Too good to be Warner Brothers IP! All-Star Alex Jaffe and World’s Finest Gita Jackson pull the trigger on issue #42, exposing the mysteries (and alternate ending) of the Ralph Dibny arc, Lobo as a butch space lesbian, favorites from the Absolute DC line, and why the X-Men are more like DC characters than Marvel ones.

Show Notes:

• 52
• Geoff Johns
• Grant Morrison
• Greg Rucka
• Mark Waid
• Keith Giffen
• Talmud
• Autism
• Shavuot
• Counting of the Omer
• Aftermath
• Hasan Piker
• Young Heroes in Love
• Muppet Babies
• Alan Grant
• Lobo
• Bob the Galactic Bum
• Crush
• Teen Titans
• Damian Wayne
• Absolute Wonder Woman
• Circe
• The Odyssey
• Wishbone
• Absolute Batman
• Absolute Superman
• Absolute Flash
• Sweet Tooth
• Mountainhead (2025)
• Succession
• Absolute Green Lantern
• Stephen King
• Absolute Martian Manhunter
• Fantagraphics
• Emil Ferris
• Martian Manhunter
• Javier Rodríguez
• Shade, the Changing Man
• “Absolute Martian Manhunter” Embraces the Challenge

1: Let’s Talk Talent (16:55)

• Steel
• Ralph Dibny
• Renee Montoya
• Wonder Woman
• Darick Robertson
• Transmetropolitan
• The Boys
• Garth Ennis
• Doctor Fate
• Zatanna
• Seven Soldiers of Victory
• Zatanna (2010 series)
• Doctor Fate (1988 series)
• Doctor Fate (2015 series)
• Batman
• Batman: Hush

2: Let’s Talk About 52 #42 (25:00)

• Allegory of the cave
• Sue Dibny
• Felix Faust
• Saw series
• Monk
• Columbo
• Final Destination series
• Dan DiDio
• Dev-Em
• Tim Trench
• Croatoan Society
• Detective Chimp
• Gingold
• Hellblazer: Rise and Fall
• Rorschach
• Neron
• Underworld Unleashed
• Identity Crisis
• Fire

3: The Backup (39:34)

• Green Arrow
• Green Arrow: Quiver
• Onomatopoeia
• Joss Whedon
• Democratic Socialists of America
• Green Arrow (2023 series)
• New Gods (2024 series)
• Hal Jordan

4: What’s your favorite part of the issue? (46:04)

• Jadzia Axelrod

5: The Blackboard (47:59)

• Neil Gaiman
• The Books of Magic
• John Constantine
• Alan Moore
• Angel Investigations
• The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic
• Justice League Dark

6: Let’s design a new Absolute run (56:59)

• Catwoman
• One Hand And The Six Fingers
• Dan Watters
• Ed Brubaker
• Sean Phillips
• Andor
• Zohran Mamdani
• Superman
• Promethea

6: Asking The Questions at [email protected] (01:02:58)

• Doctor Doom
• Hellblazer
• Blue Beetle (2006 series)
• Tracy 13
• Peacemaker
• Ultimate Fantastic Four
• X-Men
• Chris Claremont
• Civil War
• JLA/Avengers
• The Sentry
• Spider-Man
• DC and Marvel Collaborate on the Most Highly Anticipated Crossover Comics of the Year
• Deadpool
• Harley Quinn

52 Pickup is an Aftermath production, created by Gita Jackson and Alex Jaffe, and edited by Esper Quinn, with original music by Jon Ehrens. Hosting for 52 Pickup is provided by Insert Credit. If you’d like to follow along, you can check out 52 at your local comic book store or library, or the DC Universe Infinite subscription service. The views and opinions expressed on this show are solely those of the show’s personalities, and do not reflect those of DC Entertainment or Warner Bros. Please rate and review our show wherever you can, and send your questions and comments to [email protected]. Never stop reading comics.