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Fifty Two Volume One by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid and Keith Giffin
01/08/2007 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: Titan Books. 303 page graphic novel. Price: £11.99 (UK). ISBN: 1-84576-552-4. Buy Fifty Two in the USA - or Buy Fifty Two in the UK  check out website: www.titanbooks.com and www.dccomics.com
'Fifty Two Volume One' might also be called '52 Volume 1' but let's not dwell on that or other such numbers unless you're trying to look for it on an Internet bookshop search. All you need to know is that Volume 1 has the first 13 issues and there are three more volumes to go. The number represents the number of weeks and issues covering the events after last year's DC's 'Infinity Crisis' and a world where there is a singularly absence of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as they take a sabbatical. That's not strictly true. Clark Kent appears from time to time but without his powers can only do his day job and that's been going pretty badly lately.
The writers Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid were brought in to cover the day to day events of what does a world do that is recovering from a crisis that shook and badly damaged it. The original plan was for each writer to do an issue on rotation. Instead, they collaborated and wrote by sub-plots and characters. If anything, this collaboration made the overall story more effective and probably less jarring for layout artist Keith Giffen, especially as he has a dozen artists and inkers following his guidelines and needing consistency to pull it off.
If these first thirteen issues are anything to go by, I think things will be fine and certainly make an interesting addition to anyone's comicbook collection, especially if you buy it in bound volumes such as this.
Oddly enough, the story isn't so much to do with how the world copes without the three most power super-heroes, but to get on with the problems at hand in their own way. Flamboyant Booster Gold sees himself as the man to step in for Superman but with a commercial twist which he begins to fake to improve his ratings until he's found out. Then there is Ralph Dibney, no longer elongated but still acting the detective and following the clues hunting down the people who desecrated his wife's grave. Then there is Renee Montoya enlisted by the Question in pursuit of a mystery surrounding a warehouse and the things they found there which incidentally reintroduces Batwoman along the way. Lex Luthor is also back, putting a clone as the villain in his name, and offering meta-gene treatment to all so everyone could become super. Way to go, Lex, although I think I shall decline for the moment. Over in the Middle East, Dark Adam is developing his power base of heroes and zero tolerance as in killing any villains who trespass. In case anyone was wondering what is happening off-world, Adam Strange, Animal Man and Starfire are trapped on an alien planet trying to figure out a way home. Should I go on or would you rather me read you the book. I'm only covering the major storylines here as others are developing.
Even if you've only picked up on the DC Universe like I have last year, its not difficult to get caught up in the threads again and go along with the flow. The stories have come a long way in the past couple decades. I spotted the odd Alan Moore influence with character interaction and the writers aren't afraid to go out on a limb and do what they like now as long as the stories are interesting. Quite what the other comics are doing while this major story is flowing along I haven't a clue. There's cameos of everyone alive as you read and I'm sure the more ardent fans will be going over the pictures with a fine tooth-comb (although probably using a magnifying glass really) to see what they've missed.
Reading as a complete volume is great for story flow and switching between different storylines does not jar cos of the collaboration simply because bits from each move along with it and cross-over from time to time. At such a low price, this book is within the budget of everyone so should be bought while in a first edition as I'm sure it's going to get a massive reprint run. Looking forward to Volume Two.
GF Willmetts
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