52 Omnibus (2022 edition) (The 52 Omnibus)

Countdown to Infinite Crisis, available in Infinite Crisis Omnibus, and this 52 Omnibus, both prior to the, (by my estimation, with no judgment for those who love it) YAWN - New 52 (so quickly replaced by Rebirth which had a glimmer of goodness that, naturally, DC rapidly wiped away) - represent the last great era of the publishing behemoth we know as DC. Yup. Hyperbole. THE LAST GREAT ERA. One may be tempted to locate that last era immediately prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths, and I will concede that a kind of multiverse ennui, symptomatic with a genuine boredom at relentless line-wide relaunches, has made comics the sister to boxing with its 'alphabet soup' champions -- (weird analogy, sorry) -- in terms of giving readers the sense that so little ever matters, because we can wipe it all away or pretend everything is fine... but these relaunches exhaust the mind and exile new readers.... in addition, they prevent writers from telling lovely, disciplined contained stories. They inhibit character development and overvalue the origin (every origin is now near pointless, as is every new take that can be wiped away) with this mad array of characters who always have several analogs being the same character in the "he is the Robin of Earth 2208, the one and who had a long, messy relationship with Deborah Messing of "Wil and Grace," suffered from irritable bowel syndrome, and watched his parents, two extreme sports champions die in a skateboarding collision, oh, and I'm vegan, but I despise tofu which makes it really hard to have me as a guest at a party, but otherwise I wear a red shirt and green eye-mask, and I leap and kick a lot. Wow, YUCK! Who cares? Wait, in this world, Superman is a grumpy Care Bear, the last son of Careownia, raised by alternate reality Jay-Z and struck by lightning; this Superman always works double shifts at Target where, in the breakroom, he pretends a bag of candy was torn into and downs Peanut M-n-Ms without paying for 'em.... I mean, that is HOW EXCITING a new Superman can be! Holy Don't give a darn in heck, Batman, says a jaded Ned Flanders, concerned with how easily the word heck slipped from his lips! But I must say 52, the above book, with its Adam Strange, Animal Man, and Starfire stuck on a planet, and Ralph Dibny and rainy pages and Detective Chimp comes off as fresh, especially in the wake of a Rann-Thanagar War, OMAC insanity and the abrupt exodus of the one true Blue Beetle (Ted!) who mattered, with the advent of a strong Booster Gold, and not one of the big three in sight is pretty cool material that reads at a clip, is expertly illustrated, had awesome covers, and man it is nice to see T.O. Morrow come off the bench and get some play, all of which is to say it is a love letter to DC, the REAL DC, the messy apotheosis of all things DC in a super unembarrassed DC way! Peace, Holmes. I'm looking at you, Sherlock.

When the 52 series originally ran from May of 2006 to May of 2007, it was an unprecedented undertaking by the company to release an event title on a weekly basis in real time. Another factor that sets this apart from other titles is that it is the result of collaboration between four authors, often considered the best in DC's roster. This hefty book collects all 52 issues together, and most if not all the issues are 20 pages in length. While this alone ought to seem filling, those who read the books back during their original run may be somewhat disappointed with the lack of extras here in this omnibus. Many of the original books came with short biography sections at the end where the reader was given a brief rundown of the history of the universe's lesser known characters. Here you will almost only get the story itself, with the extras being a short intro by Paul Levitz and production sketches laced throughout. The series itself is an action-packed run with a dynamite ending; the editing out is just something you experienced readers may wish to know about in advance. One of the objectives in launching this project was to give the audience a look at the DC universe without its biggest three names to lead the charge. This year with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman stepping down and the B- and C-listers stepping up to fill the void is a compelling drama. It is well worth the price of the book and the time it will take to wade through it.

Never A Dull Moment!!

The 52 Omnibus collects 52 #1 to #52, so that's the complete series packed up in one big 1.216 pages book. The weekly series "52" is one of the most interesting and better-accomplished projects of DC Comics from the last decade. With a brain trust of writers consisting of Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Mark Waid and Greg Rucka the expectations were high and the actual results were even higher than one could have anticipated. The genre of the stories included in 52 range from magic and mystics, to science fiction and cosmic epics, to mystery and crime. This series never bores you and always manages to surprise you. There are a lot of story arcs that eventually interconnect with each other, an a BIG thread that starts and end the series (which of course I won't spoil). This maxiseries picks up literally right after Infinite Crisis. Each issue narrates an entire week of the DC Universe in "real time", so once you put the fifty-two issues together you get a whole year of stories. 52 Omnibus is the perfect companion for the Infinite Crisis Omnibus, as it is its direct sequel. However, 52 is quite a stand-alone series. You don't really need to read Infinite Crisis to understand 52, just by reading the 1-page recap included at the beginning of the book and/or online sum-ups you will be okay to enjoy this Omnibus. * * * * THE CHARACTERS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 52 features a wide array of characters. These are the main ones: - Booster Gold and Skeets, his robot from the future. - The new Batwoman (the same one from the current New-52 ongoing series), Reneé Montoya (from the Gotham City Police Department) and The Question. - Ralph Dibny (the Elongated Man), still dealing with the aftermath of Identity Crisis. - John Henry Irons (Steel) and her nephew Natasha. - Animal Man, Adam Strange and Starfire, all of them involved together in a terrific space adventure. - Will Magnus, creator of the Metal Men. - Black Adam, in his search for redemption, one of the highest points of 52. - Lex Luthor, amazingly written. - Lobo, in quite a different take from the character. And many, many more characters that I can't list as to not spoil the events. All of these characters are pushed to the very limit, and that's one of the main reasons that make 52 such an outstanding series. You won't miss at all the big players of the DC Universe like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman or Green Lantern (they all play nice small parts anyway!), because the featured cast will win your heart over. Every character has a very carefully planned and developed arc with a clear beginning, middle and ending. * * * * THE ARTISTS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Keith Giffen provides the art breakdowns for every issue of the series, assuring a sense of unity in the overall layout of the pages. The pencillers list is large and it includes some very talented artists, such as Joe Bennett, Eddy Barrows and Chris Batista doing most of the bulk of issues and Phil Jimenez, Darick Robertson, Justiniano, Giuseppe Camuncoli among others gracing the pages in other individual issues. The art is overall good and truly great sometimes. You can argue that some issues are not as well illustrated as others, but given the titanic effort it took to accomplish such a complex project, DC did really fine. * * * * ABOUT THE EDITION * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITIVE aspects: + This is a sewn-binding book, which is vital for such a big edition, as it allows to read it comfortably since it lays flat on the table. The gutter-loss is almost non-existant, so you can fully appreciate the artwork. This looks like a very high quality binding destined to last for a lifetime. And by the way, this sewn-binding is a bit more flexible than the previous Invisibles Omnibus published by DC (though it's still not as flexible as Marvel Omnibuses). It's great to see that DC keep improving in this aspect. + The paper stock is heavy weight and glossy, you don't see the art through the pages. The printing quality is excellent, with sharp reproductions of the illustrations and vibrant colors. NEGATIVE aspects: - The "World War III" 4-issues mini-series is NOT included. This is a real shame, as these mini-series takes place between issues #49 and #50. The inclusion of WW III would have meant only 96 more pages. This is a 1.216 pages book, while The Invisibles Omnibus was a freaking 1.536 pages long book for exactly the same price, so there's really no excuse for the omission of WW III. - The presentation of the book leaves something lot to be desired: the hardback consists of plain black cardboard with cheap engraving details. This is unacceptable for a 150 dollars edition. I was expecting a proper printed hardback like the one in The Invisibles Omnibus, unfortunately, it was not the case. * * * * EXTRAS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Even though this Omnibus packs around 70 pages of extras scattered all over the book (they are placed at the begining of each chapter), the previous 4 volume TPB edition included MUCH MORE extras that were OMITTED in this Omnibus. This edition mostly includes sketches by cover artist J.G. Jones, extracted from the "52: The Covers HC" and interior pages skectches, pencils and inks extracted from the TPB editions. Now, in the TPB edition each one of the 52 issues featured a 1 or 2-pages DVD style commentary section, most of them by Mark Waid and Greg Rucka themselves, as well as some by Dan Didio and other editors (plus more sketches and thumbnails) that are NOT INCLUDED HERE AT ALL. It's a TERRIBLE SHAME, because those were some of the most elaborated extras I've ever seen in these kind of collected editions and gave a unique insight to the series. What really bothers me is that those extras already existed, DC didn't have to take the time or the effort to create them, they just needed to reprint them, simple as that. This Omnibus could have easily had 300 more pages (like the Invisibles Omnibus indeed does) to accommodate the inclusion of both WW III and that massive load of extras, but of course, DC just didn't care for it. Absolutely shameful. SPECIAL NOTE: The original weekly issues of 52 also included a 10-part "History of the DC Universe" by Dan Jurgens & Art Thibert (with a total of 40 pages put together) and a section of 2-pages "Secret Origin" sum-ups of many DC caharacters by top-talent artists. That material is NOT included here, but I don't necessarily think that's a problem. While it's definitely great stuff, it has pretty much nothing to do with the 52 series, so the omission of that material is something that can make sense from an editorial point of view, in my opinion. * * * * CONCLUSION * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * DC puzzles me with this edition: they are certainly taking steps to improve their Omnibus line with an excellent sewn-binding and great paper stock, but they mess it up with a poor presentation and missing material. 52 is one the best DC series I've ever read, so if you can get it with a deep discount, I recommend you to buy it. But if the price seems too much, you can always get the 4-volumes TPB edition (plus the World War III stand-alone TPB) for a more affordable price (and with the advantage of getting those precious extras). I previously owned those TPBs and they are a nice edition indeed, but I sold them as soon as I heard of this Omnibus. Don't get me wrong, I'm quite happy having 52 in this format, because I love Omnibuses and the series deserved this deluxe tratment, but now part of me regrets giving up those TPB full of extras goodies. So my final conclusion is this: read 52, no matter what format, because it's an excellent series. Each edition has its pros and its cons: if you want a deluxe edition to show off in your shelf, with a higher paper stock and printing quality, oversized art and great binding, go for the Omnibus. However if you want a more affordable edition, confortable to read anywhere, and a load of DVD-style extras, go for the TPBs.

Great Book! Read it over a weekend and it was so fun. Expect to meet some great new characters if you are not so familiar with the DC universe other than the main three. I purchased for $58.91 in July 2017, which I feel is great for a 1,216 page book. Additional Note: Do not expect Amazon to deliver your Omnibuses to you in 100% perfect condition, you will be disappointed. I have ordered 4, and although they are nicely plastic wrapped and come with some air cushions, the sides tend to get bent and the covers will be slightly damaged (especially near the corners). I guess that you get what you pay for. Additional Note 2: expect to look up a Youtube video on how to open one of these books if you have not learned before. Kind of lame, but I think it will help in the long run.

My order came exactly as advertised, and even showed up earlier than expected. No complaints here!

I’m a sucker for long story telling and this one really delivers.😎

Muy buen producto!

Excellent story and the book is high quality

Recibido sin complicaciones, a tiempo y en menos de un día y sin ningún imperfecto. Compila toda la historia de los originales 52 , de colección y lectura obligatoria. Excelente compilación .

The story, the art, the cover gallery, was mind blowing 👌

I purchased this book through a third party seller and it came in great condition and I’m happy with the deal I got. Thank you!

After recently getting back into the DC world I was intrigued by this omnibus having missing many of the major events that took place over the years. I was no disappointed at all in this massive tome when it arrived. The paper quality is superb and the colours rich. Having been away from this universe for a long time and never having heard of such characters as Booster Gold I found the story very accessible and it's encourged me to get more of these wonderful omnibus editions. The Infinite Crisis omnibus is the perfect companion to this book, being it's immediate pre-cursor. But it's not essential to enjoying the content here. The only warning is that the sheer size of this book can present a challenge, it's standard hardback size but the thickness and weight can make it awkward to handle. I would recommend this volume to anyone with an interest in comics or story telling, a very worthy accomplishment.