Review: EARTH 2 #5

EARTH 2 #5
Written by James Robinson
Art by Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott
Release Date: October 3, 2012

The battle against the Grey wages on as the Green Lantern, the Flash, Hawkgirl and the Atom face the ever-growing threat that is Grundy! 24 hours before the planet will be devoid of oxygen-producing living material, the heroes that would be the Justice Society need to learn how to work together to survive. Meanwhile, Earth 2 just got a little bit bigger, as we are introduced to the World Army and its many divisions: Wesley Dodds and his Sandmen, Amir Kahn and his intel agency Sentinel, and discover the government may have more Wonders of its own!

After taking a month off for DC’s Zero Month, Scott is once again firing on all cylinders, finding the perfect balance between frenetic widescreen action and small, intimate character reactions. Here we see the Flash’s speed depicted beautifully in a classic Golden Age style of multiple impressions appearing simultaneously in the same panel, but with body language still a little clumsy as befitting a novice hero. The intricate detail Scott puts into Grundy and the spread of his mad, dead growth is simply stunning and most effectively creepy. But the real star of her pages in this penultimate issue of the story arc is the Green Lantern — in every panel, exuding raw bravery and confidence as clearly as the emerald energy rolling off his frame. If there was ever any doubt about the leadership role Alan Scott would play on this burgeoning team, Scott dismisses such without even the need for dialogue. Body language alone does the trick.

Robinson is rapidly expanding the scope of this book, introducing or making reference to a large number of new characters to make this new world feel full and complex. This book will clearly live up to its name in growing well past the tiny confines of a single team, and as a result, fans are being treated to an Easter egg hunt like no other we’ve had in years. A great balance is achieved between all-out action and more subtle conflicts, particularly within the World Army, as stakes are palpably being raised for the entire planet. In particular, Robinson’s promised return to a character from earlier in the series reminds us how little we should be taking for granted with this title. Everything appears (or disappears, for that matter) for a reason. We clearly just need to be patient enough to let the threads play out.

Ultimately, what we’re left with is an issue that moves the plot forward, gives the reader more details to ponder than when she started, and more than anything else, continues to lay out key differences between this brand new world and the one we’re more used to occupying in the DC Universe. I’m on my third read of #5 in a single day, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be flipping through it a few more times before the week is up — a pretty great return on a $3 investment.

Verdict: 9.5/10

 

Authors

Related posts

Top