With the deaths of The Trinity of Wonders in the Apokolips War, the Earth has gone five years without heroes. Since then, the world has been slowly recovering, using the memories of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman as inspirations to form a peaceful planet. It is with this in mind that we enter into a new age of heroes to take up the fight to protect Earth 2 from the forces that work against it.
The first few pages of “Age of Wonders” shows us a great deal about what has been going on in the world the past half-decade. An odd thing for me would be Earth-Prime’s Mr. Terrific just showing up out of nowhere. I had zero interest in Mr. Terrific’s story, and therefore have no idea why he’s in Earth 2 or how he got here, but it seems as if his arrival was expected by at least one person.
As the cover suggests, the first of the “New Wonders” is going to be Jay Garrick as Flash. Garrick is a relatable character in his own right; he was dumped by his college girlfriend after their graduation, barely passed school, and is now living with no job and no definite plans for the future. I like him already. Jay gets his powers in a very “deus ex machina” way, but it is a very well done scene with some great visuals.
Watching Flash learn about his powers is fun, and there is an awesome reveal during his exploration of his abilities that will have many fans excited. You can find out who it is in the Spoilers section, but I really did not see this particular Wonder coming. The narrative is split between Jay’s romp and a business trip for Alan Scott, the narrator of the previous issue. He’s in Hong Kong and receives a visit from a young man, Samuel, who also happens to be his boyfriend.
I had heard prior to reading this that they were going to have a homosexual Green Lantern, and honestly, it was a really sweet scene. It wasn’t in-your-face at all, and there wasn’t any unnecessary focus on it as if the writers tried too hard to make it a point. It was done very well, and I applaud James Robinson and Nikola Scott for pulling it off. There is are two huge moments at the end of the issue, however, that will have serious consequences going forward, and I can’t wait to see what happens in issue 3.
- Hawkgirl somehow found Flash in Poland. She looks absolutely fantastic.
- The Apokorats reminded me a lot of every RPG’s first enemy or the Radroaches from Fallout. I guess superheroes need Level 1 enemies first.
- The train Alan and Sam are on explodes, but a green light can be seen clearly in the explosion. I’m going to assume Alan becomes Green Lantern, but it would be cool if Sam did.
Favorite Quote: “Then what should I do?” “Why, what do you think, boy? Run!” – Flash and [Redacted]
Recommended If…
- Flash is one of your favorite heroes.
- You like comics that pull of cool things without trying too hard.
- You like books that bring a bunch of heroes together.
Overall
I really can’t recommend this title enough. The artwork of Trevor Scott is as solid as last issue, and I’ve always believed Flash is the hardest hero to draw. The story is moving along at a good pace and one can feel a darkness rising in Earth 2 to combat these new Wonders.
SCORE: 9/10
