Review: Earth 2: Society Vol. 1- Planetfall

Quick Summary

Pros: The concept behind this new series is great and learning about it is fascinating. The battle in the present is tense and filled with action. The drama in the past helps develop the heroes as characters. The artwork looks great and has an awesome level of creativity.

Cons: A number of flashbacks cause confusion and generate problems with pacing.

Overall: This is a very optimistic start to a new era of Earth 2 comics. It introduces readers to a beautiful new world with an imaginative setting and a mysterious past. Alongside this, readers witness some exciting action from a cast of great characters. There are a few problems with the way flashbacks are handled but these problems are not significant enough to distract from this collection’s positives. Fans of the Earth 2 characters or those looking for a unique take on DC Comics should consider checking this book out.

Story

The past few comics set in the world of Earth 2 have been a bit mixed when it comes to quality. Earth 2: World’s End Vol. 1 (Review) and Vol. 2 (Review) both had there moments but did not come close to the universal appeal of the earlier volumes in the Earth 2 series. Luckily, Earth 2: Society Vol. 1: Planetfall, by Daniel H. Wilson, appears to be a return to form for this particular corner of the DC Multiverse.

This volume has action, suspense, and mystery to keep readers interested all the way through. The characters here are all compelling and the world in which they live is even more so. In addition, this volume is a return to the imaginative reinvention of what the world of DC Comics could be when unfettered from most forms of continuity. The only thing holding this volume back from being truly great is the confusing usage of flashbacks and the rapid pacing that they flashbacks force upon the narrative. Overall though, this first volume is solid and is a solid indicator that the characters of Earth 2 are back on track once more.

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The most immediate positive in Planetfall is the creativity powering this brand new world and this rejuvenated cast of heroes. The new Earth 2 is composed of cities built from the scraps of crashed spaceships on a world where a red sun cancels out Kryptonian powers for half of the day. Later on, the history behind these cities and the origin of their distinct personalities become more apparent and more relevant. Learning this history and witnessing this worldbuilding is an enjoyable experience all on its own but is also an experience that helps enhance the struggle facing this comic’s cast of heroes.

Part of this struggle is detailed in the present, where a mysterious threat is working to essentially overthrow this young and fragile society. For the first half of the volume, the villain is unknown and the threat they pose is unclear. For the second half of the volume, the villain is revealed and readers see how powerful they are. Both halves of the story inspire suspense and interest and make for an enjoyable read.

The other portion of the struggle is detailed in the past, where the citizens of Earth 2 are just beginning their mission to colonize this new world. This portion of the narrative ditches intense action and suspense in favor of meaningful character development. Readers have a chance to see the more personal side of the problems facing the heroes, whether they are unfortunate secrets coming to the surface or a general overwhelming level of responsibility. Either way, this character development helps create a better cast, which, in turn, helps create a better comic book environment.

However, Planetfall is not all positives. The narrative in this volume is constantly jumping from one moment in time to another, typically between the moment of “planetfall” and the present. While this allows the narrative to generate some intriguing mystery, it also generates a lot of confusion to go alongside it. At numerous points throughout this read, I had to double check whether I was reading an event taking place a year in the past, in the present, or some awkward time in between. The intense focus on the past throughout this book also force the present sections to go by faster than one would hope. For most of the volume, this is not a big problem but, towards the end of the book, rapidly paced moments in the present rob the story arc’s conclusion of some of its impact. All in all, the structuring of these flashbacks could have been handled better and will hopefully be improved in future volumes.

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Art

The artwork in Planetfall is beautiful all the way through and is the perfect complement to this particular story. Jorge Jiménez’s work throughout this collection is heavily stylized in a way that feels different from the vast majority of DC comic books from this era. This difference is specifically important to this particular book because the central themes here are about how this is a brand new age of heroes in an entirely alien world. These differences are further stressed through the creativity in Jiménez’s artwork. This creativity is seen in the character designs, which all help the heroes stand out from their Prime Earth counterparts, and the environments, which help make the cities here feel as remarkable as the story sets them up to be. It also helps that the artwork here has plenty of detail and gorgeous colors. All in all, the visuals in this comic are impressive and are incredibly important in establishing the unique identity that this series has carved for itself.

Continuity

Earth 2: Society Vol. 1: Planetfall is the first volume in a new series that directly continue the story from the conclusion of the Convergence (Review) event. This event explains how the planet in this book was discovered and how the heroes ended up there.

The story here continues in Earth 2: Society Vol. 2: Indivisible (Review).

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

• A few references are made to the events of Earth 2: World’s End Vol. 1 (Review). This includes the planetwide evacuation and destruction of Earth 2 and the death of Earth 2 Superman.
• Dick Grayson’s wife died in Earth 2: World’s End Vol. 1 (Review).
• A ton of events from the Earth 2 series are shown or referenced throughout this volume. This includes:
  • Lois Lane becoming Red Tornado at the very beginning of Earth 2 Vol. 4: The Dark Age (Review).
  • The creation of the Firepits is shown at the very beginning of Earth 2 Vol. 2: The Tower of Fate (Review).
  • Val-Zod is discovered in Earth 2 Vol. 4: The Dark Age (Review).