Earth Two #22 – Review

By: Tom Taylor (story), Nicola Scott (pencils), Trevor Scott (inks), Pete Pantazis (colors)

The Story: In this case, Val flies before he runs.

The Review: Look, we all know this endless crisis on Earth-2 will end sometime; it’d be a pretty lousy superhero book if it didn’t. And certainly there’s no time limit on how long Taylor chooses to drag out the grimness. But if he expects us to endure one Apokolips-inflicted atrocity after another, month in and month out, for this long, he’s got to give us hope that when the storm finally passes, the world left behind will be one worth living in.

We’ve had a few sporadic bright spots, but nothing like the sustained luminescence of Lois teaching Val to fly. It is literally uplifting, pure and joyful in ways that the series hasn’t been in a long, long time. After all the death and ruin that’s pervaded every issue since #15, watching the two soar through the blue sky is a terribly welcome relief. The sequence only lasts a few pages, but it restores confidence that not all is lost and the world is not yet doomed.

I wasn’t sure what to make of Val when Taylor first revealed him, but it’s hard not to like the young Kryptonian when you’re experiencing the wonder of his rapidly burgeoning powers with him, and the growing courage and confidence that comes with them: “I was afraid of anything I couldn’t see, but now…now I can see a lot farther. I guess my bubble has grown.” That’s just a really nice moment, free of any cynicism or underlying threat, and heaven knows how few of those Earth Two gets these days.

As for Lois, there’s no mistaking after this issue that Taylor has made her, intentionally or not, the heart of the series, in direct, pointed contrast to her new robotic form. It’s admirable that her stature has grown not by virtue of her now considerable powers, but by her essential personality, a credit to Taylor’s very attractive, balanced approach to writing her. She’s righteous, but not strident; sensitive, but not indulgent; warm, not boisterous; moving, not morose. At one point, she catches herself in the mirror and brings a hand to her face. Val asks her what’s wrong. “I’m not used to seeing myself,” she replies. “I still feel like me and then…then I see this.”

Val and Lois end up featuring in the issue’s strongest scenes and developing the most dimensional relationship between any two characters in the series. Val’s origins are revealed to be the near-copy of Kara Zor-El’s: rocketed from Krypton before Clark, yet arriving long after. But with Clark turned into a genocidal maniac, and the Kents no longer an option, you don’t trust any other person on Earth-2 to imbue Val with humanity’s best values than Lois. And you can see that Lois takes her nurturing role seriously, as if she’s channeling all those deep maternal instincts that might otherwise have been spent on her and Clark’s child.

Which is why the sudden arrival of Clark sends deep pangs of concern through you, until recognition clears his typically red, dark eyes. You have no idea where things will go from here, but it’s hard to imagine that Taylor will allow Clark alone of the Trinity to survive, thus rendering Val’s existence completely redundant. For my money, I’d bet a freed Clark, to pay for the crimes he mindlessly committed, will voluntarily sacrifice himself to save the world again.

There’s not too much crazy action going on in the issue this time, but Scott doesn’t need such frenetic material to impress. There’s a grace to the way she draws body language that really comes through when Lois and Val take flight, and the timing of the sequence reveals Scott’s oft-overlooked storytelling skill, as you feel your own spirit lifted each time they pick themselves up after a stumble. Pantazis amps up the bright atmosphere of the scene by coloring the sky the richest, most poignant blue, and filling the panels with a soft light in contrast to the often harsh hues you see everywhere else in the issue.

Conclusion: Let’s all breathe a sigh of relief for an issue that’s not a complete downer, but is actually quite upbeat.

Grade: B

– Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: – With all the preposterous cheesecake in the comics world, it must be a refreshing twist for Scott to draw a strapping Alan Scott in the buff.

– I don’t know why, but Kendra’s line, “Stop trying to act mature in front of the prophecy, Jimmy,” makes me laugh every time.

– Val’s full name is “Val-Zod.” Before you get too excited, his parents apparently believed fighting to be “the very stupidest way to overcome issues,” so any connection to the infamous Kryptonian general will be in name rather than substance.