52! - 52 finished

luke52

Hi Guys,

I need help! I'm currently buying up tpb's of @Pants favorite, 52.

I'd really like to make this my 'reading project' for the year. As such I'd like to extend the story and my reading either side of 52. I've seen additional trades like the 52 Companion and the Four Hourseman, which either add to the reading experience or the story respectively. I know Infinite Crisis procedes 52 and I've heard WW3 follows.

What I really want is some sort of reading list, using 52 as the central point. Ideally this would be a list of trades I can pick up rather then individual issues.

Can you help? Where would you start? Where would you end?

Any help would be appreciated as usual.

Thanks in advance!

Nick

I bought my friends the trades of 52 two years ago for Christmas. The only thing i really read was the main story (trades 1-4 encompass it all) and then World War 3 is in between issues 49 and 50 I think. I don't think you have to read that story, the main 52 books is where the jam is.

CageNarleigh

Now I don't know if you know this or not, but just in cast you don't there IS an Omnibus option for the 52 series. I was going to start buying trades until I saw the Omnibus solicited. That's my way to read it now.

Marathon

Personally I'd start with the run-up to Infinite Crisis.

The story of 52 is such a consequence of Infinite Crisis that you should start there. However you need an overview of the state of the DC universe at the time so that means reading the set-up mini-series from before Infinite Crisis first.

Luckily, in my opinion all this stuff was some of the best DC comics in years, so I don't mind recommending the extra cost of these books.

So, to list them:

The OMAC Project (Read this first as it includes Countdown to Infinite Crisis - the main starting point to the whole story)
Day of Vengeance
Rann/Thanagar War
Villains United
JLA: Crisis of Conscience
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis: Companion
52
Booster Gold
Black Adam: The Dark Age
52 Aftermath: The Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood (The Question/Batwoman)
Detective Comics (Batwoman/The Question)

If anyone can add to that (maybe Adam Strange: Planet Heist should go first, maybe even Identity Crisis?)

mwhitt80

@luke52‌ all you need to read are the 52 trades and ww3

Chuck_Melville

Marathon said:

If anyone can add to that (maybe Adam Strange: Planet Heist should go first, maybe even Identity Crisis?)

I would definitely add them as both, at least, contain elements that crop up throughout the Infinite Crisis and 52. Planet Heist, in fact, contains the first clues to the return of certain characters (whom I will not name just in case @Luke52 wasn't aware of it beforehand) who are prominent in the Infinite Crisis series.

luke52

Thanks for all the input guys, it's a big help. Looks like I have quite a read on my hands. So I'm definitely going to look to pick up Omac and Ininite Crisis. I'll probably look to get another couple of those lead on to Infinite Crisis books too. Day of Vengence and Planet Heist sound particularly interesting.

Couple more questions...

After Infinite Crisis is there any books to bridge the gap between that and 52 or does it lead right in?

I also keep seeing The Four Horsemen as a 52 aftermath book. Worth getting?

@Marathon thanks for the list, really helpful.

@Chuck_Melville‌ thanks for no spoilers.

I'm really excited to get into this part of the pre-new 52 universe.

WetRats

Just be sure to slam on the brakes before Countdown.

Chuck_Melville

Infinite Crisis leads directly into 52.

In addition, though this isn't something you absolutely need to follow up on, all of the DC titles that came out the month following Infinite Crisis jumped ahead a year with each title showing surprising character situations, some of which were only explained through 52 (and a lot more which, though they were supposed to be, weren't.) 52 itself was unique in that it was a weekly comic that covered the story in real time -- that is, each issue told a week's worth of events.

World War III is a good addition to 52, though, as mentioned elsewhere, the important stuff is covered within 52 itself -- it just makes for some interesting additional material.

luke52

Chuck_Melville said:

Infinite Crisis leads directly into 52.

In addition, though this isn't something you absolutely need to follow up on, all of the DC titles that came out the month following Infinite Crisis jumped ahead a year with each title showing surprising character situations, some of which were only explained through 52 (and a lot more which, though they were supposed to be, weren't.) 52 itself was unique in that it was a weekly comic that covered the story in real time -- that is, each issue told a week's worth of events.

World War III is a good addition to 52, though, as mentioned elsewhere, the important stuff is covered within 52 itself -- it just makes for some interesting additional material.

That's pretty cool, the 24 of the comic world...

World War 3 looking pretty interesting too.

WetRats

luke52 said:

I also keep seeing The Four Horsemen as a 52 aftermath book. Worth getting?

No.

David_D

@luke52‌ You've got some great reading ahead.

To add to the advice you already have, I would say that 52 could totally be read on its own. I didn't to it this way, but having read it a few times, the story really is very well self-contained Even the separate WW3 miniseries (and at the time I hated that they strayed from the main book for an extra bit of cashing in) is not something you actually have to read. Sure, there are things you see in more detail in WW3, but to my memory there are no story beats you need that are not also covered in 52.

But you did say you wanted to make it the reading project for the year, so I will echo others that you can read the lead-up. And this was a time when DC had a series of- to me, others may disagree- really excellent big stories in a row. I was never a big DCU person growing up, but this series of stories started right around the time I was getting back into reading a lot of comics, and so it was perfect timing for me.

If some of the longer lists posted above seem daunting, you could also just narrow it to the big touchstones that lead up to 52. Like those miniseries that supported Infinite Crisis are some great reading, but I think you could read Infinite Crisis without it. And I would recommend starting back at Identity Crisis. It set the tone for where the DCU was going (to be fair, much to some of the readers' dismay), and it is a story that impacts one of the main cast members of 52. Also? It is fantastic. (Again, I know others hated it.)

So a shorter list could be-

Identity Crisis

Countdown to Infinite Crisis (you could probably still find the floppy issue cheap, or else get it in the OMAC Project trade)

Infinite Crisis

52

And then, as long as you don't mind doing some things out of order, you could see what characters or elements from 52 were your favorite, and use that to decide what you want to read more of, either going forward (e.g. 52 Aftermath The Crime Bible, Black Adam), or that preceded (e.g. if you enjoyed the magical elements of 52, go back for Days of Vengeance).

And, enjoy! Let us know what you think. And the episodes about Infinite Crisis and 52 that CGS did might make for some fun time capsules now, if you want to feel like you've got some enthusiastic people to read along with.

Chuck_Melville

luke52 said:

I also keep seeing The Four Horsemen as a 52 aftermath book. Worth getting?

Only if you're a completist or a fan of Snapper Carr. I'm both so it was good for me. But it's not as good as 52, so it's not really for everyone. More of an acquired taste.

Happenstance

How easy are the 52 trades to find over in the US anyway? It took me ages to get all 4 here in the UK.

David_D

Chuck_Melville said:

luke52 said:

I also keep seeing The Four Horsemen as a 52 aftermath book. Worth getting?

Only if you're a completist or a fan of Snapper Carr. I'm both so it was good for me. But it's not as good as 52, so it's not really for everyone. More of an acquired taste.

Agreed! I thought it was a mess. Probably the weakest of all the associated products that had a "52" on the cover. (I would put WW3 as the second weakest. . . though my dislike of that mini is colored by the fact that I really disliked their choice to try to make 52 seem NOT self-contained in the final month of the story).

Nick

Happenstance said:

How easy are the 52 trades to find over in the US anyway? It took me ages to get all 4 here in the UK.

I know they used to be easy to get, apparently the trades are out of print now, but Amazon has them for less than cover on the secondary market.

@luke52 after you are done with the main story, the hardcover of JG Jones' covers is also worth getting. Every two pages shows the cover and then he has a blurb about his process on what he did for that cover. Personally, I think the 52 covers are just as impressive as the story itself.

luke52

Again, thanks for all the input guys. This is why I love these forums!

So far I have or have ordered...

The Omac Project
Infinite Crisis Companion
52 vol1
52 vol2
52 vol3

What I am definitely going to get...

Identity Crisis (reading up on this after reading these posts, I'm interested)
Days Of Vengence (@David_D I am into the magical side of things so this is a must I think)
Infinite Crisis
52 vol4 (this has been the biggest challenge to find and are pricey on amazon or eBay, but I'm pulling the trigger and getting this)

As far as the post-52 books go, I think I have a little longer to decide with.

I will also be sure to get this thread up to date as to how I'm getting on.

Marathon

I don't want to foist another book on you to buy, but if you get Identity Crisis then you should get the JLA Crisis of Conscience book as well. It's all about the fallout from IC.

Also, if you haven't bought any of the 52 trades yet, think about splashing out on the omnibus edition. It might work out cheaper considering the crazy prices on vol 4.

luke52

I already have the first three, I'll hold off on the omnibus. I did look at getting that instead of the trade, but thought it would just be too big to be an easy read.

I'll take look at the jla book.

Marathon

Here's vol 4 on ebay ending tomorrow:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/52-graphic-novel-volume-4-Grant-Morrison-Booster-Gold-Animal-Man-Geoff-Johns-/111313529141

luke52

Yeah, there's a couple I'm watching on there at the moment, thanks @Marathon.

luke52

So quick update with how my book gathering is going... It's been pricey month...

I have got...

Identity Crisis
The Day of Vengence
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis Companion
52 vol1
52 vol2
52 vol3
52 vol4
World War III

I've also decided to go all out so I'm also still looking to pick up...

Rann/Thanagar War
Villains United
JLA: Crisis of Conscience

I'm going to look into the 52 aftermath stuff a little further down the line.

A lot if reading coming up and u can't wait to get into it!

luke52

After a few weeks trawling the internet, buying trades, I am about to start my journey from Planet Heist to World War III. I have a total of 122 issues ahead of me, taking me through the below trades...

Planet Heist
Identity Crisis
JLA: Crisis of Conscience
The Omac Project
Rann-Thanagar War
Day of Vengeance
Villains United
Infinite Crisis
JLA: World Without a Justice League
Infinite Crisis Companion
52 vol1
52 vol2
52 vol3
52 vol4
World War III

This going to be quite a task, but I'm excited to finally read this story. I'll post my thoughts as I go. Feel free to join me in commenting as I go with your thoughts of the books, but please please please no spoilers on what I haven't read yet. I'll update the name of this thread to include the book that I'm currently reading.

Wish me luck! First up, Adam Strange: Planet Heist.

Mr_Cosmic

Doesn't the Countdown issue fit in there somewhere?

luke52

Yep, that is included in the Omac trade.

Mr_Cosmic

Ok, just wanted to make sure you got a chance to read it as it has some important stuff.

luke52

So two days in and I've just finished Adam Strange: Planet Heist.

Adam Strange is a character I've never read before, so Rann and everything else is new to me. I think this was a perfect introduction to the character for me. Adam and his backstory was a good one. A sort of reverse Superman in a few ways. I really liked the Omega Men too, a little humour for the story. Knowing a little about Thanagarians from my JLA reading it was cool to find out they are long term enemies of Rann. It'll be good to see how that plays out in the Rann Thanagar War trade.

The story was a real page turner and the art fit in well. I'm looking forward to getting to the Rann Thanagar War trade now, as well as seeing what happens to Adam Strange in the new JLU book.

Good start, now onto Identity Crisis.

@Marathon‌ and @Chuck_Melville‌ thanks for the heads up on this one!

SolitaireRose

I LOVED this era of DC. It really felt like they were on a path, and the stories were a lot of fun. The Adam Strange mini-series didn't sell all that well, but when DC started making noises that it was the start of something big, the shop I consulted with bet big on it...and sold a TONNE of them at Conventions for a little over cover and made out like bandits.

Chuck_Melville

It's always been a fascination to me just how drastically the Thanagarians have changed since the Silver Age. Originally, they were portrayed as an evolving super-scientific race with an extremely strong ethic for justice, and were actually consulted by neighboring worlds on special cases. Hawkman and Hawkgirl were initially sent to Earth as a fact-finding mission (after tracking down a rogue Thanagarian criminal) to learn about Earth's crimefighting techniques. But that began to change with the introduction of the Equalizer Virus in an issue of Justice League Of America during the 70's, when the entire populace of Thanagar was reduced to a world of Average People -- nobody was ever worse than average, but nobody was greater than that either. That started them on the road to a cultural downfall when, in a bid to regain a degree of superiority, they initiated a Shadow War of conquest during the early 80's.

Following the Crisis On Infinite Earths. when the entire multiverse got a makeover -- actually, in Hawkman's case, it was a couple of years afterwards -- Thanagar was reinvented as a kind of intergalactic Rome which had fallen into degeneration, corruption and strife, standing on the brink of its own collapse. What you see in Planet Heist is a further development of that Thanagar.

I've always loved Adam Strange, though his heyday really was during the Silver Age, with great sci-fi adventure stories written by Gardner Fox and drawn by the great Carmine Infantino. If you get the itch to explore some of those early works, there's a couple of volumes of Adam Strange Archives to look into.

luke52

Thanks Chuck, that's very interesting stuff. I think this is something I'd consider picking up should the opportunity arise, at a con or in a sale somewhere.

So I have just finished off Identity Crisis. This felt like a classic 'who done it'. It had me guessing right until the end. I particularly liked the family oriented slant on this, and quite nicely tied into Planet Heist before with that feel. It was very well written, heartbreaking and touching.

I like that Green Arrow got lot of play here and the fact that the 'A' listers played a very withdrawn role, but we're still critical to the story.

One question I do have though, and something that had me scratching my head. Hal Jordan, The Spectre, how did that happen? Although he played a very minor role in the story, when he cropped up as The Spectre it did have me wondering how that came to be.

Two books down and I've really enjoyed both. I hope the quality continues! Next up, JLA: Crisis of Conscience.

little_witch

Identity Crisis has got to be one of my favourite stories but people are right, stop before Countdown. Though some of the stories that come after 52 (the one year later stuff) and before countdown are quite good.