Earth 2, Vol. 1: The Gathering

Earth 2

by James Robinson, Nicola Scott (Illustrator)

With the many changes to the DC Universe during the DC Comics: The New 52 event, many readers have wondered what became of the Justice Society of America. In Earth 2, James Robinson looks to answer the question: Who are the heroes of Earth 2?

• When the Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman of Earth 2 fall in battle, it’s up to a new breed of heroes to come together to combat the returning evil of Apokolips!

• Collects issues #1-6 of the red-hot DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 series!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

160 pages, Hardcover

First published March 13, 2013

About the author

James Dale Robinson is a British writer of American comic books and screenplays.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A parallel universe borns again!

I got this in their single issues, but I will use the option of the TPB to be to make a better overall review of the whole storyline.

The concept of "Earth-2" is nothing new in this "New 52" era of DC Comics, since the publishing house already used this parallel universe on the Silver Age of Comics, where in an iconic issue of The Flash, titled Flash of Two Worlds (1961), where they, in an ingenious way, explained why "The Flash" character on the Golden Age was Jay Garrick while on the Silver Age was Barry Allen with different origins and costumes. In that comic book, it's explained that there is another dimension where a similar Earth exists where instead a "Justice League", there is a "Justice Society" with some almost similar version of the heroes but others are quite different. Of course, this was developed during several years but all this started with the publication of this brilliant issue. Behind-the-scenes, the reality was that DC Comics needed some "reboot" (where did I heard that before?) of its titles on the good old '60s to be able to get again readers. While characters like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman remain very similar only in "older" appearances, others like The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and The Atom got through a massive "transformation" giving birth to the "Silver Age", but many fans wondered how the Golden Age stories could fit in the history of DC Comics, so a solution was found in the conceptio of a parallel universe where all those Golden Age stories occurred. Those sneaky witty devils!!! ;)

However, DC Comics get too much used to the idea of creating parallel Earths: Earth-3, where good heroes are evil and evil villains are good; Earth-S, where the Shazam family happily lived; etc... So, DC Comics decided that they have just too much Earths and they did the event Crisis on Infinite Earths and "Pow!", "Bam!", "Kapow!", no more parallel universes and there is one single Earth...again.

But you can guess that DC writers just like too much playing with parallel universes, so there was a prestige format story titled "Earth-2" where they did use the evil counterparts usually on Earth-3, but since it was supposed that there weren't any more parallel universes, so they just used the next "available" number, so it was "2".

And finally, my fearless readers we are arriving to the publication of this TPB, titled "Earth-2" where in the "New 52" era of DC Comics, the concept of a world where different versions of our heroes is once again used.

Happily, I can say that Earth-2 is one of the more solid titles of the "New 52" line and it has a strong beginning since the first storyline, that it's a better starting point that I can say, in my opinion, about the title of Justice League.

In this brave new world, there is a team called "The Wonders of the World" formed by Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, with the assistance of the "junior members": Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) and Robin (Helena Wayne). In a kinda similar crisis like on the title of Justice League, they have to face an invasion from forces of Apokolips. However, different Earths, and different outcomings. Something wrong happened. Something very wrong happened!

Now, Earth-2 will meet the birth of brave new heroes...

-Jason Garrick becomes The Flash, with speed powers granted by the dying god, Mercury.

-Alan Scott becomes Green Lantern, with the combined powers of the Earth's energies granted by The Green, naming him as his new chosen champion.

-Kendra Muñoz-Saunders is Hawkgirl, a special agent hired by the World Army.

-Captain Al Pratt is The Atom, another special agent on the services of the World Army.

Now, these four characters have to face the threat of The Grey, an oposing force to The Green, that invoked its own champion... Solomon Grundy!!!

The questions now are not only if they will be enough to engage the ramping rage of Solomon Grundy but if they will be able to make a team of themselves?

In the middle of all this, there is the mysterious Terry Sloan, self-proclaimed as the "Smartest Man on Earth", which is remain to see his true role in this story.

Definitely, one of the best titles on the "New 52" line and highly recommended to fans of the genre of super-heroes.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey, not bad!
Alternate universes and What If stories have sort of grown on me over the years, so I was hoping Earth 2 was going to be a decent read. And it was.
I like how all of these characters have been reinvented. They're not really b-grade heroes, but they're definitely second stringers. At this point anyway.
I know, I know. The original Green Lantern and the original Flash aren't second string. Blah, blah, blah.
Geez! You know what I'm trying to say, so don't get your panties in a knot.

I thought the way DC's Holy Trinity bit the dust was both appropriate and tasteful. I'm not sure I understand how all of the superheroes ended up getting killed off, but maybe Volume 2 will shed some light on that.
I've seen some complaints about Jay's Flash costume in other reviews, and they're sort of right. That helmet is pretty goofy.
But his original helmet was pretty damn dorky, too.
I thought GL's sexual orientation was handled pretty well, though.
However, I'm not gay, so maybe I'm wrong...
I liked that the fact that he was gay wasn't a major point in the storyline.
He's just your average billionaire gay dude with superpowers.

I was a little freaked to see Mr. Terrific pop into that world. I hated that title, and seeing him didn't bring back any good memories. Maybe Robinson's version of the character won't suck?

Mostly good...teeny bit of bad.
I'm looking forward to Earth 2, Vol. 2: The Tower of Fate!

[Bookwraiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Reviews

First off, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the Justice Society of America from Earth-2. As a kid, I always enjoyed their guest appearances in other DC comics, so it isn’t difficult to convince me to like these guys.

Second, What If stories are some of my favorites. Sometimes, they can be a bit irritating or ridiculous, but when handled correctly, they provide a nice twist to the familiar.

With both of those things being said, I fully expected to go all fanboy over Earth-2. I mean, the idea of What If all of Earth-2’s heroes were killed turning back parademons from Apokolips sounded awesome. The further idea of What If new heroes arose and who would these guys be was damn good.

After finishing, I guess, this was an okay first story arch. Some things were great. Some were boring. And there was a lot of things which were okay.

The great things first.

The DC Big Three had a very emotional, heroic send off. Wonder Woman’s final fight was fairly stupid in my opinion, but otherwise the whole episode was tastefully scripted.


I thought the introduction of Green Lantern, Flash, The Atom, and Hawkgirl was handled well. Each one had their moment in the spotlight, even if Hawkgirl’s origins and background are still a bit mysterious. That isn’t really a complaint though, because a bit of suspense added to the narrative.

The foreshadowing of a potential traitor among mankind’s ranks peaked my interest; one of the main reasons I wanted to read further.

The okay.

Green Lantern’s sexual orientation was handled fairly well, presented as normal, not anything to get all preachy about. Perhaps there were missteps with Alan Scott’s character, but since I’m not gay I don’t know if I overlooked something.

The updated costumes. Okay, Flash has a pretty damn silly helmet. Green Lantern looks better than before, but still not great in my opinion. The Atom has a military vibe. And Hawkgirl – well, she looked okay, I guess, though the color scheme looked strange on her.


The bad.

I didn’t like the superheroes working for the government angle. It has just been done to death. I know it is realistic, but I’m tired of it – which is my personal problem, I suppose.

Solomon Grundy and the whole power of the Gray was a bit flat to me. I’m not a fan of one dimensional villains, and Grundy is definitely a pretty one dimensional guy here, whose only coherent thought seems to be to destroy everyone. Boring stuff to me, even with the whole Green versus Gray twist.


Like I said, Earth-2 isn’t the best comic collection which I’ve ever picked up, but it is a solid read. Entertaining, filled with action, and having enough cool moments to keep a reader’s interest, I’m looking forwarding to continuing on with the series.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of this story. Most of the "new" stuff from D.C. has not been all that great. So it was with surprise I ran into Earth 2. Part of the D.C. multiverse, it is a different dimension with different story arcs.

The story starts with Steppenwolf and the hordes of Apokolips parademons invading the Earth. They were opposed by the greatest heroes of Earth- Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman. In the resulting clash- the big three and their hangers-on (Supergirl, a female Robin, etc) were all wiped out. But the Earth was saved and the hordes destroyed, save for a few renegade survivors.

This is where the story really starts as an all new batch of "wonders" comes into being. We meet Jay Garrick, who becomes the Flash; we meet Alan Scott who becomes the Green Lantern and we meet Hawkgirl. These three and the "World Army Wonders" such as The Atom team up to fight Solomon Grundy. That's all I'm saying.

So what made this so enjoyable? The story was good. The introduction or the characters was well done and the subtle tweaks of well established origin stories also worked for the Earth 2 environment. Nicola Scott's artwork is also very well done. Good to see a combination of good story telling with good artwork. It can make all the difference in the world.

This is one of the better "reboots" I've run across. Count me in for the following volumes of this series.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some promise in the setup for Earth 2 but it devolves to the mundane stories of superheroes that have been overdone.

Two stars for the story and plotting but the artwork is about a four which puts this to a three star. Grudgingly.

OVERALL GRADE: B minus.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if, like the first story arc of New 52 Justice League, Earth was attacked by Parademons except the Justice League – or Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman anyway – managed to stop them but were killed at the same time? The planet would be saved but the Age of Wonders (superheroes) would be over. And then one day new Wonders started appearing again … That’s the premise of Earth 2.

Earth 2 isn’t among the worst of the New 52 I’ve read and it’s actually not bad in a mindless-entertainment kinda way. James Robinson’s versions of Golden Age characters Alan Scott/Green Lantern, Jay Garrick/Flash, Al Pratt/The Atom, and Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl are mostly enjoyable. You get the broad strokes of their characters and understand their motivations – the bare minimum needed when creating a story. DC have also decided to make Alan Scott gay, probably as a cynical attempt to appear modern and forward-thinking, though I was glad (GLAAD?) to see it didn’t become a major story point like it has in Batwoman where her sexuality is brought up nearly every damn issue. I get it, she’s a lesbian, I don’t care, just give her a decent damn story for once!

Though Earth 2 is an ok book, there are a ton of weird scenes and plot holes that stand out. That first issue alone was nuts. HOW did Superman die again? Wonder Woman gets literally stabbed in the back in the most unimaginative death scene I’ve ever read. And Batman sacrificing himself for humanity? Fair enough but I kinda expected it to be a fakeout and there’d be a panel at the end where Bruce is sat in an Italian café, grinning. And even though there are more than 3 superheroes in Earth 2, once Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman die, that’s it – Supergirl and Robin both die off-page, because the script says so.

Then we get the new superhero transformations which are arbitrary as hell. After Alan’s lover is killed in a train accident in China, the New 52 version of the Burning Bush appears, a green energy mass claiming to be the Earth’s energy, and tells Alan that he’s going to be the planet’s Green Knight which is what Swamp Thing is often referred to. And the enemy of the book is Solomon Grundy (why?!) who’s controlling the Rot that’s killing the planet. That’s right, they’re peddling out the Rotworld storyline again from New 52 Swamp Thing/Animal Man!

All of which suggests that Alan Scott should become Swamp Thing but this is Earth 2 where everything’s ker-aayyzee so he’s going to be something else. The green energy, still giving Alan the hard sell on becoming it’s Green Knight, then says “that power will shine forth from you as it would the light from a lamp” – at no point are lanterns mentioned at all! So he should become either Green Knight or Green Lamp! But no, he’s Green Lantern because the script says so.

Jay Garrick’s backstory is pretty anachronistic too. Mercury falls from the sky and lands near him as Jay’s lamenting out loud his directionless future! Hawkgirl doesn’t even get a backstory, she just shows up fully formed! The Atom is your basic military tool following orders. Even Mister Terrific puts in an appearance too (but since he’s never mentioned again I guess it was a blip? He is a terrible character though so the less we see of him, the better - Mister Terrible!).

Grundy on the other hand is a pure cardboard cut-out. He’s appears for no reason other than the new Wonders need an enemy, his motivation is something generic like taking over the world and the Grey that’s taking over everything is helping him because the script says so.

Despite all this, it’s enjoyable enough fluff for a generic superhero story – neither offensively stupid nor is it clever or original enough to make it stand out – until the jaw-dropping finale. Why jaw-dropping? Because it completely rips off The Avengers movie ending, beat for beat.

The set-up is that Solomon Grundy and his Rot have infested Washington DC and the Wonders sent in to fight them can’t stop him. So in the secret army HQ, not unlike SHIELD’s helicarrier, some shady government types on large screens side by side order a tactical nuclear strike on the capital to wipe out the problem. A billionaire in a power suit (Alan Scott/Green Lantern) goes into space to divert the nukes, deals with the threat, then, his powers used up, falls to Earth and is caught by a team-mate before he hits the ground (Hawkgirl rather than Hulk). The day is saved! I can’t believe, in such a blatant copy-cat scenario, Alan didn’t say something about getting ethnic fast food somewhere nearby!

How did this get past editorial? Did no-one say “Uh, this reads a lot like the finale to the 3rd highest grossing movie of all time…”. I just can’t believe how shameless it is.

The last 2 pages of the book though made me laugh because it was so unexpected. However, it does raise a recurring problem DC has with its superhero teams: they’re all colossal dicks to one another! Why do they even need supervillains to fight when DC is so interested in having their superheroes fight each other? It’s soooooo stupid, annoying, and beyond boring at this point. What, the Flash is going to die? Exactly. Kudos on Green Lantern speaking his mind though. I agree with him but like Superman in the JLA, that kinda thing should be unspoken because there’s no team/series otherwise! But I am curious to see what happens next so, while it came out of nowhere like a sucker punch, it worked.

Nicola Scott’s artwork is serviceable at best. She may be a fine artist but you couldn’t tell from this book which is drawn in DC’s bland house style (very busy pencils, over-packed panels). I didn’t hate it but I definitely didn’t love it. The character designs are awful. Flash’s outfit is just bad (that helmet!) and the Atom’s mask is a freakin’ balaclava! That’s probably not on Scott though, I’m sure a higher-up like Jim Lee had the final say on the look (man, that guy’s New 52 redesigns have all been crap haven’t they? Time to retire, Jim!).

Earth 2 definitely isn’t a must-read series and it’s certainly not doing anything new, despite the potential to, but considering the dearth of readable New 52 books, you could do a lot worse. It’s an ok big dumb superhero comic, and the lower your expectations going in, the more you’ll get out of it.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically DC's New 52 take on the Justice Society. Except, because Reasons, these older versions of staple characters have to be in an entirely different reality. Hence we have Earth 2, where all the heroes that normally make headlines are dead. Somebody at DC deserves to be slapped for the blatant false advertising of putting the Big Three on the cover of the trade when they don't even survive the first issue. At any rate, the characters who take over are essentially updated versions of Silver Age heroes. Jay Garrick's Flash, etc. Did they need to be updated? No, of course not, but that's DC for you.

As a series, it's serviceable. Enjoyable enough while I was reading it, of course. But it did leave me wondering why all of the New 52 heroes have to be so darn unpleasant to each other. And unpleasant, period. The only character that I felt any positive emotions towards was Alan Scott. Kendra and Al enjoyed insulting everyone around them too much for me to like either of them. I think I'm supposed to be sympathetic towards Jay and think that his ex is a bitch, but no. Acting as though your ex never broke up with you and offering to move across the country to be with her isn't endearing, it's creepy. Jay struck me as a stalker in the making. Alan stood out by being a seemingly nice guy with a healthy relationship until his boyfriend was killed a few pages after being introduced. At least that was treated with some level of respectfulness, even if it did strike me as a somewhat cheap way to get emotional buy-in from your readers.

The art is decent, if essentially identical to much of what's coming out of DC today. But wow, did Jay and Al get stuck with terrible costume designs or what. I know that the original Flash helmet is a little goofy looking, but it's positively dignified next to whatever it was they put on Jay.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read!

It picks with the death of the trinity once the army of Apokolips invade and 5 years later we have the rise of a new gen of heroes in Jay Garrick Flash, Alan Scott GL and Hawkgirl and how they come to bbe in this universe is the origin of this book but also we get to sort of know them but when earth is threatened again by Grundy, champion of the Grey, then the new JSA has to stand up and face this threat and knock them down and save earth and also Atom is there and we follow the struggles of this team and whatever is going between them and how they take this threat out plus Terry Sloane behind the scene somewhat?

Its an interesting read and yeah the characterizations are fun and all but its something missing but I like the way they explain Jay and Alan getting their powers and all that. I love how this volume also gives them time to develop and establishes this threat in a fun way but the sudden deaths was weird and also kinda explains where Karen and Helena are in new 52. The art was amazing and makes for the boring writing in some pages and thats why its visually appealing.

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 2 out of 5]

DC's "Earth 2" series is yet another disappointment, this time made all the worse because of how much potential it had and how many good ideas they foolishly mis-use.

The cover is a lie, first of all. Based on the vague description in the ads and the cover, I had assumed it would begin shortly after Countdown or thereabouts, with Batman, Superman & Wonder Woman having died and a new generation rising to fill their places (given the cover art, I assumed it would be, in effect, Batman 2, Superman 2 & Wonder Woman 2) -- well, in fact, the cover depicts what occurs in the first 5 pages or so, in which the New 52 versions of Batman, Superman & Wonder Woman all die defeating an invasion of parademons in Earth-2's first encounter with Apokolips; Batman is the real hero, sacrificing his life, but Robin (who is Batman's daughter, Helena) and Supergirl also die. For some reason. Also, "superheroes" are known as "wonders" in this world.

The series ACTUALLY revolves around Earth-2's New 52 versions of the Golden Age Flash & Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and the Atom as they fight its version of Solomon Grundy. And conceptually, this is where it gets interesting -- Solomon Grundy is the champion of "The Grey" (a less gory version of "The Black" from the excellent rebooted "Animal Man" series and the mediocre rebooted "Swamp Thing" series); Jay Garrick as the Flash receives his powers from the dying god Mercury; Alan Scott as Green Lantern is actually the champion of "The Green" (which here means he can't leave Earth or he'll be rendered powerless); and the Atom is actually Albert Rothstein (aka: pre-Flashpoint DC's Atom Smasher). What is more, in the wake of the Apokolips invasion and the deaths of the "Wonder Trinity", Earth-2 has pooled its defensive and military capabilities to create a sort of "Global Defense Initiative" which operates like a combination of the United Nations & Joss Whedon's SHIELD. The art is great, and there's so much potential in the overall concept of the series!

Sadly, it's pretty much wasted. The characters are all flimsy and poorly-written, the entire thing feels rushed and uneven, and since we didn't really know the new versions of the "Trinity" we don't feel much when they die. Alan Scott is gay...for some reason; Jay Garrick seems more like a half-baked Jimmy Olsen; and the Atom is your typical "hostile soldier" stereotype. As for Hawkgirl? I guess she's a mutant or a government experiment or something; it's not very clear, and i've never cared about any iteration of her character, so it really only bothered because there was SO DANG LITTLE to her character itself.

That's my overall problem with this title -- it actually felt like an OUTLINE or a series pitch more than a real start to an ongoing series. The characters all feel hollow and flat (i suspect the reason they made Alan Scott gay was to compensate for the fact that they really hadn't given him much of a personality to begin with), and there's something weirdly off about the writing. At several points it's clear that someone (either the editors or the writer himself) went in and changed one character's dialogue without changing the dialogue to which he/she was responding or which responded to them (the most noticeable was when Jay Garrick starts repeatedly shouting "TRUST YOU?!?" to Hawkgirl, even though Hawkgirl hadn't said anything about trusting her, and doesn't react to his outburst at all).

I have to believe that someone at DC is working as hard as he/she can to undermine the reboot, because a failure this big, in spite of all the creative potential it possessed and the talent of both the writer and the artist, HAS to be intentional.

[BookishDramas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dystopian Story of a Counter Earth
3.5 star

This is a tremendous retelling of a counter/alternate earth where the heroes have fallen.
Reminded me so much about the movies depicting the ancient gods falling and new gods rising.
Painful to see the favorite heroes of the Trinity die saving the planet but the interesting part is how things work out after and how heroes are always needed and the cycle starts as the need rises. The challenge posed by Apokolips are overcome amidst great losses. The biggest heroes have the biggest fall.
Cometh the hour and cometh the man, in this case superheroes.
New heroes band together to fight a brand new super villain.
The role of the governing council and key character Sloane is still not very clear for or against but the new age heroes surge ahead.
Early days of disagreement like with the original trinity.
The super-villain is an unstoppable force and his power limits seem inexhaustible. Subsequent volumes will enlighten.
Actions and words were predictable but the mayhem was tremendous.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I thought it would be!

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice beginning for this alternate world version of the DC heroes. Nice new stories and ideas used. Recommended

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? I'm a real sucker for an Elseworlds tale. Also, this universe's version of Solomon Grundy is badass!

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this first volume of Earth 2, but I didn't think it was a great comic. It had a lot of action, and it was nice to see a true reboot of the JSA; however, it was a little light in content, and heavy on the fromage.

I love the Elseworlds feel to this collection, and more than that, I am thrilled to get an actual, genuine, true to definition reboot of something! There are a lot of characters that people will recognize in this collection, but they have been augmented and updated just enough to be more relevant and and interesting for current audiences.... for example, as I am sure you have already heard, Green Lantern is now gay.

I really like the changes. The slightly different origin stories for Green Lantern, Flash, and Atom really worked for me... I like how they have a more intrinsic connection to the history of Earth 2's conflict. I liked the new costumes, especially Jay Garrick's and Al Pratt's; Grundy looked perfect and really epitomized his characterization in this story. It was generally a very good-looking collection with really solid, compelling artwork.

The writing, on the other hand, sometimes fell short for me. It was cheesy. Way too heightened and melodramatic in its dialogue, especially with Green Lantern's over the top speeches. And the the internal monologues of the characters didn't read as believable to me, again, especially with Green Lantern's inner conflict over his boyfriend, Sam. The scenes that take place in the World Army Headquarters were so cliche, and Sloan has immediately rubbed me the wrong way as a character... his motives are so typical and predictably evil. And there wasn't much substance to the writing. It was mostly just forwarding information. The characters seemed to instantly understand their new powers and how to use them without much conflict or struggle. I would have preferred that the action slowed down a bit so that we could have seen a little more character-building and team building, instead of, "By the way, my name is Flash, look at me run up the side of this building, wow, I guess we should fight some bad guys together".

I'm definitely sticking with this title, though. It has a lot of potential and it keeps some of my favourite JSA characters alive for the New52 generation. I just hope Robinson slows down a bit to dig a little deeper into character and themes.

3.5/5

A note on the new Alan Scott: I thought GL's sexual identity was handled well in this comic. It wasn't treated as a secret at all. There was no closeted conflict for him, no feelings that his being gay would somehow effect how people treated him. There were no qualms about him kissing another man in front of other characters. It all happened very naturally and in the open and to absolutely no consequential effect to his superhero persona. It's was nice to have a gay character written in such a way that no political statement was being made. It is a refreshing and encouraging portrayal of a gay person in comics, especially after that horrible, horrible wedding between Northstar and Kyle, in which people showed up to the wedding only to announce that they didn't believe in gay marriage and that they wouldn't be able to attend the ceremony (facepalm)!

[Arturo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first issue is great, anytime we have an alternate timeline where the status quo can be changed drastically is refreshing. We deal with Sups, Bats and Wonder Woman fighting in the Apokolips War, with help from Power Girl and Huntress (who we learn we could follow to their Worlds Finest series). Overall A 5star 1st issue.
The next five issues we're introduced to GL Alan Scott, Flash- Jay Garrick (who I wouldn't mind the costume change if he was a well developed character) Hawkgirl and The Atom (a new version of the golden age Atom) who take on Grundy and.. The grey(?).
The problem was this story could have been condensed into one issue. The storytelling just didn't grab me at all. It's very much your usual superhero book but I just got done with another well written series so I just can't let this fly. Another problem I have is with stories dealing with magic, which is kinda like Earth2s Green Lanterns power, (he's gonna let his spirit into the grey) a solution is created with no rhyme or reason.. I don't dig it.
Iv always wanted to check out Starman because I hear good things but so far everything iv read from James Robinson has let me down.
The art is awesome but overall except for the first issue I just can't recommend this.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was enjoyable, but I don't really see any point in continuing this series (for me). I liked seeing other heroes get more attention and it was kind of interesting to see the political set-up of this alternate Earth, but it didn't pack all that much of a punch. I liked Green Lantern, the Flash, and Hawkgirl but they didn't get enough attention to make any of them endearing really. But I did love that this Green Lantern is gay!

Also part of the reason I didn't really love this was because I was confused the whole time. What happened to the anti-matter Earth 2 ruled by the Crime Syndicate? That's all I knew about Earth 2 before reading this and I kept getting confused by the Earth 1-ish look of the Trinity on the cover. I'm still a little confused because I don't know which Earth the Crime Syndicate is on now.

[Cookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was an okaish read. Fairly entertaining all in all.

But way too many characters which prevents character development. By the end of this you don't really care for or know any of them.

The major problem, however is the writing. It is so on the nose and tacky. It makes the whole comic seem cheap. There is an attempt at exposition through dialogue and thoughts of the characters but it is so clumsily carried out, it's unnerving. The dialogue/writing just pulled me out of it. Didn't feel genuine at all.

Hope it gets better...

[Douglas Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am such a purist that I tend to stay away from these “other world” series, but I keep hearing good things about this one, so I finally decided to read it, and I am glad I did! Also, I am not gonna lie, I really wanted to read a story with a gay Green Lantern. This aspect did not dissapoint- they don’t hold back on making him gay, hot, and paired with a hot bf.
I thought this first volume was great! Mostly because the Flash and Green Lantern are in my top five all time favorite super heroes so I was very interested in these new incarnations of the characters. The story also does a great job of making Hawkgirl, the Atom, and villain Solmon Grundy fun and interesting. The story is full of action while also blending in the new origin stories of Flash and Green Lantern.
Finally the art and the coloring are hypnotizingly beautiful!

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent retelling of the alternate earth that isn't quite the same as the Earth-1 we're all familiar with. I especially liked the new origin stories of Golden Age Flash and Green Lantern, and how they worked in a new story for Hawkgirl and The Atom.

This is a writer's dream, being able to take known characters and changing things up, sometimes very drastically. It's almost like reading the old Elseworlds imprint DC used to publish back in the 90s.

[William Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I let out a loud groan when I read that DC was developing an ongoing Earth 2 series. Although Grant Morrison's mini was good, I just didn't see why it was necessary to have an ongoing series outside continuity when there are just too many unused characters in regular continuity. I figured the only saving grace would be James Robinson- and I was absolutely right.

I stayed away from the single issues of this book for some very obvious reasons. DC, since the Nu reboot, seems to just be throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. Especially with this most recent wave of cancellations of some seriously stellar books like Team 7 and Amethyst after only 8 issues, DC is making it hard to become emotionally invested in anything new they try. But the library had the trade in an I snatched it up to see what was going on in James Robinson's new playground.

Surprisingly, he's getting everything absolutely right. I haven't read anything he's done since Starman that has lived up to that series in any way, shape or form until Earth 2. It has a ton of heart. He's exploring new ground with new characters and has free reign to build his own world and create the history as he goes. Seeing the parallels between the regular continuity books and this one (the Red-Green and Green-Grey) makes it even more enjoyable.

But there are some seriously glaring problems here that have absolutely nothing to do with Robinson. They have to do with character design. Comics are a marriage of literature and art, one is just as important as the other and when we have Jim Lee, a man who can't pull his head out of the ass of the 90's designing the Atom we get something that looks like a complete joke. I laughed out loud when I saw his costume. Go look. You'll laugh, too.

Seeing the Atom as a Go-bot version of a GI Joe in a terrorist ski mask next to a Flash that has the LARGEST helmet I have ever seen, the book becomes visually comic. Comic in a funny way, not like a comic, which is what it is. Absolutely fell on its face with these designs. Which is strange because someone got Alan Scott's costume damn near perfect.

So now I'm actually considering picking these up in single issues month to month to see what Robinson conjures up for us. That's the best recommendation I can give- if I buy a book monthly instead of waiting for trades, it's a damn good book. But I'm still on the fence here. Leaning to one side, but still hesitant.

Writing: A
Art: C-

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

June 8 2013: I started sniffling in the first issue. The FIRST ISSUE. It's not the JSA I know and love -- they're inspired by a sort of Justice League instead of the other way around -- but that's okay. I like the way it's a cohesive idea and mythos, and I like the symbology. If no one's ever called Superman "the sun god" before, they should have. The green-vs.-death champions plot is basically Swamp Thing, but maybe it's supposed to be the same idea on the parallel world. Green Lantern is magnificent and arrogant at the same time, Hawkgirl is brave and capable, and the Flash is human idealist. I love the way they mirror Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman but in different ways and different combinations, without being copies or the same characters. This first volume is a complete story, with foreshadowing for the next one.

April 3 2015: Judging from my review I was SUPER into this two years ago... I still like it a lot, but I'm not sure why I was gushing so much! Still, it is good. I like the nuances of the characterization, and I always love JSA over JLA. I should note there are some weird typo things, though -- places where the dialogue was changed, but not completely, so you have conversations where characters answer statements that were never actually made. It's confusing.

[Joshua Adam Bain · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this through for the second time I can safely give this 4 stars, I might even go as far to give it 4.5!

This is a great 'elseworld' title that brings characters from the golden age into the new 52 universe. We start off 5 years in the past with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in battle against Apokolips. Don't let the cover fool you though as these guys aren't in the book for long, which I found to be quite refreshing. In the spotlight we see Jay Garrick (The Flash), Kendra Saunders (Hawkgirl) and Alan Scott (Green Lantern). All whom have new origins. I thought the new versions of these characters were done great and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them. Hopefully we get more of a backstory to Hawkgirl and The Atom, lots of comments in here that sparked my interest. Solid story with a lot of interesting individuals. I loved seeing Solomon Grundy back in the New 52, as bad ass as ever!

The art was spectacular, even though I am not too fussed on some of the costume changes. Am I the only one who thinks old Flash looked better? The new helmet just didn't do it for me, although it didn't deter from the story at all. I'm looking forward to betting stuck into volume 2!

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I VERY much enjoyed this. Repelling an Apokolips attack from Earth 2, Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman die, as Batman makes the discovery that is able to defeat the evil forces.

Taking up about 5 years after this, we come across college slacker Jay Garrick, gay Business Tycoon Alan Scott, Army Sgt. Al Pratt, and Hawkgirl Kendra Saunders.

We also briefly glimpse 2 different Mr. Terrifics, Sandmen of Wesley Dodds, and the mention of Red Tornado.

The major bad guy here is also an interesting choice...Born on a Monday...

A very cool series, where the writer, Robinson has decided to scrap everything and build from scratch with a sort of version of the JSA.
Well worth reading.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't put Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman on the cover and then kill them in the first 5 pages.

[charlotte, · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rep: gay mc

@ dc come fight me

[Louis Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story but I had problems with it.

The language in the prologue was clunky and old-fashioned when it didn’t have to be.

Why was there only one woman in the new Wonders team? It’s so annoying to have such limited representation.

Jay Garrick wasn’t appealing. We’re introduced to him via a girlfriend who dumps him because he’s a jerk and she wants to do amazing things with her life. Not only does he come across as useless but he doesn’t accept that she’s dumping him. But somehow we end up following him and not her?

That’s bad enough but Mercury decides to give Jay superpowers because he... ran over to him? What kind of self-insert, man-logic is this?

I like Alan Scott and it’s great to see a gay Green Lantern. Not so great is his partner being killed 3 panels after being introduced. Bury your gays even in 2015 was not on.

Commander Khan was interesting but what is happening with him? He’s from Pakistan but he’s wearing a Sikh-like turban. Except it didn’t look right at all. He’s said to have a khanjar, but nobody named Khan would have that weapon. You can’t conflate religions like that, for eff’s sake.

And I went back and checked and Khan is wearing a pin of the flag of India. Do these creatives look at the world beyond USA when they create stories? Do they know that other countries aren’t just a homogenous whole that they can stamp the same names and flags on?

I like Nicola Scott’s art. Her characters are all distinct and her style is very appealing. I don’t know whether the artistic missteps were directives from the writer or the publishing house, but I’m also wondering what the editors were doing. This is what happens when you don’t have representation behind the scenes.

I liked the action and the plot, but the lack of female characters, the bury your gays trope, and the serious problems with Commander Khan ruined my reading experience.

[Will Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman sacrifice themselves to save the world, new heroes emerge to fill the void, and they’re smart reimagining of some of DCs oldest superheroes from the American Golden Age of comics!

While his costume is a bit of an eyesore, I really like this younger version of Jay Garrick (the original Flash). Traditionally, Jay’s written as an older fellow and the granddaddy of the Flash family. Here he starts the book as an aimless, insecure college student, but he’s anxious to use his newfound speed to help others around him and I can TOTALLY see this young man finding his footing (ba-dum-tss!) and growing into his role as the patriarch of speedsters.

I enjoyed Robinson’s take on Alan Scott (the original Green Lantern) even more so, if not for the character himself, then for the cleaner, more streamlined origin. Old school fans will notice some familiar iconography, but his background and origin have been completely remade and he’s more interesting for it. Instead of being an odd mix of magic and space cops, Alan gets his powers from the earth itself, utilizing the concept of The Green from Swamp Thing lore. It’s far more simple and the way he incorporates his engagement ring into his abilities gives a FAR better reason for why a character named “Green Lantern” needs to use a ring for his powers to work than even the modern day Green Lantern.

Hats off to Robinson for the plot and setting too! He wisely put the focus on reintroducing us to these characters instead of throwing out the biggest villains right away *glares at Justice League Vol. 1*, the concept of the World Army is an interesting premise that only works in a world post-DCs Trinity. This is a really strong first volume, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series!

[Brunò · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini review:

Good enough.

Modernized stories for the old heroes. The villain was shit. But it didn't annoy me.
Nice add that the principal Trinity FUCKING DIES.



Good enough again. That helmet still looks like shit though.

Español:

Tuvo bien.

Historias modernizadas para los viejos héroes. El villano era una mierda. Pero no me molestó.
Buen agregado que la trinidad SE CAGA MURIENDO.



Lo suficientemente bueno de nuevo. Sin embargo,ese casco todavía se ve como una mierda.

Tuvo bien otra vez.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

New age of wonders

A great start to the Earth 2 series. Love the artwork and the story. From one war to the coming of the next. Who will step up?

The war ended with the death of the wonders (heroes) of the world of Earth 2. However after five years of peace (Earth 2 series like their five years later), new threats are coming. New wonders are chosen, but will they accept or even be accepted by the people of Earth 2. Also a greater threat might be hidden in plain sight.

I enjoyed the side quest story of the lost daughters, but the main story is even more exciting, what is next for Earth 2 and what could be worse than the last war? The book finishes with a variant and sketch covers gallery and a sketchbook of character designs.

[Eldon Farrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know honestly the absolute best thing about this book is the eye candy artwork by Nicola Scott. The story is certainly lacking.