Major Spoilers
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Twitch Discord RSS
    Major Spoilers
    • Home
    • Reviews
      • Random Access Memory
      • Retro Review
      • So You Want to Read Comics
    • Podcasts
      • Critical Hit
        • Critical Hit House Rules
        • Critical Hit World Building
      • Dueling Review
      • Finally Friday
      • Geek History Lesson
      • The Legion Clubhouse
      • Major Spoilers Podcast
        • MSP TPB for 2019
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2013
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2012
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2011
      • Munchkin Land
      • Top Five
      • Wayne’s Comics
      • Zach on Film
    • Features
      • Casual 60
      • Comic Casting Couch
      • Comics Portal
      • Did You Hear?
      • Editorials
      • Features
      • Gamer’s Corner
      • Hero Histories
      • Let’s Get Nerdy
      • Major Spoilers Adventures
      • Random Access Memory
      • So You Want to Read Comics
    • Movies
      • Did You Hear
      • Movies
      • Television
    • Comic Previews
    • Patreon
      • Patreon
      • Store
    Major Spoilers
    DC

    52 – Week 48 – Asked and Answered

    Stephen SchleicherBy Stephen SchleicherApril 8, 2007Updated:January 4, 20085 Comments6 Mins Read

    Where is Manheim!?

    picon.jpg

    Renee and Nightwing know they have to find Kate Kane and they know they need to find her soon. This week is all about the quest to rescue Batwoman and how far Renee is willing to go.

    The writers are able to blast through three days of the week rather brilliantly as Renee and Nightwing fight their way through lair after lair of Intergang baddies looking for the boss man himself.

    IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT

    01.jpgThere were a couple of interesting things I noticed while Nightwing and Renee searched high and low for Kate. First, Nightwing had no problem allowing Montoya use her Apokoliptian gun to blast her way through the enemies, and second, he called her by her real name allowing any future villain to figure out who she is. This makes me really me question who Nightwing is – Dick or Jason?

    The strange device Renee and Nightwing uncover sure looks like a bomb of some sort, but before they can investigate further, the next wave of monster men attack the duo. Fortunately, Mr. Abbot appears to help them out of their predicament. Unfortunately, it takes a few moments for everyone to realize Abbot has defected, which is just time enough for one of the creatures to set off the bomb which causes seven other devices around the city to go off as well.

    IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT

    Yeah, you probably already guessed it, but those pillars of fire are burning their way to the Earth’s core to turn all of Gotham City into a Fire Pit. Mr. Abbot explains Bruno Manheim believes everything in the Crime Bible is true, which mean he also believes Kate Kane’s heart is to be the eighth key to unite the seven pillars of fire.

    The trio decides to split up, with Nightwing and Mr. Abbot heading off to deactivate the Fire Pit drills, and Montoya hoping to rescue Kate. This seems like a death wish, and that is a question Renee is ready to find the answer to as she transforms into The Next Question.

    IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT

    I really can not wait to see what DC does with Renee and her Question crew of Richard Dragon, Professor Rondor, and the whole Nanda Parabat community. That being said, I don’t think Renee could hold an ongoing series, but a mini-series, or even as a backup story in Detective Comics would rock.

    This issue doesn’t see the deactivation of the Fire Pit drilling machines, so that will either happen in another issue, or will simply be implied as Gotham is standing one year later.

    Renee finds Manheim in a Catholic Church currently being renovated by Ridge Ferrick Construction (another thread I hope to see explored in future DC titles). Batwoman is chained to an alter ready to have her heart carved out by a particularly nasty blade. This isn’t a simple rescue mission, Renee is attacked by more monster men, and even battles Whisper A’Daire, who fully transformers herself into a giant snake. The Next Question is able to kill A’Daire, but the battle has given Manheim enough time to plunge the blade deep into Kate Kane’s chest.

    Renee fires her gun at Manheim knocking him out. This gives Renee time to assess the situation, but it looks grim; if she pulls the knife out of Kate’s chest, she’s going to die, and if she doesn’t Kate will die anyway. She doesn’t get a chance to do anything as Manheim jumps up, hurls Renee across the room, grabs her gun, and prepares to fire.

    IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT

    Renee wasn’t talking to Manheim, but to Kate who pulled the knife from her chest and planted it firmly in the back of Manheim.

    IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT

    Ouch! That’s gotta hurt. And as Kate dies in Renee’s arms, a single bat flies to heaven.

    IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT

    There are a couple of problems with the outcome of this issue. I have to wonder if Kate is really dead. She is featured prominently on the teaser poster for Countdown, so it could be she is still alive, which conflicts with the whole death scene that plays out on the page. I also have a problem with Manheim getting it in the back. Regardless of the probability of Kate actually being able to achieve such a stunt, he can’t be dead here, as we’ve seen him in the pages of Superman One Year Later. Granted he’s undergone quite the change, but this issue isn’t the last we’ve seen of the villain.

    So the week isn’t a total downer, a single page of the issue is devoted to Egg Fu broadcasting a message to the world – they have a battered and broken Black Adam, and are willing to sell him to the highest bidder.

    08.jpgMy biggest problem with this issue was the overly large gutter used throughout the issue. This was probably intentional, but the rough edge of each panel and the forcing of many of the panels into a standard 2 x 3 layout forced each panel to be smaller than what I am used to. Take a look at the image to the right. If you click it to enlarge, you will see the entire page complete with white gutter. Now just imagine if the art had been allowed to expand to the full height and width of the page, making for a much more dynamic read.

    To me, the panels were incredibly dense and hard to read visually. As great as seeing Montoya actually transform into the Next Question (and yes, I’m going to continue to call her The Next Question instead of The Question), my overall perception of the quality of the art was reduced.

    The Good

    • Renee as The Next Question

    The Bad

    • Artwork is rough and hard to make out at times
    • Manheim’s death is anti-climactic since we’ve seen him alive one year later
    • It’s too bad we didn’t see the return of Anarky as hinted by this week’s cover

    I have mixed feelings about this week’s installment of 52. On the one hand, I really really really liked seeing Renee take the final step in her transformation in becoming The Next Question. On the other, the story seemed to drag out quite a bit. While it wasn’t edge of your seat excitement, it was good enough to earn this issue 3 out of 5 Stars.

    3stars.jpg

    Parting Shot

    IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleFun Panel of the Week: Classic X-Men #13
    Next Article Shazam! Not Vintage?
    Stephen Schleicher
    • Website
    • Twitter

    Stephen Schleicher began his career writing for the Digital Media Online community of sites, including Digital Producer and Creative Mac covering all aspects of the digital content creation industry. He then moved on to consumer technology, and began the Coolness Roundup podcast. A writing fool, Stephen has freelanced for Sci-Fi Channel's Technology Blog, and Gizmodo. Still longing for the good ol' days, Stephen launched Major Spoilers in July 2006, because he is a glutton for punishment. You can follow him on Twitter @MajorSpoilers and tell him your darkest secrets...

    Related Posts

    Legion Clubhouse #190: The Validus Plague

    Read More

    Jeff the Land Shark #1 Review

    Read More

    DC Comics announces C.O.R.T.: Children of the Round Table

    Read More

    5 Comments

    1. Brent F. on April 9, 2007 7:09 am

      I’d like it if they brought Vic back now. It would be awfully nice of DC to not kill every old character off right when they begin experiencing a new wave of popularity.

      Reply
    2. Matthew Peterson on April 9, 2007 7:29 am

      Mmm… Vic is one of those characters that I loved when he was written by Ditko or O’Neill, but never seemed to settle into a niche of popularity. That said, I enjoyed the way the arc played out to make Montoya the new Question, especially the time they had to make it work. There was no rush to costume here, and that worked for me, especially given the problematic and unusual nature of Vic’s transformations. I’m looking forward to the inevitable new Question series, hopefully ongoing.

      Reply
    3. Brent F. on April 9, 2007 1:26 pm

      I think the Justice League animated series helped create a new age of popularity for Vic, and a lot of those new fans were drawn to 52 because of the character’s involvement.

      Reply
    4. Mark I. on April 9, 2007 3:02 pm

      I know he was never a book-mover, but killing the Question was a little lame. Renee Montoya is a good character without making her the “edgy, lesbian Latina Question” that lets DC crow about how diverse they are and how Marvel only stirs things up in the Ultimates books. But whatever, like I said, the Question was never a big seller (nor will the new Question become one.) I would have been better satisfied with Vic Sage becoming the new Spectre with the whole faceless motif and all. Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen were solid, noble characters on their own in a solid, noble profession. Thrusting them into “hero” roles cheapened the characters in my mind. You don’t need to make Nick Fury into the new Captain America (God I hope I’m not predicting the future) or turn Ben Urich into the Watcher…leave good characters be!

      Reply
    5. Brent F. on April 10, 2007 4:04 pm

      It’s hard to imagine Renee filling those uber crazy conspiracy nut boots of Vic’s. I think the saddest part is that they’ve killed off a unique character and replaced him with one that can’t fill that void properly.

      Reply

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    AMAZON AFFILIATE

    Support this site by making a purchase through our Amazon affiliate links

    Reviews
    8.0
    June 20, 2025

    Jeff the Land Shark #1 Review

    4.0
    June 20, 2025

    Toxie Team-Up #1 Review

    8.3
    June 17, 2025

    Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1 Review

    7.7
    June 17, 2025

    Supergirl #2 Review

    6.0
    June 16, 2025

    Runaways #1 Review

    Patreon Support
    Major Spoilers Store
    Recent Comments
    • Derrigable on COMICS PORTAL: Where Is All The Cool Merchandise?
    • ZackaryTobias on COMICS PORTAL: Where Is All The Cool Merchandise?
    • Nathan on Wayne’s Comics Podcast #696: Interview with Creators from Concrete Arcanum
    • Austin Cowboy on FIRST LOOK: Conan the Barbarian #21
    • Frank on COMICS PORTAL: Batman Meets… Deadpool!?
    Subscribe to the Major Spoilers E-Mail List
    Sponsor

    ComiXology Home Page

    Follow Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Twitch
    Major Spoilers Patreon
    • About
      • Major Spoilers Terms of Use
      • Major Spoilers Frequently Asked Questions
      • Major Spoilers Privacy Policy Statement
      • Major Spoilers Podcast Gear
    • Contact
    • Cookie Policy (EU)
    Major Spoilers is copyright 2006-2025 by Major Spoilers Entertainment, LLC

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    SAVE & ACCEPT