52: The Novel by Greg Cox

(Book Review)

Yet another return to my favorite guilty pleasure: novels based on comic books.

This time it's the novelization of "52", the year long series released by DC comics as a follow up to "Infinite Crisis".

And as with "Infinite Crisis" for a variety of reasons I've chosen to read the novelization instead of the actual comic....My commitment to try and read more novels, the fact that the novel is a lot cheaper and a lot more portable than the collected comics, et cetera. (Whilst back in America last month I did check out the first volume of the graphic novel from the library, so I was able to read at least a little of the original comic. For anyone curious the first 5 issues are also available online)

So, which to review, the story or the adaptation? I'll start with the adaptation.

Greg Cox, who was also the author of the novelization of "Infinite Crisis", has a resume that consists almost entirely of television, comic book, and movie adaptations. Arguably this fits the definition of "hack writer" but to give credit where credit is due, he is good at what he does. With both "Infinite Crisis" and "52" he has written novelizations of comic books that don't feel like novelizations of comic books. He stays faithful to the source material without giving the novel a stilted feel. It reads like it could have been an independent work in its own right.

My only complaint is his decision to severely abridge the original source material. I found an interview on line where Cox states:
when my editor first approached me about doing 52 as well, my first response was, “How is that even humanly possible?” We’re talking 52 scripts here. Do the math. That’s over seven times more plot than INFINITE CRISIS. To be honest, I only agreed to take on the project after DC assured me that I would have a pretty free hand when it came to abridging the story.
And, boy, was I merciless when it came to excising characters and subplots. I fully expect to get lynched in effigy when some fans find out that their favorite scenes or characters didn’t make it into the novel. But there was just so much good material, I had to cut some of it out. If you want to know which characters I concentrated on … well, there’s a reason that Booster Gold, Batwoman and The Question are on the cover.

Personally, I would have been more than happy to wade through the whole thing, even if it did approach the proportions of "War and Peace". Why not? There's plenty of other books, even in the fantasy genre (or perhaps especially in the fantasy genre) that top 1000 pages. Why worry so much about cutting this book down to 350? At the very least it could have easily been 600 pages. But I suppose that's just a fans quibble.

Onto the story

In the original comics, one issue was released every week, and the story was supposed to be continuing in real time, similar to the TV series "24". (Hmmm, perhaps a little bit too similar to the TV series "24". I hope everyone has their lawyers ready).

After the events of "Infinite Crisis" the big 3 of the DC Universe, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have all gone missing for a year. And most of the other A-string superheroes of the Justice League are also busy, leaving it to the minor super heroes to pick up the slack. (Minor here means in terms of popularity and name recognition, not powers. Captain Marvel, for example, is every bit just as powerful as Superman).
Of course as any fan knows, the DC universe is overpopulated with Superheros, so there is no lack of characters to feel the void left by the disappearance of the big 3. And in fact for the comic book geek it's kind of nice because it allows some of the overlooked superheros to get there chance in the spotlight.

For the comic book Geek, there is plenty here to chew on for example:
The prominence of Captain Marvel and the whole Marvel family--Captain Marvel was originally a Superman rip off by Fawcett comics, that became more popular than Superman himself until DC comics sued them and they had to stop publication. Years later DC bought out the rights to Captain Marvel, and ever since than he's been a supporting character in the DC universe, but never really since came into his own or regained his former popularity.
I've said before I tend to enjoy the anachronistic cheesy comic characters the most, and Captain Marvel is a good example of both. Needlessly redundant in a universe that already has Superman, a clean cut kid superhero in an age where comics are more and more aimed at teens/adults. And yet DC comics keeps trying to rework these old superheros and fit them into modern story lines. You got to love comics.In fact even more in this story (arguably the main character of the story) is Captain Marvel's traditional arch nemesis Black Adam, who has over the years been redesigned as more of an anti-hero than a villain.
Also from deep in the annals of comic book history comes Batwoman. Batwoman was originally created back in the 1950s as part of the Bat family (Bat Girl, Ace the Bat Hound, Bat Mite) partly to counter rumors that Batman and Robin were homosexuals. She and the rest of the Bat Family were faded out in the 1960s as an attempt was made to make Batman more serious. Eventually she was killed off.
But because DC comics has reset its continuity several times starting with the events of "Crisis on Infinite Earths", these old characters can be brought back and reinvented. In the case of Batwoman, they've brought her back and made her into a lesbian this time.
There was a bit of to do about this in the media about one year ago (for example NPR show here). This is not the first lesbian in comic books, but it is the first Batwoman lesbian, so I guess it caught people's attention.
I have yet to do a formal study of this, but in my own reading experiences as a fan I've certainly encountered a lot more lesbian characters in comic books than male gays. Particularly gorgeous scantily clad highly proportioned lesbians in compromising positions with other lesbians seems to be a popular theme. It is hardly any wonder given the target audience for comic books, and yet at times it seems to be only one step removed from the manga porn common in Japanese comics.
At any rate the comic book industry seems to have worked both angles of this very nicely. They increase their sales with graphic depictions of beautiful lesbians, then they try and make it look progressive by talking about their character diversity.
Last but not least is The Question, another old superhero from another company (Charlton) that DC comics eventually bought out and acquired the rights to. Like a lot of the characters from Charlton comics he's been underused the past 20 years since DC bought the rights, but he is gets a big chunk of the story here.
Final thoughts: This certainly isn't Shakespeare, but the story and characters are complex enough that I think this can legitimately be called adult entertainment. There are lots of surprises along the way, but they are all foreshadowed and seem to be plotted out in advance. (No Deus ex Machinas in other words). The characters motivations are often complex and layered.
As with any big comic series, to increase the excitement and boost the sales several heroes are killed, some are reborn, and some are recreated. The usual comic book fun in other words.
Entertainment Weekly compared it to a gripping TV show, and that's not a bad comparison. It is every bit as complex or engaging as shows like "Lost", "24" or "Heroes". And if you feel no guilt about enjoying those shows, why not indulge your inner geek and enjoy this novel?

Link of the Day
The Cost of the Iraq War for Michigan and the 3rd Congressional District
August 13, 2007: A new analysis by the National Priorities Project has placed the cost of the Iraq War for Michigan residents at $12.1 billion and $818 million for residents of Michigan's 3rd Congressional District. Despite this, Representative Vern Ehlers of the 3rd District has continued to support the war by voting to continue funding it.

52: The Novel by Greg Cox: Book Review (Scripted)