What’s so exciting about Earth 2 is that anything can happen. Sure, yeah, the New 52 is supposed to represent that idea as well, but on Earth 2, there are no rules. Not even the slightest hint of continuity needs to be heeded. This freedom allows writer Tom Taylor to cut loose. In Earth 2 #19, he unloads a whole new of level of going off the reservation.
The eye of the Earth 2 storm has mostly to do with the return of Superman. Since the Great War with Apokolips, all of the main heroes that protected Earth 2 were destroyed. Well, they were all thought to be destroyed, until one of Steppenwolf’s dogs of war revealed himself to be Superman. Evil. Pissed off. Superman returned, promptly killed Steppenwolf, caused cataclysmic destruction, and now stands ready to render the Earth a new hospitable home for Darkseid. Best part? Darkseid is not coming here; he’s waiting for Earth to travel to him as his new home. Those some intergalactic balls right there.
Hoping to build a Boom Tube big enough for a home planet, Darkseid’s weird skull-monkeys have threatened Mr. Terrific and Terry Sloan, sort of an evil version of Mr. T, into building it. Hoping to thwart this plan is the new Batman, who is badass and not afraid to kill people. Breaking into a World Army stronghold, Batman has freed two super powered individuals held as criminals. Marella, once Queen Of Atlantis. and Jimmy Olsen, a boy with didactic memory who can also plug into any technical outlet and understand all the data in the world at once, become part of Batman’s anti-Evil-Superman rebellion.
Sure, all of that sounds awesome, but here’s where it gets interesting. Olsen reveals to the heroes that an alien is being kept in sub-basement of the stronghold. The alien turns out to be a young black man who seems both docile and non-violent. It also becomes clear that this young man is Kryptonian after he falls ill due to Batman’s handy-dandy pocket kryptonite. Batman and his crew, complete with new alien buddy, escape to the Batcave, which we have yet to see. All of that goes down in one issue.
Helping Tom Taylor crack the whip of perfection is Nicola Scott, who currently holds the title as the greatest Australian import. As young as Scott is, she still runs with the big boys. Her pencils are in league with Jim Lee, Ivan Reis, and Greg Capullo, any of the greats. Bold lines, great detail work, an eye for serious originality, and the ability to pack action into each panel on a Kirby-esque level, Scott is staggering talent.
Earth 2 slaps the mouth of any other book out there. Taylor’s ideas and Scott’s art are a two-fisted knock out that you don’t get up from. This is one of those books you salivate for each month. If you’re not reading Earth 2, you should be.
