52 was a weekly series published by DC Comics starting in May, 2006. Because I had my 52nd birthday in late 2020, I thought it might be interesting (fun?) to examine this series for its 15th anniversary. I plan to post once a week about each issue. To read previous posts, click the link (52!).

Synopsis

“God Is Fragged”

Week 20, Day 1

Supernova appears in the Batcave, looking for something. He uncovers a few cases, including the one containing Jason Todd’s Robin costume. Then he uncovers a case holding a purple and green gauntlet.

Week 20, Day 3

Steel helps some Metropolis fireman as they evacuate a burning building. Doctor Avasti arrives to show John an analysis of Luthor’s metagene therapy with the revelation that Luthor can remove the superpowers his technology has given. To Steel, that spells trouble.

Week 20, Day 6

The planetoid where Lobo, Starfire, Animal Man, and Adam Strange have stopped at is attacked by, as Lobo describes them, “interstellar carrion that feed off dead an’ dyin’ planets”. The heroes do what they can to protect the assembled aliens, but it is only by using the Emerald Eye of Ekron that the carrion are destroyed. Lobo announces it is time to leave because by using the Eye, the Head of Ekron will soon be coming for it, placing everyone on the planetoid in grave danger.

Thoughts

Weird that Supernova invades Batman’s personal space like that, and what is that gauntlet and why does he want it?! Plus, the way that he pauses when he uncovers the case with the Robin costume, is that out of respect? Did Supernova know Jason Todd as Robin? Or is it more generally about the death of a superhero?

Steel seems to be enjoying his time as Power Man, I mean, the protector of Metropolis, but what does Doctor Avasti’s analysis mean for him and his niece?

I like the sci-fi elements in the Lobo/Trio of Heroes storyline:

• The interstellar carrion that feed on dead and dying planets (that seems like a throw-away idea that could have been developed into something larger, maybe in the Green Lantern book?).
• The Head of Ekron, flying through space searching for its right Eye — it’s reminiscent of Brainiac’s ship, though with apparent organic material and mechanical parts. I also love the design: the brain dome, the double tusks, and those huge teeth! It’s a mish-mash of elements that just looks cool.
• The spontaneous regeneration of Lobo’s body from his pool of blood. It’s disturbing and awesome.

So here, I believe, is where DC retcons the origin of the Emerald Eye. Once relegated to the 30th century, the Eye did make an appearance in the 20th century DCU in the 90s series L.E.G.I.O.N., but in this 52 issue it is revealed that the Eye is part of a living (?) head. The nice thing about this change to the Eye’s history (and future history), is that it all still works.

The Origin of Adam Strange

by Waid, Nowlan, Lanham, Richards, Schaefer, Wacker

Adam Strange, as a Silver Age concept, seems like fun — blonde-haired man from Earth who travels to another planet and serves as its (white) savior? But looking at it now, from the lens of recent politics (and a bit of the take presented in the King/Gerads/Shaner Strange Adventures series), this origin does not sit well with me. Plus, if a civilization as advanced as Rann could develop an interstellar teleportation beam, why couldn’t the beam have been more precise? The way this origin tells it, it’s by chance that Strange was zapped by the Zeta beam. I guess Sardath was more of an idea man than scientist?