Bring on the Furies! That’s where we’re at in Earth 2: World’s End, the Four Furies of Apokolips have arrived on Earth 2 and our Wonders are out to stop them. Last issue we received a complete overview of Earth 2, which is cool and all, but now we’re on the war path against some of Apokolips’ top warriors. Seeing as how this book is modeled after Future’s End, I’m going to rip off Jesse’s style and split each one up based off of the places and characters involved.
Outside Geneva:
Our Wonders must defeat each Fury, the first of whom is K’Li, better known as War, a swordswoman with a very unique and inconvenient ability. This issue is filled with a ton of fighting between the supremely-talented War and the relatively inexperienced Wonders. One of her powers is reanimating dead human bodies and turning them into new Berserker Parademons, who can turn other humans. It’s a pretty terrifying power and only one of a few things we see on display from War. She whoops on our Wonders for a bit and then unleashes another power (see Spoilers) that raises the stakes.
Amazonia:
Commander Kahn and Major Sato are overseeing the fight between the Furies and the Wonders when they receive word that an object is headed for Earth 2. They’re still looking for Oliver Queen. They have 24 hours before whatever is coming for Earth 2 reaches the planet.
Court of Apokolips:
There’s some sort of weird meeting between a bunch of heads or demons or something. It’s definitely the weakest part of the issue but it’s only one page so it doesn’t diminish too much.
Puerto Rico:
Bedlam was about to kill Mr. Terrific and Terry Sloan last issue, but he was stopped by someone telepathically. He thinks it’s Darkseid, but it’s really Mr. Miracle. This leads to Sloan and Mr. Terrific breaking free from his mental control. Then, Mr. Miracle and Sloan enter Sloan’s brain, where some crazy stuff happens. (see Spoilers) Oh, and Bedlam calls Sloan “The Traveler” which should definitely explained down the road.
The story, written by Daniel H. Wilson, Marguerite Bennett, and Mike Johnson is a little muddy in places and jumps around a little too much for my liking, but the incredible action sequences are well worth any writing miscues. I expect things to be fleshed out later on, but the writing team has created a story that feels rushed in a good way – frantic and hectic. K’Li is presented as a conquering warrior, overconfident and chiding, as I would imagine such a creature to be.
Almost as much as the writing, the artwork of Barrows, Ferreria, Kirkham, Weems, Siqueira, Smith, and Jimenez (from now on I’m just going to put “Barrows et al.”) is strong in many places. I loved the sequence in Sloan’s mind, where everything seems just a little out of proportion and off-kilter. But that might be me looking into it too much. I loved the pacing of the action, and I look forward to seeing if the quality can be kept this high.
- Here’s how the teams are split up:
- Geneva – Superman/Batman vs. Powergirl/Huntress/Red Tornado/War
- London – Hawkgirl/Doctor Fate vs. Fury #2
- Brazil – Green Lantern vs. Fury #3
- South Africa – Aquawoman vs. Fury #4
- Why are they keeping Flash on recon? The kid can fight. Hell, he beat one of the Hunger Dogs pretty much on his own.
- That thing headed for Earth 2 is some sort of envoy or emissary from Apokolips. You don’t get to see it.
- What’s up with the Parliament Enclave? Those four elemental avatars looked pretty awesome!
- So Bedlam and Sloan swap mental demons and Mr. Miracle beats him up. It was a strange, semi-meta moment.
- Did Mr. Miracle and Terry Sloan kill Bedlam?? They made it back to Amazonia, though.
- I think War’s ability can only affect females, seeing as how only that female soldier, Powergirl, Huntress, and Red Tornado are turned.
Favorite Quote: “Kara Zor-El, I never thought – ” “Not now…not yet, Val.” – Val and Kara
Recommended If…
- You love yourself some Earth 2.
- You enjoy some great fighting.
- You want to see storylines progress with dangerous new characters.
Overall:
I’m enjoying these first two issues so much. Strong writing with exemplary action sequences and solid artwork are all coming together in a way that other weekly titles (you know who I’m talking about) have only nipped at. Although it feels crowded and blurred in some areas, this is a great second step to what is easily my favorite weekly title (small sample size, I know).
SCORE: 9/10
