It Turns Out DC Lore Obsesses Over the Number 52 For a Good Reason

52 has become an important number for DC Comics, but many fans may not know the origin behind the publisher’s persistent use of the number. DC made history by rebooting its entire line in 2011 as a part of the New 52 initiative, where the publisher released 52 new #1 issues in a single month. But the answer to why DC decided to launch exactly 52 new series lies a few years before with a different landmark series.

In an “Ask the Question” blog post at DC.com, Alex Jaffe answered a fan question about the importance of the number 52 to DC Comics. “It really started with the 2006 series 52,” Jaffe explains,“which was named such because it was a weekly series covering a real time year of the DC Universe for 52 weeks.”

52 was published weekly between 2006-2007, a landmark series for DC Comics that proved to be a giant success. Written by Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Grant Morrison, with art by rotating artists, it chronicles a year in the DCU during a time in continuity when Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were out of action.

52 Chronicled a Year of the DCU in Real Time

Including the Debut of the Revamped Batwoman, Kate Kane

The 52 weekly series was part of a larger initiative that came after years of build-up. Following the 2005-2006 crossover event Infinite Crisis, every DC title skipped forward a year in a line-wide initiative known as “One Year Later.” 52 filled in the blanks of what happened in that missing year, following characters such as Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, Black Adam, the Elongated Man, and many more. The events of Infinite Crisis made it so that DC’s Trinity had to temporarily retire for a year, so 52 chronicled what happened in the DCU week-by-week of the missing year.

The number became significant to DC in general when the company decided to reboot its entire line. Jaffe explains:

The series was a big hit for DC, so when Dan DiDio was working to relaunch the DC line in 2011 and had 48 new books lined up for it, Jim Lee suggested upping the number to 52. After all, they’d had good luck with it before. And so, 52 became a motif.

52 was such a huge success that DC produced three more weekly series in the years that followed: Countdown, Trinity, and Wednesday Comics. DC would continue to produce more weekly comics after the New 52 launched, among them Future’s End, Batman Eternal, and Batman and Robin Eternal.

The New 52 Rebooted the Entire DC Comics Universe

The Controversial Reboot Is Part of a Lasting Legacy

Perhaps the most interesting bit of trivia regarding 52 is how the idea for the weekly series began in the first place. According to an essay by Paul Levitz, "Week One Notes" from the first volume of the 52 collected edition, the initial idea for a weekly series that played out in real time was actually inspired by the TV series 24, which inspired Levitz to coin the series 52 since it would take place over the course of a single year. Considering that, it’s pretty wild to think that DC Comics’ obsession with the number 52 can be traced back to none other than Jack Bauer.

52 is available now both digitally and in collected editions from DC Comics.

Source: DC.com