Last time in Earth 2: World’s End, a svelte new creative team had cobbled together a singular, poignant narrative that provided a big reversal for anyone who has been following the book since its inception. Rather than Earth 2 simply battling Apokolips, it seems that our Wonder-laden planet has becoming an offering to end the conflict between Apokolips and New Genesis. This thrusts Earth 2 into a more complex story than what readers were originally given, pitting our very clearly overwhelmed Wonders against the strength of all the New Gods.
A key to any story-building is a rise in tension and drama. Earth 2 takes that to a new dimension, forcing the situation into a darker and darker place, until any hope for survival seems beyond reach. I look at the scope of Daniel H. Wilson’s book and can only think to myself, “Everyone is going to die.” That’s weird. As a comic book reader, I’m trained to think that no matter how desperate the situation, how strong the villain, or how lost the cause, the hero must, and will, overcome. Having that impending sense of complete loss here is something I am unaccustomed to, but for a book called World’s End, it seems an apt theme.
It’s been about three weeks since I sat down and read a copy of Earth 2: World’s End, courtesy of grad school, so I apologize for any delay.
Apokolips: Darkseid has been released from his prison by Mr. Miracle and has taken up the throne of Apokolips. He introduces his newest leader of the Furies, the betrayer Barda, and speaks of how it is Apokolips’ time to feed on the planet below. Also, Mr. Miracle, Fury, Sandman, and Mr. Terrific head back to Terry Sloan’s ship, where other members of the World’s Army wait. It turns out that Sloan implanted a bomb on the ship and has his suit on, seemingly in order to fly away before the ship explodes. Commander Khan and Sloan are the only ones that do not evacuate, as they battle for the ship’s controls.
Geneva Firepit: Helena, drawn in an extremely different style than when we last saw her, pounces on the Wonders as they hurry after Desaad. Kara and Helena battle, with Kara intent on rescuing her from the mind control that Desaad has placed her under. Meanwhile, the rest of the Wonders find Desaad amongst more cloning tubes, with Superman explaining that the experiementations they performed on him stripped him of his powers, but also caused the clones to be ineffective and defunct.
Chicago: A tidal wave is heading for Chicago, and Dick Grayson is beating the hell out of the guy who shot and killed Babs. It’s artistically intense and hardcore, and some Grayson fans might be left with mixed feelings when all is said and done.
Amazonia: Major Sato is at the World’s Army base, apparently implementing some plan that we have not seen before, to save as many people as she can.
St. Louis: Flash, Hawkgirl, Dr. Fate, and Accountability are sheparding people to a subway system which apparently correlates to Sato’s plan. There are robot…things (?) underground that show up as a new threat.
- Apparently Atom is part of Sato’s plan.
- Huntress shows up on the final page, where the Avatars of the Parliament of Elements is battling the Furies. I have no idea how she got from Geneva to Siberia so quickly. Maybe Earth 2 is smaller than Earth-Prime.
- So did Dick kill that guy? Because if not, then he’s definitely going to die in the tidal wave anyway. So…did Dick just kill that guy??
- Desaad looked straight out of a Scooby-Doo episode when he was giving that monologue about how he captured Huntress.
Favorite Quote: “Let the water come. Let is wash my nightmare away.” – Dick Grayson
Recommended If…
- You want an issue chock-full of action.
- You’re a fan of a vengeful Grayson.
- You like that ill cover.
Overall: While I do not necessarily like the change back to the more unfocused direction, Wilson’s story continues to escalate the stakes, leaving me wondering how much longer it will be until we have a unified narrative.
SCORE: 6.5/10
