Nov
03
2014
0

Earth 2: World’s End 4 Review

Written by: Daniel H. Wilson, Marguerite Bennett, and Mike Johnson

Art by: Eddy Barrows & Eber Ferreira, Jan Duursema & Jonathan Glapion, Jorge Jimenez, Tyler Kikham & Joe Weems, Robson Rocha & Paul Neary

Publisher: DC Comics

Every week I pick up Earth 2: World’s End in the hopes of some grand story heralding the end of Earth 2. Unfortunately, four weeks in, and I am still waiting for that book to arrive. While it isn’t a bad book, World’s End has been generic DC storytelling, which has left me unimpressed. Every time there is a moment of greatness, it gets lost because it has to maintain a standard style. While there are still five more months of storytelling yet to unfold, the opening issues of Earth 2: World’s End has made it difficult to entice readers, which I feel is going to cost them later in the series.

Our issue opens up with Mister Miracle, Big Barda, and Fury escaping their holding cells, bursting through the building’s defenses. Terry Sloan runs in and tells them to stop, and to meet with the government heroes we’ve seen thus far. Meanwhile, Batman, Huntress, and the rest of their squad look over the ruins of Geneva. They realize they need to build super fancy costumes in order to move forward. At the same time, Jimmy Olsen may be the secret to unlocking the technology of the Mother Box, and the minions of Apokolips look ready to fight. All this and we see the less than ideal state of Atlantis and Green Lantern is in for the fight of his life! Will he make it out?

Honestly, this story is starting to read like a bit of a jumbled mess. I really don’t get what’s going on with Barda, Fury, and Mister Miracle. They were captives of the One World Army, then they weren’t, then they’re working alongside them, it’s just clunky. None of it makes sense and it all needs further fleshing out. I know that each writer is handling different stories, but whoever is handling this story is making it a jumbled mess. Additionally, we missed out on everything going on with Queen Marella and Atlantis. Last issue ended with a giant army of the undeed being led by Death, with only Marellain the way, but this issue she’s just walking through Atlantis, unscathed. Did they fight? Did she somehow evade them? What’s going on? On a positive note, whoever is handling the Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon subplot is doing a great job. It’s been marginalized and only briefly shown, but I am genuinely interested in where that plot goes. Similarly, I like the stuff going on with Jimmy Olsen, and I want to see that fleshed out further, since he has been great in Earth 2.

Artistically, this is my favorite issue of Earth 2: World’s End so far. Hiding beneath the DC House style, you can see some very talented artists trying to distinguish themselves from the pack, Unfortunately, much like I can’t clearly credit any one writer any scene, I can’t do that for the art either. I will say, I think it’s a real shame that this book has so many artists on it, because they are all great, but get muddled together. I don’t blame them for this necessarily, because they are following orders, but it just seems like this book could be so much more if they allowed it to be more distinct. Look at the opening pages with Barda, Fury, and Mister Miracle. They look incredible, with great style and energy that makes the plot more effective than it is. Similarly, Marella discovering the fate of her people is top notch, but would carry even more weight if it wasn’t adhering to style guides.

I’m very frustrated with Earth 2: World’s End. I had very high hopes for it, but after a month, I am unimpressed. It consistently does it’s job and tells it’s story, but it doesn’t captivate me. If I can’t be won over, I don’t know how many other readers can either, and I get the feeling that this will quickly be forgotten once it’s done.