The 52 Steps: Week Twenty-Three

"Welcome to Oolong Island. Margarita?" - T.O. Morrow

"52" Week Twenty Three

Week Twenty-Three Previously in 52...

Lex Luthor and Dr. Will Magnus had a rough week last week.

This Week's Key Players

The Question, Renee Montoya, Black Adam

Guest appearances

Isis, Dr. Will Magnus, Whipser A-Daire and a hoard of mad scientists.

Highlights

Let's make it short and sweet this week, okay, folks?

Dr. Will Magnus is delivered to an island, well, somewhere. We've got no idea where it is, and neither does he, but the island itself is loaded with lots and lots of scientists. In fact, they're all the mad scientists that have been missing since the missing year began so many months ago. Professor T. O. Morrow fills Will in on what he needs to know: Oolong Island, as it is called, houses the greatest minds of the world, no matter how whacked out. Those minds are there to design whatever their hearts desire, and the island is loaded with booze and babes to placate the madmen and keep the creativity flowing, all with an unlimited budget.

Flash forward a few days in the week, seeing a cult led by Whisper A'Daire torment some little boys and girls. Renee Montoya and the Question are on hand to watch, hopelessly outnumbered and waiting for backup. Unfortunately, they get found out, leading to a big ol' rumble. That rumble ends swiftly when Isis and Black Adam show up to lay waste to the whole lot of Intergang half-man, half-beast recruits.

As it turns out, one of the victims of this little cult is none other than Isis' missing brother, and his torturers have left him crippled beyond even Isis' powers to repair. Nearly losing herself in grief, Isis turns to Adam, who offers a solution. He shares his power with the youth, a la Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman. The result: Osiris, a powerful new member of the Adam Family.

The family united, their sights turn to China.

Back in the way back, Mark Waid and Jerry Ordway present us with the origin of a personal favorite, Wildcat.

Justin's Thoughts and Concerns

Alright, who's with me? Sing along nowâ€¦ Ooooh, they're creepy and they're kookyâ€¦
And while we're hitting the odd-yet-fun references, let's give a shout out to both "Island of Dr. Moreau" references this issue: T.O. Morrow's island of madmen (so declared in the title of this issue), and the half-man half-beast creatures being run by Intergang. Odd, considering my bud Josh and I were just talking about "The Island of Dr. Moreau" earlier this week.
One more for you: The book Whisper was reading looks to be a diary of Professor Moriarty. Wouldn't it be funny if Ra's Al Ghul had once called himself Moriarty and found himself battling the world's greatest detective, only to be plagued by a new world's greatest detective centuries later? I could write that storyâ€¦
Okay, back to the island for a minute: I take it back. That robot wasn't a Sentinel on loan from Marvel, it was a Kree Sentry.
So, was Morrow offering Will a drink, or was Margarita the girl? I'm confused.

Predictions

In case you missed it, it looks like those beastmen from Intergang in Kahndaq are actually the ones piloting the robot that kidnapped Will Magnus. If so, that means Intergang is funding the mad scientists, and, in turn, Intergang has been dealing with the armies of Apokalips. That means some ugly, evil powerhouses in the near future.

Panel of the Week