52 #18 is an issue of the series 52 (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 2006. It was published on September 7, 2006.
Synopsis for "Dismantled"
Day 1:
Terri Thirteen, Detective Chimp and Edogawa Sangaku arrive at the House of Mystery for a meeting of the Croatoans, only to find fellow member Tim Trench, wearing the Helmet of Nabu. He turns to water as soon as he is touched.
Day 2:
Black Adam and Isis present the Question with the Order of the Crescent, the highest honor a foreigner can receive in Kahndaq, for his role in preventing a suicide bombing during Adam and Isis's wedding. His parter, Renée Montoya, however, is absent from the ceremony, which angers Adam. He tracks her down and finds her sleeping with a young Kahndaqi woman. Insulted, Adam spares Montoya's life only at the request of Isis. Together, the four agree they should turn their attention towards Intergang.
Day 3:
Detective Chimp tracks down Ralph Dibny in Marseilles, France, and asks the former Elongated Man for help finding answers concerning Trench's death. Ralph asks Chimp to call in the members of his other team, Shadowpact.
Day 4:
In Cincinnati, Booster Gold's funeral takes place, with an odd assortment of obscure super-heroes acting as pallbearers. Skeets identifies Daniel Carter, a young man walking nearby, as Booster's ancestor, and tells Daniel that he will be in touch.
Day 7:
In front of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, Ralph and Shadowpact have gathered in an attempt to magically gather information from the Helmet of Nabu. The helmet begins talking to Ralph, showing him visions of various magicians and of his late wife, Sue. Ralph grabs the helmet and leaves. Shadowpact's members express surprise, since they did not hear the helmet say anything.
Appearing in "Dismantled"
Featured Characters:
- Black Adam
- Question
- Ralph Dibny (Elongated Man, not in costume)
- Renée Montoya
Supporting Characters:
- Beefeater
- Blimp
- Clark Kent (Superman, not in costume)
- Croatoan Society (First appearance)
- Detective Chimp (also appears as member of Shadowpact)
- Edogawa Sangaku (First appearance) (see Trivia)
- Terri Thirteen (First appearance)
- Tim Trench (Dies) (Flashback and main story)
- Daniel Carter (First appearance)
- Honest Abe (First appearance)
- Isis
- Mind Grabber Kid
- Odd Man
- Skeets
- Shadowpact
- Blue Devil
- Enchantress (Also in a vision)
- Nightmaster (Also in a vision)
- Nightshade
- Ragman
- Yellow Peri
Antagonists:
- Felix Faust (As the Helm of Fate)
Other Characters:
- Amethyst (In a vision)
- Baron Winter (In a vision)
- Booster Gold (Behind the scenes) (in coffin)
- Dweller of the Depths (In a vision)
- Etrigan (In a vision)
- Madame Xanadu (In a vision)
- Spectre (In a vision)
- Sue Dibny (In a vision)
- Zatanna (In a vision)
Locations:
Items:
- Helmet of Nabu (Flashback only)
Synopsis for "The Origin of the Question"
Appearing in "The Origin of the Question"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Other Characters:
- Richard Dragon (Behind the scenes)
Items:
Notes
- "Dismantled" is reprinted in 52 Vol. 2 of the 2007 4-volume edition, 52 Volume One of the 2016 2-volume edition, and 52 Omnibus.
Trivia
- The ticker-tape on the bottom of the cover reads, "When is the Shadowpact?!? ...The Funeral of Booster Gold? ..."
- The source of the name "Edogawa Sangaku" received a lot of speculation after the character's first appearance here; although no official explanation from DC or 52's writers was forthcoming, several blogs and posts suggested that his first name was most likely inspired by Japanese writer Edogawa Rampo, an author of detective fiction. Sangaku are centuries-old Japanese geometrical puzzles.
- The T-Shirt that Detective Chimp wears on this issue's cover says "In Grodd We Trust."