EARTH 2 #7

[ GREEN IS THE COLOR OF CASH ] 

Isn't Mister Terrific just terrific? He's bold, he's handsome, and he's prolific. I once saw him catch a bee. Then have a prolonged wee. Whilst swimming around in the Pacific. Boy-oh-boy! Wasn't that a grand sight! Just like the grand creative team of Writer: James Robinson; Artist: Yildiray Cinar; and Publisher: DC Comics in January 2013.

So what’s the STORY morning glory?

Holy guacamole! Isn't the world of 'Earth 2' a very busy place to live in at the moment? Particularly if you take into consideration what the guys and girls have been up to amidst this adventure, entitled 'Heaven Sent'.

• Well, for a start, the one time treasure hunter, Kendra (Hawkgirl) Saunders, attempts to get present time Gotham SEO, Alan (Green Lantern) Scott, back into the game of heroics again.
• Also, the bearded Commander Khan; has a rather brash war of words with the new head of the World Science Directive, Terry Sloan.
• Plus, to top it all off, under orders, Wesley Dodd's and his Sandmen, penetrate a secret compound belonging to the aforementioned 'Mister 8', and gets into a scrap with some chap called Michael (Mister Terrific) Holt.  

 

Ohhhhh! All of that sounds rather hectic, doesn't it? And is most probably why it continues when a coming of a new age begins with a Red tinted tornado!

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

Now as soon as I hearted that Hawkgirls full name was 'Kendra Munoz-Saunders', I thought to myself 'Munoz? I've heard that name before!'.

So after I read this issue, I did a 'quick Google' to refresh my memory, and figured out that this nom de plume is Spanish in origin, with Germanic, Christian, and Visigoth roots.

I wonder if this 'mixed history' is relevant somehow, huh? Especially if Kendra is a 'renegade archaeologist'!

What was the BEST thing about this issue?

For me, personally, one of the best things about this issue, were the numerous comic book references scattered throughout it. The Red Tornado. Steppenwolf. Kendra being an archaeologist. Captain Steel. Plus the insinuation that there are a lot more 'wonders' going to be introduced in the future installments.

Smashing. I can't wait.

What was the WORST thing about this issue?

By in large the majority of this story was fairly nice to follow. But, if truth be told, one of the things I wasn't too keen on, was that scene where Wes and his Sandmen tackled Mister Terrific.

To me, there was a slight pacing problem with this scene. As it started and finished way too soon for my own liking; inadvertently making it a bit 'stop / start' -- so to speak.

What was the most CREATIVE thing about this issue?

STORY: Now one of the most creative things about this issue; was the manner in which the dialogue heavy exposition was broken up with references and segways, keeping us readers intrigued just enough, to follow it through to the end.

Well, if you think about it; sometimes too much exposition can 'weigh down' a story in hindsight. Giving a yarn a 'yawn-some' type-tempo, that doesn't suit an adventurous title like this one.

ART: Although I may not have liked the scene in and of itself, I did notice each of Wes's 'Sandmen' brandishing different nationalistic flags on their respective uniforms.

Nice little artistic touch that is, isn't it? And drawn very well by the great guest-penciller, Yildiray Cinar. But I wonder what that might imply? That Wes formed his 'army' through-out the world perhaps? Or maybe they were recruited on his behalf by this secret council? 

Intriguing questions. Let's hope we get some answers in due course.

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

COMMANDER KHAN: Still continuing with this month's casting-call plant theme, I'd cast this earnest looking diplomat a wild 'Helichrysum italicum'.

Also known as a 'curry plant' to you and me. Or is that too obvious?

KENDRA MUNOZ-SAUNDERS: Now I'd say the Earth 2 version of Hawgirl would have to be a Thistle. They both have very prickly exteriors, yet at the same time are very nice to look at too. 

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

Politicians, huh? Can't Live With Them, Can't Trust Them To Recruit The Right People Either.

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

Whilst reading this comic, I couldn't help but compare it to the sixties classic 'Dr Strangelove'. In broad strokes, this movie is a cold war satire about a bunch of buffoons trying their best not to blow-up the world.

Well, kind of. 

FINAL thoughts...

Dear People Who Can Read at DC Comics,

Hello. I hope that you're one of the few people who can read at this company. If not, what the hell are you doing rummaging through someone else's mail for? It's bloody rude!

Also, another thing that is 'bloody rude'; is the way that DC Comic's are treating their cast of Golden age heroes at the moment! Come on. See the light, pals. Would you like your gender, your origins, your sexual preference, plus your costume, all changed by a whim of fate? I wouldn't. And I am sure you wouldn't either.

Granted, to a certain degree I can understand why James Robinson and company are doing this to the Justice Society -- to give them a new fresh take after many-many years. Still, as my old Granddad once said -- 'Why fix it, if it isn't broke'.

You see, from my own perspective, the one thing that was wrong with the 'old JSA', was that their communal origins were steeped during the World War 2 era. Weighing them down to a specific time and place.

However, can a sex-change fix this flaw? No. Don't think so. Only a good story can -- aided and abetted by good characterisation and a unified history.

Let's just hope that James knows what he is doing, huh? He has proven that he can produce good work in the past. He has proven that he can write well on this book too. But as for the future? Hmmmm. Who knows?

All the best

Love, Light, and Peace -- The Reviewer.

MARKS out of 10? 9