When we last visited Earth 2, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl had initiated a daring escape for the imprisoned Flash, Superman was busy on a date with Red Tornado Lois, and the rest of the Wonders had met up with the World’s Army on Amazonia to plan their counterattack against the forces of Apokolips. Wasting no time, “The Kryptonian: Part Five,” picks up where last issue left off, following Alan and Kendra as they speed away from the Beguiler’s hideout with an injured Flash.
So much happens in this issue that is absolutely fantastic, and right off the bat we are treated to some wonderful hero-on-Apokolipsian(?) fighting. Green Lantern is still firing off random energy blasts and can’t seem to create any constructs other than a giant wall or bubble, but man does he look impressive doing it. There’s also an arrival by someone I had totally forgotten about, and the images of the Wonder/Apokolips battle were phenomenal. It’s one of the few “out of nowhere” moments that actually flowed well for me.
We also get some back-story about Val-Zod, who has his own history with Superman that might come in to play later on. I would like to know more about his family’s history, but preferably in something like an Annual similar to how Batman’s origin was given in Earth 2 Annual 2. Val-Zod also has an important moment where all that pacifism I’ve been so hampered over goes out the door. (see Spoilers!) Of course, Val-Zod is not the only Kryptonian on Earth 2, as Superman is still out in Kansas with Red Tornado Lois. I won’t even go into detail about what happens, because it was one of the most powerful scenes that I’ve read in Earth 2.
The artwork by Nikola and Trevor Scott is some of the best that I’ve seen in Earth 2 so far. Everything from the splash pages of Alan and Kendra’s escape, to the battle against the Beguiler, to Superman’s story, and on to Amazonia is beautifully drawn. The color scheme on Amazonia in particular is a wonderful palette of purples and greens which accentuates the magic of the island. Each character is very well done; there are a lot of close ups that don’t lose quality.
One thing that I really liked was the massive piece of the Beguiler’s skull that was missing when she was chasing the Wonders. It shows the power of Green Lantern and his position as the representation of life compared to the Beguiler’s role as death. Her having a huge chuck of her head missing also made her look even more menacing, as if she were some skull found in an ancient temple that was brought to life. (At least that’s how I thought of it)
On top of everything that’s been going on following Flash’s escape, we actually get some story progression regarding the plans of Apokolips. I still have that whole problem with the literal physics of it, and how their plan was able to be completed by just three people, but I guess that’s what happens when you have two of the smartest people on Earth 2 working brainwashed for a god. The last few pages show exactly who will be fighting for possession of Earth 2, and it’s pretty clear that the last seven issues have all been leading up to this one battle. This issue hit all the right notes and really succeeded in a way that Earth 2 had been unable to the last few arcs.
- Aquawoman shows up to destroy the Parademons chasing Jay, Alan, and Kendra, and like I said in the review, it doesn’t feel to out of place. It isn’t like she fell out of the sky. It was planned by Kendra and Alan prior to their breakout.
- Flash is ridiculously cool in this issue. Not only does he man up and take the fight to The Beguiler, but he also tries to reach his power’s maximum potential. He throws The Beguiler into infinity, which might be the coolest way to get rid of someone.
- When Flash goes into infinity or whatever he did, there’s a “BOOM” from his acceleration. It was awesome when Khalid did a little “Boom.”
- Superman kills Jonathan Kent, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before in comics. That was crazy.
- Val-Zod fixes Nabu’s helmet, and then Khalid puts it on Val-Zod for a moment and it shows him a vision. It was a really cool scene and I’ve never seen something like that before.
- Val-Zod versus Superman in “The Death of a Superman.” Call me hyped!
Favorite Quote: “So the question is – how fast can you handle, GOD!” – Flash
Recommended If…
- You’ve been waiting for Apokolips to get their plan started.
- Nikola and Trevor Scott at their best appeals to you.
- You love insanity.
Overall:
Apokolips’ plan comes to fruition as Earth 2’s mightiest Wonders and final chance for survival match off against the strength of evil. A beautifully drawn and powerful issue with some of the best artwork and action sequences I’ve seen from Earth 2 so far make this one of my favorite issues since the New 52 started.
SCORE: 10/10
