Earth 2 Volume 1: The Gathering TP (The New 52): The Gathering (The New 52)

Historically I have always given DC multiverse title a miss, I'm not a huge fan off the concept and half the time it even seems that DC don't know what to do with it, but after seeing the reviews and hearing good things generally about the series I decided to give it a try and I was hooked almost straight away, this book is fantastic. For those who don't know Earth 2 is not set within DC's main continuity it's completely separate universe similar but with some startling differences, to start with the invasion by the forces of Apokolips was defeated by the heroic sacrifice of the trinity of wonders (Batman, Wonder Woman and some alien dude in tights) although they are on the cover they play very little part in the story so don't think this is about them, although their actions do help shape the world. This leaves the world without Wonders (the Earth 2 world for hero) so a new generation must rise to protect the earth, Alan Scott broadcasting mogul becomes Green Lantern (thankfully keeping his original powers not the more modern interpretation although he is still gay for those who don't like that change) Jay Garrick becomes the Flash the man with the speed of a god (and possible the worst girlfriend in the world), the mysterious Hawkgirl (Kendra rather then Shiera for those you worry about these things) and Al Pratt codename Atom (the powers of Atom Smasher rather then the Atom) must fight the living embodiment of the grey, Solomon Grundy (born on a Monday) who although is now more known as a Batman villain was original an adversary of Alan Scott way back when, plus there are a few cameos and hints about other characters. So why is this book so good you ask well apart from the fun of seeing the old Justice Society in a contemporary setting it just is superbly executed, it kicks off at high speed with the heroic sacrifice which is both sad and triumphant all in one go, it slows down and then gradually builds the world giving the Wonders powers and exploring their motivation while leaving enough open to leave you wanting more, the real thing with this book is unlike quite a lot of the rest of the ne 52 it feels like a new series it doesn't feel like you need to have ever read any DC comic before to enjoy this all the information you need is included so it doesn't punish new reader but there are also enough little nods for people with a history with comics to get the smiling. Overall this book about heroes fighting together despite their distrust is done much better the new 52 justice league, the wonders are likeable but ultimately raw and untried so it makes the story interesting without the feeling of knowing how it's going to end, I enjoy it so much I finished it then immediately went back and read it again, this just might be the best new 52 title so far.

I've been meaning to catch up on these for a while...good art and good storyline, though slow in places .

The a creative team has really grasped the concept of a new dc universe and an alternate earth to to explore an alternative justice society, on an earth 2 that was savaged in an earlier attack by the forces of Darkseid and have been forever altered by the experience. This book is checked full of old new concepts, but still manages to sneak in plenty of references for old fans of the justice society. The book also has a flavour of the Warren Ellis Stormwatch and could almost be part of the old Wildstorm imprint. The creative team have started to scratch the surface of a exciting new universe that really looks worth exploring, with fresh new characters to do it.

Don't be fooled by the cover, this is not a Superman/Batman/Wonderwoman story. It's a fresh start for 'Earth 2". There's a new Flash, new Hawk Girl, new Atom and a new Green Lantern which take a while to get used to but do make a good team. It's a good story as they take on a diffrent, more powerful version of Batman's foe "Grundy". The artwork is fantastic too.

Parallel Earths have been a major part of DC's continuity on and off since the early 60's (they disappeared for many years after Crisis On Infinite Earths). The first and most fondly regarded was Earth 2 on which heroes first appeared just before World War 2 (as, of course, they did in the comics of the time) and those characters became a firm part of DC's continuity (even after Crisis altered the continuity so that they had always been on Earth 1) and stayed there pretty much until the massive reboot which is DC's New 52 when superheroes only appeared about five years before the timeline of the new 52 comics begins. So what DC has done is effectively wipe out those much loved (by older comics fans at least) Golden Age characters. Now writer James ('Starman') Robinson has created a new Earth 2 but this time (and there are other differences), the diversion from Earth One's timeline is the invasion by Apokolips when Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman (Earth 2's only superheroes) died saving the world. It's now five years later and new superheroes (or 'wonders' as they are called on this world) are just appearing. This first installment features new Green Lantern, Flash, Atom and Hawkgirl whose alter egos are the same as the original Earth 2 characters so that link remains. They are, however, often very different to their originals -media magnate Alan Scott (GL) is openly gay. They are brought together to fight a new Solomon Grundy whose origin is a bit too close to the New 52's Rot for my liking, but that's a minor quibble. Writer Robinson produces his best work by far since his memorable run on Starman, creating interesting new characters with a lot of potential. The society in which they live is different with ample room for exploration -as a result of the invasion, there's now a world army. The pace of the narrative is fast and furious as GL and The Flash discover their new powers. The artist is (and at this point please feel free to imagine an imaginary chorus singing 'Hallelujah!') the wonderful, the awesome Nicola Scott of pre-New 52 Birds Of Prey fame who draws with energy and dynamism. And full marks to Trevor (no relation) Scott whose inking does justice to Nicola's pencils. Simply, this is one of the best titles to come out of the New 52 and only misses a 5 star rating by a hairsbreadth. Essential!

Action-packed from the very start, with superb art, and new, refreshing version of old characters with unpredictable and clever writing. This is right up my alley and I highly recommend it.

The start of the book is very good, sets up an interesting story and posts a lot of question as to what will happen next in the wake of the events that take place. However, past this point the book falls short, the artwork is amazing (some of the best) but the story takes way to long to move forward and actually develop, but by the last two issues that are included the story kicks off again.

I thought a comic without Superman wouldn't be interesting to read but this comic . AWESOME

Obwohl der Plot vielversprechend ist, wird die Story durch zu viele Characktäre in eine ungewisse Länge gezogen. Natuerlich hat ein zweites DC-Universum die Möglichkeit mit seinen Superhelden in eine komplett andere Richtung zu gehen, das tut EARTH 2 aber nicht, es bleibt in einem starren Käfig von Superhelden-Comics-Konventionen, wo wenig erzählt wird. Eine Verschwendung meiner Zeit.

Ignore the cover, this is really good art inside out. It's more what if the JSA came after the trinity. Same heroes with wildly different introduction. This is going to be good!

The Earth 2 series is probably my favorite series of the New 52. The art is amazing and the storyline and the setup are intriguing. I really want to know where Robinson is going to go with this. The beginning of the book has Earth 2 facing absolute disaster, with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman fighting a losing action against the hordes of Darkseid, led by Steppenwolf. They need a miracle and, fortunately, Batman is able to come up with one. Unfortunately, the mission is a suicide mission and all three are killed, as are the rest of Earth 2's heroes, known here as "wonders.". Darkseid's forces are destroyed and the Earth saved, although Steppenwolf manages to escape the carnage. We then flash forward several years, to a world without wonders, as we are introduced to two of the characters who will become the mainstay of the new series: media mogul Alan Scott and a very young Jay Garrick, the latter of whom is being rather cruelly dumped by his girlfriend for being something of a loser. Forget what you know about the classic Jay and Alan, Flash and Green Lantern, respectively; these are completely different characters, with different origins. Jay gets his powers after he finds the god Mercury, the last of the pantheon that was associated with Wonder Woman (the rest were destroyed in the final battle with Darkseid). He's been held prisoner for years by a power that he claims is an even greater threat than Darkseid was. He manages to escape but did so at the cost of his life. He has one trick left, though, and that is the power to gift his speed to a worthy human. Jay passes his test and becomes the Flash. A sidebar shows a very confused Earth One's Mr. Terrific teleporting in to New York, where he is greeted by Terry Sloan, the self-proclaimed "smartest man on earth," who has predicted his coming and who wants to use his powers and technology for his own purposes. This is just a brief foreshadow of a character of whom we will see much more later. Jay decides to check out his powers and finds, to his amazement, that he can do just about anything (well, aside from stopping). He saves a couple, finds that he can run up walls, across an ocean, and he finds that he has ended up in Poland, where he is greeted by a not-too-friendly Hawkgirl, aiming a crossbow at him. Meanwhile, Alan Scott has flown into Hong Kong, where he meets his lover, Sam. They get on a bullet train headed for a resort to have some quality time together. Alan has just proposed to Sam when we see the front of the train destroyed in a massive explosion as the rest of the train dives off a bridge and plummets into the gorge below. Sam is killed in the crash and Alan is badly injured but is confronted and healed by a green flame, "all the power of the earth." The flame tells him that "an evil will soon be upon the earth" that could destroy all life. The earth needs a champion and it has selected Alan Scott. The engagement ring that Alan had intended to give to Sam is repurposed as a source for the power that Alan is given and the Green Lantern is born. Unfortunately, the selection of a green champion also awakens "the grey," which has its own champion, a completely reimagined Solomon Grundy, whose power is to absorb all life essences around him, plant and animal alike, killing them in the process and strengthening himself. Hawkgirl and the Flash are the first to see and feel the impact of Grundy, even though they have no idea what's going on. The last of our protagonists is introduced in a flashback, the survivor of an atomic blast, Al Pratt, better known as the Atom, but an Atom reimagined, both in terms of his powers and his role as a military man, acting essentially as a government hero/agent. Grundy has reached America and is attacking the nation's capital, which causes all of our various heroes to converge. Al is ordered there by his superiors, Alan is sent there by the green flame, and Kendra (Hawkgirl) and Jay follow Grundy's trail of destruction. When Al arrives, we see his power vividly: he can grow to giant size and he appears to have some form of energy blasts. He lands atop Grundy and thinks the battle is over. A bit of conversation reveals that Kendra and Al have a history and that he has a mandate to bring her, and any other wonders, back under control of the World Army Council. Speaking of the Council, we are taken to its headquarters where we are introduced to Wesley Dodds (whom oldtimers will recognize as the Sandman but who here appears to be a master agent for the Council). The leader of their military wing, Khan, is arguing with his superiors, who want to nuke DC, and aren't convinced that his strategy will be successful. Back at the site, Al now realizes that his assumption of victory was premature, as Grundy reforms and starts feeding on his power. Hawkgirl and Flash rescue him while Green Lantern takes on Grundy. Back at the Council, the world leaders have decided to pin their hopes on someone we've previously met: Terry Sloan. It's clear that there is some back history there, as Khan's first reaction is to ask his men to arrest Sloan. The order is countermanded and Khan is ordered to work with Sloan, who we now find out has already ordered the nuclear attack on Grundy and Washington, D.C. Green Lantern has realized that the fight is futile and they need a new tactic, so he asks the others to continue the fight and defend his body while he goes inward to confront the gray, Grundy's master. The gray tries to subvert him by offering him an image of his dead lover, Sam, and at first the grieving Green Lantern is overwhelmed and compliant. However, he soon realizes the emptiness of the promise and so he overcomes the challenge. The gray refuses to withdraw Grundy and Green Lantern finds that he cannot attack the power directly. However, in the conversation, he gets a clue as to how to defeat Grundy, so he returns to his body and to the battle. I won't reveal the ending but it's a fitting end, in my opinion, and there is some interesting foreshadowing of events to come. This is a very promising start: some new and different origins for both heroes and villains, good action sequences, fantastic artwork, and some good hints of excitement to come. Highly recommended.

James Robinson is one of the best & I really like Nicola Scott's art but I was expecting a story about the New 52 Earth-2 Batman, Superman & WW....but it really concentrates on Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkgirl & the Atom....this is an interesting take but do not let the cover fool you....