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apageinthestacks's review
3.0
3.5/5.
The writing/dialogue is… -really- bad. Like, I honestly don’t understand because Robinson is a very well-respected writer, so I’m hoping maybe he was just trying something new here and it didn’t work?
The story was still fun though, and the art was great (though the coloring and/or inking didn’t mesh as well as it could with Scott’s pencils), so I’m still looking forward to reading more.
The writing/dialogue is… -really- bad. Like, I honestly don’t understand because Robinson is a very well-respected writer, so I’m hoping maybe he was just trying something new here and it didn’t work?
The story was still fun though, and the art was great (though the coloring and/or inking didn’t mesh as well as it could with Scott’s pencils), so I’m still looking forward to reading more.
trike's review
2.0
I don't know what to make of this.
This is about an alternate Earth, where Apokolips has gone and done an old fashioned Apocalypse and killed all the "wonders".
In the beginning of the story, all of the characters speak with the same odd cadence, so it's impossible to differentiate one from the other. There are odd skips in the dialogue for some reason. If it were an affection of one character, that would be fine, but they all do it. Which makes it a failure on the part of the author. By the end it's a bit better, but while the stylized weirdness goes away, all the characters still sound the same.
Wonder Woman in this instance is nearly monosyllabic. Thankfully she dies within a couple pages. (That's not a spoiler, it's on the cover.)
The art is good. A bit confusing in a couple places, but no big deal.
For some reason Mister Terrific shows up for two pages then gets killed by the Smartest Man in the World. It's the same problem I had with the Batman New 52 story -- although this is a reboot of the DC universe, there are holdovers from earlier stories for some reason, and I have no idea why they're used, because without context they make no sense. So Mister Terrific shows up from somewhere else, and the Smartest Man in the World knows this somehow (reason not given except that he's smart) and then kills him. I guess to establish the SMinW as a bad guy or something, I don't know, because I have no idea if rebooted Mister Terrific is supposed to be good on Earth 2 or not.
This is a different Earth 2 from the superb Grant Morrison invention from a decade ago, by the way. There are the heroes Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman instead of the villains Ultraman, Superwoman and Owlman. Not sure what's going on here.
...okay, looked up the Wikipedia article on this. Apparently the multi-comic epic saga from the 1980s called "Crisis on Infinite Earths", which wiped out the DC multiverse, no longer happened or was otherwise retconned, because alternate Earth stories are fun.
So apparently this Earth 2 is the original Earth 2 from back in the day, before the Morrison post-Crisis mirror-universe version. I think that should have been made more clear in the intro or something, because I was floundering about, not having followed DC comics continuity in decades.
This is down to bad writing, because there are a lot of assumptions being carried into this book that I couldn't follow. Why did Mister Terrific show up just to get killed? Is he a rebooted one or an original one? No idea. Seems like a cheap way just to intro your bad guy.
Eh, whatever. This "New 52" is just as lame as the old DC comics. No wonder Marvel is eating DC's lunch and asking for seconds.
This is about an alternate Earth, where Apokolips has gone and done an old fashioned Apocalypse and killed all the "wonders".
In the beginning of the story, all of the characters speak with the same odd cadence, so it's impossible to differentiate one from the other. There are odd skips in the dialogue for some reason. If it were an affection of one character, that would be fine, but they all do it. Which makes it a failure on the part of the author. By the end it's a bit better, but while the stylized weirdness goes away, all the characters still sound the same.
Wonder Woman in this instance is nearly monosyllabic. Thankfully she dies within a couple pages. (That's not a spoiler, it's on the cover.)
The art is good. A bit confusing in a couple places, but no big deal.
For some reason Mister Terrific shows up for two pages then gets killed by the Smartest Man in the World. It's the same problem I had with the Batman New 52 story -- although this is a reboot of the DC universe, there are holdovers from earlier stories for some reason, and I have no idea why they're used, because without context they make no sense. So Mister Terrific shows up from somewhere else, and the Smartest Man in the World knows this somehow (reason not given except that he's smart) and then kills him. I guess to establish the SMinW as a bad guy or something, I don't know, because I have no idea if rebooted Mister Terrific is supposed to be good on Earth 2 or not.
This is a different Earth 2 from the superb Grant Morrison invention from a decade ago, by the way. There are the heroes Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman instead of the villains Ultraman, Superwoman and Owlman. Not sure what's going on here.
...okay, looked up the Wikipedia article on this. Apparently the multi-comic epic saga from the 1980s called "Crisis on Infinite Earths", which wiped out the DC multiverse, no longer happened or was otherwise retconned, because alternate Earth stories are fun.
So apparently this Earth 2 is the original Earth 2 from back in the day, before the Morrison post-Crisis mirror-universe version. I think that should have been made more clear in the intro or something, because I was floundering about, not having followed DC comics continuity in decades.
This is down to bad writing, because there are a lot of assumptions being carried into this book that I couldn't follow. Why did Mister Terrific show up just to get killed? Is he a rebooted one or an original one? No idea. Seems like a cheap way just to intro your bad guy.
Eh, whatever. This "New 52" is just as lame as the old DC comics. No wonder Marvel is eating DC's lunch and asking for seconds.
sherpawhale's review
3.0
Fun energy, but mainly superficial mechanisms in the character development. We barely see Alan's lover before he's gone, at which point, Alan almost forgets him entirely.
Still, I know there's good stuff ahead with Tom Taylor's run, and I want to have the groundwork in place.
Still, I know there's good stuff ahead with Tom Taylor's run, and I want to have the groundwork in place.
theartolater's review
2.0
I don't really know what to make of this, and I hesitate to criticize something that I'm clearly just missing something significant. I understand the difference with Earth 2, I just didn't find this all that compelling until the final chapter. It was really difficult to follow and not all that interesting for me. It's probably just me, but this was a pass.
birdmanseven's review
4.0
That was surprisingly solid. I really liked the new take on these characters. I am intrigued by the Mr. Terrific cameo. Looking forward to seeing where that goes.
We discussed this series in our Green Lantern spotlight over on the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-251-green-lantern-is-80-years-young
We discussed this series in our Green Lantern spotlight over on the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-251-green-lantern-is-80-years-young
arielkirst's review
5.0
This is my first foray into the DC comic verse, aside from a few Batmans, so I'm excited to see where this ride goes.
cynsworkshop's review
5.0
It was a tension driving issue where the flash really proved himself as a hero, blasting one of the “gods” of Apokolips into infinity. That sequence was not only beautifully written, bringing his character to life and giving him this new strength, but it was also brilliantly drawn, from lining to the inking, it was bright and the penciling was sharp, clear and made the picture even more defined. Additionally, the characterization really is well done, especially in regards to Hawkgirl who has gone through an amazing transformation from being an incredibly stiff character to becoming who she is now, a little lighter while still keeping her sharp edge. Her design and overall attitude is breathtaking and make her one of the standout characters in the issue.
Weekly Comic Reviews
Weekly Comic Reviews
olsenc's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this New 52 introduction to Earth 2. The art in this book is phenomenal and I am enjoying getting to know the new characters ("Wonders") in this book. I am already a fan of Earth 2 Green Lantern and Hawkgirl.
brookeworm13's review
4.0
My love for Hawkgirl knows no bounds.
Please give her some sort of back story.
Please give her some sort of back story.