52 has been white hot over the last several issues. The Revolution has always thought 52 was a consistently good read, however, it is now becoming insanely good. I cannot wait to read 53 #38. I’m positive that 52 #38 is going to be another excellent read. Let’s do this review.
Creative Team
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid
Pencils: Shawn Moll
Inks: Jack Jadson
Art Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: Week 38, Day 1: We begin with Renee Montoya and the Question making their trek to Nanda Parbat. Unfortunately for Renee, none of the locals seem willing to help them find Nanda Parbat.
Week 38, Day 2: We shift to Oolong Island, where Dr. Magnus, without his medication, has reverted back to his mad scientist form. Professor Morrow checks in on Magnus to see how his work is going. Magnus raves like a madman and tells Morrow that he is constructing an all-new Plutonium Man. Morrow reminds Magnus to attend the ceremony tonight where they get to see the fruits of their labor being unveiled in the form of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse representing the unification of science and religion.
We cut to the ceremony later that day. Chang Tzu proudly unveils three of the four horsemen. Chang Tzu calls them the Titans. Before the Gods and before the New Gods, the Titans ruled the universe. That no flesh can bear their presence. That only bodies made of stone, steel, and storm may be proper vessels for the Titans.
Week 38, Day 3: We shift back to Renee pulling The Question on her trek to find Namba Parbat. The Question mumbles about shooting someone in the head and dumping their body.
Week 38, Day 4: We see Renee still struggling to find Nanda Parbat. Renee is also almost out of medicine for The Question. Renee has lost so many friends that she doesn’t want to lose another one. Unfortunately, none of the locals in the small village she stops in know how to get to Nanda Parbat.
We cut to Steel along with Beast Boy and Dr. Mid-Nite doing research on the corpse of one of the recipients of Lex’s Everyman treatment. Suddenly, a mechanical bug built by Natasha arrives in the lab. Natasha tells Steel that she is going to get everything she can on Luthor’s research and that she will send it over to Steel as soon as possible.
Steel tells Natasha to leave immediately and don’t worry about trying to uncover what Luthor is up to. Natasha responds that there is a hidden room off of Luthor’s office and she will try to get inside of it to see what Lex is hiding. Steel is worried about what will happen to Natasha if Lex catches her. Natasha says that Lex won’t catch her. Natasha then apologizes to Steel for everything she has done lately.
Week 38, Day 5: We shift back to Renee and The Question hopelessly lost. Renee has run out of medicine for The Question.
Week 38, Day 6: Renee and The Question are still totally lost. Renee begins to apologize to The Question for failing him. Renee realizes that she is completely lost and that she has gotten them both killed. Renee thinks that without The Question she is totally lost. That The Question is her sense of direction. That she doesn’t know who she is without The Question. Renee doesn’t want to lose another partner.
The Question then asks Renee what they are doing trying to find Nanda Parbat. The Question tells Renee that there are some things that she just had to accept. Renee tells The Question that she doesn’t know who she is without him. The Question answers that the question is not “who she is?” but “who is she going to become?” The Question tells Renee that it is time to change.
We then see the mystical village of Nanda Parbat appear behind Renee and The Question. End of story.
We get a two-page backup story concerning the origin of Red Tornado. End of issue.
Comments
The Good: 52 #38 was another solid read. This issue wasn’t as wildly entertaining or as explosive as the past couple of issues. The writers eased off the throttle and used 52 #38 to lay the foundation for their next furious run. The plotting on this issue was well done. The writers took the time to properly set in place the new threat of the Four Horseman that the scientists on Oolong Island have been constructing. We also established the peril that Natasha is about to face by trying to spy on Lex Luthor. The writers definitely needed to slow down the furious pace on this title in order to properly build to an exciting finish.
I thought the scene dealing with Natasha and Lex’s Everyman Project was well done. Natasha has finally come around and seen the light. You knew at some point Natasha would realize that Lex was not someone to be trusted. Natasha is a character that has grown a lot over the course of 52 and it is time for her to shine as a hero.
The writers did a great job placing Natasha in imminent danger with this new direction for this plotline. There is no way that Natasha is going to successfully spy on Lex Luthor without getting caught. By the end of this scene, the reader has an uneasy feeling of doom that Natasha is risking serious bodily injury.
The scene on Oolong Island was great. I love how the writers are handling Will Magnus’ character now that he is off his medication. This is a totally different Magnus than what we have seen prior to this issue. Will is a completely unstable and insane man without his medication. Even Morrow is taken aback by Will’s manic behavior. And the idea of a new Plutonium Man is pretty cool. I can’t wait to see more of this character. And the teaser that Magnus has improved on Morrow’s “Soul Code” definitely got my interest.
The unveiling of the Four Horseman was done in a highly dramatic fashion. While we still don’t know all of the secrets and motivations behind Chang Tzu’s master plan, we do learn about his desire to marry religion and science together. I thought this was a pretty interesting angle to take. It fits in nicely with Intergang’s religious cult-like behavior.
These three Horsemen are definitely going to be a serious force to reckon with. And the mystery of the fourth Horseman is a nice little hook to get the reader’s interest. Could the fourth Horseman be the new Plutonium Man? Or could it be something else sinister? We shall see. Either way, this mad scientist plotline is definitely heating up.
The scenes with The Question and Renee Montoya had the best dialogue. And that is of no surprise since no other relationship on 52 has rivaled the incredible chemistry between The Question and Renee. It continues to amaze me how much the writers have gotten me to like Renee’s character. I completely disliked her at the beginning of 52. However, Renee has gotten to be a more complex and engaging character with each and every issue.
I really liked the insight that we got into Renee’s character in these scenes. I admire Renee’s blinding passion to refuse to give up and to risk her own life in the hopes of saving The Question. I also liked the turmoil that raged inside her soul. Her fear of losing another partner. Her dependence on The Question in order to give her a direction and a purpose in life. These scenes did an excellent job portraying the intense relationship between Renee and The Question.
And then we get the Question finally telling Renee that the question she has to answer is not “who she is” but “Who she is going to become?” After that soul-searching question is given to Renee, we see the mystical village of Nanda Parbat appear behind the two characters. That is a pretty good hook ending that gets me anxious to see what happens next.
Now, everything is painfully obvious in pointing to the direction that The Question dies and Renee assumes the mantle of the “All-New, Hot Question.” However, it is so incredibly obvious that I’m hoping it is nothing more than a red herring. I’m still keeping the faith that The Question doesn’t die. Hey, Booster Gold and Animal Man are still alive, so why can’t I hope the same for the Question?
Plus, replacing Charlie with Renee as The Question just isn’t a great idea. I know Dan Didio is obsessed with replacing established white male characters with minority characters. And I love the idea of more Hispanics in the DCU. However, I don’t want that to happen at the expense of perfectly fine characters like The Question.
Plus, it rarely translated into big sales. Look at the new Firestorm. The last issue of Firestorm sold a pathetic 15,255 copies. The new Atom only sold 22,852 copies last month. And the last issue of Blue Beetle sold an unimpressive 21,358 copies. I’d be surprised if all three titles don’t get canceled in the course of the next year. So, DC’s rush to replace established white male characters with minority characters hasn’t seen any success in terms of sales. I’d keep that in mind before junking Charlie in favor of Renee.
The Bad: The art is rather pedestrian.
Overall: 52 #38 was another good read. The boys at DC have done an incredible job with 52. I have been impressed with the quality of the writing on each and every issue. I have also been impressed that there hasn’t been a single delay on a title that keeps a weekly format. I really can’t compliment 52 enough.