Every month, Brian Salvatore will take a glimpse at “Earth 2” from James Robinson and Nicola Scott in an in-depth column we’re calling “Greetings From Earth 2.”
The fantastic image above is by Tim Daniel. Check out more of his work here.
This annual goes back to the beginning of the book by focusing on one member’s origin, and hints towards the future with the introduction of some new characters.
In the very first issue of “Earth 2,” the origin of the Atom was shown in no uncertain terms, but since then, we’ve seen very little of him, outside of him being a heavy/kind of a dick. He is firmly a World Army stooge, and the World Army is still a somewhat suspicious organization at this point, so it is hard to see him as a hero.
However, this issue really expands his story and gives us some insight into just who he is. We see the conflicted man, full of guilt and unanswerable questions, and he shows that he still has free will and a questioning mind, even if he gladly follows orders.
More than anything, this issue gives the reader a more well-rounded view of Pratt, and sets him on a course that will have him going toe to toe with Steppenwolf.
I’ve written a lot about this already.
James Robinson has really put all of his nuclear eggs in one Atom shaped basket. Borrowing powers and costume elements from Atom Smasher and Damage already, we now hear him referred to as Captain Atom. This is a convenient way for there to be just one character with a nuclear history, as opposed to the seemingly endless parade that were all running around DC at one point.
Barda and Mister Miracle are back, given a little tag at the end of this issue. It appears that they are not (at least not yet) the married couple we’ve seen from them in the past. Instead, they are bickering and unsure of each other. While this is not all that surprising, it is a bit disappointing, as they have maybe the best comics marriage of all time. Hopefully, that comes later.
This little epilogue also brings the New Gods face to face with Fury, and sets them up to be in Dherain when the World Army invades in a few months.
This issue has two artists – Cafu and Julius Gopez – but doesn’t share who draws what, so let’s just assume it’s both of them holding a pencil between their hands.
1. Atom’s Team
So far, all we know is that Atom will be joined in Dherain by Red Arrow (more on him later), but let me play soothsayer for a second and look to who else might be joining the crew.
Wildcat – Robinson hinted that he’d be coming “after the Dr. Fate” arc. Well, here we are.
Starman – Again, Ted Knight has been hinted at, and the time seems about right for that to happen.
Doctor Midnight – I’ve already mentioned how I think he’ll be showing up – time to double down on that!
2. The Roys -> The Kings -> Brainwaves
In this issue, we see Pratt go undercover to suss out Henri Roy, a wanted criminal. Eventually, his son (who has suffered from chronic migranes), turns him in.
Roy means “King” in Celtic, as well as roi being king in French, the root of “royal,” etc. So, Henri Roy easily becomes Henry King. Pre-“Flashpoint,” Henry King was a supervillain (sound familiar?) with a superhero son (sounding more familiar?) who had telekenetic powers (c’mon now) and joins the JSA.
Continued below
Clearly, we’re dealing with the Earth 2 Brain Wave and Brainwave at this point.
In which all the pieces start coming together, through an unlikely mediator.
Citizen Steel – Hank Heywood, Jr. – is front and center of this issue, which shows Robinson digging deep into his Golden Age love. A creation of his insane father, Heywood is practically indestructible and, along with the Atom, make up the World Army’s primary muscle. His character, a Filipino-American, continues to follow the trend of spreading heroes out across the globe, and create a more multi-ethnic makeup of the world.
This issue is almost all about Captain Steel, but there is a brief interlude where Hawkgirl, still helping Alan Scott by looking into Sam’s past, and why he was killed. Kendra seems to be a truly good person, and wants to help Alan, but there must be a reason why she is so dedicated to helping Alan.
Along the journey, she runs into Batman, and a name introduced in the Annual pops up again…
Kanto, the “assassin” of Apokolips as he’s referred to, has been alluded to as an Apokoliptan loyalist, and seems to be unaffiliated with Steppenwolf. Kanto seems to be the one able to tie together all the disparate parts of this book – his connection to Kendra/Batman leads to the Flash/Dr. Fate/Green Lantern, and his homeland ties him to the Dherain contingent, where the World Army is heading.
One of my favorite minor pieces of storytelling in this issue is the depiction of Rio has a city ravaged by a fire pit, but still surviving. Seems like a little meta-commentary on places like New York post 9/11 and Boston post-Marathon bombing.
The color red is an important one in this book, as it designates projects launched by the World Army – Red Tornado (seen in #7), Red Torpedo (the name of Jim Lockhart’s vehicle that Steel takes into the firepit), Red Arrow – but it also takes a mysterious turn with the reveal of the Red Lantern – a female – who is living inside the Rio firepit.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dick Grayson show up as Red Robin at some point, as well. Just sayin’.
We like to spotlight some great art in this spot each month, but since we’ve featured so much of his art in this post, here is an extra treat – a short chat with this issue’s artist, Yildiray Cinar!
This issue, #13, is your third issue of “Earth 2,” and appear to be the fill-in artist of choice for the series. How did you come to work on the book?
Yildiray Cinar: Nothing special. DC asked me to do the fill-ins. It was exciting as I really enjoyed the book from the start so I dived into it directly.
You have worked on a few issues that introduced new characters to the story – how much, if any, design input do you have on those characters?
YC: Actually, I am not related to any designs in the book. There are some in #13 here or there but nothing important visually.
This issue is the debut of Citizen Steel – what can you tell us about drawing the character?
YC: All I can say is that it was exciting. I really liked the design and it is nice to draw his debut in the series.
What is it like working with James Robinson?
YC: He writes very detailed scripts filled with lots of references so it is nice. I feel comfortable. We really didn’t have a chance to discuss the work mostly.
Is there a challenge to working with characters that have been drawn, pretty much, only by one other person, Nicola Scott? Do you feel like you must stay very true to the work she has done so far in the book, or do you give yourself the freedom to not be so beholden to her versions of these characters?
Continued below
YC: I tried to be faithful to the designs. This is an ongoing book and a new world-building concept so that is the right thing to do. I pushed myself a little bit on Hawkgirl. You will see it in #13. That was a really great sequence to work on.
In the spirit of “Earth 2,” what is a character you’d like a crack at re-designing? Who really needs an update?
YC: I think all characters are looking really good but if they’d give me a chance, that’d be Flash.
Finally, do you know if you’ll be doing any more “Earth 2” in the future? What’s next for you?
YC: I did some pages for the Annual but due to story change, they won’t be published in that issue. Other than that, I haven’t been informed for an another Earth 2 fill-in yet.
We will have more with Yildiray for our Artist August feature in just a few months. Thanks for checking in, Yildiray!
1. The Red (Lantern) = The Red (Animal Man)
Green Lantern on Earth 2 taps into something similar to The Green from “Swamp Thing,” so one can presume that the Red Lantern harnesses the power of something similar to The Red in “Animal Man.” A wildlife controlling villain? That makes sense that Steel wanted her locked up.
2. Steel(works)
At the end of the issue, we see a defeated Steel missing an arm. Since the formula to create him is unknown, he will most likely have an artificial appendage attached, perhaps one that makes him even more metal than man. Since the Metal Men are on the New 52 Earth, my initial theory has gone out the window (a new Metal Man). However, the name Steel has certain connotations in the DCU, and while Citizen Steel doesn’t seem exactly tied into the Superman mythos, perhaps Heywood starts his own Steelworks in, say, Metropolis? Just a theory.
Thanks for reading, and see you next month!
