The Revolution liked the last issue of 52. We got a great hook ending that makes me believe that 52 #35 should be a great read. It looks like things are starting to come to a boil with Lex’s Everyman Project. Let’s go ahead and hit this review.
Creative Team
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid
Pencils: Jimenez and Jurgens
Inks: Lanning and Rapmund
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: Week 35, Day 1: We begin one minute into the new year with all of the heroes from the Everyman project suddenly losing their powers. All the ones flying in the air suddenly come crashing to the ground. Some lose control of their flame powers and burn up. Ground based heroes lose their powers and are unable to stop the falling heroes from smashing into the ground. Total chaos erupts in downtown Metropolis.
We see Lex on his cell phone talking with his assistant, Dennis. Lex says that he is utterly horrified at what is happening. That he can’t imagine why all their powers would fail at once like this. Supernova flies up to Luthor. Lex tells him that he is appalled at what is happening and if only Metropolis had a Superman to sop this chaos.
Supernova flies to the center of the chaos. The falling heroes have caused a gas main in downtown to erupt and that causes a massive explosion and sets off a huge fire. The crowd that had gathered for the New Year’s celebration is in a panic and people are being trampled.
Supernova flies onto the scene and with a sudden burst of light, the entire crowd disappears. Supernova reassures a reporter on the scene that he merely transported the crowd just outside of Metropolis where they would be nice and safe. We see the crowd suddenly appear next to the “Welcome to Metropolis” sign outside the city.
We cut back to the fire raging in Metropolis. The members of Infinity Inc. are working desperately to save some innocent bystanders. Evidently, they are the only ones who did not lose their powers. Natasha suddenly realizes that Steel was right about Lex and the Everyman Project.
Week 35, Day 2: We shift to Saint Camillus Hospital where all the various injured Everyman Project heroes are getting medical treatment. We see Plastic Man checking in on his injured son, Offspring, who was helping the Teen Titans save people during the chaos. Steel approaches Beast Boy and tells him that Lex turned off all the powers of the Everyman Project heroes. Steel tells Beast Boy to assemble the Teen Titans so they can investigate Luthor’s Everyman Project.
Week 35, Day 3: We see Lex meeting with Infinity Inc. He tells them that they have isolated the errant gene sequence that caused the spontaneous rejection of the Everyman Project’s treatment in all of the other heroes. Lex informs Infinity Inc. that tests reveal that none of them possess this errant gene sequence so they are not in danger of losing their powers. Lex then tells Infinity Inc. that he is going to need their help in regaining the public’s trust in the Everyman Project.
We shift to Natasha and Skyman together. Natasha tells Skyman that Steel was right. That Lex took away everyone’s powers just like he did with Trajectory. That Lex can do it to Infinity Inc. if he wants to. That they can’t trust Luthor. Natasha says they need to find proof of Lex’s nefarious deeds and get it to Steel. Natasha asks for Skyman’s help since there is nobody else here than she can trust. Skyman tells Natasha that he loves her and he won’t let anything happen to her.
Week 35, Day 6: We zip to our heroes lost in space. They have arrived at the destroyed planet where Captain Comet broadcast his message a couple of issues ago. Lobo tells Fishy that they have to ditch the Emerald Head before he tries to get his eye back.
Adam Strange then privately confronts Lobo about his motives. Strange doesn’t believe that Lobo has taken a vow of non-violence. Strange says that it is believable that Lobo has brought them all this way to claim the bounty on their heads for himself. That three people could do a lot of damage from inside the machine.
Strange and Lobo then tell Animal Man and Starfire that they have a change of plans. That Lobo will bring the three heroes to the Lady Styx in order to claim the bounty she put on their heads. The fight then can be taken straight to Lady Styx.
Comments
The Good: 52 #35 was a great read. Talk about starting an issue with a huge bang. Seeing all the Everyman Project heroes falling out of the sky was wild. This issue definitely grabs the reader by the collar from the very beginning and didn’t let go until the end. The pacing on this issue was great. It moved along quickly without ever feeling rushed. The scenes transitioned nicely into each other. This was a technically well plotted issue. Also, as always, the writers delivered well crafted dialogue.
52 #35 was all about Lex Luthor and the Everyman Project plotline which finally got the much needed boost in pacing that it desperately needed. I thought this was one of the few plotlines that seemed to be languishing a bit. Not any more. The writers got this plotline moving once again and it is now hurtling toward what is going to be a rather climactic conclusion.
I absolutely loved how the writers handled Lex Luthor in this issue. Lex is so deliciously evil. The little touches like him pausing while on the cell phone in order to move out of the way of a falling de-powered Everyman Project hero just make Lex even more enjoyable. Lex’s oily and melodramatic concern and horror over all the Everyman Project heroes suddenly losing their powers was great.
These small touches are what make Lex such an incredibly charismatic and engaging villain. 52 has done an impressive job displaying Lex’s complex personality to readers who may not have that much familiarity with his character. 52 has definitely cemented Lex Luthor as the single premier villain in the entire DC universe.
Lex’s ability to manipulate absolutely everyone around him is impressive. Lex seems to be constantly two steps ahead of everyone else. Of course, it is about time that Natasha finally realize what a snake Lex Luthor truly is. I’m glad that the writers finally are getting around to Natasha realizing the lies that Lex has been feeding her, the other members of Infinity Inc. and the entire public.
We are starting to see the various forces beginning to converge together in order to oppose Luthor. We have Steel and the Teen Titans from outside getting ready to come after Luthor. And now we have Natasha and her boyfriend, Starman, on the inside coming after Luthor. This definitely has the makings for one exciting conclusion.
I ma impressed with how much the writers have made me like Natasha’s character. I have never thought much of Natasha before 52. However, slowly but surely, as 52 has progressed, I find myself liking her character more and more. I also dig her relationship with Skyman. I have a bad feeling about the prospects of the both of them surviving 52. There is a chance that Skyman is really loyal to Luthor and will betray Natasha at some point. Or there is a good chance that Skyman is going to get killed in their battle against Luthor. Personally, I hope that both Natasha and Skyman make it out of 52 together.
We got treated to a little bit of Supernova. At this point, I’m still at a loss for who is Supernova. He definitely has some impressive powers and can certainly handle anything and everything that Luthor can throw at him. It should be interesting to find out just who this hero is. I know that I’m wrong, but I keep hoping against hope that Supernova turns out to be Booster Gold.
We also got a teaser scene about our heroes in space. It appears that Lobo is not what he seems. It appears that that crafty Adam Strange has concocted a suicide mission that probably represents their best chance at taking out Lady Styx. The critical question is can Lobo be trusted? I guess we will find out soon enough. Either way, this plotline has also heated up and looks to be one exciting finish.
Jimenez and Jurgens provide solid artwork that is probably the best that we have gotten so far on 52.
The Bad: No complaints with this issue.
Overall: 52 #35 was a great read. The writers have cranked up the intensity on both the Everyman Project plotline and the Lady Styx/heroes in space plotline. It looks like we are in store for some pretty wild and exciting finishes to both these plotlines. There is no doubt that the final 17 issues are going to be a blast.