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"A Year in the Life": Week 0, Day 0

Light up the whole damn sky, Daniel! This one's for the Blue and the Gold!
— Booster Gold

52 #52 is an issue of the series 52 (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 2007. It was published on May 2, 2007.

Synopsis for "A Year in the Life"

Week 0, Day 0
Aboard the Time Sphere, Rip Hunter and Booster Gold travel back in time to the Infinite Crisis with the remains of Skeets. Rip reveals that, after the events of Infinite Crisis, the remaining Earths created by Alexander Luthor collapsed back together, combining historical remnants to form one new earth. However, the single universe was too small to contain the energy inside it and it began replicating into 51 other universes, a new Multiverse. It is further revealed that Mister Mind (New Earth) has now evolved the ability to consume this energy, just as he did when, still within Skeets, he consumed the Phantom Zone. Mister Mind intends to go back in time and consume all 52 universes.

Thus, they intend to travel back to the moment before these universes coalesced. They needed T.O. Morrow to repair head of Red Tornado. Rip has taken Tornado’s head and wired it into his Time Sphere. This will allow the Time Sphere to alter vibrational frequencies and travel between the 52 parallel universes. When they arrive, Mister Mind attacks them with a massive blast of Phantom Zone energy, which he consumed previously. However, Supernova appears and places himself between the Time Sphere and the blast. Rip reveals that, thanks to the Phantom Zone technology laced in Supernova’s uniform, he can deflect and restore the Phantom Zone energy to its proper dimensional plane. Supernova comes aboard and it is revealed that he is Daniel Carter. Rip reveals that Mister Mind, within Skeets, opened a time vortex which sent Daniel into a time loop, reliving the same 52 second loop for eternity. Luckily, Rip discovered Daniel and, given that the Supernova costume is keyed to DNA, gave Daniel the costume and recruited him to help. Mister Mind changes his vibrational frequency and begins traveling between the 52 potential universes. Rip uses Tornado’s head to match the vibrational signature and follow. The heroes travel through several of the 52 universes, chasing Mister Mind while he consumes years and events from each, altering them. Rip reveals that he has used T.O. Morrow’s future viewer to see what is coming. Unless they can trap Mister Mind, he will reproduce and creatures like him, which Rip dubs hyperflies, will devour the consciousness of every living thing, and leave all of creation to rot in mindless darkness forever. Booster questions whether he is the right person to confront this threat, believing that there are surely other more qualified heroes Rip could have enlisted. Daniel tells him that if he can try, so can Booster. Skeets activates briefly to tell Booster that he has faith in him. Booster agrees to try but tells Rip that he better have had a good reason for having chosen him for this mission. Booster then powers up and tells the others that one thing he does know is where to find the kind of energy source they need. With that he activates his time travel abilities and fades away.

Crisis on Infinite Earths
Booster visits Blue Beetle during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Week 52, Day ?
Booster heads to the present where he steals the Suspendium Globe, a device containing artificial time in particle form, from Doctor Sivana.

Week 0, Day 0
He returns to the Time Sphere and Rip enhances Supernova’s time travel equipment substantially. The temporal energy emanating from Supernova causes Mister Mind to pursue them. They head to Rip’s lab and Mister Mind shrinks down to chase them.

Week 2, Day 1
Once in Rip's lab, Rip activates his time locks giving them time to trap Mister Mind and complete their plan. It is revealed that Rip has reinforced Skeets with Suspendium, which allows Booster to trap Mister Mind within Skeet. However, Rip warns that the Suspendium cannot hold him for long, not until it is fully charged. He tells Booster that the faster it moves through the timestream, the more chronal energy the Suspendium will absorb. If they can move it through time with enough speed and force, it will become a “Time Bomb,” and Mister Mind will be defeated. Booster resists, not wanting to destroy Skeets, but Skeets convinces him that this is a good end, supporting Booster in his greatest triumph. When Booster agrees, Rip proposes that they shoot Skeets it from a cannon through a time portal he has opened. However, Booster, who was once a great football player, decides to throw Skeets. He tells Supernova to “go long.” As Skeets is thrown, Supernova flies along after him through the portal and time. Rip has calculated the exact time which Supernova must make his catch.

Week 1, Day 6
Supernova chases Skeet eventually making the catch at the exact moment necessary, pulling himself and Skeets out of the flow of time, on the first day of week one of the last 52 weeks. This was when Mister Mind secretly embedded himself within Skeets.

Week 1, Day 1
Supernova, still travelling backwards in time a few more days, spikes Skeets, who explodes with temporal energy reverting Mister Mind back to his original form. It is revealed that this was the time that Doctor Sivana found and captured Mister Mind and he is, relative to his own timeline, again captured with his memory of events erased.

Week 2, Day 1
Rip surprises Booster by telling that he downloaded Skeets' "mem-self" onto a leftover Responsometer and knows who can rebuild him. Unfortunately, Rip tells Booster they cannot speak of this because some other villain could try the same. Thus, Booster’s greatest triumph will remain unknown to the universe he has helped save.

Week 52, Day 6
At Checkmate Headquarters, White King Alan Scott (Green Lantern) proposes that they organize a task force, backed by the United Nations, specifically created to locate and capture Black Adam (Teth-Adam) who is an international fugitive.

In Kahndaq, an unknown individual places the Amulet of Isis and flowers on the ground. Isis’s image can be seen in the Amulet. Later the individual is revealed to be Teth-Adam, as evidenced by the boots made from the crocodile-like skin of Yurd. The Department of Metahuman Affairs and its new agent Diana Prince discuss their efforts to capture Teth-Adam as well.

In Metropolis, John Henry Irons and Natasha Irons once again work together at the Steelworks. Natasha notes that media reports make no mention of Infinity, Inc.

In Sheffield, Alabama, a harried teacher explains that a mysterious fiery hole pit in her classroom. Just before the hole appeared, her students began drawing horrifying, cryptic images. The police of the small town are admittedly out of the depth, but suddenly, two ghosts appear, who are revealed to be the ghosts of Ralph Dibny and Sue Dibny. The have been reunited as the Ghost Detectives.

At the home of Doctor William Magnus, Magnus reveals that he has managed to restore Skeets’ personality from a combination of the “mem-self” Rip Hunter saved and a backup he made of Skeets months ago when he examined him. He restores Skeets, but his memory of the last year is lost. Booster Gold begins to fill him on what he has missed.

Week 52, Day 7
In Gotham, the Question restores the Bat-Signal in Gotham City. Meanwhile, Kate Kane, is examined by her doctor. The doctor remarks that it is remarkable that she survived a stab wound with no protection other than an overcoat, and further comments that the bandage on it, made of Pseudoderm, was noteworthy. Kate, realizes that she only survived based upon her Batwoman armor and the improvised bandage Renee made, but does not reveal this to her doctor. At that moment, Renee activates the Batsignal.

Appearing in "A Year in the Life"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

Notes

  • Final issue of the series. This issue shipped on May 2nd, 2007 (July by indicia).
  • Although Skeets' metal frame is destroyed in this issue, his hard drive is downloaded into a Responsometer. A Responsometer is a miniature implant that provides the Metal Men with their personality and memories.
  • In this issue, Rip Hunter reveals information regarding the New Earth multiverse to Booster Gold. He state that, after the events of Infinite Crisis, the remaining Earths created by Alexander Luthor collapsed back together, combining historical remnants to form one New Earth. However, the single universe was too small to contain the energy inside it and it began replicating - into 52 identical Universes, a new Multiverse. Further, in the few seconds after the creation of this new Multiverse, the Earths (and their corresponding Universes) "will occupy the same space, each on a different vibrational plane.
  • During their efforts to stop the vastly powerful Mister Mind from destroying every universe, Hunter described Mind's efforts as "eating years and events from this universe's history -- altering the Earth with every flap of his wings". This resulted in the Earths changing, becoming different from New Earth in varying degrees.
  • Hunter further states that "the notion that there's a Multiverse beyond the reality we know -- that's too dangerous a secret to spread." However, he had let that very thing slip in front of Doctor Sivana.

Trivia

  • The ticker-tape at the bottom of the cover reads, "The year without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman is over..."
  • This issue features a wrap-around cover.
  • Special thanks is credited to editor Stephen Wacker.
  • The cover to this issue is a re-imagining of the cover to Week 1.
  • Sobek makes a cameo appearance as a pair of alligator skin boots.


See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References
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