This Week: Earth 2

Earth 2 #1
STORY BY James Robinson
ART BY Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott
COVER BY Ivan Reis, Joe Prado
COVER PRICE: $3.99

First issue of an ongoing series from writer JAMES ROBINSON and artist NICOLA SCOTT!

  • Who are the heroes of EARTH 2 – and what befell them?
  • Starring ALAN SCOTT, JAY GARRICK and many others!
  • You may think you know Earth 2…but this is DC Comics – The New 52, where anything can happen!
  • Don’t miss the extra-sized debut issue!

Article and preview at USA Today.

Also out this week: the hardcover collection of the new Justice League: Origin.

Who’s planning on checking this out? Who’s planning to skip it?

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25 thoughts on “This Week: Earth 2

  1. Luke

    I will be checking out Earth 2. I am intrigued by Robinson having a whole Earth to play with, and Scott’s art will be fantastic, I think. Plus we get a new Hawkgirl in a few issues!

  2. Kyer

    Saw the previews and reviews and it looks ‘epic’, but several details are not what I want to read about at this time in my life. Got enough real life pathos going on to be reading Son of Final Crisis/Flashpoint.

    Also, Jay and Alan don’t show up until the end? In that case I might as well wait another month anyway.

  3. Nick

    It was alright, but somewhat middling. Most of the issue featured characters who will (presumably) not be featured in the series. It felt more like backstory than anything else. In someways, it kinda reminded me of a “0-issue” that Marvel use to do back in the late 90s before a miniseries, as if wasn’t part of the narrative proper, but delivered some necessary set-up.

  4. Lee H

    I really enjoyed this issue. BIG stuff happens. If that’s just the warm up act then I can hardly wait to see what James Robinson and Nicola Scott will deliver next!

    There’s a parallel to the opening arc of Justice League, with the Parademons attacking, yet Earth 2 almost seemed to do as much in 1 issue as JL did in 6.

  5. Kyle

    I just got Earth 2, and I think it’s very great! It’s nothing like the Earth 2 we know, but it started out awesome! Can’t wait to see the next issue!

  6. Zen

    Skipping it. James Robinson’s writing it, so it will probably start with a bunch of characters being killed for no reason. I still can’t forgive him for “Cry for Justice.”

  7. Lia

    Oh man, what did they do to Joan? O_o I realize she was mean in her very first Golden Age appearance, but after that she was a great sidekick and supporting character. Hopefully that’s what’ll happen here too, but it’s a hell of a thing for a character to be redeemed from — wow, was she ever awful.

      1. Nick

        Who is worse: New 52 Joan dumping Jay because he is seemingly a bum with no prospects who thinks little of her new job or Golden Age Joan belittling Jay because he’s a scientist who doesn’t play football?

        Yeah…I think Golden Age Joan wins this round.

        1. Lee H

          She came around when he used his super powers to an incredibly unfair advantage.

        2. Lia

          Dumping him is one thing, but that was just nasty. I hope Robinson didn’t decide that ‘confident woman’ (which I’m completely in favour of her being) necessarily meant ‘bitch’. That meme got old a long time ago.

          1. Nick

            I think the intention was that she was fed-up with his bullshit. Considering he was completely oblivious to this, seems like she was completely justified to be as harsh as she was. Plus, Jay kept going on as if they were still together, when it was apparent that Joan already broke it off before the scene in the issue. Her getting angry like that, again, is understandable.

            That said, Robinson broke the “show, don’t tell” rule. We are just told Jay is a screw-up. We never actually see this in action. That would have helped out this scene greatly.

  8. Jesse

    I thought Earth 2 was well-done, but I’m still unable to grasp the point … it’s just an Elseworlds. I don’t know how long it will be before I stop seeing the whole New 52 as an Elseworlds, too … probably never.

  9. lightspeed

    I thought Earth-2 was really great. There were a few things that I wasn’t sure about, but it was good. Oh and about Joan being a bit rude, I’m not gonna cast judgement until I hear the reasons why.

  10. Luke

    Picked the issue up on my lunch break and just read it. I was impressed with it. I will definitely be picking up the second issue.

    The criticism that it’s mostly set up and features characters who will not be ongoing in the series, that is legitimate. But it is the kickoff point for an entire world, so I think it’s an acceptable approach. Especially considering that those characters’ actions are so vital to the characters in the present day.

    1. Savitar

      So, got his powers from Mercury himself, eh? May actually have to see where Robinson takes this after all.

        1. Kyer

          Wait…if that’s true….wouldn’t Jay be able to copy Mercury in being able to take off like a rocket (and land like a bomb?) ;P

  11. Kelson Post author

    Earth 2 was better than I expected. I’d been worried about the presence of the DC trinity, but the way they’re handled gives the book more reason to exist than simply “it’s another reality, so things are different.”

    I’m still not sure about this version of Jay Garrick. He’s too aimless for Jay. Being an “everyman” is fine, but it seems to me that making him a self-proclaimed screw-up and a slacker is taking it a bit too far.

    1. Kyer

      I don’t like the idea of Jay being a slacker either, but that could be made right if he quickly becomes more responsible after taking on a rather weighty mantle from Mercury (something I rather liked even though I dislike the death of the god because..yeah, favorite god from Mediterranean mythology.) Wally didn’t exactly start out as stellar hero material after Barry ‘died’, so as long as Jay shapes up within a couple of issues….it will be okay.

      I’m still massively worried about the whole tone of the series though. That crappy-looking uniform, the sheer ferocity in the cover with the rats now mirrored in this issue with aliens having their eyeballs knocked out of their skull (and heaven knows what else, I was trying not to look too closely at the battle scenes, but *that* was rather front if not center.)

      Don’t get me wrong, I love the whole good vs evil thing and you have to have Lord Of The Rings style battles in an epic fight. It’s certainly true that war isn’t pretty…people die and not cleanly. I just wish it wasn’t so…graphic. I want fantasy to *escape* reality and seeing eyballs whipping out of skulls….yeesh, was that really necessary?

      Add to that the warning of a *worse* danger than what happened five years prior. S’cuse me? Worse than three major heroes eating it after the world is swarmed and decimated? What are they planning, a sadistically evil Abracadabra Inc?

      The Joan thing…I can see her point, but geez-louise, stick a pitchfork in the guy as an exclamation point, why don’tcha? She could have made her case without coming across like The Wicked Wanna-Be-A-CEO-And-You’re-Not-My-Ticket-There Witch.

      Early in the movie, but the music is sounding rather ominous in my ears. I’m going to be extra wary when looking at scans and previews of this. Hopefully it won’t go the route of Animal Man (which I learned real quick not to click on anything with pictures.)

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