By various (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-84576-604-7
Recap: After Infinite Crisis DC re-set the time-line of all their publications to begin One Year Later: This allowed them to retool their characters as necessary, provided a jumping on point for new converts and also give themselves lots of narrative wiggle-room.
And DC created an ambitious weekly miniseries to tell much of the story of that “Lost Yearâ€, initially through the exploits of their minor players. It also proved a means of setting up an even more ambitious crossover event at its end. As with the previous books (52: Volumes 1 & 2 – ISBN: 1-84576-552-4 and ISBN: 978-1-84576-553-8 respectively), I’m going to encapsulate the myriad plot strands in broad terms as this is a series you really should see for yourselves.
Six months after the Infinite Crisis the World has generally moved on, but small stories are occurring that will bring the planet into another global catastrophe. Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash and many other heroes are still missing but new heroes such as Supernova, and Everyman Project graduates Infinity Incorporated have moved into the gap they left. Meanwhile Renee Montoya and The Question have undergone a life-altering journey and now she must make one final desperate trip back to the mystical Shangri La called Nanda Parbat.
Black Adam has a new family and is well on the way to becoming a force for good, but an unforgiving American Agency uses the Suicide Squad to bring tragedy and disaster back into his life just as Ralph Dibney is nearing the end of his supernatural pilgrimage with the disembodied Helmet of Fate. He is now closer than ever to his dead wife Sue.
Batman, Robin and Nightwing finally resurface far from home, and in Metropolis John Henry Irons (formerly the armoured hero Steel) has been unable to prove the sinister nature of the Everyman Project. On New Years Eve that Project reaches a grim and bloody conclusion…
Light-years from anywhere Starfire and blind Adam Strange are fighting the diabolical Lady Styx with the dubious assistance of Lobo, the Deadliest Bounty Hunter in the Universe. Their total victory is marred by the tragic, heroic death of their compatriot Animal Man. His burial in deep space is quite moving, but as the survivors head for Earth so is Animal Man… moving, that is!
In Gotham City, as everywhere, the Bible of Crime is converting thugs into zealots. Nightwing’s first meeting with Batwoman is amidst a tidal wave of fanatics and monsters, but does it presage a new partnership? Elsewhere, other heroes are also slowly reappearing…
The assembled Mad Scientists of Oolong Island in the China Seas have created unbelievably dangerous weapons. Just what kind of maniac lets such people keep them, though? And all the while Booster Gold and Rip Hunter are searching time and space for the mastermind behind the incipient end of the universe, and are very close to discovering the ultimate secret of “52â€.
This volume collects issues #27-39 of the weekly serial and the ongoing storylines are racing towards a mighty conclusion, picking up speed and losing characters. This is where the body-count starts to hit home as new favourites and old begin their final adventures.
Jointly written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid, with breakdowns by Keith Giffen, 52 volume 3 is drawn by Chris Batista, Joe Bennett, Tom Derenick, Jamal Igle, Phil Jimenez, Drew Johnson, Dan Jurgens, Shawn Moll, Patrick Olliffe, Joe Prado and Andy Smith, with inks by Mariah Benes, Joe Bennett, Keith Champagne, Drew Geraci, Dan Green, Jack Jadson, Ruy José, Andy Lanning, Jay Leisten, Dave Meikis, Nelson, Rodney Ramos, Norm Rapmund, Prentis Rollins and Ray Snyder. The colouring is by David Baron, Hi-Fi, Pete Pantazis and Alex Sinclair, lettering by Phil Balsman, Pat Brosseau, Jared K. Fletcher, Rob Leigh and Travis Lanham, and the amazing original covers are by J. G. Jones and Sinclair.
By this third volume the sheer bravado of the thing is finally paying off. The result is a qualitative success that truly shows that at least somebody in modern comics is prepared to take a few risks and push a few envelopes.
© 2006, 2007 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.