Earth 2 #1
Written by James Robinson
Art by Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott, and Alex Sinclair
The short of it:
Five years ago the world was at war against the Parademon armies of Darkseid, led by the general Steppenwolf. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were the worlds greatest heroes, joined seemingly only by Supergirl and Robin. Metropolis was destroyed, Amazon Island was destroyed, it was the end of the world as they knew it. This is the story of the last battle by the original heroes of Earth 2, how they saved the world, and what the world is becoming in the present. From the trinity, to their sidekicks, to the Gods themselves, we are witness to the fall. And then, the rebirth. In the present we see the scars of the Earth, as well as meet Alan Scott and Jay Garrick…and this really isn’t the world we thought it would be.
What I liked:
- The fact that this book isn’t a period piece. Period. While yes, having all of these characters in a 1940’s world would be great for nostalgia seeking fans, I can’t say there’s a ton of interest outside of that group. The fact that this book is set in modern times is what really wound up selling me on it.
- Having the Gods dieing and bailing made everything seem so much more critical. I mean, yeah, there’s no strong connection, but the magnitude is what sells it. The Legions of Darkseid are killing Gods. That is epic.
- Introducing us to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman only to kill them off is a stroke of brilliance. It perfectly creates a world for us on the backs of familiar characters, but then removes them completely from play.
- Jay is literally going to have the speed of Mercury. Awesome.
- People complained when Nicola Scott was held off of the first wave of New 52 titles, and this issue is worth the wait. She went from Gail’s best artist on Birds of Prey to one of the best artists at DC, and she deserved a project this high profile.
What I didn’t like:
- Some of the dialog was janky, but that could have just been the narration style that Robinson was using during the issue.
- Wonder Woman killed with a sword? Really? I always think of her as able to take a punch in the face from Superman, and she dies by stabbing? Was it at least a magic sword?
- I think having to wait a month to see what happens next is going to kill me, DC’s digital first content has me spoiled with weekly issues.
Final Thoughts:
Anybody else notice that Wonder Woman is following the Roman Pantheon? The little changes.
Who is Helena’s mom? Would it be Earth 2 Catwoman? Is there an Earth 2 Catwoman?
I knew relatively little about this book going in, really, this book was more up Babos’s alley than mine when I tried to imagine what it would be. As much as I love the JSA, I’ve never been a real Earth 2 guy. You can sell me a period piece in a mini series, but not in an ongoing. So when I saw the modern setting and lack of Word War 2? Pull listed.
James Robinson has struggled quite a bit over the past few years, but this issue is a wonderful reminder of what he was always so great at. He can take a concept and, given time, make something special out of it. He needs a world to build to truly be at his best, and right now he has all of Earth 2 as his own personal sandbox. It’s about time. He hasn’t had one since Starman.
Earth 2 is truly an alternate Earth instead of just a place for World War II to never end, and that’s awesome. I’m sick of Nazi’s as villains, I’m sick of Hitler as a big bad guy, and I’m sick of Call of Duty. I’m not sure what that last one has to do with anything, but I wanted to say it. This is an original take on a concept that we all thought we knew and understood, and in the words of Barney Stinson, “New is always better”.
Overall: 9.5/10
