| 52: The
Multiverse is Reborn |
| When Alexander Luthor's multiverse collapses, the leftover energy
spawns a new multiverse — 52 identical universes. In
space, the Red Tornado glimpses
this, maps the universes, and learns how to produce the vibrational
frequencies to travel between them. These parallel universes are
each surrounded by a Source Wall, and there is "anti-life"
between Walls. An extra-dimensional "limbo" called the
Bleed is mobile and appears within the anti-life. It allows quick
trnasport between universes. |
52 #52 (5.07), Countdown #39 (10.07) |
| The new multiverse rebirths 52 new Monitors and Anti-Monitor
(in the antimatter universe). Both the Monitor and Anti-Monitor
have knowledge of the new multiverse. Over the next year, the Monitors
assemble a society to survey and protect the new multiverse from
a nexus that exists everywhere at once. They cannot, however, see
into the Bleed. They control new Shadow Demons, which come from
the anti-life (though some Monitors abhor them). Meanwhile, the
Anti-Monitor takes over Biot, home of the Manhunters. He recruits
the Cyborg Superman to aid him in retrofitting the androids to
run off the power batteries of kidnapped Green Lanterns. He then
puts the Weaponers of Qward to work, creating a multitude of yellow
power rings powered by raw yellow fear of the Parallax entity.
He summons Sinestro to begin building a corps of "Sinestros." NOTE: The
new Manhunters first appeared in Green Lantern v.4 #3. Sinestro
is first seen recruiting others in #10. |
Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special (8.07), Countdown
#39 (10.07) |
| Heroes grieve for Superboy. Metropolis explodes into metahuman
war. Bane kills Judomaster. Prometheus kills Deadline. Black Adam
beheads Amazo. Superboy kills Grundy, Mongrel, Geist, Razorsharp,
Ballistic, Nightblade, Baron Blitzkreig, Charaxes and Major Disaster.
The Supermen burst in to save the day, taking on Doomsday. Dr.
Light has regained her powers. Superman-2 confronts Alex Luthor
finally, but is overcome by Superboy. Bart Allen returns, having
grown several years and wearing his grandfather's uniform. He claims
that he was the only Flash to be able to return to help against
Superboy. Superboy heads for Oa, hoping its destruction will restart
the universe. En route, he blasts Zauriel and Breach (who turns
into Captain Atom). Looker and Technocrat may have been caught
in this blast. Alex Luthor blasts Nightwing. The Lanterns merely
slow Superboy, who kills Galius Zed and a Lantern that looks like
Tellus. Batman confronts Alex, picking up a gun, and fries, but
the gun is empty. Wonder Woman enters with a sword and throws it
down. In a way, they're even now. A buildling collapses and buries
Alex. The Supermen take Superboy into a kryptonite field, which
doesn't affect him as much, they continue to head straight through
Krypton's sun, and crash land on Mogo. All of them find their powers
diminished. Superman-2 dies from the battle after saying goodbye
to Power Girl, Superman-1 is left powerless among kryptonite and
Superboy is taken captive by the Lantern Corps. Many of the heroes
who were in space disappear. A boy on a beach finds a lantern (that
of the Tangent universe Green Lantern). Bart hands over the Flash
mantle to Jay again, saying that Wally and Linda disappeared with
their twins. the Speed Force is destroyed and Bart's power is gone.
Jay retains his metahuman speed. Alex Luthor is found by Lex and
the Joker, who is still bitter about being ignored. Joker kills
him. Diana, Clark and Bruce meet in Gotham. Clark is powerlesss,
Diana sets out to find herself, and Bruce plans to take Dick and
Tim on a trip of rediscovery. Final page foreshadows things to
come. On Oa, Superboy plots a way out of his green prison. 32 Lanterns
died. 50 now guard him. NOTE: When this
story was collected in trade paperback, the clicking sound of Batman
firing the gun was removed. |
Infinite Crisis #7 (6.06) |
| When Alexander Luthor's rift in space collapses,
a reality-warping wave sweeps across the Polaris system, hitting
Donna Troy's band of heroes as Mal Duncan tries to open a portal
to Rann. The Red Tornado's speaking apparatus becomes fused to
Mal's chest. Supergirl is thrust into the 31st century. Adam Strange
is blinded; he, Starfire and Animal Man are stranded on a tropical
planet. The Red Tornado is destroyed. Cyborg and Firestorm have
been merged. Hawkgirl grows to 25 feet tall. Alan Scott loses an
eye. |
52 #5 (6.06) |
| The Elongated Man's house is destroyed by the Monster
Society of Evil. He contemplates suicide but is stopped by a message
on his answering machine. The funeral home tells him that Sue's
grave has been defaced. The Question visits Renee Montoya,
who is drinking herself to death. Dr. Sivana and other "mad
scientists" are abducted by Intergang, who are secretly working
with the Chinese on Oolong Island to orchestrate Black
Adam's downfall. Booster
Gold becomes Metropolis' protector, using information gleaned
from the future and stored by Skeets. They attend a memorial for
fallen heroes where, according to Skeets, Superman, Wonder Woman
and Batman are scheduled to appear and Jimmy Olsen would take a
Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph. Booster is rudely awakened when
none of these things occur. NOTES: Though 52 was
plotted as a team, each of the four writers can be identified with
more specific story arcs: Black Adam by Goeff Johns, the
Question by Greg Rucka, Elongated Man by Mark Waid and the space
team by Grant Morrison. |
52 #1 (5.06) |
| Dr. Sivana discovers the compound Suspendium,
which is artificial time in particle form. He subjects Mr. Mind
to the metal and the creature disappears. |
52 #39 (1.07) |
| Booster takes Skeets to Will
Magnus for examination. Magnus then visits his old mentor,
T.O. Morrow, in Haven penitentiary. Morrow has been following
the news of the scientists disappearing (IQ, Dr. Cyclops, Dr.
Death, Sivana, Mad Doctor, Dr. Tyme). During this visit, Mr.
Mind takes over Skeets shell as a new cocoon during his metamorphosis.
Donna Troy assumes Harbinger's former job as keeper of the history
of the multiverse. NOTE: This is the
first evidence that the Metal Men were "rebooted" by
the Infinite Crisis. Prior to this, Will Magnus had become one
of his own creations, Veridium. Skeets' presence is revealed
in #52. |
52 #2 (5.06) |
| Gotham police find the body of Alexander Luthor
Jr., which has been changed to look like Lex Luthor. S.T.A.R. Labs
discover that the dead Luthor is a doppleganger. Lex uses this
as his excuse — that it was the impostor who committed all
the crimes he'd been accused of. Intergang approaches Black Adam
in Kahndaq seeking an alliance. They offer him a captive woman
(Adrianna Tomaz). He kills them. When he opens his embassy
in New York, Adam kills the Terra Man on television. NOTE: Adrianna
is not named until #10. |
52 #3 (5.06) |
| John (Steel) Irons finds he has been has been
somehow tainted (later discovered to be Luthor's Everyman technology);
his skin is turning to stainless steel. Ralph Dibny meets Wonder
Girl's Cult of Conner, including member Devem. In space,
Halo aids in bringing Donna Troy's deep-space team back to Earth.
The Zeta Beam-like transmission is received in Western Australia
where heroes return, but in bad shape: Alan Scott, Hawkgirl, Firestorm,
Cyborg, Bumblebee and Mal. |
52 #4 (5.06) |
| Lex Luthor announces that he has isolated the metagene
and can give anyone super powers. John Irons finds Mal Duncan repeating "52" through
the through the Red Tornado's speaking apparatus. |
52 #5 (6.06) |
| Booster visits Rip Hunter's facility in Arizona
and finds mad messages scrawled everywhere, including one that
implicates Booster in some horrible event. The Green Lanterns pursue
Evil Star into Chinese airspace and run afoul of the Chinese's
new metahuman agents, Great
Ten: August General in Iron (armor-clad), Immortal
Man-in-Darkness (with a ship that forms around him), the Socialist
Red Guardsman, Celestial Archer (not named until Checkmate #4), Thundermind (who
channels Buddhist power) and Mother of Champions (who gives
birth to supermen). Their operation is run by the Accomplished Perfect
Physician from the "Great Wall." They call in "coalition" support
from neighboring nations. The Lanterns destroy Evil Star's ship
regardless, but are then attacked by Black Adam. The Rocket Reds
also appear and allow the Lanterns passage into Russia. |
52 #6 (6.06) |
| Upon reading Hunter's notes, Booster realizes Skeets
is harboring Mr. Mind. He and Rip plot Booster's "death" and
send him back in time as Supernova. They use his own future corpse
for authenticity. They then use Superman's Phantom Zone projector
to simulate light and teleportation powers. Hunter uses the Atom's
belt to hide in the shrunken city of Kandor. |
52 #37 (1.07) |
| Renee Montoya call on her former lover, Katherine
Kane, who is not happy to see her. |
52 #7 (6.06) |
| In metropolis, a new protector, Supernova,
steps in to fill Superman's shoes. He eludes all attempts to question
him. Luthor accepts applicants for his gene therapy, but notices
Natasha Irons in the crowd and singles her out for special treatment. NOTE: The
character of Supernova is based on Nova, an alias of Superman's
from World's
Finest #178 (1968). |
52 #8 (6.06) |
| Natasha becomes part of a teen
group assembled by Luthor. She now has super-strength and
invulnerability. Batwoman watches Renee and the Question. |
52 #9 (7.06) |
| Black Adam calls heroes from around the world to
propose a coalition and the writing of a Freedom of Power Treaty,
which will allow lethal force against American metas. It is interruped
by Adrianna Tomaz, who opposes his methods. Will Magnus shows Morrow
that he's found a strange a hatched cocoon (that of Mr. Mind). |
52 #10 (7.06) |
| Adrianna challenges Black Adam to use his power
for peace and good. He takes her to the Rock of Eternity, where
Captain Marvel is barely holding onto sanity keeping the Seven
Deadly Enemies of Man contained. There Adam finds the amulet that
imprisoned him for millennia and reveals that Shazam imprisoned
another powerful force there. He gives this talisman to Adrianna
and she is infused with the power of Isis (last used by
Egypt's Queen Hatshepsut). |
52 #12 (7.06) |
| Magnus finds that Morrow has vanished from his
cell. |
52 #14 (8.06) |
| Booster Gold is upstaged by Supernova but apparently
sacrifices his life protecting Metropolis from a nuclear explosion. |
52 #15 (8.06) |
| Black Adam proposes to Isis. Captain Marvel, Mary
Marvel and Marvel Jr. attend their wedding. |
52 #16 (8.06) |
| Luthor's new teen
super-team springs into action against Kobra agents: Erik
Storn/Fury III, Eliza Harmon/Trajectory,
Hannibal Bates/Everyman, Gerome McKenna/Nuklon II,
Jacob Colby/Skyman II and
Natasha Irons as Starlight. In deep space, the stranded
Adam Strange, Starfire and Animal Man encounter Lobo, who has
supposedly renounced violence. The Red Tornado's body is found
in Australia. NOTE: Luthor's team take
hero names in issue #21. |
52 #17 (8.06) |
| Tim Trench dies in the the House of Mystery after
donning the Helm of Fate (which was actually a fake made by Felix
Faust). The Detective Chimp hands the helmet over to Ralph
Dibny, who begins a quest for the magical power to reunite
him with Sue. After Booster Gold's funeral, Skeets/Mr. Mind meets
Gold's ancestor, Daniel Michael Carter. |
52 #18 (9.06) |
| Skeets/Mr. Mind uses Daniel to gain access to Rip
Hunter's lab. Daniel is pulled through a portal to one million
years in the future. Lobo reveals that he is archbishop of the
First Celestial Church of the Triple Fish-God — and he has
possession of one of the Emerald Eyes. |
52 #19 (9.06) |
| Supernova invades the Batcave looking for luthor's
kryptonite gauntlet. Adam Strange's team inadvertently summons
the owner of the Emerald Eye, the Emerald Head of Ekron. |
52 #20 (9.06) |
| Luthor teen team take the name Infinity, Inc., whose
copyright Lex bought from the Pemberton estate. They meet Beast
Boy's Teen Titans (1st app. of Zachary Zatara, Little Barda and Power
Boy). |
52 #21 (9.06) |
| Jon Standing Dear arrives in Metropolis
for his father's funeral. His grandfather passes to Jon the family's
Manitou Stone, which first empowered an Iroquois warrior to be
the Super-Chief. Will Magnus mentions having gone a bit
crazy after creating a rogue Plutonium Man. He too is kidnapped.
Luthor dubs his gene therapy the Everyman program. |
52 #22 (10.06) |
| Magnus awakes on Oolong Island, finding Intergang
has created a Science Squad from all the missing scientists.
Black Adam and Isis locate her brother, Amon Tomaz and Adam
empowers him with the power of his Egyptian gods to become Osiris. NOTES: Oolong
Island was the pre-Crisis home to Egg Fu, foe of Wonder Woman,
1st app. Wonder Woman #157 (1965). The scientists call him "Egg
Fu" behind his back. |
52 #23 (10.06) |
| Oliver Queen decides to run for mayor of Star City.
He receives a call from the new Firestorm on his JLA communicator,
asking him to join a new JLA, organized by Firehawk. They have
gathered the new Super-Chief II,
Bulleteer and Ambush Bug. This team is put down by Skeets/Mr. Mind,
who turns evil and kills many of Luthor's new metas and Super-Chief.
Firehawk disbands her "JLA." After this debacle, the
President urges the United Nations to sign Checkmate back into
existence. NOTE: Memorial statues made
by J'onn in the JLA's Happy Harbor headquarters reveal that Major
Disaster and the Yazz have died. |
52 #24 (10.06) |
| Intergang boss Bueno Mannheim meets with his partner
on Oolong Island, Chang Tzu, a orb-shaped cybernetic Chinese
mutant. The (faux) Helmet of Fate brings Ralph Dibny to Hell. Alan
Scott tells the JSA that the U.N. wants him to be the new White
King of Checkmate. He agrees only if Mr.
Terrific can be his Bishop. |
52 #25 (10.06) |
| In Nanda Parbat, the Question reveals that he is
dying of lung cancer. Natasha and John Irons appear on the Gotham
City TV talk show "You are Wrong," with host Jack
Ryder. The Black Marvel family attend dinner at the home of
Dr. Sivana. (1st post-Crisis app. of Venus, Beautia, Magnificus,
Junior and Georgia Sivana.) Outside, Osiris meets a
crocodile man, a supposed result of Sivana's experiments. Osiris
later names him Sobek. This creature is later revealed to
be the first of Intergang's Four Horsemen, Yuurd. NOTE: 1st
appearance of the new Jack Ryder; the Creeper is rebooted with
the Infinite Crisis. He becomes the Creeper in The Creeper v.3
mini-series (2006). |
52 #26 (11.06) |
| The Spectre offers Ralphy Dibny the chance to kill
Jean Loring in revenge. Skeets/Mr. Mind visits Waverider looking
for Rip Hunter, who knows Skeets poses some threat. Skeets claims
that he is made of Waverider's metallic hide and apparently kills
Waverider. |
52 #27 (11.06) |
| Lobo discovers that the Emerald Head is actually
a ship piloted by the former Green Lantern of Vengar, who warns
of an approaching destroyer. |
52 #28 (11.06) |
| The JSA meet the new Infinity Inc. and their newest
member, Nicki Jones, Jade II.
Sandy Hawkins is referred to as Sandman (III). |
52 #29 (11.06) |
| Bruce Wayne wanders into the desert, to the "Empty
Quarter," to face a trial as he did years before. His adversaries "kill" the
demon inside him and he emerges claiming that Batman is now gone. |
52 #30 (11.06) |
| Two Green Lanterns and Captain Comet visit a planet
ravaged by Lady Styx, whom the Guardians say comes from
an eternal pit "beyond the gates of spacetime." Styx
has built an army of the dead called her Darkstars.
Comet is tortured by the Darkstars and sends his consciousness
out of his dying body. |
52 #31 (12.06) |
| Ralph gains a confusing audience with Rama Kushna.
The Titans hold a membership drive at the Tower (1st chronological
appearance of Mas y Menos, Offspring, Young Frankenstein, Talon (from
another Earth), Miss Martian, Bombshell and Mote. NOTE: Many
of these Titans were hinted at in Teen Titans v.3 #34. |
52 #32 (12.06) |
| Ralph steals a magic gun from the Flash Museum.
Commissioner Gordon returns to the Gotham City Police Department.
Amanda Waller mobilizes a Suicide
Squad to attack Black Adam (Atom-Smasher, Boomerang, Electrocutioner,
Plastique, Vertigo, Persuader). |
52 #33 (12.06) |
| Osiris goes berserk and smashes Persuader in half,
giving Waller the damning public footage she sought. Luthor kidnaps
Clark Kent for info on Supernova. Despite the truth serum (synthesized
form analyzing Wonder Woman's magic lasso), he declares that Supernova
is NOT Superman. |
52 #34 (12.06) |
| At the stroke of the New Year, Luthor terminates
the powers on all Everyman recipients except Infinity. Plastic
Man calls Offspring his son, Ernie. NOTE: This
is the first concrete acknowledgement of this; the two appear to
be close. It is unclear whether the appearance of Offspring in
post-Infinite Crisis continuity eliminates the existence
of his other son, Luke McDonagh. |
52 #35 (1.07) |
| Lobo pretends to bring Adam and the others to Lady
Styx. Styx turns on all of them. The Emerald saves them by taking
Styx into a cosmic organism that digests her and explodes. Animal
Man takes a fatal blow. Supernova brings Starman's rod and Luthor's
gauntlet to Rip Hunter on Kandor, where he is seeking a power source
for his chronosphere. Skeets/Mr. Mind locates them there. |
52 #36 (1.07) |
| Skeets learns that Supernova is Booster Gold. Gold
and Rip Hunter turn the Phantom Zone projector on Skeets/Mr. Mind,
but something Skeets merely consumes the Zone and its prisoners.
Skeets follows them as they disappear into space/time. Starfire
and Adam Strange leave Animal Man for dead and depart. Afterwards,
he awakes in the company of the aliens who first gave him his powers. NOTE: The
"DC Nation" column in the back of this issue reveals in
a coded message that the "secret of 52" is that "the
secret of fifty-two is that the multiverse still exists." The
message was spelled out using the first letter of every third word. |
52 #37 (1.07) |
| The Question dies in Nanda Parbat. Chang Tzu's
project comes to fruition. It is based on the "Book of the
Revelation of Apokolips" that describes Four Horsemen and
how to summon them: Azraeuz, silent king of the age of death; Yurrd the
unknown of the Age of Hunger; Roggra of the Age of War; Zorrm of
the Age of Fevers. The Horsemen emerge uttering Black Adam's name. |
52 #38 (1.07) |
| Natasha Irons discovers that her teammate Everyman
has killed her boyfriend Skyman and is working as a spy for Luthor.
Luthor finally succeeds in applying the Everyman process to himself,
and beats Natasha. Ralph and "Fate" travel to Atlantis
where they meet the former Aquaman, who is a bit scatterbrained.
On Oolong, the horsemen depart for Kahndaq. Will Magnus secretly
creates a miniature Mercury Metal Man. |
52 #39 (1.07) |
| Steel and the Titans confront the super-powered
Luthor. |
52 #40 (2.07) |
| Adam Strange and Starfire are rescued by the Green
Lantern Mogo. Renee Montoya undergoes training in Nanda Parbat.
Ralph Dibny acquires the last piece of his magical puzzle. |
52 #41 (2.07) |
| Ralph Dibny makes his final stand. He seals himself
and the "Helmet of Fate" inside Fate's tower in Salem,
Massachusetts. He reveals that he's known all along that the Helmet
was a fake, inhabited by Felix Faust. Faust was trying to trick
Ralph into taking his place in Hell and fulfill a deal with Neron.
Ralph unveils his powers once again (he's been drinking Gingold
not alcohol). Ralph uses a mystical gun to force Faust out of the
Helmet. The gun is from Neron and when fired, makes Ralph's wish
come true "I wish I were with Sue." Neron sends Ralph
one but the demon finds himself trapped in the Tower. At Elysium
cemetery, Fire discovers Ralph's ring on Sue's tombstone. |
52 #42 (2.07) |
| Sobek kills Osiris, revealing that he was the first
of Intergang's Four Horsemen. The aliens restore Buddy Baker's "morphogenic
graft" to Earth's animal world. He channels the power of a
Sun Eater to map his way home, and glimpses the new multiverse.
Lady Styx is birthed anew. |
52 #43 (2.07) |
| Zorrm (pestilence) infects Isis beyond her powers
to repair and she dies. Yuurd (Sobek) calls his Horsemen the Monster
Society. Black Adam kills Yuurd, Roggra (war) and Zorrm. As
Isis dies, she implores him to avenge her. |
52 #44 (3.07) |
| Black Adam is consumed by grief and heads to Bialya
after Azraeuz (death). Bialya is also under Intergang control.
The Pentagon mobilizes Checkmate and Waller calls on Atom-Smasher to
head the Suicide Squad. He refuses and blackmails Waller into giving
him a pardon. The Chinese also respond but supicions grow as to
China's involvement on Oolong. Adam brings down Death itself and
kills many innocents to uncover information about the scientists
on Oolong. |
52 #45 (3.07) |
| Week 45, Day 1: The Martian Manhunter engages Black
Adam but is mentally overwhelmed by Adam's grief and the death
thoughts of millions of Bialyans. Adam calls down lightning onto
J'onn and he is driven near mad. |
52/World War III: A Call to Arms (6.07) |
| The scientists manage to subdue Black Adam and
Sivana takes him for experimentation. Luthor is arrested by Steel
but Clark Kent senses it's not really him, but Everyman. The JSA
clean up in Bialya. |
52 #46 (3.07) |
| Wonder Woman, Batman & Robin arrive in Nanda
Parbat. Diana learns from Rama Kushna that it's good that she has
sufffered as mortals do. Bruce emerges with a smile from one of
his trials. Animal Man confronts his creators, who reside in Space
B, accessible from anywhere, and the means by which the Sun Eaters
travel. John Irons reveals a new Steelworks, a sort of think tank. |
52 #47 (3.07) |
| Nightwing and Renee Montoya battle Intergang demons
to save Batwoman from becoming their sacrifice. Chang Tzu opens
up bidding on Black Adam himself. |
52 #48 (4.07) |
| The JSA and Great Ten arrive on Oolong. The Chinese
threaten war if they oppse them. Alan guesses that Tzu was a member
of the Great Ten, which they deny. Magnus unveils his responsometer
technology, which animates and personifies elements. Iron, Tin,
Gold and Mercury attack Chang Tzu, destroying him from inside
and out. Sivana retreats, leaving Adam to free himself. |
52 #49 (4.07) |
|
WORLD WAR III |
| Week 50 Day 1: Black Adam destroys U.S.
miliary craft and is intercepted by Father Time and S.H.A.D.E.
He rips Time's face off and kills the Silent Majority clone. The
Bride comments that Time was due to "molt." Jason Todd
dons the guise of Nightwing (II) and
kills some New York gangsters. Firehawk meets Firestorm; the two
kiss and merge. They stop an aircraft carrier from crashing into
New York. The new Global Guardians spring to action. Deathstroke
coerces Batgirl and begins drugging her. |
52/World War III: A Call to Arms (6.07) |
| Week 50 Day 2: The Marvel family engages
Adam in Egypt but Adam moves onto China. Day 3: The JSA
cleans up after Adam In Australia. |
52 #50 (4.07) |
| Week 50, Day 4: Supergirl returns from the
31st century and is found by Power Girl. J'onn regains some control
over his mind and gets back onto Adam's trail. Donna Troy assumes
the mantle of Wonder Woman IV.
In Sub Diego, Aquaman appeals to his gods to save the people who
can now not survive underwater. They agree, but the price is Orin's
transformation; he becomes half water and his head is made of tentacles.
Part of Sub Diego is raised again. Bumblebee & Vox appear as
members of the Doom Patrol. NOTE: 1st chronological
appearance of the reformed Doom Patrol. |
52/World War III: The Valiant (6.07) |
| Week 50, Day 5: Teen Titans engage Adam
in Greece. Zatara is critically injured and Adam rips off Young
Frankenstein's arms. In the Himalayas, Adam trounces them, killing
Terra. Amanda Waller recruits the Bronze Tiger to rescue Rick Flag,
who has been alive. Director Bones sets up Kate Spencer (Manhunter)
in private practice. J'onn returns to his Midvale police office
and reveals his true identity to them. He destroys the condemned
Terrell building where he used to keep an office. He puts all his
own lies behind him, intending to walk honestly among humans. |
52/World War III: Hell is for Heroes
(6.07) |
| Week 50, Day 6: Adam takes out the Great
Ten one by one and kills the Yeti. The August General has no choice
but to allow the JSA into their borders to help. Captain Marvel
returns to the Rock to meet fellow magicians and fails to petition
Adam's Egyptian patrons to sever their ties. When Steel is ready
to fire on Adam, Booster Gold intervenes and steals their rocket
and disappears. NOTE: The events described
as "Day 6" in this issue are also said to be "Day
7" in the next entry. |
52 #50 (4.07) |
| Week 50, Day 7: Alan Scott leads the heroes
in the final battle against Black Adam. J'onn confronts Adam again
with full force and just as J'onn reeled from Adams memories, so
does Adam when forced to relive J'onn's pain. This cripples him
long enough for Captain Marvel to deliver a bolt of magical lightning.
J'onn emerges a new man, with a new costume. The new band of 52
Monitors watch, and portend Earth's darkest hour. |
52/World War III: United We Stand (6.07) |
| Week 50, Day 7: In the end, Marvel
leads the charge, calling magical lightning and holding it onto
Adam with the magicians' help. They force him to change and Adam
is caught in freefall by Atom Smasher, which the others do not
see; they don't know if he's survived. Marvel says that he has
changed Adams magic transformation word. T.O.
Morrow arrives in the Rocky Mountains with the remains of the Red
Tornado and views the Tornado's last sights. He's met by Booster
and Hunter. |
52 #50 (4.07) |
| Animal Man returns home, followed by Starfire who
protects him from the assassins of Lady Styx. At a memorial for
Superboy, Robin dons a new uniform colored red and black in honor
of Connor. Wonder Girl leaves without speaking to him. Sardath
gives Adam Strange new eyes cloned from his daughter's. Lobo returns
to his church to speak to its leader, Three-In-One, who
sought the Emerald Eye because it was the one thing that could
kill him. Lobo uses it just for that. Mr. Mind finds Hunter and
Booster in Morrow's lab and reveals that he has spent 52 weeks
in Skeets' shell, gestating into a new form. Rip and Booster flee
into the timestream with Red Tornado's head. NOTE: The
secret origin story features the Justice League and changes continuity
to include Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as League founders — as
well as Black Canary. Essentially, the events of JLA:
Year One remain intact, and the "Big 3" are said
to have limited involvement during the League's first year. |
52 #51 (4.07) |
| The newly-minted Mr. Mind attacks by regurgitating
the Phantom Zone, freeing Supernova (Daniel Carter). Rip Hunter
finally shows Booster Gold and Daniel the new multiverse. They
follow Mind to Earth-17 where the newly-evolved beast demonstrates
his new ability to "eat" time
— to consume events from the past, space and time. Each time
he does so, the universe completely changed and reconfigured. Earth-2
becomes dominated by the JSA; Earth-3 by the Crime Syndicate; Earth-4
Charlton heroes; Earth-5, Fawcett City heroes; Earth-10, the Freedom
Fighters; Earth-17, the Atomic Knights; Earth-22 by the "Kingdom";
Earth-50, the Wildstorm universe. NOTE: In
an interview
with Newsarama, Geoff Johns volunteered: "You have New Earth,
and then you have Earth-1 through Earth-51."If they allow Mind to spawn he'll continue to consume all life.
Booster leaves to retrieve the Scarab of Kha-ef-Re from Ted Kord
on the day after the first Crisis. (The Blue Beetle doesn't realize
he's taken it, and this is why he never benefitted from the scarab's
powers). Hunter takes more Suspendium from Dr. Sivana, using
it to power Supernova's suit and to line Skeets' shell. They
trap Mr. Mind inside Skeets and then charge the Suspendium with
chronal energy by hurtling it back through time. My the time
Daniel reaches Week 1, Day 1, it has sufficient energy and Daniel
pounds it into the Earth. This strips Mr. Mind of his powers
and he reverts to larval form, where he is found by Sivana and
stored. This effectively traps Mr. Mind in a time loop. Hunter
implores them not to reveal the multiverse to anyone. Booster
visits Dr. Magnus, who reveals he has a backup copy of Skeets
from a year ago, which they restore. In Kahndaq, someone retrieves the Amulet of Isis. In Alabama,
a hell hole opens up and the ghostly Ralph and Sue Dibny emerge
to solve the mystery. Renee Montoya, the new Question (II) restores
the Bat Signal and calls Batman. Batwoman recovers from the stab
to the chest. |
52 #52 (5.07) |
| Oliver Queen is elected Mayor of Star City. Since the Crisis,
he has not been active as Green Arrow. NOTE: The
exact timing of the election is unclear. He is already mayor in
this issue. |
Green Arrow #60 (5.06) |
| The Monitors from all 52 universes form a society to
oversee the anomalies wrought by the second Crisis. They assert
that many anomalies were and that another grave danger looms. NOTE: It
is uncertain whether the 52 Monitors formed their aliiance before
or after Mr. Mind created a diversity in the multiverse. |
DCU: Brave New World (8.06) |
| One
Year Later |
| The Martian Manhunter is contacted mentally by a fellow Martian, Roh
Kar. Upon investigation, he finds others imprisoned, who
turn out to be White Martians sold into captivity years before
by a green female Martian named Cay'An. Three of the Whites
survive, including young Till'all, whom J'onn entrusts
to the JLA's care. Cay'an disappears. |
DCU: Brave New World (8.06), Martian Manhunter v.3
#1-8 (10.06-4.07) |
| Gotham City TV show host Jack Ryder falls prey to scientist Emil
Yatz. Yatz uses Joker venom as part of a process that transforms
Ryder into the Creeper. |
DCU: Brave New World (8.06), The Creeper v.3 #1-6
(10.06-3.07) |
| Ryan Choi, a protege of Ray Palmer, moves from Hong Kong
to Ivy University to teach physics. When he arrives, he finds that
Palmer has bequeathed him his size-changing belt. He becomes the
new Atom (IV). |
DCU: Brave New World (8.06), The All-New Atom #1
(9.06) |
| All of Shazam's power returns to Billy Batson, who simply calls
himself Marvel. He builds his home in the new Rock of Eternity
and challenges Freddy Freeman to a series of trials to earn back
the power of their gods. If he completes the trials, he will become
the "new Shazam." |
DCU: Brave New World (8.06), The Trials of Shazam
#1-2 (10-11.06) |
| Uncle Sam forms a new Freedom
Fighters from the ashes of Father Time's S.H.A.D.E. operations.
Members include Firebrand IV (Andre
Twist), Doll Man IV (Lester
Colt), Human Bomb II (Andrew
Franklin), Phantom Lady III (Stormy
Knight), The Ray III (Stan
Silver), Black Condor III (John
Trujillo), Invisible Hood II (Ken
Thurston), Red Bee II (Jenna
Raleigh). And later he is rejoined by Miss America and the Ray II (Ray
Terrill). |
DCU: Brave New World (8.06), Crisis Aftermath: The
Battle for Blüdhaven #1-6 (E06-9.06), Uncle Sam & the
Freedom Fighters #1-8 (10.06-4.07) |
| Six new Atomic Knights are activated (Gardner Grayle,
Marene & Douglas Herald, Bryndon, Wayne & Hollis Hobard)
to protect Blüdhaven. (#1) Knights
Wedge, Susan and Greg are killed in battle. Grayle has visions
of further destruction in the future. They discover
that the government is in possession of Captain Atom's comatose
body. (#2) Captain Atom's shell is cracked (#5) and
in order to stop Captain Atom from detonating, he is placed into
the Monarch armor once again. He awakes angered about this new Atom
Project. He warns everyone to evacuate then destroys what remains
of the city. President Knight tells the nation that Bludhaven cannot
be rebuilt because of the radiation, and that metahumans are to
blame. (#6) NOTE: It is unclear whether
Grayle's past history with the Outsiders remains intact. |
Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven
#1-6 (E06-9.06) |
| The Atomic Knights find a comatose Captain Atom in a government
facility in Blüdhaven. (#2) They manage
to take his body from Father Time's guards. (#4) His
form is unstable, and as he nears critial mass, his shell cracks. (#5) To
prevent him from detonating, the Knights put him in the Monarch
suit once again. Atom awakens thinking he is a prisoner. He's angered
that the government has restarted the Atom Project and vows to
end its activities in Blüdhaven. Atom warns everyone to evacuate
then destroys what remains of the city. (#6) |
Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven
#2-6 (L06-9.06) |
| Aquaman becomes a freakish amnesiac recluse known as the Dweller
in the Depths. In Avalon Cay, Florida, the metahuman Arthur
Joseph Curry is left homeless after a hurricane. The boy
cannot remain out of water for long. He explores his newfound
strength, and meets the King Shark, who takes him to the Dweller.
The Dweller dresses him in a uniform which effectively makes
him the new Aquaman (II).
They meet Mera, who is trying to rebuild Atlantis. NOTE: Arthur
is essentially the pre-Crisis Aquaman, whose father was of the
land and mother of the sea. |
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40-43 (5-8.06) |
| When Catwoman gives birth to a baby girl, Helena (the
father is Sam Bradley, who has since died). She and Wildcat train
her friend Holly Robinson to become Catwoman II.
Her new identity as "Irena Dubrovna" is immediatly compromised
by the Film Freak. Selina forces Zatanna to repay her for
wiping her memories in the past, and to wipe the Freak's memories
of her secret identity. NOTE: Irena Dubrovna
was the the lead character in the original "Cat People." |
Catwoman #53-58 (5-10.06) |
| Checkmate is reorganized
with Amanda Waller as the White Queen. White King: Alan Scott;
White King's Bishop, Michael Holt; White King's Knight: Thomas
Jagger; White Queen's Bishop: King Faraday; White queen's Knight:
Werner Vertigo; Black Queen: Sasha Bordeaux; Black Queen's Bishop:
Jessica Midnight; Black Queen's Knight: Jonah McCarthy; Black King: Col.
Taleb Beni Khalid-Isr; Black King's Bishop: Shen Li Po;
Black King's Knight: Beatriz DaCosta. When they discover that Kobra
has compromised a sensitive Chinese facility, Alan Scott compromises
his position and is not reinstated as King. Meanwhile, Waller conducts
secret Suicide Squad missions. NOTE: Jagger
is the gay son of the original Judomaster. |
Checkmate v.2 #1-4 (6-9.06) |
| Face the Face: After protecting Gotham City in Batman's
absence, Harvey Dent begins feeling obsolete when the Dark Knight
returns. Gotham's new crime boss, the Great White Shark frames
Harvey for the murders of criminals such as the Ventriloquist and
Orca. Harvey becomes unstable again and re-scars his face. Jim
Gordon again serves as Police Commissioner and Harvey Bullock is
reinstated. |
Batman #651-654 (5-8.06) Detective Comics #817-820
(5-8.06) |
| Hawkgirl returns to
St. Roch alone and assumes some of Carter's duties at the Stonechat
Museum. Her ancient enemy, Hath-Set returns to plague her as Roderic
Doyle. |
Hawkgirl #50 (5.06) |
| Kyle Rayner is chosen by
the Guardians to be their "torch bearer."
He meets the universe's strange new Monitor. Two boys find
a green lantern from a parallel universe (later known as Earth-9).
This draws the Atom and Flash (Lia Nelson) from that Earth. The herores
use the lantern to summon their Green Lantern. (#9) Kyle
then finds himself in the Bleed, into which the boys have been shunted
by the arrival of the
"Tangent" heroes on New Earth. He also meets Captain Atom,
who has returned from his trip to Earth-50 and is disposing of Daemonites.
Atom claims that the Monitors cannot see into the Bleed. (#10) Kyle's
mother dies of a strange illness (#12) which
he later learns was caused by the Sinestro Corps. (Sinestro
Corps Special) NOTES: This Monitor
is that of New Earth, later named "Bob." |
Ion #1-12 (6.06-5.07) |
| Hal rejoins the Air Force and meets Jilliian Pearlman, "Cowgirl." The Manhunters offer
a bounty on Hal Jordan. A band of Saturnian Faceless Hunters mind-controls
the new Global Guardians (Jet
(resurrected), Tasmanian Devil, Gloss, Sandstorm of Syria, Manticore IV of
Greece and Crimson Fox III)
to be their agents. Many of the Green Lanterns that were killed
by Hal as Parallax are found alive on the Manhunters' homeworld,
Biot. Arisia is also among them. The Cyborg Superman has been leading
them. |
Green Lantern #10-13 (5-8.06) |
| The barely-active Justice Society reteams to stop the Gentleman
Ghost. During the battle, they are aided by the ghosts of Jade,
Atom, Sandman, Mr. Terrific and the Batman of Earth-2. The JSA
headquarters is destroyed and the Flash considers disbanding the
team, but his wife scolds him, saying that they're essential. |
JSA #83-87 (5-9.06) |
| Director Bones assigns
Kate Spencer to defend Dr. Psycho for the murder of the Hangmen.
Dr. Mid-Nite testifies for the prosecution. The Society chooses
to let Psycho stand trial rather than break him out. Talia reasons
that if he is found guilty, the public will think the Society is
weakened. But just before the "not guilty" verdict can
be read, they intervene, but the Manhunter manages to capture him
and he returns to custody. NOTE: The murders
occurred in Action #830-831. |
Manhunter #20-24 (5-9.06) |
| Dick Grayson seeks out Jason Todd, who has been acting as Nightwing (II) in
New York City. |
Nightwing #118 (5.06) |
| The Shadowpact encounter
the the Pentacle, a team of dark mystics who take over Riverrock,
Wyoming. When the Enchantress is finally able to remove the barrier
between them and the rest of the world, time distorts and they
age one year. Instead of spilling blood with her spell, she took
a year from every person in the town. In the process, an actual
year passed as well. The Chimp's friend, Rex the Wonder Dog greets
them when they return. |
Shadowpact #1-3 (7-9.06) |
| After returning to the 21st centuryl, Supergirl joins Power
Girl venturing into the shrunken city of Kandor. Kara is
seeking information about the possible survival of her home,
Argo City. They take the guises of Nightwing (Power Girl)
and Flamebird (Supergirl) and lead the resistance against "The
Cult of El." They discover the Cult is led by none other
than the Ultraman and Saturn Queen — who'd both slipped
through the cracks of the Crisis. Saturn Queen says that Alexander
Luthor threw the LSV's plans
into chaos and she and Ultraman wound up in the Phantom Zone.
On Kandor, Ultraman uses the name "Kal-El" (which may
have been his true name before, but this was never established).
Saturn Queen offers Supergirl information about Argo City, which
Kara accepts and agrees to leave Kandor. NOTE: It
is not clear whether Ultraman is the pre-Crisis one from Earth-3
or that of the antimatter universe. In the post-Infinite Crisis
multiverse, the antimatter Crime
Syndicate may have been wiped out, as hinted in JLA Secret
Files 2004. |
Supergirl #6-8 (4-9.06) |
| Since returning from space, Cyborg has been unconscious, recovering.
The Titans' roster has changed frequently and only Robin remains
with newcomers Ravager, Kid Devil and teen wonders Wendy
and Marvin. Cyborg awkaes and they convince Wonder Girl
to return to the fold. They meet Beast Boy, who has rejoined the Doom
Patrol along with former Titans Mal and Bumblebee. The Cheif
has returned, been forgiven for his sins and reconstituted the
long-dead Rita Farr. The Chief had kept her brain for years and
treated it with special proteins to regrow her. Mento is also back,
and unstable. Negative Man is similarly inexplicably returned.
They confront the Brain's new Brotherhood of Evil, with new members
Gemini, the Elephant-Man and Goldilocks. NOTES: This
issue establishes that Doom Patrol history has reverted to its
origins following the Crisis. John' Byrne's Patrol no longer exists. |
Teen Titans #34-36 (5-7.06) |
| Bruce Wayne sets Diana up with a job in the Department of Metahuman
Affairs as Diana Prince. Her partner is Nemesis and they
work for Sarge Steel. When Circe attacks Donna Troy (the current
Wonder Woman), Diana comes out from retirement and resumes her
role as Wonder Woman. |
Wonder Woman v.3 #1-4 (8.06-2.07) |
| Up Up and Away: After spending a year powerless and returning
to his reporter's roots, Superman's owers begin to gradually return.
Friends like Hal Jordan, Hawkgirl and Supergirl have helped keep
the peace in Metropolis. Lex Luthor is acquitted of over 120 criminal
charges, but faces harsher judgment in the court of public opinion.
Luthor finds a Kryptonian sunstone space ship that crashed to Earth
in 1938 and manipulates the sunstone to his advantage. (The ship
was commanded by Dru-Zod during Krytpon's age of conquest.) Lana
Lange becomes the CEO of Lexcorp. NOTES: This
arc establishes Superman's post-Infinite Crisis continuity. Superman:
Birthright is now his origin. He knew Luthor in Smallville.
His Fortress resembles that of the Superman movies, and the sunstone
crystals play an important role for he and Supergirl. And like
the "Legion of Super-Heroes" cartoon, he is also said
to have been a Legion member as a boy (though never taking the
name Superboy). |
Superman #650-653 (5-8.06), Action Comics #837-840
(5-8.06) |
| The Trial of Wonder Woman: Though the Hague has exonerated
Wonder Woman for killing Maxwell
Lord, the U.S. government pursues their own case against her.
Diana hires Manhunter, agreeing to help train her as payment. During
the trial, complete footage of Lord's death is released, but Diana
refuses to let Kate use the footage because she doesn't want Superman's
reputation tarnished. Kate goes around her, calling Lois Lane to
ask for Superman's help. After speaking to counsel, Superman convinces
them to drop the case, but legally they cannot. The jury does not
indict Wonder Woman. |
Manhunter #26-30 (2-6.07) |
| As they have since forming the JLA, Superman, Batman and Wonder
Woman convene for their once-yearly meeting. After emerging from
their year-long sabbaticals, they are urged by the JSA to reform
the JLA. They begin reviewing candidates. At the same time, Black
Canary and Hal Jordan begin recruiting as well. Once formed, Black
Canary is elected Chariperson. Black Lightning and Roy Harper (as Red
Arrow) join for the first time. Vixen, Red Tornado and Hawkgirl
rejoin. NOTES: Flashbacks reveal numerous
changes to continuity, the most major being the Silver Age debut
of Wonder Woman, who is once again considered a JLA founder. She
is shown in many of her Silver Age incarnations, including her
depowered "I Ching" phase. This new continuity places
the "Big Three " at the heart of the JLA, as opposed
to post-Crisis continuity which de-emphasized their roles in the
JLA. There are allusions to future events: the marriage of Hal
Jordan and that of Diana, the death of Batman, the discovery of
a second Earth, the funeral of Jonathan Kent. |
Justice League of America v.2 #0-2 (9-11.06) |
