battered people at the end were, but they're obviously pretty effed up. I'd like to believe that they'll stay that way, but they won't.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 1 June 2006 19:55 (nineteen years ago)

Who's the big girl with wings?

Where is Animal Man? :(

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 1 June 2006 20:53 (nineteen years ago)

Wasn't big girl Hawkgirl/woman/female? That was one of two that I thought I could identify, but you're making me doubt myself.

ALAN SCOTT HAS LOST AN EYE (AND HOPEFULLY PART OF HIS BRAIN). There aren't enough brain-damaged superheroes out there.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 1 June 2006 21:08 (nineteen years ago)

not great, but still way better than last issue. if they're gonna keep doing this alternating weeks thing with the plotlines, maybe i can skip next week?

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Thursday, 1 June 2006 23:22 (nineteen years ago)

The readily identifiable ones on the last page: Hawkgirl, Alan Scott/Green Lantern, Mal Duncan, Bumblebee; I'm guessing the blue and orange double blob is Cyborg and Firestorm.

As for where Animal Man is: see the cover of Week 9--I'm pretty sure I even know where he physically is.

Next week, if I gather correctly from the preview stuff I saw, is the Almost-All-Morrison Special.

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 1 June 2006 23:42 (nineteen years ago)

That's super news.

I really could deal with Johns and Rucka better if I felt like the work was spread more evenly among everyone every issue. I don't like them hijacking 3/4 of an issue. Things like that won't keep me throwing money your way, DC!

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Friday, 2 June 2006 00:11 (nineteen years ago)

my biggest pet peeve in dialogue is the word "crap."
this may or not actually apply to this issue.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Friday, 2 June 2006 03:45 (nineteen years ago)

it was a boring issue but at least this is the first time ive was like "oh cool a one year later connection with the gun warehouse orcas hubby was talking about in the jason baid files!" ive probably missed alot of one year later connections.

― chaki (chaki), Friday, 2 June 2006 04:22 (nineteen years ago)

i will admit that the "elf needs food badly." line got me roffling. i like that the question is kind of goofy.

also, my problems aren't so much with the dialogue so much as with the interior monologue.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Friday, 2 June 2006 05:14 (nineteen years ago)

Ralph explains Dr Willis' role in the drama.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com/

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 2 June 2006 22:01 (nineteen years ago)

This week - the inside story on THAT sandwich and much more.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com/

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 9 June 2006 08:17 (nineteen years ago)

We aren't going to get any actual Morrison, are we?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 9 June 2006 08:30 (nineteen years ago)

I assumed the Animal Man bits were Morrison, or rewritten Morrison or Morrison doing the rewriting - a couple of the verbal tics shone through in places.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 9 June 2006 08:34 (nineteen years ago)

It was like him without any interesting ideas or characters or plots - I assumed it was Waid.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 9 June 2006 08:43 (nineteen years ago)

The super-gene serum was very Morrison-y, if it goes in the direction of a super-city or super-society.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 9 June 2006 08:49 (nineteen years ago)

This was the first issue of 52 that I've really enjoyed, except for the Montoya pages, which were just as dull as all the other Montoya pages. I really wish they would advance that story a bit more if they are so intent to keep it running along. Batista's wasn't anything too special, but I liked it a lot more than Bennett's pencils - it wasn't so tight and dry, and I appreciate that. I was wondering why the hell I was keeping up with this, and now I have a reason to stick with the book a little while longer.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Friday, 9 June 2006 11:52 (nineteen years ago)

They're not going to kill off Booster, are they? Shurely some switcheroo?

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Saturday, 10 June 2006 09:55 (nineteen years ago)

All right! I think 52 is finding its groove and I'm glad that I've stuck with it. The last two issues have been pretty ace (with the major exception of the shitty art during the fight scene in China...I couldn't tell what the fuck was going on half the time, other than that it was apparently meant to be a depiction of people fighting). The Montoya storyline is the slowest and most pointless thing in the history of time thus far, but I'm okay with that as long as it's completely absent as it was in this issue.

I hope Morrison continues to hijack as much of each issue as possible.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 15 June 2006 03:01 (nineteen years ago)

Eh, last issue had me, and now they've lost me again. Getting Bennett back on art did not help matters, but the Green Lanterns Vs. The Legion Of Poorly Researched Chinese Superheroes was completely cringe-inducing. The Booster stuff was alright (I'm guessing that's mostly Waid), but the only thing that really entertained me was the bit with Will Magnus, which seemed to be the Morrison bit in this issue.

― Matthew Perpetua! (Matthew Perpetua!), Thursday, 15 June 2006 03:05 (nineteen years ago)

I love the August General in Iron and the other Chinese hero names. I assume this is all very Morrison, as I know hardly anything of his tendencies.

― veronica moser (veronica moser), Thursday, 15 June 2006 03:07 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, Morrison's responsible for the Chinese super-dudes. I don't know what hand he had in writing them, but he did create them.

Given the creative team on this book, I'm willing to forgive a little chaff as long as there's enough wheat to keep me hooked. I think I could fool myself into reading this as a Booster Gold/Will Magnus book with a number of only tangentially related sub-plots running under the surface and be perfectly happy. I want to like the Question stuff because I like the character, but I think Rucka would have to quit writing him for that to happen.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 15 June 2006 03:49 (nineteen years ago)

There's a pretty great smackdown of the Great Ten on Douglas' 52 blog.

― Matthew Perpetua! (Matthew Perpetua!), Thursday, 15 June 2006 11:20 (nineteen years ago)

I dreamt about this last night. Or rather, I dreamt that I read something fun by Dan Jurgens, and was amazed, because the backup strips in this are the essense of anti-fun.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 16 June 2006 08:13 (nineteen years ago)

Time for my weekly plug. This week Dr Willis discovers objectivism.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com/

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 16 June 2006 10:30 (nineteen years ago)

Also, Great Ten in OMG RACIST shocker:

http://www.reappropriate.com/2006/06/52-week-6.html

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 16 June 2006 11:49 (nineteen years ago)

Andrew, you need to refine your appreciation of sparkly space ass.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 16 June 2006 12:01 (nineteen years ago)

That just looks like dandruff.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 16 June 2006 12:05 (nineteen years ago)

Thundermind mentally rapes Hal Jordan

I say! steady on!

― Mark Co (Markco), Friday, 16 June 2006 12:17 (nineteen years ago)

SPACE dandruff. On her ass.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 16 June 2006 12:18 (nineteen years ago)

the backup strips in this are the essense of anti-fun

This observation is accurate.

― c(''c) (Leee), Friday, 16 June 2006 15:29 (nineteen years ago)

Though, in that sense, they stay true to the Original History of the DCU that came out in the 80s.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 16 June 2006 15:32 (nineteen years ago)

yah i was guna say they feel so damn 80s!

― ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ (chaki), Friday, 16 June 2006 16:39 (nineteen years ago)

I'm pretty sure Dan Jurgens is mailing in all of his pages from the year 1990.

― Matthew Perpetua! (Matthew Perpetua!), Friday, 16 June 2006 16:48 (nineteen years ago)

http://pics.drugstore.com/prodimg/143071/200.jpg

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 16 June 2006 16:50 (nineteen years ago)

i think this black adam coalition shit is pretty interesting!!

― ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ (chaki), Friday, 16 June 2006 20:20 (nineteen years ago)

Why can't they just run Giffen's sketches? They are infinitely superior to any and all "finished" artwork in this book.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 15:19 (nineteen years ago)

Well, now, I was a bit impressed by the fact that the dude who did Week Five managed to recall Chas Truog in his rendition of Animal Man.

But, yeah, otherwise...

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 19:47 (nineteen years ago)

Brian Bolland's doing the Animal Man origin in a couple months, which is kind of exciting. I'd love to see Truog do a couple weeks on 52 -- he's got that kind of vivacious primary-colour hack-ness about his style, which is what they seem to be going for.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 22:12 (nineteen years ago)

Interesting to see that Waid is writing the Question origin in September. Is it perhaps Waid, and not Rucka who's writing the Renee/Question stuff? OR is Waid just writing all of the origin tales (most likely)?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:29 (nineteen years ago)

If you look at the breakdowns on the 52 website you can tell for sure who wrote which pages based on the different fonts used in the cut 'n' pasted dialogue cues. Rucka is definitely writing the Montoya/Question storyline and I'm pretty sure Waid is doing all the origin backups.

― Adrienne Begley (sparklecock), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

I salute yr vigilance.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:36 (nineteen years ago)

If, like me, you are really sad and bored and curious, Johns is for example 5. MONTOYA, Rucka is 5 MONTOYA, Waid is 5. MONTOYA but in Courier New, and Morrison is just MONTOYA.

― Adrienne Begley (sparklecock), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:41 (nineteen years ago)

Morrison should write in Wingdings.

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:56 (nineteen years ago)

& Johns should write in Comic Sans.

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 13:57 (nineteen years ago)

Waid's doing all the origin stories.

Happy to see Kevin Nowlan doing some stories too!

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 14:36 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, they seem to be getting some artists for the origins who have mainly done covers for the longest time. The origins are only two-pages, though, right? Are they going to be text-against-pin-up ala Who's Who? I kinda hope not.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 15:09 (nineteen years ago)

Based on his rotten emo Mr Mytzplk, I find it hard to believe Rucka is doing the writing on the all-new Gauntlet-quoting Question (whom I quite like -- he's very 80s kids movie).

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 22:03 (nineteen years ago)

Week Seven? More like Weak Seven! The art was the worst yet. I thought I remembered Lashley being at least competent. I mean, come on: worse comes to worse, just fucking trace Giffen's layouts. And the Booster/Dibney scenes were painful. Are we supposed to hate Elongo-Man now? Because I think I do. Or at least whoever's writing him (coughjohnscough). "Why didn't you prevent everything bad that ever happened, Booster? I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU! MEANIE!!!"

Dear writers of 52: please use this issue as a template for what not to do for the remaining 45 issues of this project. Thanks!

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 22:36 (nineteen years ago)

Sounds like I have my work cut out for me.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 22 June 2006 00:50 (nineteen years ago)

"Ralph Dibny, Human Race."

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 22 June 2006 20:57 (nineteen years ago)

That's some stone-cold Denny O'Neil/Green Arrow ouija sh*t.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 22 June 2006 20:59 (nineteen years ago)

From Dibny's point of view the incident is strangely less noble.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com/

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 23 June 2006 10:54 (nineteen years ago)

The art in the last two pages was really bad on the nature of whatever the hell it is that Shmalactus is reaching for. Is it a spade? A cylinder? A war-club?

And the Montoya-Kane bit was really painfully bad. Whoever wrote doesn't appear to have met humans, or noticed how they talk.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 23 June 2006 11:57 (nineteen years ago)

I think it might be the lance of Devilance. But Devilance wasn't eight grillion feet high as I remember. Neither was his lance.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 23 June 2006 13:15 (nineteen years ago)

Whoever wrote doesn't appear to have met humans, or noticed how they talk.

Rucka continues to disappoint hardcore with the "shitty 80's action movie dialogue by numbers"! I'm guessing he thinks that it's "stylized". I'm also guessing that he's "heavily medicated".

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Friday, 23 June 2006 13:42 (nineteen years ago)

I LOVED THIS ISSUE YOU GUYS ARE NUTS. THE STUFF WITH BOOSTER AND EL ONGO WAS GREBT CLASSIQUE FUN.

― ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ (chaki), Saturday, 24 June 2006 02:34 (nineteen years ago)

Fun??? That's on the short list of the very last words I'd use to describe those scenes. That was Johns on "self-righteous" autopilot all the way.

I think, in one way or another, the concept of self-righteousness could be to blame for most of Johns' more irritating writing tics.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Saturday, 24 June 2006 02:41 (nineteen years ago)

I hadn't bothered looking at Giffen's layouts, and now I wish I hadn't cos it's so clear how badly everyone is butchering his stuff. All of his pages have a better energy, and I kinda like the loose cartoony style he's using.

― Matthew Perpetua! (Matthew Perpetua!), Saturday, 24 June 2006 15:13 (nineteen years ago)

Weirdly enough, the layouts for #6 that just got posted include one fairly significant spoiler: the identity of the guy in the shadows who's watching T.O. Morrow on the video monitors. (Yes, if you've been reading 52 Pickup, it's the person we thought it was.)

― Douglas (Douglas), Saturday, 24 June 2006 16:17 (nineteen years ago)

That's one significant spoiler. And also opens the door to some hard-nosed metatextual commentary when he gets together with the Great Ten. I bet that SPOILER VILLAIN X is voiced by Morrison in future issues.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Saturday, 24 June 2006 18:00 (nineteen years ago)

DANNY THE STREET?!?!?

― David R. (popshots75`), Saturday, 24 June 2006 18:41 (nineteen years ago)

Danny the WORLD, David.

― Douglas (Douglas), Saturday, 24 June 2006 22:49 (nineteen years ago)

I don't read this, but I do think it's interesting how something that could in theory have become a comic where auteurism isn't justified has failed so spectacularly at being that - meaning even though it's not clear who wrote what ppl on this thread pretty automatically assign the stuff they liked to Morrison and the stuff they disliked to Johns and Rucka (and doubtless there's some forum where everyone's doing the exact same thing, but the other way around.) Reading this thread at least it seems like the four author's voices are so distinct in the comic that there isn't even any *question* about who wrote what.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Sunday, 25 June 2006 17:17 (nineteen years ago)

All four authors have their own verbal tics, which means that in terms of dialogue at least, it's easier to tell a Waid/Morrison scene from a Johns/Rucka one. Deducing who wrote what within those pairs is proving more difficult.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Sunday, 25 June 2006 17:36 (nineteen years ago)

Also, it harks back to the old days before credits, when eagle-eyes fans had to work out who their favourite writers were based on the tiniest clues.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Sunday, 25 June 2006 18:50 (nineteen years ago)

I haven't really noticed much blatantly Morrison stuff at all yet, barring the obvious ("Mad scientists!").

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Sunday, 25 June 2006 20:02 (nineteen years ago)

I'm debating whether, from now on, I should only pick up the issues that feature Magnus and Morrow having their science! love-ins.

― Richard Baez (Johnny Logic), Sunday, 25 June 2006 20:16 (nineteen years ago)

The only absolute tell-tale sign I've seen w/r/t a Morrison-written scene was when he used his beloved "UUUIIIIII" screaming sound effect.

Beyond that, yes: there are tics. I haven't read enough Waid to pick him out of the crowd. I'm thinking that he's the one who most easily slips in and out unnoticed. I get the impression that Morrison has contributed more in terms of concept and plot than actual scripting, but he's definitely written some of it. As noted above, Johns seems to have hang-ups about the responsibility of a hero and what it takes to be a proper hero and the self-righteous douchebaggery inherent in a proper hero, etc. Those themes pop up and it's like a neon sign. When it reads like the scripting of a seven-year-old who learned the nuances of dialogue by watching a CHiPs marathon, I usually assume that Rucka's at the helm (I wouldn't be so harsh if every single scene featuring Montoya thus far hadn't been a total turd).

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Monday, 26 June 2006 00:06 (nineteen years ago)

No love for film noir stylee, Deric?!?!

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 26 June 2006 00:45 (nineteen years ago)

Plenty of love if it's done with any skill. Rucka's doing stylized dialogue sans style. I mean, it's just really pedestrian. It's not clever or flowery or indicative of any personality whatsoever. It seriously seems like he watched a couple noir movies years ago and he's trying to remember how a world-weary, alcoholic ex-cop talks based on that. I know he's written Montoya before, which is almost more damning because I don't get much of an impression that he knows anything more about the character that we see on the page (she's grumpy and she drinks and she likes the ladies). And maybe he can get away with tossing off first-draft sketchy bullshit in his own books, but when he's standing alongside other people who can write, it makes him stand out like a sore thumb. Like I said somewhere above, though, I'd hope that he's recognized by now the fact that he's looking like the weakest link and that said recognition might make him work a little harder.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Monday, 26 June 2006 02:02 (nineteen years ago)

Deric OTM about Rucka. It's funny, I find him to be a far worse writer than Johns, which is sorta scary.

I think Mark Waid's voice is pretty noticeable - I've read a lot of his stuff, and it's fairly easy for me to tell him and Morrison apart. I think some of you just want to think that every clever thing is Grant, but Waid's really not that different, except that he's way dorkier and not quite as stylized.

― Matthew Perpetua! (Matthew Perpetua!), Monday, 26 June 2006 02:25 (nineteen years ago)

Both of you (all of you?) shut up about Rucka. His dialogue in Q&C positively crackles with Murphy Brown-calibur wit, though perhaps he needs Paul Crocker for his writing to shine. I just hope that he's either very bored with or spread out too thin on 52.

― c(''c) (Leee), Monday, 26 June 2006 02:37 (nineteen years ago)

If Rucka's not feeling 52, I have no problem with him leaving and never coming back.

Matthew, I almost wrote the exact same thing about Johns and Rucka. The Johns stuff I've read is usually at least functional if nowhere near exceptional. "Bored" actually probably sums Rucka's role in 52 pretty well. He doesn't seem that invested or interested.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Monday, 26 June 2006 03:32 (nineteen years ago)

I don't agree that I'm willing to lay all the Waid at Morrison's door - Waid's got a distinct pattern of stresses that's hard to describe but hard to miss. (Got that sounds horrifically geeky. It's like being a comic nerd (or even a "NERD") back in the fifties or something.)

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Monday, 26 June 2006 09:45 (nineteen years ago)

I think some of you just want to think that every clever thing is Grant, but Waid's really not that different, except that he's way dorkier and not quite as stylized.

Or as clever.

Well, he might be as clever, in a "let me just sit down and think about how to get people to give a fuck about the Legion" way, but he's not brilliant - most Morrison stuff has a forehead slapping "Of course!" moment in it (EG Cadmus building a Doomsday pill, old-school Jimmy being a big hit in the modern age). Which has actually been almost entirely missing from 52, (apart possibly from Luthor's plans to give everyone superpowers).

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 26 June 2006 10:24 (nineteen years ago)

Kirby, I'm not fully doubting that Rucka can be good; I'm just saying that all the DCU stuff I've read by him is hacky lame boilerplate crap. There's a lot I hate about Geoff Johns, but even at his worst, the dude is clearly passionate about his work and it shows. In fact, sometimes that's what makes his stuff so hard to take. But Rucka is the opposite - if he's a good writer, and I am sorta skeptical about that, then he's totally slumming it up and hacking it out on his DCU comics.

― Matthew Perpetua! (Matthew Perpetua!), Monday, 26 June 2006 11:02 (nineteen years ago)

this series is the first that I've decided to buy regularly since 1987. and I don't think I'm gonna continue: the Montoya storyline was shitty enuff before that lousy confrontation with Kathy Kane.

Vis-a-vis that and the crappy hard-boiled cop dialogue, it makes me think that maybe fans turned pro writers really are nerds who don't know how people talk, since they learned from, I dunno, Bill Mantlo or somebody. are those guys like bendis and straczinchiwinkie really noticeably good scripters?

also, i wonder if the de-compression that comics all employ isn't a very good idea, since it takes me five minutes to finish one of these issues, and I feel like it should take me longer and I should be getting a more involving experience. then again, it might be that I'm 35 and not 11.

― veronica moser (veronica moser), Monday, 26 June 2006 11:05 (nineteen years ago)

Bendis' how-real-people-talk-sub-Mamet stuff gets very old very quickly.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Monday, 26 June 2006 11:10 (nineteen years ago)

that it is somewhat accepted that David Mamet presents naturalism in dialogue is baffling to me, as his approach sounds ANYTHING but. I think he stinks.

― veronica moser (veronica moser), Monday, 26 June 2006 11:13 (nineteen years ago)

It's weird, because when he's very good, Bendis' stuff isn't that stylized. I mean, it is, but it's not that extreme. But I do think he has some sense of rhythm and cadence in his dialogue, but it's more how people speak in television and movies, which is actually just about right. I don't think naturalism makes a lot of sense in comics.

― Matthew Perpetua! (Matthew Perpetua!), Monday, 26 June 2006 11:21 (nineteen years ago)

It's fun for a while. He's good at light stuff - I read a bunch of his Daredevil over the weekend, and though the endlessly tough guys gets boring, the conversation between Milla and her friend about whether she should go on dating Matt Murdock was really nice.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 26 June 2006 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

Bendis has improved greatly since his early years in the industry. I'd actively avoided his Marvel work because I read his stuff years ago and couldn't stand how forced and unnatural his dialogue was. But finally giving in and checking out what he's been up to lately, I've been pleasantly surprised. Some of his recent books are certainly better than others, but the dialogue has mostly lost that irritating cadence it had back in the day.

I think this is a big reason why I still haven't gotten into Ultimate Spider-Man. Those early issues were from the period when his dialogue had my eyes rolling with every other word and I haven't been able to work my way through them yet.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Monday, 26 June 2006 13:35 (nineteen years ago)

I think the writing/scripting has been far less compartmentalized by character than we've been led to believe. AND FFS read some Gotham Central people (both ILCers and 52-writers)! THAT's how you manage A) a drunk lesbo cop and B) a big cast where characters need to be present but not necessarily play giant roles in every plot.

A lot of Montoya's stuff in Gotham Central was similarly boiler-plate (she stands outside her parents' groceria in the rain, afraid to go in), but worked because of the pacing.

And counter to my claim that the 52-wrights are switching it up more than we think, Rucka's use of the Question is EXACTLY THE SAME as the Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood use (ie PLOT DEVICE), where at least IT WAS NOVEL.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 26 June 2006 13:37 (nineteen years ago)

She wasn't glug-glug in GC, tho, was she?

And am I the only one rolling with the punchiness of the Question / Montoya / KK scenes? I'll take C-movie noir shenanigans over that godawful prolonged scene in the hospital 2 weeks ago.

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 26 June 2006 13:42 (nineteen years ago)

I seem to recall that that scene in Gotham Central was a lot more silent than any given panel of 52 (though of course I could be wrong)

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 26 June 2006 13:45 (nineteen years ago)

OTM
52 could stand LESS words

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 26 June 2006 13:52 (nineteen years ago)

Huk, I know that the writing on 52 is mostly not compartmentalized by character. Because the writers themselves have said so, and because it's been pretty clear in some instances. But the Montoya scenes have all been in the same voice (or lack thereof), as far as I can tell. Maybe (hopefully) she'll be written by someone else down the road, but I don't think she has been yet.

And: I've been planning on reading Gotham Central for a while now, if only for Brubaker's role in the title. But I'm certainly less inclined to dive into the Rucka issues than I was a month and a half ago.

Come on, 52 creators! There are a lot of new people jumping onboard out of curiosity! People who have never experienced your work before! Is this what you want them to take away from the experience?

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Monday, 26 June 2006 14:01 (nineteen years ago)

I really liked Rucka's Gotham Central--that issue near the end of the series where Allen and Montoya are trying to get home while all the Infinite Crisis madness is going on around them was just fantastic.

I am sorry to spoil the (52 new answers) (52 new answers) effect.

Curious what comics dialogue-writers y'all particularly like.

I really hope we get more of the over-story about what exactly "52" is, really soon.

― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 26 June 2006 14:36 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe Gotham Central was all Brubaker! He was just pulling Deadweight Ruck4 all that time! A-a-and Br00b probably even ghostwrites Queen's County and all of Ruck's detective novels!!

I'm cranky, but I agree with Matt Perpetual that the Ayatollah of Rucka Rolla has largely been a dud in the DCU, save for his stuff in NML and Wonderful West Wing Woman.

And he is a good writer dagbabbit, with interior monologue (Q&C vol. 1) and without (all the rest of Q&C), and I'm genuinely surprised that someone of his abilities is awful (ostensibly) with the Fitty Montoya.

― c(''c) (Leee), Monday, 26 June 2006 15:28 (nineteen years ago)

Just got back from holiday and this was the first thing I caught up on - I'm still really enjoying it, I like how the various lead characters are coming together. The Montoya/Kane pages were awful though. I like Devilance's MONSTER LANCE.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 30 June 2006 08:09 (nineteen years ago)

Also ROFFLED - in a kind of grim way - over a whole episode of Dan Jurgens' history of the DCU being devoted to Dan Jurgens' Zero Hour.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 30 June 2006 08:26 (nineteen years ago)

Ralph gets interested in the communist cause.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com/

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 30 June 2006 12:40 (nineteen years ago)

ILC: YOU MAKE THE CALL!

LUTHOR'S BECOME YOUR OWN HERO PROGRAM WILL END UP:

A) HORRIBLY MUTATING PEOPLE
B) KILLING EVERYONE
C) MAKING EVERYONE EVIL
D) ______??????????

― ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ (chaki), Friday, 30 June 2006 18:42 (nineteen years ago)

WELL, we know that by week 53 or thereabouts (first issue of post-Infinite Superman story) he's acquitted of a bunch of charges, which he blamed on his transdimensional doppleganger (and we also know that Metropolis isn't teeming w/ superfolk). So his BE YR OWN HERO campaign is doomed.

I'm gonna go with B).
It might not kill EVERYONE, but either Steel or Steel Girl will die. And if Steel Girl doesn't die, she'll probably join the NEW Infinity, Inc., upon which she'll wish she had died.
Hmm, now that I mention it, Infinity, Inc. will probably wind up being Luthor's Supergroup.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 30 June 2006 18:54 (nineteen years ago)

im going with C!!

― ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ (chaki), Saturday, 1 July 2006 00:10 (nineteen years ago)

C and then B!

― the eunuchs, Cassim and Mustafa, who guarded Abdur Ali's harem (orion), Saturday, 1 July 2006 02:43 (nineteen years ago)

Calamity Jon Morris shares some old scans that may help shed some light on upcoming events...

― 100% CHAMPS with a Yes! Attitude. (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:56 (nineteen years ago)

That Demon teaser is THE! LIVING! END!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

awesome.

― ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ (chaki), Thursday, 6 July 2006 18:37 (nineteen years ago)

What Ralph's been doing all week.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com/

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 7 July 2006 19:45 (nineteen years ago)

One thing I liked about the latest issue is that the story arcs were all discrete, and their threads mostly didn't intermingle, so my enjoyment of the Animal Man story wasn't tainted by Steel splooging all over his niece's chest.

― c(''c) (Leee), Saturday, 8 July 2006 20:05 (nineteen years ago)

That Nattie/Henry fight was just embarassing!

― 100% CHAMPS with a Yes! Attitude. (Austin, Still), Saturday, 8 July 2006 21:08 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, hell, I should probably start noting my updates too. Week 9 is up, and (at my friend Kip's insistence) begins with a reference to Umberto Eco. http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/

― Douglas (Douglas), Saturday, 8 July 2006 22:08 (nineteen years ago)

I wish they kept the Question more mysterious still and maybe a little more disholved like JLU Question. He at least has a funny line in 9.

― christopherscottknudsen (christopherscottknudsen), Sunday, 9 July 2006 13:06 (nineteen years ago)

I enjoy the cartoon Question, but a comic can pack a lot more depth into it than a TV show - I think transposing the conspiracy-fraky Question of the TV into the comics at the expense of the zen-philosophy-freak Question we already have would be a mistake. Then again, the Question's had a long run and been thoroughly played with many times before, so there's no real hard and fast reason not to.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Sunday, 9 July 2006 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

Imagine if we used the conspiracy Question, him going against David Icke's lizards that are in the middle of the earth and you could go on and on with conspiracy like jokes. 52's Question is a lot funnier than either the DC run of the late 80's so I think that JLU inspired that much so far. Last year's miniseries wasn't too good either, I thought.

― christopherscottknudsen (christopherscottknudsen), Monday, 10 July 2006 11:31 (nineteen years ago)

The problem though, is that a conspiracy theorist in the DCU is like, not so special, because, y'know, THERE ARE 11-ft Lizards in the centre of the Earth, and extra-terrestrials DID kidnap a bunch of people and do experiments on them (A LOT), and the Oval Office DID have a clandestine alliance with an extra-dimensial diety/warlord. But it was all covered in the Daily Planet and everybody just sort of deals with it.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 10 July 2006 13:37 (nineteen years ago)

Ah yes, I forgot that one. Was that the one where he was some kind of city shaman or something?

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Monday, 10 July 2006 14:59 (nineteen years ago)

The stuff I mentioned?
That's just general DCania (All-Star Superman, Invasion! and Superman/Batman, respectively).
The 2004/2005 Question mini WAS awesome, with Vic Sage as creepy "Speak to me, Metropolis" shaman battling chi-architecture and subway gangsters. Brilliant art, fantastic sideways glance at Superman, and, since it didn't serve Infinite Crisis, swept under the rug.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 10 July 2006 15:13 (nineteen years ago)

11-foot lizards also = that awesome Martian Manhunter miniseries (I can't remember its name, but it's not like there's been two).

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 05:05 (nineteen years ago)

DeMatteis/Badger vs Jones/Barretto FITE!

― kit brash (kit brash), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 08:27 (nineteen years ago)

"American Secrets" for the MM Miniseries, I believe.

My fave question is still Taoist Denny Question, but I thought Magical Vietch Question was pretty good, too.

― 100% CHAMPS with a Yes! Attitude. (Austin, Still), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 11:40 (nineteen years ago)

Oh yeah, those American Secrets (how soon i forget my favourite DC comic of the whole 90s) Lizards are direct plays on Icke.
And yeah, the DeMatteis/Badger Martian Manhunter mini (ca. 1988) was pretty cool indeed. I think that's where J'onn's pointy-headed "true form" was intro'd.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 13:37 (nineteen years ago)

This week: "Clark Kent, you're a mean drunk."

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/07/week-10-youve-got-me-whos-got-you.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 13 July 2006 04:06 (nineteen years ago)

Pg. 17: Is Lois left-handed? She's holding her fork with her left hand.

er...?

― kit brash (kit brash), Thursday, 13 July 2006 05:29 (nineteen years ago)

Uh-oh - I can see this getting nasty. From a polite conversation about 52, we will end up in some alternate flame war about the correct usage of cutlery.

(Basically, it will boil down to the fact that everyone uses their left hand for forks (knife in the right) except for Americans who do the the cut'n'swop I believe). Lois is American though...

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 13 July 2006 09:40 (nineteen years ago)

(so Americans ...hold the food still with the fork in left hand while they cut it with the knife in right, then PUT DOWN the knife, CHANGE HANDS and lift food to mouth with right? good gracious.)

As you were!

― kit brash (kit brash), Thursday, 13 July 2006 09:54 (nineteen years ago)

I would infer from the quote that Americans hold the fork in their strong hand (most of the time).

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 13 July 2006 12:05 (nineteen years ago)

I believe we do. I'm trying to remember how I cut meat, but A) it's one of those things I take for granted & can't really recall, and B) I haven't eaten anything that's required utensils in much too long.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 13 July 2006 12:15 (nineteen years ago)

Lois was an army brat, n'est-ce pas? She could have picked up contintental etiquette (or at least pretense of such) as a kid.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 13 July 2006 13:54 (nineteen years ago)

OMG IT'S REVERSE LOIS

IT'S SIOL

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 13 July 2006 13:54 (nineteen years ago)

i use two knives, fuck this emo 'fork' nonsense

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 13 July 2006 15:06 (nineteen years ago)

aw come on, spoons are way more emo than forks

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 13 July 2006 15:06 (nineteen years ago)

The lot of you are brute savages, or else you hold such a low regard for us Americans that your opinion reflects monstrously upon yourselves!

FWIW, when steaking, fork/left knifey/right.

― c(''c) (Leee), Thursday, 13 July 2006 15:30 (nineteen years ago)

when eating steak it is best to use the bones from the very beast you feast upon.

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 13 July 2006 15:38 (nineteen years ago)

Ghastly!

― c('°c) (Leee), Thursday, 13 July 2006 15:42 (nineteen years ago)

But safer for the environment!

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 13 July 2006 15:56 (nineteen years ago)

But what of the majesty of the splade? (sp?)

― James Morrison (JRSM), Friday, 14 July 2006 00:14 (nineteen years ago)

Splayd™

― kit brash (kit brash), Friday, 14 July 2006 05:20 (nineteen years ago)

Ralph is now homeless.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com/

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Saturday, 15 July 2006 14:34 (nineteen years ago)

This week: no discussions of table manners!

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/07/week-11-return-of-cest-hay.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 19 July 2006 16:14 (nineteen years ago)

Matthew said in Douglas' comments:

Grant Morrison could very well be the last guy I'd ever ask for advice re: pacing. That's probably his single greatest flaw as a writer!

Can't say I agree (though I'm interested to hear it argued), but to specifically address the poster's point: the Summer Offensive was fantastic at this, the five different sections all progressing week to week, and if one was less thrill-powered than another in a given issue, there were still four other stories to pick up the slack. Plus the fact that each series had a different tone worked really well for the concentrated weekly "event" nature of the run. And of all of them, Big Dave was absolutely BEST at pacing, hitting its marks each week, advancing the plot AND having big laughs AND getting in something new offensive AND getting out on a cliffhanger, all in eight pages.

Since he & Millar pulled that off so well, you'd think that the success could actually be replicated again with the multi-writer format of 52, especially if the different strands are as compartmentalised as people are supposing.

― kit brash (kit brash), Thursday, 20 July 2006 01:00 (nineteen years ago)

How about Kate Kane's bod? She looks like Robert Crumb is her personal trainer! I APPROVE.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 21 July 2006 15:15 (nineteen years ago)

BADONK!

so not gonna happen, tho.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 21 July 2006 15:18 (nineteen years ago)

never say never
http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/comics101/images/2003/dec3/aconfession.jpg

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 21 July 2006 15:39 (nineteen years ago)

And now you know why she plays for the other team.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 21 July 2006 15:43 (nineteen years ago)

The Secret History of Comic Nerds Being Terrible Kissers: REVEALED!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 21 July 2006 15:54 (nineteen years ago)

This week: links to music by Bob Dylan and Brian Eno!

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/07/week-12-what-drives-me-to-you-is-what.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 27 July 2006 14:06 (nineteen years ago)

And I think the phrase you're looking for is "bats for the other team."

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 27 July 2006 14:07 (nineteen years ago)

As I mentioned on the Bats:TAS thread, last weekend, Canadian kids broadcaster YTV aired the Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman movie, WHICH I WATCHED.
One of the characters introduced was a black woman named Kathy Duquesne (pr: DOO-KANE). (and feat. Rupert Thorne voiced by JOHN VERNON!!!!)

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 27 July 2006 14:26 (nineteen years ago)

sidenote: Vernon also voiced Dr. Doom on the 90s Fantastic Four cartoon, AND DR. STRANGE on the recentish Spidey cartoon!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 27 July 2006 14:29 (nineteen years ago)

I'm sorry, I'm still marveling (doi!) @ Douglas' multi-layered pun.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 27 July 2006 20:21 (nineteen years ago)

Looking forward to Ralph Dibny's voodoo juju resurrecting weeks ahead. Especially in his diary.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 27 July 2006 20:59 (nineteen years ago)

This week - Swamp Thing, owner of another 'let's pretend to be a fictional character' blog, crosses a basic and obvious storytelling line in an effort to grab some of my action. It's an interesting clash between two very different metafictional blogs, mine serious in its attempts to be funny, his ridiculous in its attempts to be serious. I'd like to think I won, but I can't turn an entry over to damage control every time he tries to impress everyone with the fact he gets his comics a day earlier than me. This weekly bit of fun is turning into an interesting challenge.

Alternate synopsis - how Ralph managed to get into that apartment when he's obviously a complete loser.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com//

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Saturday, 29 July 2006 02:50 (nineteen years ago)

I love you Vic.

― David R. (popshots75`), Saturday, 29 July 2006 03:33 (nineteen years ago)

I want all my good commenters back. This lot are rubbish. If any of the old lot were ILCers, show your faces again.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Saturday, 29 July 2006 11:02 (nineteen years ago)

Swamp Thing's blog is grate!

"Magneto cordially congratulated Power Girl for stalemating him. He complimented how magnificent she looked after the few minutes she'd spent trapped in the lake, the distinguished look of her pretty face, her glittering slicked-back short blonde hair, and how the sunset's light shown on the cleavage of her lovely breasts as shown by her immodest sexy costume. She laughed for a moment. Power Girl said this wasn't a date and to get ready for a serious fight."

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Saturday, 29 July 2006 11:50 (nineteen years ago)

No ellipses, no credibility.

― David R. (popshots75`), Saturday, 29 July 2006 15:29 (nineteen years ago)

Anyone got the latest one on .cbr? I seem to have missed it in the shop.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Thursday, 3 August 2006 23:47 (nineteen years ago)

This week: inappropriate grins galore! Vic, you're gonna have fun with this issue, even though it's my second-least-favorite to date (after that atrocious Steel & Steelette issue).

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/08/week-13-another-mad-smile.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Friday, 4 August 2006 00:04 (nineteen years ago)

I can't have fun with it unless I can get hold of a copy from somebody, unfortunately. Ralph may have to be 'overcome with emotion' again for a couple of days.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 4 August 2006 03:37 (nineteen years ago)

Right, I've got my hands on a copy now... poor Ralph! And what dicks the rest of the JLA are. I knew I was right about them all being bastards, especially Hal. Anyway, doubtless that creepy scarecrow was animated by secret mental powers.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 4 August 2006 10:58 (nineteen years ago)

Ralph doesn't react well. Guest-starring Dr Robert Willis, Phd.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com//

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 4 August 2006 12:12 (nineteen years ago)

Ralph is going to die.

― christopherscottknudsen (christopherscottknudsen), Friday, 4 August 2006 12:32 (nineteen years ago)

He's the new Crispus Allen.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 4 August 2006 12:34 (nineteen years ago)

Am I wicked for thinking that this issue was simultaneously hilarious and disturbingly creepy?

― c('°c) (Leee), Friday, 4 August 2006 16:58 (nineteen years ago)

It was very creepy. I'm quite glad I don't have a physical copy as I don't think I could bear to look at it again. It's just absolutely horrible.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 4 August 2006 17:14 (nineteen years ago)

can't wait! only two more sleeps!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 4 August 2006 17:17 (nineteen years ago)

Oh boy I cannot WAIT to read it tonight!

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 4 August 2006 17:18 (nineteen years ago)

RALPH DIBNY'S DIARY BIG-UPPED BY DC!
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=79446

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Saturday, 5 August 2006 17:45 (nineteen years ago)

CONGRATS VIC!

― chaki (chaki), Saturday, 5 August 2006 19:15 (nineteen years ago)

Oooh, that's nice.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Saturday, 5 August 2006 21:54 (nineteen years ago)

Someone should post a link. Or not.

And anyway, if writing the funny worked for Gail Simone, it'll work for you.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 7 August 2006 10:34 (nineteen years ago)

Nice, Vic!

BTW, this week's issue was the uber-suck. And I'm kinda disappointed by the back-ups, too - only two pages? And you gave StarButt & Cosmic Cleavage four? COME ON!

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 7 August 2006 12:11 (nineteen years ago)

But Elongor and Wondrous Womb both fly solo, while StarButt & Cosmic Cleavage is a dynamic duo, i.e. 2 pages per.

― c('°c) (Leee), Monday, 7 August 2006 19:21 (nineteen years ago)

TURNS OUT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO BUY THIS AFTER ALL:
http://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/features/52pickup/default.asp

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 10 August 2006 17:30 (nineteen years ago)

Hooray for foreshadowing: http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/08/week-14-way-out-of-blood-and-sand.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 10 August 2006 19:13 (nineteen years ago)

Is the Question the last of the Charlton Action Heroes still in something pretty similar to original form?
What's happened with Nightshade?
I think Judomaster got killed in INfininfininteinadnegta cCirisonaeonsg, Blue Beetle's A MARTYR, Captain Atom's MONARCH (AND YOU THOUGHT NOTHING AWESOME WOULD HAPPEN IN BUTTHOLES FOR BLUNTHAVEN), and Peter Cannon's a big legal mess.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 10 August 2006 19:41 (nineteen years ago)

She's in Shadowpact. She wears a mini. She controls The Darkforce. And I think she's crushing on Detective Chimp. I don't know what her deal was prior to THEE ORIGINAL CRISIS!, but Suicide Squad did some stuff to her (& gave her a buttass pink/purple uni, to boot).

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 10 August 2006 19:53 (nineteen years ago)

Ralph gets the call from The Haven.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com/

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 11 August 2006 12:29 (nineteen years ago)

Double postin'

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 11 August 2006 12:42 (nineteen years ago)

Fixed!

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 11 August 2006 13:34 (nineteen years ago)

shadowpact rulez btw

― chaki (chaki), Saturday, 12 August 2006 01:56 (nineteen years ago)

Okay, based on the chewing out that Supersnovas gave Boostra Goal in this week's issue (aka Steel vs. Natasha II), I believe that Super-N is actually a future version of Michael Jon Carter (of the future.)

― 100% CHAMPS with a Yes! Attitude. (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 20:34 (nineteen years ago)

I wonder how long it's been since Ralph Dibny last read Superman Family #211? It seems he has quite a history of delusional behaviour, which also explains why he didn't call on THAT OTHER once-dead Justice Leaguer to get all CULTured.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 17 August 2006 03:42 (nineteen years ago)

What happens when you google "atlantis" "aquaman."

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/08/week-15-hapax-legomenon.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 17 August 2006 17:32 (nineteen years ago)

Ralph reacts.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com//

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 18 August 2006 10:08 (nineteen years ago)

Holyshit, Supernova might be Booster Gold. That would be fucking awesome actually.

― christopherscottknudsen (christopherscottknudsen), Sunday, 20 August 2006 05:57 (nineteen years ago)

Terrible things happen when Ralph is off-panel for too long.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com/

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 25 August 2006 21:41 (nineteen years ago)

Hey, genuinely good issue! Despite, of course, Sapphic cheesecake emo Montoya. (Though maybe I'm beginning to think because of.)

Poor Booster!

Herolist!

― c('°c) (Leee), Friday, 8 September 2006 19:56 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, right, we forgot to tell you, we had to ditch a page this issue.

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/09/week-18-magic-is-not-thermodynamics.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Saturday, 9 September 2006 01:33 (nineteen years ago)

Ralph has a new purpose in life.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com//

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Saturday, 9 September 2006 11:39 (nineteen years ago)

what's up with the Question's face when he and Black Adam go into the bedroom where Renee is making whoopee. He looks like the Man with half a face.

― christopherscottknudsen (christopherscottknudsen), Monday, 11 September 2006 10:09 (nineteen years ago)

(goes to check "Kon-El" at wikipedia)

― 100% CHAMPS with a Yes! Attitude. (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 22:59 (nineteen years ago)

Okay, that's what I get for skipping a dozen years or so of mainstream comix.

― 100% CHAMPS with a Yes! Attitude. (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 23:11 (nineteen years ago)

The revenge of Harry Angstrom!

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/09/week-19-rabbit-redux.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 14 September 2006 00:47 (nineteen years ago)

What's the twist at the end this week? Is it that it's Skeets' "fault", not Booster's? The art is pretty confusing -- I'm not sure if it's meant to be, or not.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 14 September 2006 13:44 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I really don't get that either.

― Matthew Perpetua! (Matthew Perpetua!), Thursday, 14 September 2006 14:21 (nineteen years ago)

Wait, is Skeets saying that Rip Hunter knows that it's Booster and Skeets who have broken time? I guess so. That makes sense, but is the implication that Skeets has done this on purpose?

― Matthew Perpetua! (Matthew Perpetua!), Thursday, 14 September 2006 14:37 (nineteen years ago)

I think we're supposed to have believed it's Booster's fault, but actually it's Skeets. Er?

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 14 September 2006 15:49 (nineteen years ago)

Skeets is actually Despero!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 14 September 2006 17:58 (nineteen years ago)

Wow, can we cut to part with Skeets mercilessly pounding J'onn J'onzz into the ground?

― Matthew Perpetua! (Matthew Perpetua!), Thursday, 14 September 2006 18:01 (nineteen years ago)

HY! DROX! HY! DROX!

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 14 September 2006 18:05 (nineteen years ago)

On a different note, is the colorist out of his freaking mind, or does Daniel Jon Carter really have blue teeth? Cause if he does, that's some nasty oral hygiene - or a really oblique and frankly incomprehensible tribute to Evelyn Cream.

― 100% CHAMPS with a Yes! Attitude. (Austin, Still), Friday, 15 September 2006 03:04 (nineteen years ago)

Dr Fate begins to outstay his welcome in the Dibny household.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com/

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 22 September 2006 15:10 (nineteen years ago)

Lex Luthor is a DICK.

― 100% CHAMPS with a Yes! Attitude. (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 23:43 (nineteen years ago)

Lex Luthor is a SUPERNOVA!
Although he probaby isn't.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 28 September 2006 18:30 (nineteen years ago)

I kept losing track of the Infinitorz until I realized I didn't really care. Also, though Beast Boy was Vril Dox II (of L.E.G.I.O.N. '89) at first.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 28 September 2006 21:04 (nineteen years ago)

Is it a kind of dreeee-eam?
Floating out on the tiii-ide?
Following the fiver of death downstream?
Or is it a dream?
There's a fog on the Tyne it's all mine all mine along the horiiizon
A strange glow in the sky-yiy
And nobody seems to know where you go
And what does it meeean?
Oh, woh?
Is it a dream?
BRIYIGHT EYES!
BUR-NING LIKE FIYAH!
BRIYIGHT EYES!
HOW CAN YOU CLOSE AND FAAAIL?
HOW CAN THE LIGHT THAT BURNED SO BRIGHTLY
SUDDENLY BURN SO PALE?
BRIYIGHT EYES!!!!!

Is it a kind of shaaaaah-dow?
Reaching into the niyiy-ight?
Wandering over the the hills and sea
Or is it a dream?
There's a hiyigh wind in the treeee-eeees
A cooohooold sound in the ai-airrrr
And nobody ever knows when you gooo
And where do you starrrt?
Oh, woh?
Into the daaaark?
BRIYIGHT EYEYES
BURRRRNING LIKE FIYAH
BRIYIGHT EYEYES
HOW CAN YOU CLOSE AND FAYAYAYAIL
HOW CAN THE LIGHT THAT BURRRRNED SO BRIGHTLY
SUDDENLY BURN SO PALE
BRIYIGHT EYEYES
BRIYIGHT EYEYES
BURRRRRRNING LIKE FIYAAAHHH
BRIIIIIIIGHT EYYYYYYYES
HIOW CAN YOU CLOOOOOOSE AND FAAAAAAAIL
HOW CAN TBE LIGHT THAT BURNED SO BRIGHTLY
SUDDENLY CLOSE AND FAIL?
HMMMM?
BRIGHT EYES!!!!

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 29 September 2006 22:41 (nineteen years ago)

Find out the answer to Art Garfunkel's immortal question in this week's Dibny.

http://dibnydiary.blogspot.com//

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Friday, 29 September 2006 22:44 (nineteen years ago)

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=86557

Definite Supernova ID.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 5 October 2006 10:19 (nineteen years ago)

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/10/week-22-fried.html

Griping about incorrect Native American terminology etc. Written in a haze at 1 AM following a TV on the Radio show.

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 5 October 2006 14:52 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/WAcker/Week22/52_24_cvr.html

Am I the only one who's incredibly excited by this image???

― Amadeo (Amadeo G.), Friday, 6 October 2006 23:39 (nineteen years ago)

sorry: http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/WAcker/Week22/52-Cv24-ns.jpg

― Amadeo (Amadeo G.), Friday, 6 October 2006 23:39 (nineteen years ago)

bitchin

― Adrienne Begley (sparklecock), Saturday, 7 October 2006 04:45 (nineteen years ago)

Supernova's changed his costume.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Saturday, 7 October 2006 05:49 (nineteen years ago)

OOh, that image *is* exciting! JLA finally populated by the b-list again, fingers crossed for a Giffen/DeMatheis style reinvention.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Saturday, 7 October 2006 10:46 (nineteen years ago)

hardly possible since the post-52 book is already running

― naysayer (kit brash), Saturday, 7 October 2006 13:20 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, but it could run to somewhere else!

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Saturday, 7 October 2006 14:12 (nineteen years ago)

JUST LOVE US LEAGUE

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Saturday, 7 October 2006 18:02 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

New issue's one of my faves so far. Blog-post now with extra Borges:

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/11/week-27-midnight-in-garden-of-forking.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 9 November 2006 01:19 (nineteen years ago)

Now with added Hypertime!

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 9 November 2006 15:24 (nineteen years ago)

Well #28 was a load of balls, though I'm prejudiced by the hideous psuedo-Australianisms in it. 'Tornado' dreaming? We don't even have the fucking things here. They're whirlwinds or willy-willys if you want to approximate Aboriginal slang. Still, chuck a few 'mate's and 'bloody's in and it's Australian enough, right? Although they do get points for spelling 'arse' correctly - first time I can remember this happening in an American comic ever.

― James Morrison (JRSM), Thursday, 16 November 2006 01:36 (nineteen years ago)

STREWTH

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 16 November 2006 02:58 (nineteen years ago)

and then there was the incoherent space opera…

― veronica moser (veronica moser), Thursday, 16 November 2006 15:58 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah. What a comedown from last week!

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/11/week-28-set-of-ragged-claws.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 16 November 2006 17:15 (nineteen years ago)

Odd how expectations have been reversed: I'm enjoying the Montoya/Question stuff a lot more than the G-Mo space opera shenanigans. The space art has been generally been awful so far, though. And I still don't get Giffen's 4-panel-pages: how hard is it to occasionally change the size of a single panel box?

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 16 November 2006 17:38 (nineteen years ago)

In which I go on and on about my conceptual problems with the JLA.

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2006/11/week-29-nihilist-spasm-superteam.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 23 November 2006 07:58 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, Douglas, bless you for linking this (which is about CIVIL WAR, btw).

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 23 November 2006 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

So, they finally offed **spoiler**, and what a big fat non-fucking surprise that was. Thanks a bunch, Meltzer.

Anyway, your thoughts? Seemed like a bit of a waste of time to me. Good last line, re: teh zombies, but Chubby's death was sadder.

General reaction: "Oh, well."

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 11 January 2007 01:35 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think ***spoiler*** is actually as dead as all that, for reasons I detail this week:

http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2007/01/week-36-in-all-their-grandeur-and.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 11 January 2007 04:57 (nineteen years ago)

I thought ***another spoiler*** died a few weeks ago! WTF! I want my $16 back!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 11 January 2007 17:25 (nineteen years ago)

The weekly editorial interview thing is being rather less dead-is-dead about ***spoiler*** than they were about ***80s character killed 20 issues ago***.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 12 January 2007 23:37 (nineteen years ago)

I don't know, I think he's dead - there's really no room to blow a page on **spoiler's wife** having a sad moment if he isn't.

Then again, the Question's had five billion death moments and he's still in with a decent chance.

― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Saturday, 13 January 2007 17:39 (nineteen years ago)

I seem to recall a Warlock Mag interview with Grant Morrison where he said that 52 would be the last time he'd write Animal Man.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Saturday, 13 January 2007 19:06 (nineteen years ago)

Ha. Well, then.

I kind of went overboard on this issue: http://52-pickup.blogspot.com/2007/01/not-yet-week-37-snow-delay.html

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 18 January 2007 06:02 (eighteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/003356907.cfm

Ha ha ha ha, JG Jones's 52 Cover Blog on Wizard website has google ad for "Male Douche". Heh heh heh.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Saturday, 10 February 2007 12:50 (eighteen years ago)

two months pass...

For Douglas, who in a recent blog item, said that Clark Kent jumping out a window to get Supernova's attention was one of his favourite parts of 52. From Showcase Supes Vol. 3.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/hukl/supertax.jpg

― Dr. Superman, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 16:14 (eighteen years ago)

Ah, only one more day to go!

― Mr. Perpetua, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:23 (eighteen years ago)

And then ONE MORE YEAR

― David R., Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:27 (eighteen years ago)

I shudder to think how this mess reads in trades.

― David R., Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:35 (eighteen years ago)

YOU GUNA READ COUNTDOWN, DAVE?

― chaki, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 22:55 (eighteen years ago)

BUT OF COURSE WHY IT LOOK INTERESTING

― David R., Wednesday, 2 May 2007 04:20 (eighteen years ago)

(not)SHAZAM!

― Dr. Superman, Saturday, 5 May 2007 00:45 (eighteen years ago)

Who drew the Earth-4 panel?

― Leee, Saturday, 5 May 2007 03:30 (eighteen years ago)

The final Dibny Diary is awesome.

― Douglas, Monday, 7 May 2007 02:33 (eighteen years ago)

Quoting is so gauche, yes, but:

Anyway, we escaped in the confusion and found ourselves in a post-nuclear hellscape ruled by men in suits of armor riding gigantic dogs, which apparently is Earth-17. It turned out that because of Sue's love of eighties electronica she had in fact gone to Heaven-17 - unfortunately Heaven 17 themselves were not there as they had given in to Temptation and were at that very moment being tormented by adorable creatures with unacceptable features. In Hell. Which I understand is just the high cost of loving.

― David R., Monday, 7 May 2007 04:03 (eighteen years ago)

I take it the general lack of posting here now the series has finished reflects a general disappointment with the whole endeavour?

― James Morrison, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 02:34 (eighteen years ago)

I'm not entirely disappointed, I found the last ish to be quite good, liked the resolution of the Booster story and quite like the fact that the multiverse is back. Also liked the final Dibny scene (even though his story was mostly crap).

It's a flawed experiment, but for me the good parts outweight the bad. Anyway, it's funny the way most people seem to highlight the fact that IT CAME OUT ON TIME!. Or, better, that IT CAME OUT AL ALL!, like great achievements (which they are, but have nothing to do with the quiality of the book or the stories).

― Amadeo, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 18:02 (eighteen years ago)

We're all posting on Douglas's blog, I think.

30-second summary: Interesting THEN Really Interesting THEN Thrill-Powered THEN Awesome THEN Dissapointing THEN Bleccccch THEN Island Nerds Issue THEN Double-Blecccch THEN Great Final Issue THEN THE END

Roughly

― Chuck_Tatum, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 18:10 (eighteen years ago)

in related news, All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder #whatever is solicited for next week.

― Dr. Superman, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 18:11 (eighteen years ago)

next week IN 2010!

― David R., Tuesday, 8 May 2007 18:26 (eighteen years ago)

HI DERE I HAVE NERDY QN

OK so given that Buddy is home safe etc. and actually all the yellow alium stuff was just "the writers like Buddy", why the portentious dialogue in that JLA issue? "Animal Man is...unavailable." "We must go and pay a call on Ellen" or whatever it was?

― Groke, Wednesday, 9 May 2007 17:16 (eighteen years ago)

ALSO NERDY QN

How did Mannheim become uh big giant in that early Busiek issue of Superman?

― Chuck_Tatum, Wednesday, 9 May 2007 17:26 (eighteen years ago)

NERDY ANSWER #1: Brad Meltzer is a dick.
NERDY ANSWER #2: UNKNOWN!!!

― Dr. Superman, Wednesday, 9 May 2007 17:42 (eighteen years ago)

How did Mannheim become uh big giant in that early Busiek issue of Superman?

http://www.toilgirls.com/images/girls/camryn.jpg

― M.V., Wednesday, 9 May 2007 17:59 (eighteen years ago)

GET OVER IT!

― Dr. Superman, Wednesday, 9 May 2007 18:07 (eighteen years ago)

issues #51/#52: 52 :: last two minutes: NBA playoff game

― M.V., Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:29 (eighteen years ago)

Does that mean it took about 5x as long to get through those 2 books as the rest of the series, and featured lots of stoppages & fouling?

― David R., Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:54 (eighteen years ago)

So, the revived (unmentioned?) Earth-1 probably approximates pre-Crisis Earth-1, right? (e.g., Barry Allen as the Flash?)

― M.V., Sunday, 13 May 2007 03:08 (eighteen years ago)

Uh-spendium?

52: THE COMPANION TP
Writers: Steve Ditko, Greg Rucka, Gardner Fox, Grant Morrison, Steve Gerber, Mark Schultz, Jack Miller, Dan Jurgens, David Goyer and Geoff Johns

Artists: Steve Ditko, Kano & Stefano Gaudiano, Chaz Truog & Doug Hazlewood, Carmine Infantino, Walter Simonson, Doug Mahnke & Tom Nguyen, Murphy Anderson, Alex Toth, Dan Jurgens & Tom Dzon and Leonard Kirk & Keith Champagne

Collects: MYSTERIOUS SUSPENSE #1, GOTHAM CENTRAL #40, ANIMAL MAN #16, METAL MEN #45, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #97, RIP HUNTER: TIME MASTER #6, JSA #43-44, and stories from DETECTIVE COMICS #350, STRANGE ADVENTURES #226, SECRET ORIGINS #35.

$19.99 U.S., 224 pages

― David R., Thursday, 17 May 2007 22:30 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, it'd have been nice to see Shazam! #1 in there, but HELL YES I AM GLAD OF THIS.

― Douglas, Thursday, 17 May 2007 22:53 (eighteen years ago)

I think I will buy this. Cool idea.

― Chuck_Tatum, Friday, 18 May 2007 01:13 (eighteen years ago)

four years pass...

Real life Oolong Island!
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-brew/silicon-valley-billionaire-funding-creation-artificial-libertarian-islands-140840896.html

― like working at a jewelry store and not knowing about bracelets (Dr. Superman), Saturday, 20 August 2011 22:00 (fourteen years ago)

one year passes...

Hey comics nerds, I need help. I don't know that much about comics. But, through a twist of fate, I have come into possession of this:

http://www.amazon.com/52-Omnibus-Geoff-Johns/dp/1401235565/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352486072&sr=8-1&keywords=52+omnibus

But it confuses me. Is it single, understandable storyline? Or is 52 first issues of 52 different comics? Can I even read it if I haven't read this:

http://www.amazon.com/DC-Comics-The-New-52/dp/1401234518/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352486072&sr=8-2&keywords=52+omnibus

Help a brother out.

― The Thnig, Friday, 9 November 2012 18:37 (thirteen years ago)

The omnibus is a collection of 52 weekly issues of a single series. You can read up on it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_52.

From the article, "The story was originally conceived of as being a chronicle of what happened in the "missing year" between the end of Infinite Crisis and the beginning of One Year Later. It would especially focus on how the world dealt with the disappearance of the "big three" heroes in the DCU, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. As the series went on it became more of a way to set the stage for upcoming storylines in the DC Universe."

So your questions' answers would be: yes(ymmv), no, yes.

― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Friday, 9 November 2012 19:00 (thirteen years ago)

Many thanks.

So does this second omnibus take place *between* Infinite Crisis and the first omnibus?

― The Thnig, Friday, 9 November 2012 19:02 (thirteen years ago)

No, the second omnibus (which is 52 first issues of 52 comics, I guess?) is completely unrelated.

― Andrew Farrell, Friday, 9 November 2012 21:48 (thirteen years ago)

52 stands almost entirely on its own two feet (and is surprisingly solid, given all the cooks involved) but it is pretty mired in continuity. Seek out Douglas Wolk's annotations online and you should be fine.

― Come Into My Layer (Old Lunch), Friday, 9 November 2012 22:34 (thirteen years ago)

I appreciate these answers but I remain confused. The questions, really, are 1) Do I need to have read anything previous to reading the 2nd omnibus, which *appears* to be a whole different ballgame. 2) Is the 2nd omnibus a story with a through line or is it 52 1st issues, which sounds really un-fun.

― The Thnig, Friday, 9 November 2012 23:37 (thirteen years ago)

It's easy to be confusing because both omnibuses basically are titled the same ("52 Omnibus") even though they appear to be significantly different.

― The Thnig, Friday, 9 November 2012 23:39 (thirteen years ago)

Well you could read Aldo reads DC's New 52 (So you don't have to) , which might give you an idea of whether they have taken full advantage of the opportunity to clearly and simply explain the characters and their continuity (spoilers: No).

― Andrew Farrell, Friday, 9 November 2012 23:41 (thirteen years ago)

So the answers are "no" and "un-fun"

― Andrew Farrell, Friday, 9 November 2012 23:42 (thirteen years ago)

Yeah, if the second omnibus is just a collection of New 52 first issues, it might make a nice doorstop or, in a pinch, an excellent substitute if someday you don't have a Duraflame log handy.

― Come Into My Layer (Old Lunch), Saturday, 10 November 2012 01:45 (thirteen years ago)

I'd say 52 is moreorless self-contained, as long as you're not too bothered by odd bits of obscure continuity stuff (yellow aliens!) that don't get explained.

Also 52 is supposed to tee off a bunch of other stories at the end, but they either never happened or were pretty terrible. If you need to follow up from 52 with something similar, or at least moves the story on a bit, try Grant Morrison's Batman run and Final Crisis, or go backwards and read Seven Soldiers (which is also a long, self-contained series with some of the same characters).

― Chuck_Tatum, Sunday, 11 November 2012 09:13 (thirteen years ago)

(But NB you don't need to have read Seven Soldiers to read 52.)

― Chuck_Tatum, Sunday, 11 November 2012 09:15 (thirteen years ago)

yeah, 52 is fine on its own

― Nhex, Sunday, 11 November 2012 22:54 (thirteen years ago)

But if you're inclined to delve further, Morrison's recent trip to the DC playground (Seven Soldiers, 52, Batman, Final Crisis, Batman & Robin, Return Of Bruce Wayne, Batman Inc., in rough chronological order) is probably my favorite mainstream comics run of the last decade or more.

― Come Into My Layer (Old Lunch), Sunday, 11 November 2012 23:22 (thirteen years ago)

JLA Classified 3-issue run was a prologue to Seven Soldiers too

― all-mod scone (sic), Sunday, 11 November 2012 23:41 (thirteen years ago)

I've been thinking about re-reading 52, but have been too busy reading comics I don't like (and Marvel Now! blogging is about to begin) interspersed with some Golden Age reprints for fun. Currently working through Alan Scott's first issues as Green Lantern and, somewhat unbelievably, there are mind-wipes in it already. Maybe Geoff Johns wasn't just being a dick? (No, wait, of course he was.)

For me, and I think from here while it was going on, much of the joy of reading it was about the reintroduction to continuity of fan-favourites such as everybody's favourite racist ovoid. I remember trying to explain what was happening near the end to YMOF and DV in a pub in Camber and ending up just repeating SUPERBOY PUNCHED THE UNIVERSE until it stuck. I also think it's pretty obvious who wrote which parts, in that 2/3 of the plot is good and the rest is by Geoff Johns.

I couldn't recommend that second omnibus to anybody though - 52 first issues of the Johnsiverse titles, of which only about a dozen are any cop and one (Red Hood) is the only objectively bad issue of a book I've grown to really quite enjoy. But then I've ranted about the Johnsiverse enough elsewhere.

― passive-aggressive display name (aldo), Monday, 12 November 2012 07:54 (thirteen years ago)

wasn't Superboy Punched The Universe in Johns' Infinite Crisis, not Johns / Rucka / Waid / Morrison's 52?

(I've not read either, bar one Morrisony Bat-issue and the one Giffeny Bug-issue of 52, so this memory is just of ambient nerdrage.)

― good naber He help get undr control (sic), Monday, 12 November 2012 09:57 (thirteen years ago)

You're right, it is. But in a way it's the event which causes the need to tell 52 - Superboy Punching The Universe is what re-creates the multiverse which is revealed to exist over the course of 52 as DiDio explains using a hidden message through the year. (This is from memory, so may be rubbish)

― passive-aggressive display name (aldo), Monday, 12 November 2012 10:09 (thirteen years ago)

JLA Classified 3-issue run was a prologue to Seven Soldiers too

I misremembered this being collected in the SS trades, but yes: this, too. And if you wanna go hog wild, Morrison's JLA, 1,000,000, Animal Man, and ASS all tie into his recent work in one way or another. I think the only mainstream DCU thing he's done that didn't have significant plot/thematic ties to everything else was Doom Patrol.

Totally making a beeline to dig all this stuff out of storage today, btw.

― Come Into My Layer (Old Lunch), Monday, 12 November 2012 11:02 (thirteen years ago)

Arkham Asylum and Gothic don't actually tie into his later Batman run at all

the secret origin of the JLA's headquarters doesn't tie into the JLA run

and the What Kid Flash Did On His Summer Vacation story doesn't match up with anything else

― good naber He help get undr control (sic), Monday, 12 November 2012 11:39 (thirteen years ago)

the Flash run is standalone except for a little bit of character development from the JLA series matching up with the one Green Lantern crossover issue

Animal Man only connects with 52 continuity-wise afaik

― good naber He help get undr control (sic), Monday, 12 November 2012 11:41 (thirteen years ago)

I misremembered this being collected in the SS trades

was this collected? *googles* US$14.99 for 66pp of comics! fuuuuuuck off.

― good naber He help get undr control (sic), Monday, 12 November 2012 11:46 (thirteen years ago)

Action Comics doesn't really connect! Maybe that's (partially) why it's not really working.

― Chuck_Tatum, Monday, 12 November 2012 12:13 (thirteen years ago)

US$14.99 for 66pp of comics! fuuuuuuck off.

But...JLA/WildCATs!

― Come Into My Layer (Old Lunch), Monday, 12 November 2012 12:15 (thirteen years ago)

they should pay you at least $6.99 to take that tbh

Action Comics doesn't really connect!

absolutely true, but also doesn't really count as DCU, for the purposes of the thesis

― good naber He help get undr control (sic), Monday, 12 November 2012 12:51 (thirteen years ago)

<i>I also think it's pretty obvious who wrote which parts, in that 2/3 of the plot is good and the rest is by Geoff Johns.</i>

Isn't this from the brief window when Geoff Johns was producing actually-okay comics? All that Black Adam stuff was sort of fun and dopey. Part of the fun of 52 were all those weird tonal shifts.

I seem to remember kind of hating it by the final quarter (some of the art - dear God!) but it read much better the second time around.

Also OF COURSE Doug's blog (and ILC!) helped a bunch.

― Chuck_Tatum, Monday, 12 November 2012 15:50 (thirteen years ago)

Yeah, but the Black Adam stuff was only there so he could do WWIII afterwards/at the same time, if I'm cynical.

I don't know, I think we had started hating on Johns by then. The drooling kid picture became a meme at about that point?

― passive-aggressive display name (aldo), Monday, 12 November 2012 15:53 (thirteen years ago)

I expected it to be not-great because of Johns' involvement but it totally exceeded my expectations, which I still think is due to Johns working so directly with better writers. And his own stuff (e.g. the kickoff of the Booster Gold series, his Superman/LOSH stuff with Gary Frank) was noticeably better for a little while afterwards.

― Come Into My Layer (Old Lunch), Monday, 12 November 2012 15:59 (thirteen years ago)

This was after Infinite Crisis (and his bringing Hal Jordan, dullest superhero in the universe, back) = It was pretty clear (to me) that he wasn't any good, but his shadow had not yet grown to cover the multiverse.

― Andrew Farrell, Monday, 12 November 2012 16:00 (thirteen years ago)

The Action Comics and Legion of 3 Worlds stuff - that was all pretty decent. All downhill before and after, though.

― Chuck_Tatum, Monday, 12 November 2012 16:02 (thirteen years ago)

The stuff that's melting my brain here is the casual use of "52" as a series of comics to be read. Going back to my original question, the not-out-yet 2nd "52 Omnibus," which I now own, seems to exist in somewhat of a vacuum from the original "52 Omnibus," which I think was comprised of all the separate stories you guys are mostly talking about. Which is why I *think* I can dive into the 2nd omnibus without any prior knowledge whatsoever. So confusing!

Obviously I should just start reading it and see if I'm correct.

― The Thnig, Monday, 12 November 2012 18:22 (thirteen years ago)

The second book is supposed to be a jumping on point for brand new readers, so your premise is right. Unfortunately it's mostly unreadable crap.

The 52 we're talking about is the series 52, which is yr first omnibus and so called because it reinstated the Multiverse to the DCU and specifically 52 Earths. The second omnibus is the first issues of all the books in the New 52, the current post-Flashpoint reported DCU which has one Earth (until Earth 2 shows up later), but you don't need to know anything about Flashpoint to read it. It's not a story though, it's 52 unrelated comics. Not many of which are any good.

― passive-aggressive display name (aldo), Monday, 12 November 2012 18:33 (thirteen years ago)

It's not a story though, it's 52 unrelated comics.

Well, this sounds horrible.

― The Thnig, Monday, 12 November 2012 18:40 (thirteen years ago)

And you haven't even read them yet. Only about a dozen are any good.

― passive-aggressive display name (aldo), Monday, 12 November 2012 18:48 (thirteen years ago)

NB aldo is being very very generous because he has a crippling case of stockholm syndrome

Legion of 3 Worlds stuff - that was all pretty decent.

I picked up the first issue of this bcz hey 80s man Perez drawing the 80s Legion, flipped open to a page where someone (Lightning Lad?) tore both arms off someone and blood sprayed out across the panel - gtfo forever Geoff Johns

― good naber He help get undr control (sic), Monday, 12 November 2012 21:52 (thirteen years ago)

I stole it from somewhere else, but Geoff Johns does Action Figure Funtime at the worst possible level - he rarely think more than WOULDN'T IT BE COOL IF... then does, TINY FOOTPRINTS or something.

No, I'd say there are maybe a dozen good #1s in the Johnsiverse - Flash, Wonder Woman, Action, Batman, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Demon Knights, Aquaman (yes, the rest suck but #1 is great), OMAC, Detective, Titans, All Star Western, Suicide Squad, Stormwatch (ok, the only one really)... 14 things I could be persuaded to read again. Maybe that's the best hit rate month though.

I concede I give them leeway, but a large chunk of that is the growing realisation that the Heroic Age may well end in our lifetime. I've been drafting a blog post in my head on the topic for some time.

― passive-aggressive display name (aldo), Monday, 12 November 2012 22:05 (thirteen years ago)

New question: I have also come into possession of "The New 52 Zero Omnibus." Now, this one also looks to be 52 separate first issues, but should be pretty newbie-friendly since these are the origin stories of all of the heroes. So I'm inclined to read this one. But I'll take opinions -- were the New 52 Zero issues any good?

http://www.dccomics.com/tags/dc-comics-the-new-52-zero-omnibus

― The Thnig, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 20:19 (thirteen years ago)

No.

They're not even the origin issues of the 52 characters in yr 52 omnibus, because some of the books had been cancelled by then. Some (Phantom Stranger, Team 7) are origins for series that hadn't even started yet, some are final issues and don't deal with the origin (Resurrection Man) and one (GL: NG) ignores the fact completely it's supposed to be an origin and instead follows on from Green Lantern #12.

Good luck.

― Troughton-masked Replicant (aldo), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 20:29 (thirteen years ago)

Basically, if DC published it in the past 1.5 years, you need to do some hardcore cherrypicking. I do not even understand the rationale behind these New 52 omnibi (except as a purely cynical cash grab). But then I basically don't understand the rationale behind most things DC from Flashpoint on (particularly with respect to hiring Bob Harras).

― Come Into My Layer (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 20:55 (thirteen years ago)

"A must-have for any comics fan" - I think someone had to have more than a few showers after work that day.

― Andrew Farrell, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 21:09 (thirteen years ago)

I'm just a sucker for an 1,000+ page book with pretty colors. But I'm not paying money for these ominbi(?) so I'm under no obligation to read. So the dire warnings are much appreciated.

― The Thnig, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 21:13 (thirteen years ago)

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