COMIC: 52 Volume 1

In recent years DC have been the comic world’s whipping boys, and for the most part they’ve deserved it. Taking much-loved characters and turning them into one-line jokes, and their insistence on crowbarring the big-three (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman) into every single damn storyline regardless of whether it’s warranted have tested the patience of even though biggest of DC fanboys.

52 is a brave attempt at trying a new formula, where the big three are gone (but not forgotten) and a whole host of lesser characters are thrust into the limelight. With a new issue every week for a whole year (52 geddit?), the series was heralded as an example of the new DC, one that would win back old fans, create new ones, and did not require any knowledge of comic-lore.

So does it succeed? Well, yes and no.

Quite how readers managed to stay interested in this series on a week-by-week basis is staggering. Even as a collection of the first 13 weeks, Volume 1 is initially a lumbering collection of plot strands with very few redeeming features. It is a struggle to maintain interest with the fleeting storylines and unfamiliar characters. However, persevere, and a complex interweaving story begins to unravel and draw the reader in. Yes, it’d perhaps be easier to get into with background knowledge about the characters, but are there any books, comics, movies or TV series where that isn’t the case?

Give the collection time to bed in though, and time travel, an axis of evil-esque strand, noirish thriller and good old fashioned action combine to create an unpredictable and enjoyable ride.

52 is clearly aimed at the older reader, with its unflinching violence and seedy undertones. Furthermore, the wordy ‘extras’ at the end of each installment giving details on the creative process would surely drive away younger readers.

The artwork is as slick as you’d expect, but nothing outstanding, while the writing is solid but can be patchy, as would be expected from a team of four writers. However, keep an eye out for Mark Waid’s sparkling dialogue.

Like only seeing one quarter of a 24 part TV series, it’s hard to come up with a reliable verdict, but on the evidence of this volume, 52 looks like it could produce the goods for DC. Roll on part two.

Buy 52 Volume 1 here.