Unlike the previous multiverse, this Earth 2 is strikingly similar to the main universe…and can make this first issue slightly misleading.
What They Say:
Who are the heroes of Earth 2–and what befell them? Alan Scott and Jay Garrick star along with many others; you may think you know their world…but in a whole new multiverse, anything can happen. Writer James Robinson and artist Nicola Scott welcome readers to Earth 2!
The Review:
The first issue of Earth 2 opens up in the middle of a gigantic war. This war apparently started 5 years previously when Parademons descended from the sky, the war became known as the Apokolips War. What follows is a fast and furiously paced issue that is extremely action-packed and violent. The author and illustrators really do a fantastic job of creating extreme chaos without the panels becoming overwhelming. As mentioned previously, the issue is extremely violent but thanks to the furious yet casual pace of the battle, it never becomes too much. As the battle switches between Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman we get snippets of monologue from each hero. Through these snippets we gain an understanding of the level of devastation the Parademons and their master Steppenwolf have caused on Earth. Unfortunately, they are just snippets. We are never given enough information to understand what exactly has been going on, only that it is very bad. I don’t need everything handed to me on a silver platter and this doesn’t cripple the book by any means. It’s just that we are thrust into the mix and then the confusion begins to creep in.
The problem is that, without the book being titled Earth 2, it is nigh impossible to tell that this isn’t part of the normal universe. Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman have the same names and monikers as the normal universe, their costumes are only slightly modified so at first (and even after multiple) glance(s) there seems to be nothing out of the ordinary. The only tells that this is Earth 2 is the introduction to Helena, Batman’s daughter also known as the Huntress, and the arrival of Hermes who appears to hint that he is Wonder Woman’s father. Due to the striking similarity, it took me about half the issue to realize that everything was taking place on Earth 2. I thought for a while that this was the normal universe and it would lead to Earth 2 at the end; you know…some catastrophic event that propels characters to the parallel universe and that is the introduction. Instead, the total devastation of the war truly reaches a zenith.
These turns of events have the fake gleam of innovation and boldness, but while reading you can tell that it is just trying to be bold, throw the readers for a loop, and that our experiences with the characters so far have been just a red herring. The last few pages of the issue is what really shows promise. We are introduced to Alan Scott and a very young Jay Garrick. Neither of these characters are superheroes or appear to have any powers. But for long time readers, we understand the significance of their arrival. This new version of the multiverse is being setup to feature the same cast as the previous Earth 2 but act as a reboot of the characters simultaneously. It lacks to “WOW” feeling that the original multiverse presented but leaves open the door for a new set of adventures that doesn’t have to crossover into the main universe just yet.
In Summary:
By setting up Earth 2 to be a parallel story has great potential because we aren’t forced into an immediate event between multiverses. It is allowing DC to re-introduce beloved characters and take them on their own adventures without complicating matters greatly. I am looking forward to where this series will go with its cold reboot concept of the Golden Age characters but feel slightly misled by this first issue. That battle was terrific but it was just a setup for the world, not the characters. The brief few pages at the end of the issue is really where the story begins. In fact, it should’ve began there. The back story could’ve been implanted later but clearly DC wanted this series to start with a bang. It does but….it’s ultimately unnecessary in the grand scheme of what they appear to be trying to accomplish.
Grade: B-