Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkgirl, and The Atom were battling the life-sapping powers of Grundy and The Grey last time we saw our Wonders, and the fight rages on in “End Times.” After saving The Atom from the clutches of Grundy, all the Wonders but Lantern take the battle to Grundy while Alan Scott delves into The Grey to try to reason with the force behind Grundy’s powers. The fate of all life on Earth seems to rest in the reasoning skills of this one Wonder, but The Grey has offered Alan Scott a chance to reunite with his dead boyfriend, Samuel.
Machinations are in play elsewhere in the world, with the internal conflict at the World Army Command Center threatening to spill over and affect the Wonders. Terry Sloan has offered up an idea to defeat Grundy, and Kahn! is not in agreement.
With all that in mind, damn these pages are well-drawn. We’ve been given two issues loaded with heroic fighting, and this continues that honored tradition. There’s tons of motion and fluidity with each panel, every Wonder seems in motion as they fight against Grundy’s death tentacles. It’s in the scenes involving Green Lantern, however, which demonstrate the range of Nikola Scott. He switches from his customary style when in the real world to a more translucent and subdued tone when Green Lantern is within The Grey.
This issue is really all about Green Lantern’s battle against Grundy. Without spoiling too much of the resolution, Alan is able to end both threats to himself and the other Wonders at the same time in an inventive and pretty funny way. By the end of the issue we’ve learned more about Alan’s capabilities, but the story definitely takes a step backward (see Spoilers). Next issue, here’s to hoping that things will turn around quickly and we can get back on track with the team-assembling aspect this series has been hinting to since the second issue.
The other Wonders have their moments, too. Flash and Hawkgirl are becoming a solid duo, and I’d like to see more of them in a less-romantic Green Arrow/Black Canary connection. They’d make interesting sparring partners, and Kendra’s experience and general solemnity counters Flash’s ignorance and upbeat nature in a way that makes both look better for it.
- Green Lantern straight-up sends Grundy to the Moon and launches the nukes into space. That panel of Grundy standing on the desolate Moon just looking angry was awesome to see.
- Alan is also apparently able to give the Earth a “booster shot” with his ring. By the time the fight with Grundy is over, most of the planet’s plant life is destroyed, which would have condemned the Earth even with Grundy on the Moon. So Alan is able to supercharge his ring and heal the Earth. It’s a logical power for someone who is the champion of the Earth, but it came out of nowhere.
- At the end of the issue, Green Lantern basically tells Jay and Kendra to leave him alone and that he doesn’t need their help to stop the threat greater than Apokolips. I get that you were the hero of this fight, Alan, but if The Apokolips War killed Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, you’re going to need help. I can’t imagine the writers will let him go solo for long.
Favorite Quote: “I’ve heard it said that a hero is someone who undertakes a dangerous action despite being afraid. Sure hope that’s true. ‘Cause I’m terrified.” – Flash
Recommended If…
- Green Lantern is your favorite hero. This issue is really all about him.
- You’ve been following this arc and want to see how the Wonders/Grundy battle ends.
Overall: An entertaining ending to a successful first arc, “End Times” answered many questions I had at the beginning of Earth 2. In return, I’ve already come up with a host of other questions about the Wonders, the World Army, Terry Sloan, and “the threat greater than Apokolips.” This series has kept me intrigued so far and I look forward to more high-quality work in the issues to come.
SCORE: 8/10
