52 #24 is an issue of the series 52 (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 2006. It was published on October 18, 2006.
Synopsis for "Just Imagine"
Day 1:
Oliver Queen, while talking to the press about his mayoral candidacy in Star City, receives a call on his Justice League communicator from Firestorm, who asks him to join the latest version of the Justice League. The new team includes Super-Chief, Bulleteer, Firehawk, and Ambush Bug. Queen declines.
Day 2:
In the Justice League's one-time headquarters in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island, the Martian Manhunter reflects on his success in destroying Checkmate through his infiltration of the government under various aliases. Meanwhile, he sculpts a memorial to fallen Justice League members.
Day 3:
Black Adam, Isis, and Osiris speak with members of the Great Ten in China, informing them of Kahndaq's decision to alter its alliance with their country. August General in Iron is angered and blames Adam's change of heart on Isis.
Day 6:
In Metropolis, the new Justice League enters its first battle, fighting pirates and cyborgs. To their surprise, they are joined by dozens of new heroes, created by Lex Luthor's Everyman Project. Skeets appears and incinerates many of the heroes, including Super-Chief, with powerful ray beams. As he dies, Super-Chief briefly enters a paradise, where the Manitou Stone is taken by Flying Stag and given to Ralph Dibny.
Day 7:
The Martian Manhunter, in his guise as the Secretary of State, learns of Checkmate's recertification as a United Nations agency.
In Belle Reve Federal Prison, Amanda Waller appears to be creating a new Suicide Squad with Atom-Smasher at the helm. Atom-Smasher sits a table covered with photographs of various villains. He is told to select his team...
Appearing in "Just Imagine"
Featured Characters:
- Black Adam
- Justice League of America
- Ambush Bug (Joins team)
- Bulleteer (Joins team)
- Firehawk (Joins team)
- Firestorm Matrix
- Jason Rusch as the active component (Joins team)
- Martin Stein as the passive component (Joins team)
- Super-Chief (Joins team) (Dies)
Supporting Characters:
- Amanda Waller
- Atom-Smasher
- Everyman Project subjects (First appearance)
- Crimson Ghost
- Dynamole
- E.S. Pete
- Fireface
- Gladiator Giant
- Immortal Bald-Man-in-Armor
- Jack of All Trades
- Lady Liberty
- Poledancer
- Tornado Ninja
- Several unidentified characters (see Notes)
- Flying Stag
- Great Ten
- Isis
- Jonathan Horne
- Martian Manhunter (Flashback and main story)
- Oliver Queen
- Osiris
- Ralph Dibny (Elongated Man, not in costume)
- Skeets
Antagonists:
- Felix Faust (As the Helm of Fate)
- Mister Mind (Behind the scenes)
- Cameo appearances on final page (in photographs):
Other Characters:
- Ambassador Trautmann
- Elliot S! Maggin
- Checkmate (Behind the scenes)
- Jack Ryder (Cameo) (On a bus advertisement)
- Mick Wong (previous "merge" partner of Firestorm)
- Starfire (Cameo) (On a poster)
- Appearing in flashbacks:
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "The Origin of Booster Gold"
Appearing in "The Origin of Booster Gold"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Other Characters:
- Represented by statues in a 25th century museum:
Items:
Notes
- This issue shipped on October 18th, 2006.
- On story-page 12, in the top-left panel, there is a character who looks a lot like Nightwing... it is not clear who, exactly, that might be.
- The two-page origin story in this issue states that Skeets "possesses no combat capabilities." However, this information is attributed to the "Justice League Archives," which would explain the discrepancy between the description of Skeets and his very combative capabilities in the main story. Editor Michael Siglain, on Newsarama.com, explained, "When Skeets was created, he did not have any combat capabilities, but he was created with independent thought, meaning that he could have upgraded himself... and obviously did."
- Beyond those who are identified by name, there are at least another dozen Everyman Project subjects in this issue. Some are seen for the first time only as they are being killed, while others are seen in the background and apparently survive Skeets's attack.
- "Just Imagine" is reprinted in 52 Vol. 2 of the 2007 4-volume edition, 52 Volume One of the 2016 2-volume edition, and 52 Omnibus.
Trivia
- The following characters are featured in the Secret Sanctuary memorial to fallen Justice League members, as seen on story-page 7 in this issue:
- Amazing Man
- Antaeus (represented by helmet only)
- Aztek
- Blue Beetle
- Booster Gold
- Crimson Fox
- Flash
- General Glory
- Hippolyta
- Ice
- Maxima
- Red Tornado
- Rocket Red
- Sue Dibny
- Tomorrow Woman
- Silver Sorceress (The 'antenna' on her helmet are not colored correctly)
- Vibe
- Yazz
- There are other characters featured in the memorial that can not be definitively identified. However, various websites and bloggers have suggested the following:
- On the far left, the shoulder and arm seen above Aztek's mask likely belong to Steel (Hank Heywood III), who was mortally wounded in Justice League of America #260 and killed off in Justice League America #37.
- On the far right, the partial helmet see above Antaeus's helmet likely belongs to Mystek, who died in Justice League Task Force #32.
- Also on the far right, the shoulder seen above Hippolyta likely belongs to Major Disaster, who died in Infinite Crisis #7.
- Also on the far right, the wing seen above Hippolyta likely belongs to either Hawkman (Katar Hol) or Zauriel. They both have multiple deaths and resurrections in their histories, however, and, following Infinite Crisis, DCU continutity is largely uncharted, so it is anyone's guess as to which character it is and which "death" is being memorialized.
- At least two characters featured in the memorial have since been resurrected. Ice returns in Birds of Prey #104, and Red Tornado, who reappears in a semi-functional state in Week 17, is fully revived following One Year Later events.
- It is pretty hard to tell which Everyman Project subjects bite the bullet (or eat the death ray, you might say) in this issue's melee; however, it appears that at least three named characters are among the dead: E.S. Pete, Gladiator Giant and Crimson Ghost, all of whom appear to die on story page 15.
- Fans who took a liking to Poledancer, introduced in this issue, may be relieved to know that she apparently survives Skeets's attack. We see what appears to be her backside on story page 16, to the right of Ambush Bug.
- The ticker-tape at the bottom of the cover reads, "Martian Manhunted!... THE GREAT TEN RETURN!... Ollie for Mayor!... "