History Comicbook / FiftyTwo

While Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman appear occasionally throughout the story, the main focus is on the rest of the DC Universe as it functions without its iconic heroes, devoting most of its panel time to second and third string characters, including some who had been all but abandoned at the end of UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks. Because of the sheer number of characters to keep track of and all the continuity and decades old story lines used as the backbone of the story, ''52'' could be accused of veering into ContinuityPorn. This is alleviated to a certain degree by the collected volumes of the series, which included creators' notes at the end of each week that tended to illuminate various parts of that week's chapter (including some of the more obscure references). DC also produced a companion book to the series that reprinted some classic issues featuring some of the major characters of the series that are not as well known (Rip Hunter, for example, had been pretty much been out of DC Comics since the 1960s, but becomes pretty important as 52 presses on), as well as more recent issues that set-up the characters for their individual stories.

* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Batman encounters the Ten-Eyed Men while on his journey around the world, who have an eye at the end of each finger. They were inspired by the Ten-Eyed Man, an old villain from UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} that one of the writers remembered fondly.

* UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks: It is solidly set in the [[UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks here and now]], but many of its characters are classic creations of the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] with the baggage that comes with them.
* GrandfatherClause: For a lot of fans, this is the only explanation for the inclusion of Chang Tzu (better known as Egg Fu back in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Sixties]]).

* BlackComedy: "Rain of the Supermen"

[[caption-width-right:350:It was a year without [[{{Franchise/Superman}} DC's]] [[{{Franchise/Batman}} greatest]] [[Franchise/WonderWoman heroes.]] There would be others [[HeroesUnlimited to take their place.]]]]

''52'' was a yearlong series published by DC Comics from May 2006 to May 2007. As the name suggests it consisted of an issue every week for an entire year, a Herculean task made easier by having four writers (Creator/GeoffJohns, Creator/GrantMorrison, Creator/GregRucka, and Creator/MarkWaid), one breakdown artist (Keith Giffen), and a veritable army of pencilers, inkers, colorists, and letterers. The story takes place between the events of Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis and the ComicBook/OneYearLater storylines of Characters/{{Wonder Woman|TheCharacter}}, Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}, and Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}.

* [[ComicBook/ElongatedMan Ralph Dibny]], still reeling from the events of ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis2004'', begins to investigate a Kryptonian cult devoted to resurrection (most importantly, the resurrection of the [[Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis recently deceased]] [[Characters/SupermanConnerKent Conner Kent]]) that appears to have an interest in his dead wife, Sue. After busting up one of its rituals, Ralph begins his own journey to resurrect Sue with the help of the Helm of Nabu.

* In the wake of a teleportation accident, ComicBook/AdamStrange, Comicbook/AnimalMan, and [[Characters/TeenTitansStarfire Starfire]] must find their own way back home with limited supplies (including a lack of eyes in their pilot, Adam). Their journey not only puts them against some of the darkest forces in space, but makes them a target for the evil [[EldritchAbomination Lady Styx]]. In order to survive long enough to find someone to help them return home, they are forced to join up with Lobo, [[MindScrew now a cardinal in an interplanetary religion of nonviolence devoted to a gigantic space dolphin]].

* AbortedArc: The original Booster Gold/Skeets arc involved the duo fixing the time-stream after it had been damaged during the Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis. However, several issues into the series, after Skeets had already noticed several discrepancies between events as they happened and as they were recorded in the future, the writers decided that this plot had been used too often by other time-travel heroes and was too generic, so they switched to an actual malevolent threat that intended to manipulate time and reality for its own gain.

* AffirmativeActionLegacy: Renee Montoya, a [[TwoferTokenMinority Hispanic lesbian]], [[spoiler: takes over from the late Vic Sage to become the new [[ComicBook/TheQuestion Question]]]]. Katherine "Kate" Kane, a Jewish Lesbian, is introduced as the new {{Comicbook/Batwoman}}.

* {{Ascended Fan|boy}}girl: Eliza Harmon, who idolized the Comicbook/TeenTitans and all things [[Franchise/TheFlash speed]]. When she became Trajectory and a member of Luthor's new ComicBook/InfinityInc, she never stopped hoping to eventually join the Titans, and dreamed of eventually becoming the [[LegacyCharacter new]] Kid Flash.
* AsteroidThicket: Apparently the thicket that ComicBook/AdamStrange, Comicbook/AnimalMan, and [[Characters/TeenTitansStarfire Starfire]] are stuck in has a diameter measured in ''parsecs''. This is handwaved with the explanation that it is not a natural asteroid field, but that comes nowhere close to explaining the sheer amount of mass that is present.

* BadassNormal: Renee Montoya and the Question especially, but almost every Badass Normal in the DC Universe pops up at some point. It even introduces a few new ones, including the new {{Comicbook/Batwoman}}.

* BigDamnHeroes: {{Comicbook/Batwoman}}, in what was supposed to be her [[TheReveal reveal]], appears in a full-page splash panel knocking out two [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot mutant human lion/leopard cultists]] as she dramatically saves both Renee Montoya and ComicBook/TheQuestion from an unpleasant turn of events (namely, being eaten by the aforementioned cultists).

** ''Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis'' for ComicBook/BoosterGold, ComicBook/{{Steel}}, Black Adam, and the Space Heroes (Comicbook/AnimalMan, ComicBook/AdamStrange and [[Characters/TeenTitansStarfire Starfire]]), who all took part in either fighting the crisis itself or the set-up.

** ''Comicbook/GothamCentral'' for Renee Montoya, the series which covered her involuntary outing by Two-Face, her gradual descent into alcoholism and violence, and the death of her partner, Crispus Allen.

* CosmicPlaything: Buddy Baker. Makes sense when you realize the [[Creator/GrantMorrison one]] who wrote Buddy's scenes wrote a run of [[Comicbook/AnimalMan his series]].
* CrisisCrossover: An unusual example of a Crisis Crossover that happens immediately after another. DC has referred to the surrounding Crisis' as chapters in a single large story beginning with ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', then ''Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis'' and ending in ''Comicbook/FinalCrisis''. (Of course, there was also ''ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis'', but that doesn't count because it's largely been [[CanonDiscontinuity expunged from canon]] due to how awful it was.)

* DeathSeeker: Renee begins the series suicidal after the events of ''Comicbook/GothamCentral'' and, after she is forced to kill an Intergang suicide bomber that was just a child, she begs Black Adam to kill her when he finds her "drunkenly taking pleasure with one of [his] citizens."

* EarlyBirdCameo: The Super Young Team are first mentioned in ''52'', but do not appear until ''Comicbook/FinalCrisis''.

* EvilCounterpart: Inverted. Black Adam is normally the Evil Counterpart of [[Comicbook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]], but in this series, he tries to turn over a new leaf and serves as one of the protagonists.

** This story, along with the ComicBook/SevenSoldiers maxi-series, sets up important plot points for ''Comicbook/FinalCrisis''. The scenes showing what Batman and Characters/{{Robin}} did in their year off set up a number of points which become important during Morrison's run on Batman, and Rip Hunter's chalkboard predicts events in a whole host of future stories.

* HeadgearHeadstone: The cover of #1 shows Franchise/{{Batman}}'s cowl perched atop Franchise/WonderWoman's [[WeaponTombstone sword]] thrust through Franchise/{{Superman}}'s cape: signifying their symbolic deaths. This [[BookEnds bookended]] by the cover of #52 which depicts ComicBook/TheQuestion's iconic fedora perched on top of a gravestone (with ComicBook/ElongatedMan's orange costume wrapped round the stone): representing their actual deaths.

* HollywoodHypeMachine: When it was announced that {{Comicbook/Batwoman}} would be reintroduced to Franchise/TheDCU in this series, and that she would be gay with a history with Renee Montoya, the media reaction was ''astounding''. Creator/DanDiDio himself said that he was completely unprepared for the amount of focus and recognition, including spreading into media that is not traditionally related to or focused on comic books. With such a focus on her and her sexuality she became known as DC's most high-profile gay superhero. However, the press response was greatly out of proportion to her role in the series, which was as a supporting character spread out over fifty-two issues, and after its conclusion she did not receive another starring role until her 2009 headlining of ''Detective Comics''.

* InNameOnly: Literally. Lex Luthor has bought the copyrights to several superhero identities and teams and has begun distributing them to the creations of his Everyman Project, giving them the names of iconic characters without any connection (personally, thematically or professionally) to their earlier incarnations. This leads to extensive friction between the new ComicBook/InfinityInc and the Comicbook/TeenTitans and the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica; the latter two teams knew, and in some instances ''fathered'', the people behind the old identities and the members of the original Infinity, Inc., and they take Luthor's buying of their identities as a personal insult. Infinity, Inc., however, throws this right back at them; the Teen Titans are also not what they once were, they have lost so many members and been reformed so often that they are no more the original team than Infinity, Inc. is.

** {{Comicbook/Batwoman}} makes her first return to DCU comics continuity in several decades when Katherine "Kate" Kane is introduced.

** Abbot, one of Bruno Mannheim's underlings, [[spoiler: rebels against Mannheim's plans to create Apokoliptian Firepits in Gotham City and helps Characters/{{Nightwing|DickGrayson}} and Renee Montoya prevent the plot and save {{Comicbook/Batwoman}}]]. He himself explains that he is just ''sick'' of the whole damn thing, although his later appearances in ''Detective Comics'' instead have him label himself a "true believer" of the Religion of Crime who no longer agrees with Mannheim's specific interpretation of prophecy and doctrine.

* MythologyGag: The initial issues contain numerous references to people and companies important to the history of Creator/DCComics and its iconic characters. These include, but are not limited to, [[{{Franchise/Superman}} Siegel Street and Shuster Road]], [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer Fleischer Bros. Transportation]], and [[{{Franchise/Batman}} Kane Street]]. The last later receives a {{justifi|edTrope}}cation; the Kane family is revealed to be a wealthy and influential family in Gotham City that owns the street in question. This also serves as another ContinuityNod; Martha Wayne, mother to Bruce Wayne, is often given the maiden name of Kane.

* {{Novelization}}: Written by Greg Cox, who also wrote the prose novel versions of Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis and Comicbook/CountdownToFinalCrisis. It leaves out Luthor's Everyman Project, the Religion of Crime, the Great Ten, Ralph's quest, the space heroes, Steel and Natasha, and Will Magnus.

* OutlivingOnesOffspring: In the aftermath of the Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis, the cosmic event that shattered existence, Alan Scott has to deal with the realization that his daughter died in the crisis, and no parent should ever have to outlive their children.

* PrivateDetective: Renee Montoya is an experienced detective from the Gotham City Police Department, [[Comicbook/GothamCentral recently having left their employ]], and the Question hires her to surveil a warehouse with the first three weeks ([[SeriesContinuityError Or is it two?]]) paid in advance. Captain Maggie Sawyer, however, later reveals that she is not licensed to operate as such, and Maggie will not tolerate her investigations if they go somewhere they should not.

* ReligionOfEvil: The Religion of Crime, created by Intergang. Its leader, Bruno Mannheim, believes their dark angel is [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]], in a foreshadowing to Comicbook/FinalCrisis. It gets better - their Crime Bible is presumably made of the stone [[Literature/TheBible used by Cain to kill Abel]]. Mannheim uses it to smash people's heads in.

* SuperheroSpeciation: None of the witnessed products of the Everyman project are seen to have duplicate powers, despite the thousands of metahumans produced by Luthor. When Everyman himself, a [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifter]] from the project, squares off against Beast Boy of the Comicbook/TeenTitans, Beast Boy actually remarks there is only room for one shapeshifter.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: When all the heroes who went out into space in Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis are rescued and brought down to Australia they have all been mutated, transformed, merged or deformed in unique and disturbing ways. Original ComicBook/GreenLantern Alan Scott got off lighter than almost anybody else - he only lost one eye, but even the eye he still has was not originally his and his daughter Jade died during the Crisis. ComicBook/{{Steel}} recognizes that, physical rehabilitation aside, all these returning heroes are going to need counseling to help them deal with what happened, but Alan is adamant that that is not even an option.

** Comicbook/AnimalMan and Starfire became close and she even lived with in his house for a while. During ''Countdown to Adventure'', Buddy is even asked if he has feelings for her and does not reply. The problem with this is that Buddy is married with two kids...

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Beast Boy of the Comicbook/TeenTitans becomes a supporting character once Luthor's metagene project begins to become widespread, and Hannibal, code-named Everyman, gains shapeshifting powers from the project. [[SuperheroSpeciation Beast Boy eventually remarks that there is only room for one shapeshifter here]].

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Along with AbortedArc above, Grant Morrison indicated that there was originally supposed to be a resolution for Super-Chief, who literally fell through the clouds in the afterlife in his last appearance, but it had to be cut, though they intended to bring him back eventually. This never happened - he was last seen as a Black Lantern in ''Comicbook/BlackestNight'', and a new Super-Chief eventually showed up much later during the "Grounded" arc in the ''Superman'' book.

* DropTheHammer: Steel's weapon is, technological gimmicks aside, a steel-driving ground-thumping hammer.

* HeroesWantRedheads: Renee Montoya has a long, passionate and heartbroken history with red-headed Kate Kane, and the Question himself has delirium-induced flashbacks to his love, Myra, from his own series.

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Ralph has been pretending to be TheAlcoholic. The drink in his flask? Gingold]].

* IronicHell: The Helm of Nabu shows Ralph Dibny a literal ironic hell as a lesson on what happens to sorcerers who mess up bad. Ralph also gets the chance to inflict one of these on [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis his wife's murderer]]. He could not bring himself to go through with it.

* [[ComicBook/ElongatedMan Ralph Dibny]], still reeling from the events of ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', begins to investigate a Kryptonian cult devoted to resurrection (most importantly, the resurrection of the [[Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis recently deceased]] [[Characters/SupermanConnerKent Conner Kent]]) that appears to have an interest in his dead wife, Sue. After busting up one of its rituals, Ralph begins his own journey to resurrect Sue with the help of the Helm of Nabu.

** ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'' for Ralph Dibny, in which his wife was murdered, he stopped being the Elongated Man, and a lot of moral ambiguity was introduced to the formerly [[IncorruptiblePurePureness all-good]] ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica.

* [[HesBack He's Back]]: Ever since ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'' Ralph has been "un-Elongated" and near-suicidal, and he verges quite close to outright insanity over the course of this series. He is [[DrowningMySorrows perpetually carrying a flask]] and [[BeardOfSorrow has let his personal hygiene fall by the wayside]], but when Ralph [[spoiler: unmasks Felix Faust and reveals he knew it was him all along]] he is, for the first time in several weeks, clean-shaven and properly dressed while his opponent cowers and trembles.

* ScrewTheWarWerePartying: Oolong Island's under attack from a furious [[spoiler: Black Adam]], the rest of the Science Squad are desperately firing off every countermeasure they have, and what's T. O. Morrow doing? Bid-sniping Red Tornado shrapnel on Website/EBay.

** Grant Morrison is an avowed fan of the Silver Age, which is why many of the goofier characters appear in his stuff, such as Egg Fu in ''52'' (albeit DarkerAndEdgier). Still, Morrison was frustrated he was forced to ditch Egg Fu's prehensile mustache.

* CosmicPlaything: Buddy Baker. Makes sense when you realize the [[Creator/GrantMorrison one]] who wrote his scenes wrote [[Comicbook/AnimalMan his series]].

** Classic villain Egg Fu was transformed into the horrific and monstrous Chang Tzu, who killed a henchman because he ''might'' have once called him "Egg Fu." According to the WordOfGod, Morrison was ''begging'' them to retain the prehensile mustache, but he was voted down.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Along with AbortedArc above, Grant Morrison indicated that there was originally supposed to be a resolution for Super-Chief, who literally fell through the clouds in the afterlife in his last appearance, but it had to be cut, though he intended to bring him back eventually. This never happened - he was last seen as a Black Lantern in ''Comicbook/BlackestNight'', and a new Super-Chief eventually showed up much later during the "Grounded" arc in the ''Superman'' book.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: The climax of the Luthor/Steel storyline, where the newly-powered Luthor shatters Steel's armor, ruptures his internal organs and laughs about how it is so easy and he feels none of Steel's own attempts to fight back.

''52'' was a yearlong series published by DC Comics from May 2006 to May 2007. As the name suggests it consisted of an issue every week for an entire year, a Herculean task made easier by having four writers (Creator/GeoffJohns, Creator/GrantMorrison, Creator/GregRucka, and Creator/MarkWaid), one breakdown artist (Keith Giffen), and a veritable army of pencilers, inkers, colorists, and letterers. The story takes place between the events of Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis and the ComicBook/OneYearLater storylines of Franchise/WonderWoman, {{Franchise/Superman}}, and {{Franchise/Batman}}.

* [[ComicBook/ElongatedMan Ralph Dibny]], still reeling from the events of ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', begins to investigate a Kryptonian cult devoted to resurrection (most importantly, the resurrection of the [[Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis recently deceased]] [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} Conner Kent]]) that appears to have an interest in his dead wife, Sue. After busting up one of its rituals, Ralph begins his own journey to resurrect Sue with the help of the Helm of Nabu.
* The strained relationship between John Henry Irons (ComicBook/{{Steel}}) and his niece Natasha eventually drives her to join ComicBook/LexLuthor's Everyman Project, a program that promises to awake latent metahuman genes at whatever price Luthor deems fit. However, Irons soon discovers that the artificial metagenes come at a serious price, and Lex's paranoia of Supernova has led him to try to get the treatment himself...

* As ComicBook/BlackAdam continues to rule over the nation of Kahndaq he begins a new war against crime by publicly executing any super criminal that comes within his borders. His call for a new brand of superhuman justice is answered by other nations tired of American heroes running rampant across their borders, including China and its government sanctioned superhumans The Great Ten. Things begin to change though as Black Adam begins to build his own Marvel family, [[MoralityPet who convince him to follow a less bloody path.]]
* In the wake of a teleportation accident, ComicBook/AdamStrange, Comicbook/AnimalMan, and Comicbook/{{Starfire}} must find their own way back home with limited supplies (including a lack of eyes in their pilot, Adam). Their journey not only puts them against some of the darkest forces in space, but makes them a target for the evil [[EldritchAbomination Lady Styx]]. In order to survive long enough to find someone to help them return home, they are forced to join up with Lobo, [[MindScrew now a cardinal in an interplanetary religion of nonviolence devoted to a gigantic space dolphin]].

* AsteroidThicket: Apparently the thicket that ComicBook/AdamStrange, Comicbook/AnimalMan, and Comicbook/{{Starfire}} are stuck in has a diameter measured in ''parsecs''. This is handwaved with the explanation that it is not a natural asteroid field, but that comes nowhere close to explaining the sheer amount of mass that is present.

** The collected volumes make it clear which characters the writers loved most of all. Even Creator/DanDiDio, Editor in Chief of DC, got in on this; while Dan stayed out of much of the writing of 52 [[WordOfGod (his words, not mine)]], he did insist that [[spoiler: Ralph Dibny die as both "...a Hero and a husband."]] and had the end of the Ralph Dibny storyline rewritten.

* BadassBookworm: Ralph Dibny, the ComicBook/ElongatedMan. He has a respectable level of combat ability due to his stretching powers, but what ''really'' puts him above and beyond is his inquisitive and intellectual nature, which [[Franchise/GreenLantern Hal Jordan]] has said is more rational than any man he has ever met, even moreso than {{Franchise/Batman}} and [[Franchise/TheFlash Barry Allen]].

* BigBadEnsemble: [[spoiler: Mister Mind, Lady Styx, Lex Luthor, Chang-Tzu, Bruno Mannheim, and Neron]]

** ''Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis'' for ComicBook/BoosterGold, ComicBook/{{Steel}}, Black Adam, and the Space Heroes (Comicbook/AnimalMan, ComicBook/AdamStrange and [[Comicbook/TeenTitans Starfire]]), who all took part in either fighting the crisis itself or the set-up.
** ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'' for Ralph Dibny, in which his wife was murdered, he stopped being the Elongated Man, and a lot of moral ambiguity was introduced to the formerly [[IncorruptiblePurePureness all-good]] Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica.

** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by Ralph Dibny when he, [[Franchise/GreenLantern Hal Jordan]], ComicBook/GreenArrow, ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}}, and Zauriel are breaking up the Cult of Conner, which preaches resurrection. Ralph points out that Jordan and Arrow have both been dead before, and Ralph has actually ''lost track'' of how many times Metamorpho has been deceased in the past. With all their history, who is to say that the Cult of Conner does not have a legitimate point?

* DidNotThinkThisThrough: In Week #42, Ralph Dibny cites this as what doomed [[spoiler: Felix Faust's deception as the Helmet of Fate. To manipulate Ralph and acquire his soul, Faust had to set up an elaborate BatmanGambit (the accidental deaths of prominent occultists) to get Ralph involved, wherein he'd 'take possession' of the Helmet. To earn Ralph's trust, 'Fate' also shows him a vision of the deaths. What Faust didn't consider was that he had just shown one of the greatest Detectives in the DCU a classic locked room murder mystery scenario. The Helmet was the murder weapon. And as Ralph so succintly puts it, what's the first thing you do with a murder weapon? ''You look for prints''.]]

* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler: Mister Mind becomes this in the end.]]

** [[spoiler: The Black Marvel Family's decimation]]. Creator commentary reveals that they were deliberately pushing the envelope as far as they possibly could in a comic.
** ComicBook/BlackAdam kills [[spoiler: Sobek]] by forcing his jaw open until his head is torn in half.

* FiringDay: [[{{Franchise/Superman}} Clark Kent]] has lost his superpowers and [[BroughtDownToNormal is living a year as just a normal human.]] Unfortunately, this means that his work as a reporter is seriously lacking, as he isn't used to needing to go out and ''look'' for news. Perry White is on the verge of firing him, and in fact has his termination letter in his hand, when Clark is motivated to take a lesson from his wife's playbook and ''leaps out a window'' in order to attract the attention of the new hero Supernova for an interview.

--> "I swear before this is over [[spoiler: I'm gonna hold his dead body in my hands.]]"

** This story, along with the ComicBook/SevenSoldiers maxi-series, sets up important plot points for ''Comicbook/FinalCrisis''. The scenes showing what Batman and ComicBook/{{Robin}} did in their year off set up a number of points which become important during Morrison's run on Batman, and Rip Hunter's chalkboard predicts events in a whole host of future stories.

* HypocriticalHumor: After a depowered [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark Kent]] scores an interview with Supernova by throwing himself out of a high window in order to get caught, Lois throws the newspaper with the story at him.

* LetsGetDangerous: [[spoiler: Black Adam has just massacred an entire country out of vengeance for his dead family, including the four Eldritch Abominations responsible for said dead family, and now he shows up at the front door of the Science Squad, the people responsible for the creation of the Eldritch Abominations. The Science Squad, a collection of various mad scientists from around the DCU, has mostly had their various social phobias and maniac tendencies played for laughs up until this point. This should be a Curb Stomp Battle, and it is... but not in the direction that you think. The Science Squad finally puts aside their myriad squabbles and works together to lay the hurt on Black Adam, eventually capturing him. Just to put this in perspective, once Black Adam later escapes, he starts World War III. By himself. Against everyone. With no allies. World War III is Black Adam vs. the entire planet. And the Science Squad, of all people, take him down with little effort.]]

* LodgedBladeRecycling: [[spoiler:Kate kills Bruno with the same sacrificial dagger he has just used to cut her heart half-way out.]]

** Abbot, one of Bruno Mannheim's underlings, [[spoiler: rebels against Mannheim's plans to create Apokoliptian Firepits in Gotham City and helps ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} and Renee Montoya prevent the plot and save {{Comicbook/Batwoman}}]]. He himself explains that he is just ''sick'' of the whole damn thing, although his later appearances in ''Detective Comics'' instead have him label himself a "true believer" of the Religion of Crime who no longer agrees with Mannheim's specific interpretation of prophecy and doctrine.

--> "Oh, god... oh, ''god'', what have I...?"

--> "God forgive me... Mary, full of grace..."

* PersonOfMassDestruction: Black Adam, a man with strength on par with {{Franchise/Superman}} and a KnightTemplar mentality towards all things crime.

* ReligionOfEvil: The Religion of Crime, created by Intergang. Its leader, Bruno Mannheim, believes their dark angel is {{ComicBook/Darkseid}}, in a foreshadowing to Comicbook/FinalCrisis. It gets better - their Crime Bible is presumably made of the stone [[Literature/TheBible used by Cain to kill Abel]]. Mannheim uses it to smash people's heads in.

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Ralph has been pretending to be TheAlcoholic. The drink in his flask? Gingold.]]

* SarcasticConfession: [[spoiler: Booster's death in Week 13 was originally going to play this way. Booster was going to sarcastically confess he was Supernova. While the Writers felt this was in character for Booster (due to his ego), they also ultimately felt they were tipping their hand too early and too much.]]

* SecondSuperIdentity: Everyone thought that Supernova was Franchise/{{Superman}} in disguise. [[spoiler:Actually, it was ComicBook/BoosterGold from the future all along.]] (The original Silver Age Supernova ''was'' Superman in disguise.)

* ThereAreNoTherapists: When all the heroes who went out into space in Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis are rescued and brought down to Australia they have all been mutated, transformed, merged or deformed in unique and disturbing ways. Original Franchise/GreenLantern Alan Scott got off lighter than almost anybody else - he only lost one eye, but even the eye he still has was not originally his and his daughter Jade died during the Crisis. ComicBook/{{Steel}} recognizes that, physical rehabilitation aside, all these returning heroes are going to need counseling to help them deal with what happened, but Alan is adamant that that is not even an option.

* TruthSerums: Played with when Lex Luthor kidnaps Clark Kent and gives him an experimental truth serum which his scientists explain is a synthetic recreation of Franchise/WonderWoman's magic lasso. He then asks Clark, who broke the story about new hero Supernova, why it is that Superman is [[ItsAllAboutMe toying with Luthor by pretending to be someone else]]. Clark, {{laughing mad}}ly, informs Lex that he does not know who is under the Supernova mask, but he is absolutely certain of one thing: [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments it is not Superman]]. Creator commentary in the trade paperbacks points out that this scene, and perhaps the entire future path of DC comics, could have gone so differently if Luthor had simply known to ask ''the right question''.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: It seems like everybody, everywhere, does not give the ComicBook/ElongatedMan the respect he deserves. His stretching abilities give him a respectable degree of combat capability, and his analytical and inquisitive mind that sets him far and away above many of those who would challenge him. [[Franchise/GreenLantern Hal Jordan]] himself has stated that Ralph, moreso than even {{Franchise/Batman}} or [[Franchise/TheFlash Barry Allen]], has always been the most rational person he had ever met.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Subverted. Renee is ready to kill one of the mutating human/animal cultists used by Intergang when Batwoman, [[ThouShaltNotKill like her]] [[{{Franchise/Batman}} namesake]], knocks her down rather than let her get in a killing shot, even against one of these nonhuman animals.

* DreamTeam: The four writers. Some of the biggest names in comics working on a project that involves fan-favorite, and author-favorite, characters in an undocumented period of history in the DC Universe. They went wild, and the critics and fans ate it all up.

* KickTheDog: Luthor on New Year's Eve.

* [[FiveManBand Ten Bad Band]]: The Great Ten.
** BigBad / EvilGenius: [[spoiler: Chang Tzu]]
** TheDragon: August General in Iron
** TheBrute: Socialist Red Guardsman, Immortal Man in Darkness
** PsychoForHire / DarkChick: Ghost Fox Killer
** AsianBabymama: Mother of Champions. Yes, her power is to give birth to superpowered babies. Not making this up here people...
** OnlySaneMan: The Accomplished Perfect Physician, Thundermind
** {{Mauve Shirt}}s: The Yeti, The Seven Deadly Brothers, The Celestial Archer, Shaolin Robot

* HeadgearHeadstone: The cover of #1 shows Franchise/{{Batman}}'s cowl perched atop Franchise/WonderWoman's [[WeaponTombstone sword]] thrust through Franchise/{{Superman}}'s cape: signifying their symbolic deaths. This [[BookEnds bookended]] by the cover of #52 which depicts ComicBook/TheQuestion's iconic fedora perched on top of a gravestone (with ComicBook/ElongatedMan's orange costume wrapped round the stone): representing their actal deaths.

* AsteroidThicket: Turned UpToEleven; apparently the thicket that ComicBook/AdamStrange, Comicbook/AnimalMan, and Comicbook/{{Starfire}} are stuck in has a diameter measured in ''parsecs''. This is handwaved with the explanation that it is not a natural asteroid field, but that comes nowhere close to explaining the sheer amount of mass that is present.