Review: Earth 2: World’s End Vol. 1

Quick Summary

Pros: The overall story told here is entertaining and helps push this series into its endgame. Many of the individual story arcs are filled with well-written action and emotion. Most of the art looks good on an individual basis.

Cons: A few of the individual story arcs end up ranging from mediocre to bad. The artwork is pretty inconsistent in places.

Overall: This is a collection with some ups and a few downs but is still worth it at the end of the day. It continues the epic saga of Earth 2 in a way that feels true to its origins. It also delivers on action-packed and emotional storytelling for most of the read. However, a few of the individual story arcs don’t perform quite as well and lead to some frustrating moments. Those looking for a worthwhile continuation to the Earth 2 saga can find it here, as long as they are willing to overlook some of the less appealing story arcs.

Story

Earth 2: World’s End Vol. 1 is the first entry in a series that continues many of the favorable attributes from the Earth 2 series, even if they aren’t as consistently positive. The central plotline here is interesting and compelling, as it sees the execution of a war that has been teased since the Earth 2 comics began. Pieces of this larger story are also well-written and interesting, especially those surrounding the world’s Wonders. However, there are also story arcs contained here that are pretty lackluster, like the Dick Grayson story, and some that are downright bad, like the Mister Miracle story. The collection as a whole tends to lean toward the positive side of things but there are definitely some negatives along the way.

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Earth 2: World’s End Vol. 1 is comprised of several separate story arcs, many of which are very entertaining. The new-Superman, new-Batman, and new-Lois Lane’s team-up with Huntress and Power Girl produces some great interactions between these characters. This is especially noticeable when Power Girl and Lois are reunited with the old Superman, which is a great moment for every character involved. Alongside this, their story also allows for some exciting action, as their fight against War is very animated and their descent into the fire pit is very tense.

Green Lantern’s individual journey also proves to be worthwhile. It contains some great worldbuilding in regards to the world’s Avatars, some exciting action, and an emotional pseudo-return of Alan’s dead fiancé. This arc also has a lot of potential to develop into something even more significant, especially considering the power of these Avatars.

Unfortunately, not every story arc is a winner. The Dick Grayson/John Constantine story attempts to show the consequences this war has on the general population. However, it never really manages to fully develop interest and ends up feeling rather lackluster.

In addition, the Mister Miracle/Big Barda story is downright bad. It features confusing shifts in character allegiances and motivation that are neither explored nor explained well enough. Some of these changes make sense but happen too quickly to have an impact, like Mister Miracle’s turmoil in regards to Darkseid. While other changes simply don’t make sense at all, like Fury turning good after being freed from Bedlam’s control despite not being good before his control. Meanwhile, the entire concept behind The Court of Apokolips adds almost nothing to the story while also tossing more characters into an already jam-packed story.

All in all though, the overall story being told here is still positive. The final battle between Earth 2 and Darkseid’s forces is something readers have been waiting to see since Earth 2 Vol. 1: The Gathering (Review) so actually seeing it kick off is very exciting. Plus, the story’s conclusion pushes the series into its endgame, which is looking to be as cataclysmic as expected.

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Art

On an individual basis, almost all of the artwork within Earth 2: World’s End Vol. 1 is positive. Each artist brings a good level of detail to their individual pages and presents the characters and locations here in a visually fulfilling way. Most of the story arcs also contain a style that matches the tone of that particular story.

However, the inconsistency of this artwork and the specific art styles makes for a rather disjointed read. Jumping back and forth from one art style to the next, which occasionally happens multiple times in a single chapter, is a bit jarring. It does not have a huge impact on the visual quality of the series, but it is a noticeable problem in a few places.

Continuity

Earth 2: World’s End Vol. 1 continues the story from Earth 2 Vol. 5: The Kryptonian (Review).

The story here continues in Earth 2: World’s End Vol. 2 (Review).

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

• Michael Holt’s move to the world of Earth 2 is explained in Mr. Terrific Vol. 1: Mind Games (Review).
• The appearance of Huntress and Power Girl immediately follows Worlds’ Finest Vol. 5: Homeward Bound.
• Constantine’s presence on Earth 2 begins in Constantine #17, collected in Constantine Vol. 3: The Voice in the Fire.
• The events from this comic are given additional context through the chapters collected in Earth 2 Vol. 6: Collision.
  • Earth 2: Worlds End #4 takes place immediately after Earth 2 #27.
  • Earth 2 #28 details the origin behind the new Furies. Theoretically, it could be read at any time, however it reads best around Earth 2: Worlds End #5.