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[IvCNuB4]

Huh. Dear God, please let this review be accurate

Earth 2 #1
Written by James Robinson
Art by Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott and Alex Sinclair
Lettering by Dezi Sienty
Published by DC Comics
Review by David Pepose
'Rama Rating: 9 out of 10

It looks like second time is the charm — at least, it is when it comes to DC and Earth 2 #1. And if you think that it's a little too early for yet another new universe in the wake of The New 52, you might be pleasantly surprised by James Robinson's remix of the DC mythos. Familiar yet unencumbered by years of continuity, there's a specific tone and direction that this series takes that I'd say, just on first blush, actually feels like a stronger launch than Geoff Johns' Justice League.

Robinson starts off smart by establishing that, on Earth 2, everyone knew who the Big Damn Heroes of the DC Universe were — Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman — and shows us what makes them the best of the best. Superman, unlike his current New 52 incarnation, is defined by his reverence for life, and even Wonder Woman's violent, Wolverine-esque characterization is later tempered by an almost daughterly love for her Amazon pantheon. It's that sort of deeper world underneath the surface that lets Robinson have his cake and eat it, too, in a way that I think The New 52 has avoided to a self-conscious and even self-destructive extent — it alludes to a deeper history of the DCU, a bigger world than we know, one that we'll all uncover and discover together.

It also doesn't hurt that Nicola Scott is on art. She's got that dynamic Jim Lee composition and sleekness to her characters, but she also has that clean line of Ivan Reis and even a hint of that George Perez pop to the expressions and sheer scale of action on the page. Despite a stint on Wonder Woman, Scott's been an overlooked artist for awhile, but she's definitely earning some wider recognition here. Perhaps most interesting is the tone Scott's work takes, especially with colorist Alex Sinclair — even an extinction-level conflict with Apokolips is tinged with a swollen red, but at the same time, the clean heroes represent an optimism and hope that says maybe Earth will survive without a scratch. While that doesn't exactly wind up being the case, Sinclair's blue skies at the end of the book foster a sense of a new beginning, of a new age of true DC heroism. It's been missed.

Perhaps James Robinson's greatest trick in Earth 2 is that he manages to engage readers even as he spends most of the issue playing with characters that we likely won't see again. Like DC's best epics — think Kingdom Come or JSA — Robinson and Scott's Earth 2 is about living up to legacies... but it isn't solely defined by them. There's a new pantheon being born on Earth 2, a new history, a new generation of hero. This may be the relaunch we were all waiting for.

[bkthomson]

Bought the issue but not read it. Skipping the spoilers until I do so.

[sdsichero]

actually feels like a stronger launch than Geoff Johns' Justice League.

Is that supposed to be a high mark or something? I dropped JL after issue #1.

[bkthomson]

Is that supposed to be a high mark or something? I dropped JL after issue #1.

I though it was because of the lee hate?

[ElijahSnowFan]

I liked it. (It did the thing that pretty much everybody saw coming, I would expect, that allows the book/Earth 2 to forge its own path).

Again, readers have always gotten screwed over with the perception that we won't try anything new. That's always been a crap argument that creators and companies toss out there when they push out products that fail miserably at launch.

I have no reason to nitpick this book. It's a first issue, will feature new takes on characters. I knew what it was when I bought the digital version. I bought it because I want James Robinson to tell me a good set of stories.

It won't fail because I long for an older Jay Garrick, or the "Jay Garrick I know." The reason I'm reading it is because I know who Jay Garrick is in the first place. So instead of beating readers up about nostalgia all the time, DC should appreciate the fact that those of us who understand the concept of Earth 2 are, indeed, picking this up.

And that's the crux of this stuff: I bought this issue. I'll read the next one. And I'll keep reading as long as Robinson, etc., tell good stories.

It's that simple. It's always been that simple. Readers give these books a chance. If the execution is there, we keep reading. If you fail, don't blame us for "wanting it to be the way it's always been."

If anybody cares, I think the 'Rama overrated it; it's not a 9-level book. The art was pretty good, the story/execution was above average. It was more like a solid 7.5. Nothing earth-shattering, sets up some material for the next issue, and it got the point across about what it needed to accomplish in the issue.

I recommend a read. It's worth that, to see the setup and decide if you want to follow along.

[chap22]

I tend to agree with ESF's assessment. It's surprisingly readable. It's not great by any stretch, but it's nowhere near as bad as I feared either. I'm not thrilled with all the direction decisions (primarily

[Reveal] Spoiler: Click to Expand

the book having a modern setting rather than WWII, and Jay being a 21-year-old semi-slacker and Joan being a raging bitch

), but when I remember these aren't intended to be the exact same characters i know and loved, I realize it probably will work out anyway. There's good & bad Robinson inherent in the dialogue (but thankfully not as bad as JUSTICE!!!!! Robinson), but the story's told well enough, and there's promise of some interesting stuff to come. And Nicola's art is gorgeous. It's nowhere near the best Bat-books or Wonder Woman or Swamp Thing or the like, but it's damn sure better than any of the books with Justice League in the title, and probably 75% or so of the rest of the "first wave" books too. I'd give it 3 & 3/4 stars out of 5, with potential to improve as the main cast gets more attention

[Timbales]

I'm just so happy they decided to bring this to comics format, continuing the TV series with Antonio Sabato Jr and Deborah Farentino

[doombug]

Can't wait to read this, hope it doesn't let me down.

[Juan Cena]

I liked it. (It did the thing that pretty much everybody saw coming, I would expect, that allows the book/Earth 2 to forge its own path).

Again, readers have always gotten screwed over with the perception that we won't try anything new. That's always been a crap argument that creators and companies toss out there when they push out products that fail miserably at launch.

I have no reason to nitpick this book. It's a first issue, will feature new takes on characters. I knew what it was when I bought the digital version. I bought it because I want James Robinson to tell me a good set of stories.

It won't fail because I long for an older Jay Garrick, or the "Jay Garrick I know." The reason I'm reading it is because I know who Jay Garrick is in the first place. So instead of beating readers up about nostalgia all the time, DC should appreciate the fact that those of us who understand the concept of Earth 2 are, indeed, picking this up.

And that's the crux of this stuff: I bought this issue. I'll read the next one. And I'll keep reading as long as Robinson, etc., tell good stories.

It's that simple. It's always been that simple. Readers give these books a chance. If the execution is there, we keep reading. If you fail, don't blame us for "wanting it to be the way it's always been."

If anybody cares, I think the 'Rama overrated it; it's not a 9-level book. The art was pretty good, the story/execution was above average. It was more like a solid 7.5. Nothing earth-shattering, sets up some material for the next issue, and it got the point across about what it needed to accomplish in the issue.

I recommend a read. It's worth that, to see the setup and decide if you want to follow along.

And this coming from an hard-line old school Legion fan. Maybe I should check it out

[Evan Meadow]

I'm just so happy they decided to bring this to comics format, continuing the TV series with Antonio Sabato Jr and Deborah Farentino

Poppet is Wonder Woman?

[Zero]

This was the best thing Robinson has done since Starman (although talk about low bars) and it's interesting that it hardly features any of the book's main cast and none of them at all in costume. If anything we get more focus on setting up World's Finest #1. Either way, having the JSA following AFTER the JLA is an interesting change and this could end up being a great title if it maintains the quality.

[chap22]

This was the best thing Robinson has done since Starman (although talk about low bars)

the current Shade mini would request that you kindly STFU with that crap.

[doombug]

the current Shade mini would request that you kindly STFU with that crap.

Yup!

[IvCNuB4]

There's good & bad Robinson inherent in the dialogue (but thankfully not as bad as JUSTICE!!!!! Robinson), but the story's told well enough, and there's promise of some interesting stuff to come. And Nicola's art is gorgeous

Yeah, some of the dialogue is almost Olde-English but maybe that's just the way it is on this Earth. And holy fuck, Nicola Scott pulls out
every
fucking
stop
on each and every panel !
Even Alex Sinclair deserves props for his gorgeous coloring !

it's interesting that it hardly features any of the book's main cast and none of them at all in costume.

I like this approach. Back-story was explained, epic calamity resolved, and we've got the new heroes in place and ready to receive their powers, all by the last page:
Al Pratt will undoubtedly be in an atomic blast, Alan encounters the meteor and ring in China (somewhat similar to the 1940s version), and Jay gets his powers complete with an explanation for (hopefully) his first helmet:-D

[avengingtitan]

It was pretty good. Although I'm a bit surprised that they

[Reveal] Spoiler: Click to Expand

killed Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman

.

Although there was a JUSTICE-ish moment. "I AM DIANA LAST OF THE AMAZONS!!" That scene didnt really need any dialogue.

I loved all the JSA intros although I wanted to donkey punch Joan and Jay seemed like a total loser.