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.
This month, we get the first real team-up of our wonders against Grundy (who, hopefully, was still born on a Monday in the New 52), as well as some hints to the future and some spectacular art.
Another JSAer gets in the game, as we see the Canadian (mock shock) Wesley Dodds and his “Sandmen” extract the President from a White House under siege. In this incarnation, his gas is used not so much to sedate but transport. This is a nice update to the Sandman character, and it continues the trend of Robinson and Scott taking the essence of a Golden Age character and updating it to fit a more contemporary setting.
One of the neatest tricks of this book thus far has been the slight changes between the two Earths that almost get missed if not paying attention. Never have the Ternium and their like been called heroes; they are instead “wonders.” Perhaps this is because of Wonder Woman being the first hero to show herself (pure conjecture on my part); perhaps this is a statement on their powers inspiring awe in regular folks.
The term also comes in handy, as it is a less clunky term than “metas” to describe those with powers, both heroes and villains. It also appears to be a terms that some, like the Atom, are reluctant to embrace.
One of the things that Robinson kept hitting again and again in the pre-release hype about “Earth 2” #2 was that, even though he’s now gay, Alan Scott is still this brave, incredible hero. Besides it being sad that Robinson had to say that in 2012, it is a testament to his writing that just a few issues into his adventures, he is living up to his billing. Scott’s fearlessness and selfless attitude is already inspiring others, from the cynical Al Pratt to the wide-eyed Jay Garrick.
While ostensibly a team book, Robinson has made it clear that this is a book about Earth 2 as a whole, not just the (as yet unformed and unnamed) Justice Society. And so, a primary function of the book is to detail this Earth’s greatest heroes and, much like how a book covering New Earth would be incomplete without Superman showing up, Scott is proving himself to be the hero of Earth 2.
That is, of course, unless he takes the offer being made to him by the Grey – his life for the chance to be reunited with his dead lover, Sam. This haunting image by (Nicola) Scott shows (Alan) Scott slowly being incorporated into the Grey already. The temptation to be joined to his loved one again is a strong motivation, and one that contrasts his heroic nature of his new life with the romantic tether of his old life. This being a superhero comic, I’m pretty sure we know how this story ends, but the cliffhanger is effective nonetheless.
Once again, Ted Grant, aka Wildcat, is being teased as a future member of the team. In issue #2 a billboard advertising his fight was seen, and here Pratt accuses Garrick of “pulling a Ted Grant” by sucker punching him.
The most frustrating part of this book, from a fan’s perspective, is that because of the need to introduce all these characters anew, we are 6 issues into the book and still have had very little substantive interaction between many characters. I understand that we live in an era of decompression, and that this book would be near impenetrable by new readers if there wasn’t as much exposition, but seeing guys like Grant or Dodds pop up just adds anticipation to what will finally happen when the whole gang gets together to frustratingly high levels.
Continued belowOur monthly look at what Nicola is drawing features Green Lantern’s descent into the Grey.
1. Pragmatism vs.Hope
So far, one of the overriding themes of this book has been hope; in #0, Batman hopes they can save those countries infected by Steppenwolf, but Sloan acts in a far more logical/cold way and blows those nations to bits. In #1, Batman sacrifices himself with the hope that he can stop the Apokolyptian invasion.
Here, Sloan again acts pragmatically, attempting to nuke Grundy and Washington DC out of existence, while the wonders fight Grundy. Sloan is using his extreme intelligence to his advantage here, but where he and the wonders differ is not just in their mindset, but in their genetic makeup. Sure, Sloan is a genius, but his genius is in knowing what humans are capable of – he doesn’t really know what Earth’s Protector, or the god Mercury manifested into a man can do. And that will be his downfall: his underestimation of the (soon to be) Justice Society.
2. Is “Earth 2” really the Redemption of Terry Sloan?
And yet, because Sloan is so smart, he is able to adapt. Will his adaptation into the world of the wonder cause his redemption?
Robinson is a writer who tackles big issues in his books, and it would seem to me that the redemption of Terry Sloan is exactly the type of theme that Robinson excels at. And so, while Sloan may be the goat for quite some time, his eventual role in the series will be one of redeemed hero, instead of disgraced villain.
Thanks for reading, and please leave some comments to further this discussion!
