With a title like Earth 2 you know right off the bad this is a tale focused on a separate Earth and a whole different crew of heroes. That allows the creators to play around and do things you just can’t do in the main books and boy do they. The last issue revealed the entire world has been rendered white and lifeless. What will the heroes do, and is it good?
Earth 2: Society #18 (DC Comics)
So what’s it about? For the full DC summary just read this:
Earth 2 as they knew it is gone, and a ghost world is all that remains. The surviving heroes have failed in their effort to save the world. As they struggle to accept the disaster they have caused, something in the phantom mist begins to hunt for them. In the Ghost World, no heroes can be allowed to exist.
Why does this book matter?
Written by Dan Abnett, this series has been no holds barred from the start. Characters die, new characters are made, and the relationships between these reflections of the main characters in the DC universe are compelling. If you like elseworlds stories this is the only place you’ll get them quite like this.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
The father son duo that’s so new every scene is welcome.
Batman, his son, and Huntress open this issue in the strange world they’re not in, which allows Abnett to fill us in on them, but also reintroduce the threat of the Sandman look-alikes. In this short five page scene Abnett establishes the relationships, shows off Batman’s son’s powers and gives us a hint that Huntress may not be 100%. This scene is action packed and informatively efficient. Great stuff.
The rest of the issue focuses on the remaining heroes who are slowly discovering what is up with the world. Fury is still angry at herself for what she did, but like all good heroes they band together and keep their heads up. Val Zod aka Superman takes charge a bit, and it’s cool to see his leadership skills in action. More exciting fighting ensues and a fantastic transition is used to bring the reader to the surprising cliffhanger.
The art by Bruno Redondo (with inks by Juan Albarran and colors by Rex Lokus) is, at times, jaw droppingly good. The colors do well to make the Sandman characters otherworldly and frightening while the heroes are rendered in high detail. All of the action is well choreographed and easy to follow too. The best elements of this issue are the reveals of the world done with interesting and inventive visual tricks. From the characters seeing through the walls, to an awesome smashing punch that breaks it, you’ll have your jaw drop more than once while reading this issue.
It can’t be perfect can it?
If you want answers with your comics you’ll be disappointed, but then the confusion the characters are going through is half the fun!
Oh shit!
Is It Good?
Trippy, exciting and action packed, this issue was tightly paced and exciting all the way through. If you like a well told yarn that bends expectations, you’ve got to read this.
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