Sunday Spotlight - Earth 2

The idea of alternate worlds is a common one in comics – just look at the number of alternate futures from X-Men alone. It was a great way for writers to explore different avenues for a character without messing with the status quo people love seem to love so much. Sometimes those ideas crossed over into regular stories, sometimes they stayed as one-offs. Probably the most memorable alternate universe of the modern era is the Ultimate range from Marvel, kicked off with Brian Michael Bendis's Ultimate Spider-man in 2001. When it came time to reboot the DC universe, the New 52 also delivered an alternate world, one where heroes other than the Trinity (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) were dominant. This was Earth 2.



Five years ago, on a world very much like one you'd recognise, a terrible battle against evil waged. The three greatest heroes the world had ever known gave their lives to save the Earth from the menace of Apokolips. However, as the world struggles to rebuild from the destruction wreaked, there are still forces that threaten the planet. Four heroes must answer the call and protect Earth from all menaces, whether alien or domestic. Learning as they go, these 'wonders' must find a way to work together despite differing goals in order to keep the world safe.

Launched with the rest of the New 52, Earth 2 was a world without a Justice League. Writer James Robinson presented a very different world to the one that everyone else was writing about, but one that still had connections to the main universe. It was basically an excuse to reimagine everything in the DC universe, which is a fantastic idea. There was a closer emphasis on the classic Golden Age heroes (minus the Trinity, of course), so the first volume introduces us to the Flash, Green Lantern, the Atom, and Hawkgirl but with new take on each of the characters. Nicola Scott's art on each them is simply gorgeous and clearly one of the best selling points of the series.

The first volume drops the reader right into the action – the first issue is basically explaining what happened to the Trinity in an awesomely heartbreaking sequence of seeing the Big Three heroes die before introducing the new heroes, five years later. They're then quickly called together to combat 'the Grey' – a supernatural force intent on destroying the Earth's power. There's a nice balance between the characters, with Green Lantern and the Flash only just becoming accustomed to their powers while Hawkgirl and the Atom are already familiar with theirs. The reader is given just enough information on each character to sate curiosity (a little bit) while still leaving mysteries for future stories. For new readers, it's a good start to reading comics, as it doesn't require them to read multiple series with numerous crossovers, while still using recognisable characters that can lead to reading their series in the main continuity.

Earth 2 vol. 1: The Gathering – 9781401242817 – James Robinson - $21.99 – 160 pages