By: Tom Taylor (story), Nicola Scott (pencils), Trevor Scott (inks), Pete Pantazis (colors)
The Story: Even for a perpetrator of mass genocide, there’s no place like home.
The Review: From the moment Superman made his reappearance on Earth-2, many of us instantly assumed that either he was some evil doppelganger created by Steppenwolf to demoralize the world, or that, at worst, this was a Superman under some kind of psychic control. But only in our least serious imaginings did we consider that the Superman brutally tearing soldiers, ships full of innocents, and whole countries apart, could be doing so rationally.
That’s a scary thought, but one that seems very plausible after he takes a good look at Lois and says uncertainly, “You weren’t supposed to see me like this.” That very line suggests a sense of shame, which in turn implies a conscience, which means this Superman still has a sense of self. Twist! Even worse, the discovery that Lois is still alive doesn’t magically bring him back to his senses; even with her and his parents present, he unhesitatingly orders an attack on Gotham and the remaining wonders.
What’s that, you say? Did I just mention Clark’s parents? Yeah, I did. Turns out despite all the crap that’s gone down the whole world over, the fields of the Kent farm are still pristine and calm and the Kents are still alive to semi-enjoy it. Clearly, they’re walking on eggshells around their much-changed son. Clark’s happy exclamations about Lois are greeted with forced enthusiasm and when Lois asks if they’re okay, Martha gives a quick glance at Clark before answering, “We’re fine. Really,” in a way that means exactly the opposite. Something creepy and twisted is afoot, which must have something to do with Bedlam’s ability to force people to do his bidding while maintaining their personalities, a feat he performed with Michael Holt, Terry Sloane, and Mr. Miracle.
Meanwhile, with the return of Alan Scott to the fold, our Wonders are starting to muster their forces for the necessary counterattack, though he and Thomas disagree on tactics. Thomas wants to fall back and regroup—which, considering the massive army of Parademons, Apokorats, and a Warhound that fall upon them, is not insensible—but Alan refuses to retreat. And you know what? You’re totally with him. The heroes of Earth-2 have been jerked around ever since Steppenwolf revealed himself again, and it’s time they took control of their lives and the narrative.
Unfortunately, one Wonder won’t be among them. In a world of increasingly spectacular powers, someone with as decidedly commonplace skills as Red Arrow is almost doomed, even without Khalid screaming, “You are not in our future!” I hope Taylor may trick us out and find a way to keep Arrow around, but if his fall here is for real, at least he gets a pretty awesome line out of it. Having saved Batman from the Warhound’s maw by a well-placed arrow, he remarks snidely, “You remember when you said my archery skills would only be useful if an army was attacking your castle? Hey, look, an army is attacking your castle.” Figures that he’d die the moment you couldn’t love him more.
Substance-wise, this is a pretty thin issue, but Scott makes the most of Taylor’s stately pace so that you don’t come away feeling terribly cheated. The lady is just glorious when it comes to big moments, having no need for radical layouts or panel designs to make an impact. There’s nothing fancy about the way Scott draws Alan swooping in to save Val and Kendra from a swarm of Parademons: he’s posed hovering in midair, above the grounded Val and Kendra, ring up and powered and with a host of Parademons behind him. But Scott’s choice of perspective, looking up at him from the ground, seeing his full power holding back the creatures, makes him seem larger-than-life, godlike, especially once Pantazis’ eerie green glow suffuses the page.
Conclusion: For an already impatient audience, Taylor’s willingness to take his time can be rather frustrating, but it’s hard to argue with his effectiveness, especially once you have Scott’s visuals supporting him.
Grade: B-
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: – Come on, Alan, you can do better than a single energy ray against a whole invading army.
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Conclusion