EARTH 2 #16

Don't fight. Don't swear. Don't argue. As all hope is lost. Hope, and a rather nice tale created by those crazy cats called James Robinson, and Nicola Scott, Published by DC Comics, sometime in October, 2013. Well? That's if the big guy upstairs allows them of course. Viva la revolution!!!!! Ogga-Ogga-Ogga!

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 4 questions about this STORY entitled 'To The Victor'.

WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: With the World Army decimated, and the state of Dherain in a right state, it's now up to the remaining 'Wonders' to clean up this mess, and stop Steppenwolf in his tracks.
ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: Hmmm. Yes and no. Just not in the way you might think.
ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: Mister Terrific and Commander Khan pop into view to see what the hell is going on. And I do mean hell!!!!!
HOW DOES THIS STORY END: With a dog of war exploding onto the scene. BOOOM!

All in all, what is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

Please read the following excerpt narrated by some Dherain native, and tell me what you initially feel.

'It was in the darkest time -- the darkest hour -- in the midst of hopeless carnage that hope arose -- in unexpected form... the Wonders of America... emerging out of the ether of humanities last stand. But not attacking. No. Saving the lives of those they could'.

So go on. What do you feel? Hope? Wonder? Excitement? A sense of awe? As that's what happened to me when I read this paragraph. It truly had that magical touch to it. ZING!!!!

What are the BEST bits about this issue?

(+) The ending of this issue was bloody nuts I tell you. Right bloody nuts! One minute old Steeplejack had everything in the palm of his hands, and then -- BOOM -- a shock ending occurred. A very engrossing shock ending that I can't wait to see explained next month. Fingers crossed.

(+) Including all of the rather cinematic layouts depicted by Nicola Scott in this book, another stand-out for me would have to be that panel showing all of the 'JSA' picking themselves up during the aftermath. Wow! Talk about nostalgia, folks. As it's about bloody time the gang got together on the same page. Right?

(+) Something else I thought was a right blast was that penultimate fight scene between Alan Scott and Steppenwolf, mainly because it was complemented so well by that humanizing Dherain 'voice over narration'. On a grounded level, the aesthetics and the context worked well together in harmony, whilst juxtaposing the emotion to the situation with the action.

What are the WORST bits about this issue?

(-) The only thing I found rather confusing in this tale was that transitional scene between the 'clean up detail', and the GL / Steppenwolf fight. First the 'pseudo JSA' were doing a bit of spit and polish. Then Alan grimaces at the floor. And finally these two combatants kick off in outer space. Hey! Don't get me wrong. I didn't mind the scene in itself. It's just that I found it's execution a mite to fractured and obtuse for my own liking.

Choose TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and then compare them to WELL KNOWN WOMEN .

KATE HUDSON AS ALAN SCOTT: Hey! They're both blonde, aren't they? So at least that's something Al and Kate share!

NICOLE SCHERZINGER AS STEPPENWOLF: Just look into Nicole's eyes. Go on. Look. And tell me that she doesn't have the power to bend men to her will.

What QUOTE would be appropriate to sum-up this story?

'We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope' -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

What SONG, THEME-TUNE, or MELODY, would complement this tale, as well as add and extra dimension to it by default?

THE THEME TUNE TO 'THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH': Hey! The title of this song fits the title of this tale, right? So why not match them up? They may go out on a date or something!

ANYTHING Else?

Now the ending to this issue was so good, and so spectacular, that it more than made up for the rest of it being a bit simple by default.

Hey. Please don't take what I just said the wrong way. I'm not trying to imply that this adventure was for the kiddies alone. What I'm trying to say instead, folks, is that apart from a couple of 'coming together' scenes, by in large the remainder was a rather pithy selection of montage sequences, held together with a unified voice over narration.

Still. How about that ending, huh? Could S******* be this Earth's S*******? Or is it a ploy of sorts? One instigated by an unknown hand.

Hmmm. Time will tell, I'm sure. Nuff said.