Review: Convergence- Crisis Book 2

Quick Summary

Pros: The first two stories are excellent and provide a unique basis in creepy horror. The two middle stories are good for more standard superhero action. The closing chapters have a unique enemy and a unique take on the situation. There are a couple of great looking chapters within this collection.

Cons: The two middle stories don’t feel as unique as the rest of the exploits in the book.

Overall: This book has a lot going for it, enough to make it one of the most endearing of the Convergence tie-in books. It details a number of great stories that each manage to contain solid levels of action balanced against more personal emotions. Plus, the diversity of storytelling is great, as the volume fluctuates from horror to action in a very pleasing fashion. Anyone with an interest in these characters or who is simply looking for a good example of Convergence tie-in stories can find entertainment here.

Story

Convergence: Crisis Book 2 contains a diverse array of entertaining and well-written stories that help set this volume apart as one of the better Convergence tie-ins. The volume starts out with stories that are nearly horror, transitions to more standard superhero action, and finishes with something directly related to the Crisis event itself. Each of the stories offers something on its own and, together, they help create a volume that has the potential to appeal to a wide audience of comic readers. Overall, this is a solid comic collection and definitely one of the better collections to come from the Convergence (Review) event.

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Crisis Book 2 starts out with two stories rooted deeply in horror. The first is a Wonder Woman story, by Larry Hama, that deals with cults and forces Wonder Woman to face off against evil versions of the people she loves. The second is a Swamp Thing story, by Len Wein, that approaches the character’s powers and emotions in a satisfactory way. Both stories are wonderfully creepy and have the heroes facing off against the vampire versions of standard DC characters, which is entertaining to see all on its own. The horror tone also helps significantly differentiate these stories from the rest of the Convergence (Review) tie-in chapters.

From here, Crisis Book 2 goes on to detail two more standard approaches to superhero action. Both stories feature teams of superheroes facing off against other teams of heroes, with all parties unsure about their involvement in this entire debacle. It raises some interesting moral dilemmas and contains plenty of opportunities for the characters involved to show off everything they are capable of. Though these stories don’t differ much from the traditional formula found in most of the Convergence (Review) tie-ins, they are well-written and entertaining nonetheless.

The book’s final arc centers on Barry Allen’s struggle against an unusual enemy. This specific struggle is interesting because it only briefly involves an actual fight. Most of the encounter ends up being a calm discussion between two people, which ends up resulting in a rather unexpected conclusion. Adding in Barry’s ultimately doomed fate makes things even more interesting and adds layers to his actions throughout these chapters. In the end, this story ends up being another win for the Crisis Book 2 collection.

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Art

The majority of the artwork in Crisis Book 2 looks good and makes for a pleasing collection. The art in the Justice League chapters reflect the action-packed nature of their story while the art in the Teen Titans chapters feels like a remastered version of the style in which these characters were originally depicted. There are very few moments where the visuals look strange and the overall appeal is very high.

The artistic highlights in this volume are the Wonder Woman and Swamp Thing chapters. Wonder Woman’s story starts out with stylized artwork, from Joshua Middleton, that helps immediately set the creepy mood that the story is going for. Then, the second chapter, from Aaron Lopresti, is able to depict the more action-focused events that take place after the initial creepiness has passed. In addition, the Swamp Thing chapters, from Kelley Jones, feature gorgeous artwork that perfectly captures the bizarre world in which this comic takes place. These high-quality chapters add a lot to a book that already looks good visually.

Continuity

Convergence: Crisis Book 2 contains multiple tie-in stories that are designed to accompany the Convergence (Review) event. These tie-ins all take place around the events of Convergence #1, part of which is shown in each of these stories.

The larger narrative surrounding the stories contained here is told through the rest of the Convergence (Review) event.

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

• The protagonists from this volume are from the pre-Crisis DC Universe.
• The first two rounds of antagonists are from the Batman: Vampire series of comics, collected in Elseworlds: Batman Vol. 2. The rest of the antagonist are from the Tangent Universe.
• The Vampire Joker references his past encounter with Batman. This took place in Batman: Bloodstorm, collected in Elseworlds: Batman Vol. 2.
• Many elements from Swamp Thing’s comic history are referenced here. These include:
  • Being kidnapped by Sunderland Corporation in Swamp Thing #20, collected in Saga of the Swamp Thing Book 1.
  • The origin of his disconnect from Alec Holland is revealed in Swamp Thing #21, collected in Saga of the Swamp Thing Book 1.
  • The details behind Abby’s marriage are revealed in Swamp Thing #17, collected in Swamp Thing The Bronze Age Omnibus.
• The Trial of the Flash is mentioned in this book. This story arc took place through The Flash #323-350.
• Barry Allen’s death in Crisis on Infinite Earths is referenced here.