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Greetings From Earth 2: End Times

By | November 14th, 2012
Posted in Annotations | % Comments

Every month, Brian Salvatore will take a glimpse at “Earth 2” from James Robinson and Nicola Scott, and address one aspect of the book in an in-depth column we’re called “Greetings From Earth 2.”

The fantastic image above is by Tim Daniel. Check out more of his work here.

‘End Times,’ or ‘Still Not Even the Beginning’

Regular readers know that James Robinson is my boo, but I must admit that this issue is a bit frustrating, simply because we are now seven issues in (counting the #0 issue), and the book still does not resemble a Justice Society book at all. And I’m not talking about having a team that calls itself that, or that evokes sentimental feelings of old JSA stories. I mean, literally, this isn’t really a team book yet.

This is a group book, not a team book. Groups exist whether or not you choose to be a part of one; teams are formed by will. And, so far, this is not a team book which, on the surface, isn’t a bad thing. However, with the New 52 slightly more than a year old, and just two months removed from Zero Month, many readers are sick to death of origins, re-tellings, and beginnings. And while there is a lot of strong character work, beautiful art and a plot that keeps moving, this all feels a little bit like the car is stuck in neutral.

Flame constructs

One of the aspects that artists kept in tact post-Golden Age was the illustration of Alan Scott’s ring constructs appearing more flame-like than the laser-beam Green Lantern Corps constructs. This was especially useful in the instances when the two would fight side by side, and I am glad that Nicola Scott has continued this tradition. The flames give the sense that this ring is bursting with energy, and is harder to control than it may appear. Compare the above image to this description of John Stewart’s green constructs:

It appears that Scott’s power is the fire keeping a lantern lit, whereas the rings of the Corps have the power of the light the lantern emits.

Solomon Groondy, Born on a Moonday

This issue sees an elegant and simple way to deal with the Grundy problem, by removing him from the planet and putting him on a lifeless place where he can no longer drain its energy. While this is a clever solution to the problem, leaving Grundy alive means that one the best ever retcons is officially gone.

It was Robinson that wrote that each time Grundy died and was reborn, he was reborn differently. This led to a gentle, loving Grundy appearing in many issues of “Starman,” and having beautiful scenes like this one:

Avengers Ending

Not to keep dumping on this issue, but this issue also steals a scene directly out of The Avengers, with Hawkgirl catching a falling Green Lantern after he saved the Earth.

Hot Green Injection

One of the aspects of this book that I’m really enjoying is the idea that Alan Scott is acting instinctually, letting the Green guide him through his actions. His restarting the Earth’s green with his ring is a clever way to allow vegetation back to the Earth without using Brawndo (which has what plants crave).

This also sets him apart from his New Earth counterparts, as their power has nothing to do with instinct; in fact, their greatest skill involves working against one of their most natural instincts, fear. Between Mercury being the source of the Jay Garrick’s skill and Scott’s connection to the Green, the heroes of Earth 2 stand on their own a little easier than they did pre-New 52 (despite debuting earlier, many of the Golden Age heroes had incredibly simple/not satisfying origins).

Continued below

Green Hubris

Scott’s Hubris shown in his lack of desire to form a team is a nice bit of characterization, because before this, Scott seemed almost too perfect. Too strong to let the Grey corrupt him with his dead fiance, too brave to let the world die, too altruistic for his own company – now Scott is starting to look like a fully formed character.

Great Scott

One of Nicola Scott’s best talents is her ability to transform panels that most would toss off into something of beauty. This shot of Khan and Sloan watching a monitor is a perfect example of that:

Two Shots of Presumption

1. Khan

Commander Khan, besides sharing a name with an infamous Star Trek villain, shares a surname with Rama Khan, a member of the League of Ancients from Joe Kelly’s “JLA” run. Rama Khan had powers linked to the land of Jarhanpur, whereas this Khan is from, presumably, India, and we know he is a Sikh, both by his turban and Sloan mentioning his father’s kirpan, which is the ceremonial dagger carried by Sikhs.

While I’m not certain if Robinson is referencing Rama, Khan seems like the guy who might tie all this together; he is clearly in support of “wonders,” has a position of power, and seems idealistic enough to think that a few heroes could save the world. Look for him to be a big player moving forward.

2. Nukes in Space

Superhero origins many times are those of happenstance, of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Therefore, I can’t see Robinson throwing nukes into space without having them pop back up in a later issue.

My personal theory is that the nukes are going to create the origin of a new hero or villain. Maybe there’s an astronaut blasted with nuclear energy; maybe they open a portal to another dimension; maybe an alien world is destroyed by them and the survivor(s) come to Earth for revenge. Whatever character it is, I just hope it isn’t Earth 2 Lobo.

Thanks for reading, and make sure to leave any theories, angry rants, corrections, or suggestions in the comments below!


//TAGS | Greetings From Earth 2

Brian Salvatore

Brian Salvatore is an editor, podcaster, reviewer, writer at large, and general task master at Multiversity. When not writing, he can be found playing music, hanging out with his kids, or playing music with his kids. He also has a dog named Lola, a rowboat, and once met Jimmy Carter. Feel free to email him about good beer, the New York Mets, or the best way to make Chicken Parmagiana (add a thin slice of prosciutto under the cheese).

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