EARTH 2 #5

[ BURN THOSE BARGAINS ] 

What the hell has happened to Solomon Grundy? You know that big chap who was born on a Monday! He now looks like a dork. And he never eats pork. Unless Green Lantern comes visiting on a Sunday. Hey! Do you know who he brings along with him? Writer: James Robinson; Artist: Nicola Scott; and Publisher: DC Comics in November 2012.

So what’s the STORY morning glory?

The Asian chap who’s in charge of the secret strike force called 'SENTINAL', Commander Kahn, has one simple question he wants’ answered in this installment entitled, 'Welcome To The Grey'. Why can’t Al Pratt be more like Commander Dodd's and his ‘Sandmen’?

Well, Dodd’s and his troupe don’t seem to have any problem what so ever saving the President of the United States of America from Solomon Grundy. Whereas Al, on the other hand, makes a right 'pigs ear' of his mission.

• OK, at first ‘The Mighty Atom’ stomps Grundy into pate, whilst having Green Lantern, Flash, and Hawkgirl in the palm of his huge hands.
• However, just how day follows night, these 'three wonders’ fight-back, causing Grundy to rise and Terry Sloan to flick a switch from behind the scenes.
• Still, could be a lot worse I suppose. Green Lantern could meet an old flame in 'the Grey' as a nuclear threat suddenly appears on the horizon.

Ooops!

To be continued...

What is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

As much as this section felt a little bit 'off kilter' compared to the rest of the story, I did like the scene where Alan dived into Grundy and spoke to the Grey.

ALAN: You're the Grey, right? And you can communicate with me.

GREY:  We Can.

ALAN: I've come to ask you to stop this, what you are doing with Grundy. You have to stop.

GREY: We cannot. What was begun begins and so it shall be. Grundy is our agent, our power, but now he is unleashed he is unstoppable.

ALAN: You mean even you can't stop him?

GREY: The Earth has lived. It's had its chance. Now it wanes. We see it, we sense it. Better it ends now so that the planet can be reborn. Different. New life forms. Intelligent.

Oh! Sound's very ominous, doesn't it? Plus must be how Jim Lee and Dan Dididididio decided to wipe out the old DCU and make the new 52! Ha!

What was the BEST thing about this issue?

The three things that stood out of me in this issue were: (1) The Ted Grant 'Wildcat' reference -- can't wait to see him in this book. (2) Admittedly, seeing 'Dodd's and his Sandmen' was a strange surprise for me -- although I am very happy that Wesley has made his appearance on this title. (3) I enjoyed the way that certain 'hidden facts' are starting to come to light about the governments involvement with their superhero's -- because it reminds me a bit like... no... I leave that for later me thinks. Hehehe!

What was the WORST thing about this issue?

Over the last couple of issues or so, I found that my main gripe with this series has been due to the pacing of it. One scene can be top heavy in exposition. The next scene can be paper thin on plot. And here and there the inconsistent flow of the story just doesn't feel right as an overall narrative.

Sorry, James Robinson. But I know that you are a great writer, and that you can do better than this.   

What was the most CREATIVE thing about this issue?

STORY: One of my most favorite scenes in this book was how Alan persuaded the other three hero's to band together, whilst he buggered off to bash Grundy's brains in. Now not only was it a nice touching moment to read, but it said more about Green Lantern than anything else shown so far. Nice. Very nice and creative.

ART: I loved it when artist, Nicola Scott, drew those series of splash pages depicting the Flash darting about all over the Atom. I just got a kick out of the kinetic flow of this segment, as well as the high-octane and cinematic layouts of the battle. Very Spielberg.

If you had to CAST TWO CHARACTERS in this comic book, who would they be and why?

COMMANDER KAHN: Ace Bhatti has been on everything. He played 'Daddy' in Brit-flick 'Bend It Like Beckham'. He played 'Evil Doctor' in Brit-Soap 'Eastenders'. So why no slap a mustache on his face so he can play this conniving chap also?

KAHN'S WOMANLY AIDE: Just like Mr Bhatii, Missi Pyle has been on quite a few things as well. Dodgeball. Willy Wanker. Two and a Half Men. So why not cast her as Kahn's personable yet pretty aide, huh?

If this issue had a MOVIE TAG LINE, what would it be?

The Clock Is Ticking For The Battle Of The Colors. Green Verses Grey. Who Will Win? Time? Or... Booooooooom!

If this issue were a MOVIE, an OBJECT, or a piece of MUSIC, what would that be and why? 

Conceptually this adventure was about a group of heroes starting to band together, whilst behind the scenes a government pisses about with stuff and nonsense. Now you're not thinking what I'm thinking are you? This...

Say no more.

FINAL thoughts...

Although there were parts of this issue that I wasn't too keen on, overall, this series is starting to take shape, with all the different elements converging to make the 'bigger picture' much more apparent. I also liked the fact that Kendra and Al have history together, giving her a much more intriguing back-story than I first thought.

Well, are there two groups of 'hero's' on this planet fighting each other from behind the scenes? With Kendra and her gang on one side, and Al and his gang on the other? Also, what the hell was that government agency called SENTINEL all about? Al's bosses? Sure. But unsure if they are good guys or bad guys yet?

Maybe time will tell dear reader. Though maybe some 'DC definition' couldn't hurt either? Agreed?

MARKS out of 10? 8.8