52

"Looking Back at Tomorrow"

Cover Date May 2006
Issue #2
Pages 36
Type Cameo
Cover Price $2.50

Synopsis

Enemy Ace does not feature in the modern-day plot involving Booster Gold and Dr. Will Magnus. Instead, his appearance is localized within the issue's backup feature "The History of the DCU, Part I." As Harbinger's cosmic recording orb projects a chronological montage of Earth's historic protector figures, Hans von Hammer appears in a fresh flashback panel, depicted flying his iconic red Fokker Triplane alongside other historical DC icons including Anthro, Silent Knight, Jonah Hex, and the golden-age Justice Society, visually anchoring his place in the definitive timeline of Earth-One.

Collector Notes

52 was DC's landmark weekly series spanning the year following Infinite Crisis. The "History of the DCU" backup feature, running across multiple issues, functioned as a formal declaration of which historical characters DC considered canonical anchors of the universe. Enemy Ace's inclusion in the opening installment alongside the Justice Society signals his standing as a first-tier historical figure in DC's continuity.

Creative Team

Writer Mark Waid
Penciler Dan Jurgens
Inker Jerry Ordway
Letterer Nick J. Napolitano