52 # 52 (of 52)
DC COMICS
WRITERS: Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid
ARTISTS: Keith Giffen, various
COVER: J.G. Jones

The weekly maxi-series comes to an end with Booster Gold, Supernova, Red Tornado's head and Rip Hunter, fleeing through time and space to escape a mutated Mr. Mind. And yes, it does bring back the Multiverse, in some new form that has yet to be explained fully. It is a rather confused with a lot of heated exchanges about how Mr. Mind is eating time and can only be stopped with solidified time. It all sounds like goobledygook but perhaps it makes sense to die-hard sci-fi/comic geeks. The really interesting thing about this issue is seeing Booster Gold, the most abused of superheroes, rising to the occasion. In this issue, there are sentimental scenes with old friends we won't see again but it all comes off as some vague, abstract conflict rather than the life-or-death struggles depicted in earlier issues of this comic. The art is imaginative despite the often-disjointed plot but too much about the big "52" plotlines goes unresolved. So we are apparently suppose to wait till "Countdown", the next big mega-event? I am already too exhausted from this series and may not be up to many more of these major crossovers. DC-- and Marvel too, have to come up with ways to make their comic books more interesting without resorting to apocalyptic, universe-altering events that confuse the continuity further. In this issue, the creators tease us with some possible new comic titles but frankly, the new Batwoman, the female Question and the "Ghost detectives," don't sound too exciting.