Review: Earth 2 Vol. 1- The Gathering

Quick Summary

Pros: The volume starts out in an explosive and exciting fashion. New takes on classic characters prove to be fresh and interesting. The main villain presents an entertaining challenge to watch unfold. The artwork is fantastic and gives even more life to this world.

Cons: Some fans might not appreciate the changes to these classic DC characters.

Overall: This is a tremendously optimistic beginning to a series that clearly has a lot of potential. Excitement, energy, and upward momentum can be found from the beginning of the story to the end. Part of this comes from the interesting cast of characters and part comes from the well executed worldbuilding. This is a book we highly recommend to anyone looking for unique takes on underused DC characters.

Story

Earth 2 Vol. 1: The Gathering is a dramatic and bold re-imagining of some of the most iconic characters from DC’s earliest comics. It starts out with an introduction so explosive and energetic that it would rival many comics’ conclusions. Then, the story dives into exposition and introduces readers to all new versions of classic characters. Within one volume, writer James Robinson takes a previously blank slate and turns it into a lush world full of interesting heroes and unique ideas.

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Right from the start, this volume doubles down on epic style escapades and thrilling showdowns. Within the first few pages, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman are all killed in order to put an end to the invasion from Apokolips. It is a dramatic way to start a book that instantly grabs your attention and hooks you into the story.

It is also a great way to take attention from the most overused characters in DC’s arsenal and put it on some of the most underused ones. Robinson handles each hero with care and blends elements from their past with fresh new ideas. This creates a grouping that will feel completely new to everyone, even those who have been reading these characters for years. There is still a decent chance that not everyone will appreciate all of the changes these heroes undergo, but those coming in with an open mind are sure to find a lot to like.

Alongside character introductions, the world of Earth 2 is also introduced. This is a world that has seen years of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman protecting the Earth and is now dealing with the massive hole their absence creates. It is also a world where the fear of invasion is ever-present, causing the creation of a world army and superhero programs. Though the characters got me excited to read about the story unfolding on Earth 2, the worldbuilding managed to get me excited to read more about Earth 2 as a location.

With introductions over, this collection’s main villain is revealed. Solomon Grundy, an agent of the rot, shows up and beings spreading death across the entire world. His presence requires the combined might of each new hero in order to defeat him. This is great because it allows readers to see everyone struggle with their new powers and work as a team for the first time. It becomes clear that personalities and team dynamics are already beginning to form, something that is always fun to watch.

However, Robinson ends the book by subverting expectation. The new “wonders” do not form a Justice League and don’t even team up at all. They mostly end up parting ways, with one potential member even vowing to take the others down one day. It is a unique way to end an already unique story; something that made me even more excited to read the next volume.

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Art

To compliment a fresh, new story about classic characters, equally fresh, new artwork is necessary. Nicola Scott comes into this series and provides exactly that. Her take on the characters and landscape is wonderfully imaginative and perfectly assists the story in bringing this world to life. Character design, in particular, is well done and helps connect these heroes to their past while allowing them to look distinct and different. The fact that Scott’s work is also detailed and gorgeous is just the icing on the cake. Overall, this is a great looking book that inspires even further confidence that this will be a good series.

Continuity

Earth 2 Vol. 1: The Gathering starts the Earth 2 New 52 series. This series presents completely new takes on heroes with origins back in DC’s Golden Age. This means that no prior knowledge of these characters is necessary in order to understand this story.

The story here continues in Earth 2 Vol. 2: The Tower of Fate (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Mr. Terrific’s brief appearance in this volume directly continues his adventures from the end of Mr. Terrific Vol. 1: Mind Games (Review).
  
• Supergirl and Robin’s story directly continues in Worlds’ Finest Vol. 1: The Lost Daughters of Earth 2.