Prose and comics are two mediums that have very different strengths, and nowhere is that more evident than here. One of the things that made 52 so successful was its very investment in the comics model of long-form serialized storytelling: it told a single story in 52 parts, adding up to over a 1,000 pages of comics. Though obviously you could in theory reproduce this in other mediums (prose, television, &c.), I don't think it would play to their strengths, at least not as those mediums are produced in contemporary America.

So while a novel version of 52 could in theory work, I suppose, this novel version never could. The whole point of the story was its hugeness, its sprawl, its peeking into every corner of the DC universe/multiverse. That just cannot happen in a 359-page novel. Cox is hampered by trying to simulate the very format of the original comics; while in his later novelization of Countdown to Final Crisis, he can just lop out whole subplots, here he emulates the original comics in having 52 chapters, one for each week. This means at least some part of each issue has to make it into the book, which makes it much more difficult to cut the story down. Countdown focuses on just a couple of the subplots in great detail; the novel of 52 hits most of the subplots at a very superficial level.

The result is a book that would probably be mildly interested if you hadn't read 52 as a comic, but is thoroughly uninteresting if you have. I'm sure Greg Cox did his best with the hand he was dealt, but in this format, I just don't see a way this project could have ever succeeded.

(Also I'm pretty sure there's just one flat-out error: the Nightwing who meets Batwoman in Gotham is Dick Grayson here, but I'm pretty sure that in the comics he's meant to be the undead fellow former Robin Jason Todd impersonating Dick.)

While some of the writing was kind of "meh" - I'll give Greg Cox major props getting 52 weeks worth of multiple comic storylines down to 1 coherent book. I have a new appreciation for the character of Black Adam as well... great story arc. I wouldn't really recommend this book for anyone who isn't a fan of DC or comics in general. Definitely an interesting experience "reading" about these characters rather than seeing them inked out, especially with such a sprawling, epic story. ( )

The concept of DC Universe's novel '52' is very original in that it deals with a year in the life of earth without it's main superhero guardians...Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. It comprises of 52 chapters with each chapter dealing with the events that occur within that particular week. The focus of the novel then is actually built around characters that are not so familiar in the mainstream and, although I had my trepidations as I wasn't familiar with some of them, this turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. For instance, due to Batman et al being world renowned characters there's only so much that can be done with them as their personalities need to have a degree of consistency whereas lesser known characters can be the subject of a more risqué plot or storyline. One such storyline is the lesbian relationship between Batwoman (front center on the cover) and Officer Renee Montoya which fills their particular dealings in this novel with sexual tension and emotional turmoil. Another storyline, and one of the main plots in this novel, tells the story of Black Adam, who is the Middle Eastern equivalent of Superman without the restraint and emotional control.
Black Adam. I wasn't familiar with good ol' Black Adam until this novel and although he has some major character flaws (like getting angry with Renee Montaya for missing his wedding reception due to her being busy having sex with a beautiful woman she just met. Personally, I just can't hate her for that!), which just made him more human, I loved the character. He is introduced to the reader in the novel when he kills several supervillains in public in order to make an example of them...now, that's justice I can relate to. Unfortunately he is consumed with blind rage when his wife, Isis, is killed by one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and he slaughters a city of two million people with his bare hands as it is the base of the Four Horsemen. Being DC Universe the Horsemen don't come about due to a Christian end of times and are basically lifted from the Bible and put into the story as supervillains.
Other main characters in this novel are the time traveler Booster Gold (the dorky looking guy on the cover) and The Question (who completes the three forefront characters), Lex Luthor, the Teen Titans and Captain Marvel. As with a lot of the DC Universe prose novels the story jumps around a bit from one storyline to the other but, unlike other DC novels, there aren't an over abundance of characters or storylines so as to leave you confused as to what the heck is going on.
I loved the Black Adam storyline and the Renee Montaya/The Question storyline was also intriguing. Didn't care as much for the Booster Gold parts of the book as the character was too immature and dumb for my liking but my guess is that's why he was included...as comic relief in an otherwise tense and violently charged novel. I would highly recommend this book for someone who wants to read a more adult oriented superhero novel that varies from the normal superheroes which usually sell this type of prose novel. ( )