The device driving the last few issues has been the bringing together of the many storylines that have taken up the bulk of World’s End. With so many narratives tied up together, one would think that ample freedom could be given to David Wilson and his writing team to create a coherent tale using the characters he’s already gotten. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Rather than simply follow up on all the characters we already have and continue to push the story forward, we move linearly, most likely in an attempt to chew up time for the big finale.
It is not wise to introduce new characters over half-way through a series’ run. I was under the impression that Darkseid was going to finally invade Earth 2 personally, yet we’ve been introduced to Death’s child and a host of new characters that were previously unmentioned in World’s End. At least Death’s offspring was a highly-anticipated and major plot point of the “Furies vs. the Avatars” section of this series. By coming at us with these new players and the noticeable lack of page time for people like Dick Grayson and Ted Grant, World’s End is creating a serious disconnect with its readers.
Battlefields of Russia: Helena seems on the brink of death when Thomas injects her with some of the last of his Venom. It brings her back to life, but she is still too weak to fight with the others. Thomas and Helena are effectively taken out of the fight, as he is left to take care of his granddaughter. We get our first – and only – look at the Deathspawn of Apokolips, the child of Death and Darkseid. It looks like a xenomorph got crossed with the DNA of something from Starship Troopers. It takes off for the heart of the planet, the only thing that can stop it. Green Lantern reveals that the creature is headed for the Parliament of Elements.
Crypt of Desaad: Barda confronts Desaad in the remnants of the Geneva Firepit and blames him with the loss of the Parademons. He reveals that the very strongest of the Parademons still survived *sigh* and are called the Protofuries. I don’t see the point of adding these guys this late in the game, especially when there has been zero foreshadowing of their existence. They appear to just be an excuse to throw another obstacle at the Wonders on top of the Deathspawn.
Atom’s Haven: It is revealed that only two million people survived to make it to Atom’s Haven, the area beneath the Earth that the Atom created with his final act. Sato and Steel (only the third time this guy has been even shown since Earth 2 started) are surveying the colony, They talk about the relative peace of the underground refuge compared to the war on the surface. There’s an incredibly cliché “woman being beaten by a multi-racial gang” scene that probably foreshadows something, but it seemed so forced and pointless.
Amazonia: Jimmy Olsen, Mr. Miracle, Mr. Terrific, and Dr. Crane are all trying to devise a plan in order to secure that hidden space station that was created by Terry Sloan. Mr. Terrific and Crane come up with a plan to *sigh, again* create a pocket in the multiverse with a process called “lensing.” This book deals with random theories regarding the multiverse that don’t particularly make sense, but then again the story-telling was not the opus of this book.
China: Flash, Hawkgirl, and Famine are in…China? Weren’t they in London like…last issue? I get that Flash is, you know, Flash, but what are they doing in China? The time and place problems with this series have been so bad and logic-destroying that it’s become a real detracting facet of World’s End.
This was without a doubt the weakest issue produced by the team of Kirkham et al. There was a general lack of consistency in terms of coloring and style during the segments themselves, and half of the characters looked incredibly wrinkled and old for some reason. There was one panel in particular where Green Lantern looked like the jowliest 90-year old I had ever seen. It was beyond weird. The Atom’s Haven and Amazonia sections as well looked bare-bones for many of the panels. It was just aesthetically unpleasant and just not a good result by a usually strong creative team.
- It seems that the Furies are all dead. Famine mentioned something about joining them in oblivion before she died.
- Kalibak shows up at the end of the issue and bursts in on Barda and Desaad. Another first for this series it seems.
Favorite Quote: I’ve got nothing this issue.
Recommended If…
- You’re committed to this book.
- You’ve wanted to see what the Deathspawn looks like.
Overall: Over halfway through the series’ run, characters are still being introduced and new plot lines are still being formed. There’s two months left and still there’s no sign of the endgame in sight. After two above-average entries to World’s End, this issue is a major downturn with its weak art and lack of direction behind its story.
SCORE: 3/10
