Welcome, friends to another installment of “The 3cap,” our weekly recap of DC’s three weekly titles: “Batman Eternal,” “Earth 2: World’s End,” and “New 52: Futures End.” Each week, we will take a look at the each issue released, while recapping the action and asking the burning questions. If you spot something we missed, make sure to leave a note in the comments!
Batman Eternal #30
Written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Ray Fawkes
Illustrated by Fernando Pasarin
Reviewed by Brian Salvatore
News, notes, and debuts:
This issue, due to the destruction of Arkham Asylum, features the debut of a number of villains (Mr. Freeze, Victor Zsasz), but only one that really matters to the issue as a whole: Bane. After playing such a large role in “Forever Evil,” this is the closest we’ve seen to the “Secret Six” Bane – certainly not a hero, but acting in more of a neutral evil, rather than a chaotic evil, manner.
This issue also marks the return of Alfred to the land of the sort of sane/functional. While he is still feeling the effects of the fear injection, he is able to, more or less, steel himself enough to function. While the idea of Alfred being a military man is hardly a new idea, I feel that Scott Snyder has really doubled down on that idea, and I think it helps Alfred as a character considerably.
Fernando Pasarin does his second issue in a row, and continues his fine work, especially shining in the opening page, where Alfred’s hallucinations are haunting his half-dead state. He really has his work cut out for him in this issue, as he has to drawn both the more cartoony of Bat villains (Mr. Freeze, Joker’s Daughter) right along side destruction that is supposed to elicit a more realistic reaction. Pasarin handles both with little issue, and continues the artistic homerun that is “Batman Eternal.”
Three Eternal Questions:
1. Is this the start of rehabilitating Bane?
I don’t think we will ever see pre-“Flashpoint” Bane again, but I do think the character works best with some nuance – some nuance that has been, like so much else in the New 52, been missing. Could this be the start of Synder and co. trying to take the character back from the extremes to a place that is more conducive to interesting storytelling?
2. Is Corrigan dead?
We see Batwing, somehow, alive at the end of the issue, but no sign of Jim Corrigan. The logical leap here could be that, since Batwing is armored, that helped him survive. That said, Corrigan does house, you know, the Spirt of Vengeance within him, so if a human could survive that, it is probably him.
Also, it would be really strange to have the character return for a dozen or so appearances and then be gone again.
3. Riddle me this – who is the main villain?
The last point I want to make about this issue is the Spoiler/Hush scene. It appears, again, that Hush is pulling all the strings here, but that just doesn’t ring true for me – there is something about him, both generally as a character and specific to his role here, that seems like he can’t be the big bad of the series. Who that is, however, I have no idea. Is isn’t the Joker, as he pops up in “Batman” post-Eternal for the first time since disappearing at the end of ‘Death of the Family.’ It isn’t Penguin, it isn’t Deacon Blackfire, it isn’t anyone we’ve seen so far. They wouldn’t do back-to-back huge Riddler stories, would they?
Earth 2: World’s End #5
Written by Daniel H. Wilson, Marguerite Bennet, and Mike Johnson
Illustrated by Jan Duursema, Jonathan Glapion, Tyler Kirkham, Joe Weems, Eduardo Pansica, Jaime Mendoza, Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira
Continued below
Reviewed by Zach Wilkerson
News, notes, and debuts:
I’ve enjoyed “World’s End” a good bit to this point, in spite of some odd story-telling quirks. Maybe it’s just me, but Daniel Wilson’s shift from novels to comics shows the differences between working in the two mediums. “World’s End” features some pretty jarring transitions from panel to panel, such as when Terrific and company abruptly move from an indoor to outdoor area in the space between panels. Also, I’m not sure how scripting duties break down on this series, but this issue was heavier in awkward expository dialogue than previous issues, the most grievous offenders being Green Lantern and Doctor Fate. Anyway, enough with the nitpicks, on to what made this issue interesting.
There are three major foci in this issue of “World’s End;” the expanding Parliament of Earth, Aquawoman’s mysterious undertaking, and the unveiling of Mr. Terrific’s “Boom Spheres” first seen in “Earth 2: Futures End.” The former is, arguably, the most interesting, as Wilson and company begin to unravel a Johns-esque spectrum of elementals, one that slightly mirrors the various parliaments of the New 52 earth. Already accounted for are Green Lantern and Solomon Grundy, with the teasing of Blue, Red, and White avatars looming on the series horizon. Long time readers may recall that the Red Lantern was featured (sort of) in “Earth 2” #13. In that issue, Captain Steel (where is that guy, by the way?) descended into the Rio de Janeiro fire pit. Steel returned from the pit with the ominous warning that the Red Lantern will destroy the world if she escapes from the fire pit. Granted, all of this took place under James Robinson’s tenure on the book, so it remains to be seen if the new crew will follow up directly from this plot thread.
The issue ends with a fairly major tease, one that many readers will take with a grain of salt. Fool me once DC, shame on you. Fool me twice…
“Earth 2” bonus! “Earth 2” #28 also came out this week, shedding light on the four furies of Apokolips. It’s a grim, depressing issue, but definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for deeper insight into this villainous ladies.
Three Worldly Questions:
1. What is Aquawoman’s secret weapon?
Aquawoman, distraught over the death of her people, descends into a deep underwater cave, seeking the “ultimate weapon” to exact her revenge. Based on the iconography of the cave entrances, I have two guesses as to just what, or who, she’s seeking out; The Trench…or Starro.
2. Who are the other avatars?
We already known the avatars of the Green and the Gray, and know that the Red exists as well, but what about the Blue and the White? While they will likely be new characters, it’s worth noting that both Aquawoman and Hawkgirl would make strong candidates for representing these two totems.
As a side note, it’s very interesting that the representative for the White in this issue is a dual being, similar to the elemental form Hawkman and Hawkgirl took in near the end of “Brightest Day.” Is this just a coincidence?
3. Is that really who we think it is?
Look, this isn’t the first time “Earth 2” has given us the apparent return of Earth 2 Superman. I think it’s unlikely that the creative team would try to pull the same trick twice, so it’s probably safe to assume this is the true Kal-El. If that’s the case, why does he happen to be laying in the path of our heroes, and what’s going on with his body?
Bonus Earth 2 question: Who is the child of Death and Darkseid?
“Earth 2” #28 divulges the origins of the four furies, and the origin of Death is particularly interesting. An Earth 2 Martian, Death was once a compassionate mother, until an Apokoliptian attack robbed her of her child. In her despair, she agrees to bear the child of Darkseid, leading to the pregnant abomination we now see in “Worlds End.”
There’s a ton of interesting stuff to talk about here. We already have one “child of Darkseid” running around on the New 52 earth, one we haven’t heard much from in recent months. What bearing will this new sibling have? There’s also another pregnancy of interest on the New 52 earth; the unborn child of Alexander Luthor and Superwoman. Is it a coincidence that we will soon have a myriad of apocalyptic children running around the DCU?
Continued belowIt’s probably irrelevant, but it’s ironic that Darkseid is now “courting Death,” a la Thanos. The original is now copying the copy.
Finally, the origin of Death is recounting by her own dead child, the one killed in the Apokoliptian raid on Mars. Maybe I’m reading way too far into this, but the idea of a dead character narrating a story seems quite strange. What if this character isn’t actually all that dead, for whatever comic book reason that might be. What might be the implication of a lone surviving martian? Earth 2 Martian Manhunter, anyone?
The New 52: Futures End #27
Written by Brian Azzarello, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, and Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Aaron Lopresti
Reviewed by Vince Ostrowski
News, notes, and debuts:
– A running theme in our coverage of “Futures End” has been our lack of enthusiasm for the Cadmus Island parts of the story involving Grifter and Fifty Sue. That said, with issue #27, we’re starting to really see Cadmus emerge as the intersection point for nearly all of the myriad storylines. And it’s working. “Futures End” #27 brings more intriguing stories to the island and kind of kicks things into gear, which actually kind of validated my feelings on how Cadmus Island seemed to be slowly spinning its wheels in anticipation of something happening. Now that the Earth 2 denizens are out and about, Lois Lane is dropping in, and Deathstroke & crew are on the move, “Futures End” is feeling like it’s peaking in quality again.
And with the stories coming together so nicely, it’s finally starting to feel like there aren’t too many cooks in the kitchen.
– Ryan Sook’s cover was also a bit of a surprise this week. He’s been doing great covers throughout the run that happen to tie into each issue (something “Batman Eternal” has struggled with), but this one had a pretty cool minimalist effect to it, with Lois’ news column text running in the background of her parachuting descent.
– When you were twelve, you had access to the Bat Cave and all the latest technology that a billionaire can afford. Give her a break, Tim!
– We got a complete and total explanation for the mysterious package (the red arrowhead, the green pyramid, and the coordinates) that arrived on Lois’ doorstep. It was, eh, more or less exactly what we expected.
Three Future Questions:
1. Is Tim really not going to help out on Cadmus Island?
A few weeks ago we saw a teaser that appeared to be Tim Drake holding the cowl in his hands. Unless something has changed, I think we can expect Tim to have a change-of-heart about letting Lois go it alone and we’ll see him show back up at some point. Perhaps he’ll show up just in time to talk to a dying Bruce Wayne and to inherit the cowl? Just a guess. Also, I’m guessing he’s the one that threw that bomb into his own apartment, not having known that Bruce was the one inside.
2. Who will find Lois on the island first?
Will Lois end up on the side of Earth 2, perhaps as a kidnapped victim? Or will she join Deathstroke, Lana, and Grifter? Or, will she too be horribly transformed into a Brother Eye automaton?
3. What the hell is “Steez”?
I’m officially old.
