This is the last part of DC's groundbreaking weekly comic 52 - telling the story of a "missing year" in the DC Universe in real time. With the absence of the world's three greatest icons - Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman - the rest of Earth's heroes must prevail in a world that has seemingly given up hope. And the final fates of some of them will shock readers of the series...

In the aftermath of the Infinite Crisis, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman vanished for a year. This series reveals what happened while they were away.

As the epic year-long real time series rushes towards its explosive climax, stunning revelations abound as the fates of Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, The Elongated Man, Adam Strange, Animal Man and the rest of the 52 cast are finally revealed. What is the mystery of 52? And who will step up to do battle with the nigh-unstoppable Black Adam as he brings about World War III? And will the world's most powerful heroes ever return?

For some reason we seem to have missed out on the release of Volume 3 in this series, which makes reviewing this final collection all the more tricky. While the "previously" section at the opening to this release sets the scene well, this is really a series that you need to read in its entirety from start to finish, because there are so many characters going through so many changes.

If you've been following this series, then it goes without saying that you'll need to add this to your collection. A satisfying end to an entertaining series.

8

Nick Smithson