52 has become an important number forDC Comics, but many fans may not know the origin behind the publisher’s persistent use of the number. DC made history by rebooting its entire line in 2011 as a part of the New 52 initiative, where the publisher released 52 new #1 issues in a single month. But the answer to why DC decided to launch exactly 52 new series lies a few years before with a different landmark series.
In an “Ask the Question” blog post atDC.com, Alex Jaffe answered a fan question about the importance of thenumber 52 to DC Comics. “It really started with the 2006 series52,” Jaffe explains,“which was named such because it wasa weekly series covering a real time year of the DC Universe for 52 weeks.”
52was published weekly between 2006-2007, a landmark series for DC Comics that proved to be a giant success. Written by Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Grant Morrison, with art by rotating artists, it chronicles a year in the DCU during a time in continuity when Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were out of action.
52Chronicled a Year of the DCU in Real Time
Including the Debut of the RevampedBatwoman, Kate Kane
The52weekly series was part of a larger initiative that came after years of build-up. Following the2005-2006 crossover eventInfinite Crisis, every DC title skipped forward a year in a line-wide initiative known as “One Year Later.”52filled in the blanks of what happened in that missing year, following characters such as Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, Black Adam, the Elongated Man, and many more. The events ofInfinite Crisismade it so that DC’s Trinity had to temporarily retire for a year, so52chronicled what happened in the DCU week-by-week of the missing year.
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The number became significant to DC in general when the company decided to reboot its entire line. Jaffe explains:
The series was a big hit for DC, so when Dan DiDio was working to relaunch the DC line in 2011 and had 48 new books lined up for it, Jim Lee suggested upping the number to 52. After all, they’d had good luck with it before. And so, 52 became a motif.
52was such a huge success thatDC produced three more weekly series in the years that followed:Countdown,Trinity,andWednesday Comics. DC would continue to produce more weekly comicsafter the New 52launched, among themFuture’s End,Batman Eternal,andBatman and Robin Eternal.
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Perhaps the most interesting bit of trivia regarding52is how the idea for the weekly series began in the first place. According to an essay by Paul Levitz, “Week One Notes” from the first volume of the52collected edition, the initial idea for a weekly series that played out in real time was actually inspired by the TV series24, which inspired Levitz to coin the series52since it would take place over the course of a single year. Considering that, it’s pretty wild to think thatDC Comics’obsession with the number 52 can be traced back to none other than Jack Bauer.
52is available now both digitally and in collected editions from DC Comics.
