52 Pickup
52 Pick Up is a podcast about the strange and wonderful DC Comics series 52. Every other week, join Gita Jackson of Aftermath and Alex Jaffe of the podcast Insert Credit as we take you on an issue-by-issue journey through a comic book series that explains everything about the DC universe, if you only look hard enough.
52, which ran from May 2006 to May 2007, was an almost miraculous feat: a weekly series, written by some of the biggest talents then at DC, that didn’t feature Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman. Instead, it followed the tale of the other heroes of the DC universe, the ones who take care of business when the big names are out of commission. Looking back, the series feels like a trial run for the now ubiquitous “shared universe” concept that is now inescapable in superhero movies. Whether you hate or love the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe, 52 shows how we got here.
Below are all the episodes of 52 Pickup that are out so far. Please read along with us!
The show is edited by Esper Quinn, with original music by Jon Ehrens. Join us every other Wednesday on the podcast platform of your choice for new episodes! If you have questions for Gita and Alex, please send them to our mailbag at 52mailbag@gmail.com.
Week 0: Forgot About Lane
Journalist Gita Jackson and DC Lore Expert Alex Jaffe set the stage for full analysis of 52, the most important comic book of the century and the best series you’ve never heard of.
Week 1: Golden Lads and Lasses Must
All-Star Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe dive into everything you need to know to start reading 52, as well as grants for Evil STEM education, and million dollar fanfiction ideas.
Week 2: Looking Back At Tomorrow
All-Star Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe dive into the second issue of 52, covering Grant Morrison’s thoughts on Alan Moore, the super for Symbolman, and the origins of the phrase “curses, foiled again!”
Week 3: New World Order
All-Star Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe dissect issue #3 of 52, covering Jaffe’s favorite villain, the Creeper-Freakazoid connection, and why characters have to die.
Week 4: Dances With Monsters
All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe investigate the fourth issue of 52, and cover neoliberal black capitalism, Superboy’s greaser rival, and the prevalence of cults in comics.
Week 5: Stars In Their Courses
All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe analyze the fifth issue of 52, and discover a multiversal Scotland where everyone is like Grant Morrison, the Dark Souls of comics, and giant penny stolen valor.
Week 6: China Syndrome, with Brian Cronin
All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe are joined by Star-Spangled CBR Senior Writer Brian Cronin in discussing issue 6 of DC’s 52.
Week 7: Going Down
Betrayal! Public shaming! Pop-punk and toxic lesbians! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe infiltrate issue seven of 52, the most important comic book of the century and the best series you’ve never heard of.
Week 8: Thief, with Dalton Deschain and Dylan Roth
All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe are joined by Dalton Deschain and Dylan Roth of Are You Afraid of the Dark Universe, covering issue eight of 52.
Week 9: Dream of America
All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe head off in pursuit of 52 issue #9, dealing with psychosexual eugenics factories, the LGBTQ+ nightlife scene in Gotham, and Big Mad Meltzer.
Week 10: Stop The Press
Live, laugh, love! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe jump out of a window into 52’s tenth issue, where they find out what the Middle East is even like in the DC universe, spend Tuesdays with Morrow, and take a quick quiz on super-vegetarians.
Week 11: Batwoman Begins, with Jadzia Axelrod
Man down in Wife City! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe are joined by The Prettiest Star Jadzia Axelrod as they dive into the romantic history of Kate Kane and Renee Montoya, make unintentional Andrew Hussie references, and figure out what to do with Donna Troy.
Week 12: Mighty
ttttttttt! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe consider issue number twelve of 52, and in the process share the best way to start reading comics, the best ideas for reintroducing Isis (the character! the character!) to comics, and the exact moment The Rock decided to change the hierarchy of power in the DC universe.
Week 13: Haystack, with Tim Marchman
This is what happens when they let me into a church! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe are joined by Substitute Legionnaire Tim Marchman to sift through Ralph Dibny’s descent into sadness, the X-Men for virgins, Gen-X leftists, and Saltburn Funko Pops.
Week 14: Sand and Rust, with Reid Vanier
Did you know mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature?! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe team up with Doctor DC himself Reid Vanier to wear jeans while building robots, ponder articulated cheeks, and determine which triple-A studio should be making a Vic and Renee video game.
Week 15: Outshined, with Alex Sinclair
Your Donations Keep Lexapedia Running! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe are joined by the legendary lead colorist of 52 Alex Sinclair. The towering trio takes on #15 (the Frank Grimes issue), Jason Todd’s death poll, and an unused yet fully illustrated and colored cover for 52.
Week 16: Uhebbuki, with Charles Pulliam Moore
O zephyr winds which blow on high, lift me now so I can fly! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe team up with the Uncanny Charles Pulliam-Moore for the Two-Hour Wedding Album that is issue sixteen of DC’s 52. Hear whether Captain Marvel is an adult man or three kids in a trench coat, the wedding traditions of the Shazamish faith, and the debut of Cardi Bane.
Week 17: Last of the Czarnians
Only thirty-five more ta go! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe blast off into issue seventeen of 52, where they witness The Time Hands, weird editorial grudges that end up on the page, and Starfire as Leia Thee Stallion.
Week 18: Dismantled, with Questionposting
Emancipate the JLA! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe cross over with Questionposting to tackle issue 18, featuring BREAKING NEWS REGARDING DC CANON and the existence of Tracy Thirteen, Dr. Doom arguing with a drunk person, microdosing Fear Toxin, and the secret unpublished origins of Honest Abe, the Super-Hero Protector of Cincinnati.
Week 19: History Repeats
He knows! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe fly into issue nineteen, taking on Space Pope Lobo, which members of the DC universe are Charli girls vs. Taylor girls, and the most shocking twist of the series so far.
Week 20: God Is Fragged
I Died And Was Reincarnated As The World’s Greatest Monster! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe breeze through the Morrison-heavy and story-light issue twenty of 52, making space for Tim King’s public apology for being a CIA asset, Steel’s exposed penis, Superboy Prime as isekai, and Jaffe’s biggest DC blind spot.
Week 21: Teambuilding Exercises
Ah, Shuddup! Gita Jackson and Alex Jaffe kick the twenty-first issue of 52 down a flight of stairs, and in the process discuss Jaffe’s incredible American Idol experience, Power Boy’s deficit of chest exposure, and the death of Manchester Alabama’s second fastest speed-based superhero.
Week 22: Burial Ground
You’re ownin’ for a zonin’! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe smother issue 22, and in the process explain convoluted celebrity antics, examine the history of Native Americans in DC, and venture into The Nute Gunray Hole.
Week 23: The Island of Professor Morrow
Look out, my Cricketron’s gone berserk! Gita Jackson and Alex Jaffe collapse onto the beaches of issue 23, detailing mysteries of the Religion of Crime, mad scientists on Hookers & Blow Island, and what Grant Morrison thinks about Ayn Rand.
Week 24: Just Imagine, with Jordan Morris
Send a plot and three pages of dialogue right away! Gita Jackson and Alex Jaffe team up with Eisner-nominated writer and podcaster Jordan Morris for issue 24, featuring the debut of E. S. Pete, the death of a character introduced last issue, and how Booster Gold caused Reaganomics.
Week 25: Liminal Times, with Josh Rivera
Happy Halloween, Judeo-Christians! All-Star Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe team up with the Booty of Bludhaven Josh Rivera to descend into issue 25, revealing which wrestling PPV is the good one, which DC characters love musicals, and the origins of Nightwing’s hot butt.
Week 26: Halfway Home
It’s a two-turkey dinner! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe reach the halfway point of 52, where they encounter Crockamurderer, draft an all-new teen superhero team, and reveal whether or not drug-sniffing dogs react to vacuum-sealed smoked turkey legs.
The 52 Pickup Halfway There Extravaganza!
Blessed Be the Hoochmaker! All-Star Comics Journalist Gita Jackson and World’s Finest Comics Expert Alex Jaffe have reached the halfway point of 52, and take a moment to recap every major storyline in the series so far, as well as inventing new games to test each other based on both obscure trivia and romantic shipping possibilities. If you’d like to start listening, this is a great place to jump in!
The episodes covering each issue of 52 and the secrets they contain are free, and you can subscribe through iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. The bonus episodes will only be available to Aftermath subscribers. We hope you’ll subscribe and join us!