Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsA Great Conclusion to the 52 Event, One of DC's Best Event Comics
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2017
The landmark DC event title comes to a stirring conclusion with the numerous disparate plot threads from the first volume reaching their individual conclusions. Whether it be the tragic end of Ralph Dibny's journey through the world of mysticism in search of a means to resurrect his beloved wife Sue, the on going stellar conflict between the heroes of Earth (Adam Strange, Starfire, Animal Man, and Lobo of all people) against a new enemy called the Stygian Queen, the training of Renee Montoya at the hands of the Question, the collision between the new family Black Adam has forged for himself and the forces of the world he ticked off previously, or the revelation of the nefarious plot behind Lex Luthor's seemingly benign "Everyman" project to give all normal humans a shot at being superheroes, each one of the various plots that comprise 52 are tremendous thanks to the hugely talented creative team working on this project. Volume Two certainly plunges into dark territory thanks to the Four Horsemen constructed by Egg Fu (of all people) and his mad scientist team as well as horrific moments such as Captain Comet's death at the hands of the Stygian Queen, but it also has plenty of wonderful and hopeful moments as well, perhaps none as better than the redemption of Booster Gold. 52's slow burn reveal of Booster's inner heroism is one of the book's absolute best moments and helped catapult the character into a new found sense of fame among fans. All in all, allowing a roster of lesser known characters to bear the brunt of the action while the mainstays like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman mostly sat out the in-comics year was a risky move, but few other books can be said to be such huge payoffs as this event. A crowning jewel for DC (now if only they hadn't tried to recreate that magic again so soon with the much less enjoyed Countdown to Final Crisis event).
