REVIEW: EARTH 2 #6

(w) James Robinson
(p) Nicola Scott
(i) Trevor Scott

Earth 2 #6 completes the first arc from James Robinson, as well as cements the series as one of my favorites from DC's 'New 52'. It's taken seven months (counting September's "Issue Zero"), but we finally get to see the conclusion of "The Gathering", as the TPB will be named upon it's release, and it's pretty awesome. Robinson has been doing a lot of heavy lifting in this premier arc -- introducing a whole new parallel Earth, re-imagining fan favorite characters for a modern age, and crafting a story that unites both of these ideas into a cohesive narrative that's better than a lot of the 'Earth 1' titles.

This issue is titled "End Times" for good reason. Of course, we have the main problem going down in Washington D.C. with Grundy -- avatar of death -- laying waste to the four new wonders -- Green Lantern Alan Scott, Flash Jay Garrick, Hawkgirl Kendra Saunders, and Atom Al Pratt -- while simultaneously sapping the life-force from the ground and destroying every major city around the globe. Over at the World Army headquarters, past turncoat Terry Sloan (see Earth 2 #0, true believers!) has been given executive power to deal with the Grundy situation, so he's launched nuclear warheads at the Capital. Add to that Green Lantern's astral journey into the Grey, leaving his body vulnerable to attack, and all in all, it's a bad time for everyone but Grundy.

At the end of Earth 2 #5, Alan Scott had entered the void of the Grey and was immediately taken psychological prisoner by a construct of his dead fiance, Sam, who died at the end of Earth 2 #1. While Alan's resistance to the Grey's influence might seem rushed and/or lacking, the speed at which he comes to his senses says a lot more about Alan Scott as a character than it does about the narrative flow -- the sequence isn't quick because Robinson didn't write it well, it moves fast because Alan Scott is a smart man who has the added power of the Green at his literal fingertips. It's the same reason "You honestly thought my sadness at my lover's death would be the opiate of my defeat?" doesn't sound so awkward because it's coming from an intelligent man who -- as evidenced by this sequence, amongst many others -- carefully chooses his words before speaking.

Grundy's defeat is really of little concern because we always knew the new wonders would have to walk away victorious. Of course, we technically know this about any given villain in any given arc of any given comic book, but there are different kinds of defeat when it comes to massive, Earth-threatening enemies such as these. Some, in the case of Angel in Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force, lead to bigger consequences, while others, such as Grundy's defeat here, aren't meant to alter much else. The Grey is all but nullified, and the world is being healed by Green Lantern's light. Things pretty much go back to normal aside from the fact that there's a new avatar of the Green, a man endowed with the speed of Mercury, and a girl with hawk wings just out and about.

Flash attempts to solidify their team relationship before Alan Scott abruptly puts an end to that nonsense. You see, Green Lantern is bigger and badder than any of those other mutha's, so why would he hang around with them? He doesn't. Alan leaves Flash and Hawkgirl in the dust to figure out what their next move is. It's a gangsta move.

Seriously, though, Earth 2 #6 is one of the best issues of the series to date. While that's not a huge catalog of issues with which to compare, it's still an a success. In interviews, Robinson has stated that the series is titled purposefully so that he would be free to build his second Earth without being forced to focus exclusively on the forming Justice Society. Sure, most of it will be about them, but the potential for world-building is huge. Earth 2 #6 points to how much Robinson is committed to those ideals going forward. It's a fantastic issue.

GRADE

8.5/10

EARTH 2 #3

STORY: James Robinson
ART: Nicola and Trevor Scott

Whoa. That was honestly my first reaction at the end of Earth 2 #3. While the first two issues dealt mostly in grander exposition while dipping into character introductions, this month has James Robinson pulling out all the stops to reveal more about how Earth 2 operates, how it's similar and different from the main DC universe, and to give more character development, no matter how corny it gets.

If I have any complaints about Earth 2 thus far, it would have to be the stiff dialogue. I'm still on the fence deciding if Robinson is intentionally putting a cheeky spin on the writing to mirror the style of the original 1940s comics more closely, or if he's just stumbling in these early issues that are so chock-full of plot to bring readers up to speed that it's proving difficult to pen more in-depth narrative. More than likely, it's a bit of both - Robinson has built up Earth 2 into this crazy awesome big new world that has so much to explore that he wants to give readers as much as he can, which is not a bad thing. The only reason it flops a little is due to it's quick pace. It's a common misstep that mars a lot of good ideas in the very early stages: writers rushing through an origin to get to bigger and more in-depth arcs. That's all well and good for these creators who have their characters planned and rounded out in their heads, but it can be frustrating for readers who want to see a more realistic approach to how a person comes to grips with gaining unwieldy power.

Let's start off with the Flash and Hawkgirl. That's right - Hawkgirl makes her official debut as a messenger for the new superhero still learning how to control his super speed. Throughout their conversation, Hawkgirl (we don't yet know what her real name is, she makes an effort to point out) drops hints about future events; Dr. Fate is explicitly brought up, she mentions that Jay needs to be better trained, and that she had a somewhat unusual past year - a point I'm hoping Robinson will revisit in the future. This meeting is pretty light on actual plot development, focusing more on broader ideas that will be playing a role in the future of the series. While there's nothing wrong with that technique, this whole section feels very dry and set-up.

The rest of the issue is dedicated to the origins of Earth 2's Green Lantern, an undertaking that probably should have been stretched out over a few issues, but nonetheless gets the job done and gives Alan Scott something to think about for the future. As Alan wakes up, he is confronted by a talking green light that begins spouting nonsense about the guardian of Earth and the such. Alan takes the logical route at first - believing the head trauma is causing him to hallucinate - but very quickly has an about-face and accepts the unknown. Alan Scott has traditionally been a very straight-laced character, so it's a little odd to see Robinson apparently throw out the old and give us a totally new Alan Scott that seems to have the psychological strength of a seasoned CIA agent.

The third main point Robinson brings to Earth 2 is the idea that Green Lantern's power comes from the energy of the Earth, similar to Swamp Thing. The connection is made even more explicit with the introduction of the Grey, Earth 2's equivalent of the Rot that's currently plaguing both Swampy and Animal Man in the main DCnU. This revelation is an excellent example of how dedicated DC has become to creating a shared world, even crossing into other universes.

Nicola and Trevor Scott's art this week is a bit mixed. The Flash/Hawkgirl panels are fantastic, while the Green Lantern pages look like Alan is wearing Hollywood makeup and talking to a green screen, which I don't even know how they could pull off. Overall, I'm still very invested in Earth 2. Green Lantern, Flash, and Hawkgirl are enough to entice me to keep reading, and the promise of the Atom and more of Earth 2's (Solomon?) Grundy is too much to resist. Robinson gets a 'pass' this month on the character dialogue simply because the first two issues were so good, this may just be a hiccup.

GRADE

C+