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REVIEW: Earth 2: Society #1

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

STORY BY: Daniel H. Wilson
ART BY: Jorge Jimenez
COLORS BY: John Rauch
LETTERS BY: Travis Lanham
PUBLISHER: DC Comics

Despite having a title that sounds like a MLB box score, Earth 2 resumes after a couple of tumultuous months in which we had Worlds End and of course Convergence.  All in all it has been a rocky ride for the JSA replacement book.

Back at the start of DC Nu, long-time fans were outraged (aren’t we always outraged at something??) that the JSA were not moving forward.  Granted, the title was nowhere near the powerhouse book it had been under the like of James Robinson, Geoff Johns and David Goyer, but still it catered to legacy characters whilst trying to bring in new blood.  Since then we had Worlds Finest, focussing on Power Girl and Huntress both of whom were their original Earth 2 selves and Earth 2 in various books.

So where to start with a book that has gone through so much in a relatively short space of time?

Daniel H. Wilson is back on the book, continuing the flow from the weekly series.  Wisely, rather than bombard the reader with a huge cast, he focusses on the ever popular (and sometimes over-used) Batman to start things of.  This seems to be a bit of a recurring theme this month at DC as this makes, by my count three new Batmen introduced.  Through Batman we get so see the how the survivors  from the previous book got to their new home and why is everyone so interested in Terry Sloan.  Along the way a couple of questions pop up, such as what is wrong with Green Lantern and with a couple of cameos and quick explanations, you have to wonder about the rest of the gang.  Sure, the method by Wilson uses to introduce the new world is good, but I hope it doesn’t lead to a number of similar issues, each featuring the different members of the team.

Also returning is Jorge Jimenez, who has worked in the Earth 2 environment previously, contributing a number of issues in the Worlds End series.  With the focus of the story being a chase, Jimenez’ art helps to create the pace of the story, whether it is with larger panels, or smaller ones over a larger scenes.  The style of the art does remind me of Norm Breyfogle, which isn’t a bad comparison at all.  Breyfogle is one of my all time favourite Bat-artists.  Where Jimenez improves on the form is the structure of faces.  The image of Dick Grayson lying in the sun is pretty strong.  It’s a shame then that this level of structure doesn’t translate onto the female characters, which are drawn in a more cartoonish style.

As mentioned in previous reviews, I began to lose interest in this book when James Robinson left and only stuck around for the conclusion of the Superman Returns storyline.  I checked out a couple of Worlds End (feel free to look for the reviews) and despite my reticence with the whole tie-in element of Convergence, I enjoyed the main issues.  It’s good to see something as strong as this book come out the much maligned Earth 2 characters.  All this book needs now is a period of stability to bed in these characters in their new world.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

 

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes
I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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