Earth 2 #3

[needagasmask]

I'm not too familiar with DC before New 52, so bear with me.

Earth 2's relaunch came out with its third issue today, and I have to say that the storyline has me hooked thus far. In the past 2 issues, we've learned that all of Earth's previous champions (Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Supergirl, Robin) have died defending Earth from a terrible extraterrestrial threat. We find ourselves a year after the incident, where Mercury has bestowed upon Jay Garrick the Speed Force before dying.

Our other main focus thus far in the story, Alan Scott, was on a vacation trip with his lover Sam and had just proposed to him before tragedy struck the bullet train they were taking to their destination. This is where our story comes back in.

Alan is burned, broken, and blind in one eye, yet has survived the train wreck that's managed to kill a vast amount of other people. We eventually find out this is no coincidence, as a green flame rises from the earth.



We find out that this flame calls itself the Green, and is the manifestation of the energy (Sorry, not life force. My mistake) of Earth itself. When major threats occur, it empowers a person with its energy, making them the champion of Earth. The reason that Alan didn't die in the crash was because this power is what saved him, hoping to make Alan its new conduit before a new and disastrous enemy came to destroy the world. When Alan asks why this is the first time it came to him, the Green basically shrugs and says "Supes was handling it pretty well, but he's dead now. Tough nuts."

Anyway, back to Jay Garrick, after playing around with his powers and testing them to their upper limits, he ends up in Poland, where he meets this universe's incarnation of Hawkgirl. After a superpowered pissing contest, Hawkgirl tests his fighting ability, and she easily kicks his ass.

After a brief discussion over why Hawkgirl was waiting for him in Poland (mystical half-explained mumbo jumbo), the true threat begins to show itself across the globe.



Back to Alan, the Green starts telling him of this new threat, and how it was responsible for the train wreck, and as we learn, Sam's death. This causes Alan to accept this new role in life, and the Green empowers him like promised, along with snazzy new outfit!



Meanwhile, the death seems to keep seeping across the planet, killing off large amounts of small creatures and poor trees. It turns out that the awakening and empowering of Alan Scott as the Green Lantern is what spurred this occurrence into existence, an abstract entity that calls itself the Grey, the opposite of the Green.

As it gathers its own power, it finds a suitable host, one of great strength and the ultimate symbol of the dead. So who better than the one, the only...

Comments

[icon_uk]

So both Flash and Green Lantern get their powers because Superman isn't alive any more? So Wonder Woman (the one actually POWERED by Greek gods) doesn't get a mention?

That said, I like the GL costume even if it is somewhat generic (and I wonder if him being powered by the Green will explain why he can't affect wood... assuming he has that weakness) and Grundy as a force of non-life/corruption works well IMHO.

[darkknightjrk]

"So Wonder Woman (the one actually POWERED by Greek gods) doesn't get a mention?"

Mercury is the one who gives Flash powers, and while I don't recall if he mentions Diana in that sequence, in the first issue he comes to Diana and says that thanks to her the Roman Gods revere humanity and that Mercury had a plan to help them--so you could say that Diana is indirectly responsible for Jay Garrick having powers.

[icon_uk]

Ah thanks for that, I'd forgotten he had visited her.

[darkknightjrk]

I really liked Alan's origin here--the fact that he uses the engagement ring that he was going to give his partner as his ring was very touching.

This new take on Grundy was really interesting--it's like they're using a lot of the Red/Green/Rot stuff going on in Animal Man & Swamp Thing, but with a slightly tweaked mythology.

[needagasmask]

I misread something in that comic, and it actually didn't say anything about it being the life force, per se. But it did say it was the embodiment of Earth's energy. I don't know what difference that makes, but I'm trying to clarify.

[icon_uk]

Using the engagement ring as a focus is indeed a nice touch.

[shadowpsykie]

it makes me a bit less angry about the death.... JUST a bit.. not a lot... that said... i still think he could be Obsidian....


also... anyone else think Grundy belongs ina leather bar :)

[elita_5]

So, basically, DC's Earth 2 is just a parallel version of the Animal Man/Swamp Thing stories. The Green vs the Rot? Life vs. Death?

There a lot of problems with this.

ONE. Making Scott an avatar of the Green is a bad move that shows they don't care about his history. This green flame/Starheart/whatever you choose to call it was never equatable to an "Avatar of life", such as the white lantern stuff was or the Green and Red are in the Swamp Thing and Animal Man titles. But they're equating them. They're saying the flame is the life side of this conflict against decay. It's...a tying together of things that were never remotely connected and need not BE connected.

TWO. Making Grundy an avatar of death/rot/whatever, while logical from the stand point of "dead guy represents decay" . IT DOESN'T ALL NEED TO BE CONNECTED. He can BE a random zombie. He was always JUST a random zombie. Even when they retconned him into being a failed version of Swamp Thing, he still FELT like a random zombie. Not every thing from the same "genre", in this case zombies, needs to be connected to every other thing from that genre.

THREE. Solomon Grundy was a MOBSTER Zombie. This looks like they're just THROWING everything in his story out the window. Zombies are zombies, they can be from the freaking civil war if the story demands it, there's no REASON to modernize a ZOMBIE.

But the worst part of his new costume is how he looks like some sort of stereotype of a bondage enthusiast.

I. Resent. This. As someone who lives a sex positive lifestyle, and has friends and acquaintances who dress in leather, or in corsets, and all these various things that seem to be a STAPLE of villain costumes--even where they don't make sense, such as here--I resent that comics are constantly saying that this type of garment is shorthand for "evil people".

If I chose to dress like that, or my friends did, I wouldn't want to be asked what villain i was cosplaying as!

But the final nail in this books coffin as far as I am concerned is that it's a rehash of the same storyline going on in Swamp Thing and Animal Man. AND IT DOESN'T EVEN TAKE PLACE IN THE SAME REALITY.

I understand that it's basically Earth 2's reflection of the same conflict--a different version of the same primal forces that are in conflict in the other two titles---but why do they need to do that? At the same time? If you're going to tie something into this event, why aren't you tying in something that can full on crossover? Like..Idunno...ANYTHING ON EARTH ONE?

DC is doing a good job of changing the tone of all their books so most of them feel the same, reducing variety in the kind of readers who can enjoy their various titles, and now they're just...reusing a plot that isn't even a year old.

Idunno...this just feels sad to me.

[needagasmask]

Like I said above, I don't know just how much difference it makes, but the Green is the supposed ENERGY of Earth. Not life force. I just quickly re-read and found there was no real reference to it in the comic.

[elita_5]

The problem is that Alan Scott's powers used to come from space magic. They weren't tied to Earth. They're tying him to this, and using the name "The Green" in an attempt to make him feel thematically similar to Swamp Thing. Why do that? Why tie everything together and change the nature of a character's power just to tie him into an event going on in another reality?

The lantern Alan got was, before it was revealed to come from a giant magic starheart (in space), was just a magic lantern that's been around. Like Aladdin, only without the wishes. This...it's just...why change it? There's nothing wrong with it?

If they changed Superman so that they said he wasn't from Krypton, but actually from...idunno...Venus. People would be upset. Just like they were when they changed Wonder Woman's backstory from being made from clay to just being Zeus's daughter. Now they're saying that, instead of getting ahold of a mystical artifact from another world, he's being empowered by the Planet itself? It's a pointless thing to change, just like changing it from "The magic train lantern that Alan uses to recharge" or "The Starheart" or "The Green Flame" into a primal force called "the Green" seems like it's only been done to reference the other "The Green" that powers Swamp Thing...so that they can tie Alan Scott into a conflict that he doesn't need to be tied to to want to fight.

[icon_uk]

But Alan's origins have already changed more times than most to try and make new continuities work, this is a lot closer to the original than anything subsequent.

The "Starheart origin" was shovelled onto his origin post Crisis to explain what it was in a universe that already had a Green Lantern Corps. Originally it was "just" a mysterious meteor and that was all the backstory it got, it was forged into a lantern and burned three times; once for life, once for death and once for power. Alan got the power. Pretty much end of.

The Starheart retcon was something of a messy job, since IIRC it was suddenly the Guardians of the Universe attempting to excise magic from the universe because it annoyed them, and lumping it all into the equivalent of a toxic waste dump. The fact that magic still flourishes in the DCU (and a whole bunch fled to Gemworld etc) suggests that it wasn't the best job they ever did either.

Solomon Grundy being a mobster zombie is also a much later construct, only ever depicted as such in "Brave and the Bold". He was originally a rich and solitary murder victim who was thrown into a swamp by criminals after his money who became a zombie... well, because the swamp had a bad rep for such things. He wasn't even a crook, just a mindless destructive hulk who fell into a life of crime, he was never the brains of any operation he was in.

Not insisting you LIKE this version of things of course, but I don't see this as being that radical a change in the grand scheme of things.

[elita_5]

I'm just saying that Cyrus gold was depicted as being some sort of....thug in his life. They've always been sort of vague about that. I just say "mobster zombie" as a way of painting how he looked. A corpse dude in a suit. I could've easilly said "rich dude zomvbie" or "Suit...jacket...zombie"

I wasn't even aware of the Brave and the Bold episode you're talking about until after I wrote that,when I looked up Solomon Grundy action figures and saw the BatB toy.

I'm aware of how messy the starheart was as a retcon, but it didn't CHANGE anything about his origin. It just clarified it. It told us where that meteor CAME from, without changing anything about the original story. It's like...I had a cupcake. Found it on the counter, then ate it. Then someone tells me that it came from John Doe's Bakery. That doesn't change that I found a cupcake on the counter. It just gives me more information. That''s what the starheart retcon was. Never once was the "magic lantern made from am meteor" changed. Until now. Same with Grundy. He was always murdered in Slaugher Swamp for money, whether it was debts, or blackmail or just a mugging. And you could always tell where he came from by his dress.

Now his dress is random leather straps that make no sense for the character.

[icon_uk]

Cyrus being any sort of a thug part is a retcon though. He was originally an innocent victim.

The leather apron is odd, but as we don't know this Grundy's past it might be relevant, he might have been a blacksmith for all we know. |:)

[elita_5]

I should clarify that I see him as a Mobster Zombie, not a zombie mobster. A zombie mobster is a mobster that rises. A mobster zombie is a zombie that joins the mob. Even though he didn't technically join the mob, he's been the "muscle" in a lot of villain team ups. (I never understood why a zombie joined these groups) That's how I was introduced to him, and I just learned to see him in that way. The muscle in a suit (while torn) translates in my head as "mob guy"

[icon_uk]

Even though he didn't technically join the mob, he's been the "muscle" in a lot of villain team ups. (I never understood why a zombie joined these groups)

They tend to have a certain careless disregard for human safety which appeals to his base and cruel nature I guess.

[sinisterlink]

I like Alan's costume. As for Grundy....yeah. Honestly, the second I scrolled down to his pic I was like, "What is a Cenobite doing in this comic?" Looks like he wandered off the set of a Hellraiser movie. Also don't like how small Grundy is. He's scarier as a big hulking thing. And going back to the costume, I really gotta laugh at how the "skirt" part is ripped up and showing his leg/thigh on the one side. Show off them sexy zombie legs, Grundy.

[needagasmask]

He also looked like he was buried under something on Capitol Hill. This is likely the first time he's been brought back from death.

[grazzt]

Actually, I think if he was freaky enough to pass for a Cenobite it would actually be better. As it is, his look is trying too hard to be subtle or ominous, while not being over-the-top enough to be camp or disturbing.

[darth_cloudo]

*facepalm*
Why
why
WHY can comic book characters never be happy? Why must they always be driven to heroics through angst and loss of family? WHY.

[icon_uk]

It's a story theme as old as stories. Overcoming strife, tragedy and tribulation is seen as being more worthy of praise than those who do the same things, but have not had to overcome any obstacles to achieve it. And it's inspirational, to remind us that though we can be knocked down, we can overcome problems.

I'd say it's a POV that has a certain validity, a rags to riches "I worked my way up from nothing and now I own the factory" story is usually a lot more interesting than "I have done nothing with my life and inherited the factory from my father" as a storyline.

[darth_cloudo]

True, true. My initial bitterness overcame my reason. I was just hoping that there would be some other way to provide growth than killing friends/family.

[aeka]

Not gonna lie, I LOL'd at the idea of Grundy being the '"big bad more threatening" danger that's supposed to make the Apokolips War "look inconsequential." Sam on the other hand...still upset about that, but not surprised since fridging is a specialty of Robinson's. Poor Sam was doomed from the moment he appeared in the comic. Did anyone else feel Alan took his boyfriend's death more calmly than he should have? And more to the point, was anyone else bothered by how quickly he got over the fact that his boyfriend just died as soon as he was told he had a more important role to fulfill?

[icon_uk]

I can see Grundy representing some seriously unpleasant times. Darkseid wanted to conquer and rule (and destroy too, but ruling was the first order of business). Grundy will, presumably exist to lay waste to life.

Darkseid is also an external threat, he can be locked out of Earth and left without a foothold. Grundy represents a natural force from within the Earth, we likely CAN'T get rid of him because he's part of nature.

I suppose we should, at some level, be grateful that Sam didn't BECOME the Grundy, that would have been worse than the fridging.

[kirke_novak]

I've seen people throwing this idea around. The second idea is that he'll become Harlequin.

I want him to become Obsidian; just imagine the uproar! XD

[icon_uk]

I'd heard the Obsidian suggestion, because of the "Come out of the shadows" bit when Sam first appeared, and it still strikes me as the most obvious one to go for. Harlequin would require a bit more motivation since Sam seemed the more serious of the two of them. I can imagine Sam might end up (temporarily at any rate) as some sort of Black Lantern agemt of Grundy or the like...

[shadowpsykie]

yeah that is the same reason i think he WIll become the new Obsidian....

its kinda a tweak on the Previous Obsidian and the Harlequin origin.

[shadowpsykie]

And more to the point, was anyone else bothered by how quickly he got over the fact that his boyfriend just died as soon as he was told he had a more important role to fulfill?

i honestly didn't see that.... the fact he used the engagement ring as his focus "The thing close to his heart" and the fact that he asked the green flame if his first task was to find out who caused the accident "For Sam. And the others" and the fact that he said "For you Sam. Everything is for you" shows me that Sam is still very much in his heart and his thoughts. I still think that the scene with the Green Flame he was a bit under emotional... but it honestly could be just from shock. also the energy that is healing him might also be "blocking" the brunt of the emotional impact... but now that the experience is over and he's left to deal with everything that happened, including Sam's death, the emotions might be coming...

again though... the scene seemed... off...

also side note... there was no body.... we are only taking the green flames word that Sam is Dead.... he could still be alive, or in the Shadow Dimension :D

[kirke_novak]

Isn't Alan shown kneeling next to a body in a bag, talking to it? I assumed that was Sam.

[kirke_novak]

Leave Poland alone!!!!!!
Ehem. What I'm trying to say that Poland is only shown in the context of WW2 or ~OMG ~dying. Can we get something NICE for a change? Like, ONCE.

As for Grundy, when I looked at that panel for the first (and second, third etc) time I thought it's a woman and that she looks like Harley Quinn. The roots make it look like he's got hair.

Haven't read the issue yet but to my utter surprise, just after two issues, this is my fav comic book.

[deepspaceartist]

That's certainly a good GL costume, but I do have to say that it looks like something Kyle would design. Heck, it's even got the GL logo of Kyle's second costume.

[lucky_gamble]

Oh that GL is certainly...form fitting.

[kirke_novak]

Needs a cape, unless Alan wants to join Nighwing and Booster in-- in-- you know what, on the other hand, forget the cape!

[icon_uk]

Damn right....

[gamerguy]

Not a bad costume. Certainly Alan has had worse. I would have preferred something more in line with the original costume simply to make it different from a normal GL variant. The cape would also go a long way towards saying "I'm this world's Superman" :)

Poor Sam. I was so hoping they would, for once, not go down that road. For /once/. But, no.

Poor Grundy. For a microsecond, I thought 'Mrs Grundy' with the leather dress and the unfortunate positioning of the branch behind him.

Is it just me, or...

[captainbellman]

Do the Flash and Green Lantern of Earth 2...kind of resemble the Flash and Green Lantern of Morrison & Quitely's "Earth 2", Johnny Quick and Power Ring?



Not just in the similar speed helmets, but in that they're both "edgy", updated modern versions of the classic heroes. The teeth-gritting and boyfriend-fridging isn't dissuading me in the least.

Re: Is it just me, or...

[big_daddy_d]

I didn't think of that till now...and since you mentioned it..yea they kinda do.

Re: Is it just me, or...

[panthyr]

They aren't bloated, horrible, potato people.

Re: Is it just me, or...

[arbre_rieur]

Where are you getting "edgy" from? Superhero origins have had fridging for almost as long as they've existed, Batman being the most obvious example.

Heck, the train accident that killed Alan's fellow passengers was already in his Golden Age origin. Only in the original story, it was his co-workers who died beside him and had to be avenged.

[big_daddy_d]

New Earth's Green turns you into Swamp Thing. Earth-2's Green makes you a Green Lantern and is also apparently similar to the White Lantern... reminds me a bit of Stan Lee's Green Lantern. Also the Grey is obviously Earth-2's Rot. Did I miss anything?

Added note, I will admit, Alan Scott's costume looks pretty sweet.

[jlbarnett]

Is it just me or has lazy writing been turned on it's head lately? Because it seems to me it used to be lazy not to explain things but now EVERY SINGLE THING has to be tied together. No longer do heroes fight villains because it's the right thing to do, they fight them because the villains only exist because of their existence.

Now onto plot, the Grey cannot be the big bad because the Grey is only reeacting to the Green which is reacting to something else.

[jlroberson]

Interest was there.

Interest now...lost.

I can always depend on James Robinson for that.

[kraesil]

....

Is it just me, or does this origin simply feel... lazy?

And omg. GRUNDY. WHAT. IS. THAT. YOU. ARE. WEARING!