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Mild Mannered Reviews - "Earth 2" Comics

Earth 2 #21 Earth 2 #21

Earth 2 #21

Scheduled to arrive in stores: March 5, 2013

Cover date: May 2014

"The Kryptonian" - Part 1

Writer: Tom Taylor
Penciller: Nicola Scott
Inker: Trevor Scott
Cover: Ken Lashley & Matt Yackey

Reviewed by: T.A. Ewart (aka liheibao)

Click to enlarge



What remains of the World Army is still in retreat. Atom seeks to buy the soldiers more time to escape, but Brutaal severs Atom's arm, then beats him with it, ending any resistance in that area. Jimmy Olsen reports that Superman has defeated all resistance, while the rest of the Batcave's occupants debate on what their next move should be. Major Sato reveals that the World Army has fallen back to Amazonia, what used to be the home of Wonder Woman and the Amazons. In a desperate attempt to escape what is coming, many of the world's wealthiest seek to flee the planet in a space ark. Brutaal stops their escape and lets the people aboard fall from the stratosphere. Commander Khan seeks to make an alliance with Aquawoman, but his communication is interrupted by Jimmy, who hacks into the feed. It's revealed that there may be a way to stop Brutaal, but that time is of the essence. What Jimmy and company don't know is that Brutaal has just been alerted to the presence of Val, another Kryptonian on Earth.

3Story - 3: Earth 2 has left the modern age in terms of pacing, and is now powered wind, and that wind comes solely from the sailor manning the oar. There has been no movement on this title for three months now, and there's no movement of the plot at all. It's taken seven issues to get to where we are now, which is only two days worth of time according to the comic book. While one can appreciate the need for pacing, at this point, it's like watching a tortoise ride a terrapin: nothing is going on. That is a problem. The shock of seeing Superman become Brutaal has worn off, and to be quite frank, Brutaal has become boring. He was very threatening and pause-worthy initially, but he's done nothing but beat up on lesser players and break inanimate objects since then.

It's obvious that the story is being delayed for some other reason, most likely the end of the World's Finest, Superman/Batman crossover, which should get the Superman from... from whatever the planet is, Earth 1, Earth N52, whatever the case may be, into the fight, along with the rest of the other superheroes... led by Batman, of course. It seems until then, we have to suffer the plodding pace that has become Earth 2. Still, there are some things to ponder. If Brutaal has decimated all resistance within two days time, what hope would the other heroes have against him, a fully realized Superman, who has been converted into Brutaal, and does not pull punches? This lad will use super-speed, heat vision, freeze breath, etc., all at once. He would slaughter all but the strongest of the Justice League... and Batman, of course, which would make for an interesting story, but one that is very doubtful that we'll see. It's more likely that we'll see Brutaal's defeat in Hollywood fashion, i.e. it will make no sense given the established parameters of the story.

Taylor's social commentary is both cheeky and misplaced. He makes the same error that he does elsewhere, in that our social strata and mores don't fit neatly into a world blessed with superheroes. Now that we've seen what happens to the 1 percent, should we cheer? Is the poetic justice of seeing the wealthy trickle down, much as the promise of wealth was supposed to, pleasing to any readers who take up the comic book? It's a childish and fraudulent premise, as surely comic book readers, if no other type of purveyor of literature believe that the wealthy also deserve to live? We, the less wealthy, do not wish those of great means death, neither do we wish their wealth to be ours, but that we have a fair go at obtaining whatever means we wish for ourselves. Yes, the 1 percent seek to escape, while the less privileged would be forced to tough it out or die, but that makes them no less human than any of us, and certainly the result would be the same if the roles were reversed. It would be a bare-knuckled brawl one way or the other, but I suppose for some, it's entertaining.

So begins "The Kryptonian," an episodic adventure that doesn't even feature the Kryptonian in question. I really hope that someone is capable of stopping Brutaal, as he really needs to be stopped. There's nothing going on so long as he's around, and now that we've seen what an evil Superman is capable of, hopefully that will be enough for the next 75 years. At least, I should be so lucky.

4Art - 4: A mark-up from last issue, but Brutaal doesn't look as imposing as he once did. It's not familiarity, it's that Scott softens his look into a glowing-eyed figure, and that not's intimidating enough for me.

1Cover Art - 1: Doctor Fate played no function in this story at all. What was the point of having him on the cover? To prove an adage?


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