The Positives
Its been one week since we got our first look at Captain Steel and now we find out who he is, how he got his powers and what he can do. Captain Steel (who last week I mistakenly referred to as Commander Steel) was once Hank Heywood Jr., a child with a degenerative bone defect. His father, a mad genius, used cutting-edge science to correct his son’s defects and augment his strength.
Captain Steel is sent to investigate the fire pits that ravage the planet surface. We also learn that after the loss of the wonders, all of earths old heroes, a secret program was founded to create new wonders. This is where the book really grabs my attention as this marks the second mention of, but still no actual sight of, Red Arrow. Also the android Red Tornado is mentioned and shown just as she was in a previous issue, unfinished and on hold. The second half of this story has Hawk-girl fighting giant rat riding, Apokolips armor wearing goons who are yet unnamed. Hawk-girl is still investigating the murder of Alan Scott’s lover’s death. This also marks the second appearance by the new Batman and further proves he has none of the same qualms about taking life.
The last page of this issue has me again wondering what could possibly be in store further down the road. I don’t want to reveal the name dropped by Captain Steel. I will say that it is one we have never seen in any Justice Society book.
The Negative
This is a standard size book that follows last week’s annual size issue. In the limited number of pages they have what feels like the same size story. That sounds like a good thing but this issue just speeds by. It makes you want more for sure, but again this title suffers from having only one book to contain a universe that is expanding by leaps and bounds. James Robinson clearly has a huge story planned but it is already starting to bottleneck. With each issue there is a need to drop names of characters that we may never see. We are one year into this book and we only have one arch completed. It’s as if Earth 2 has stalled at 200 miles per hour.
The Verdict- Â (5/5)
Earth 2 remains one of my favorite titles DC has ever put out. The art work is still fantastic and remains unwavering. Even with this series’ shotgun pace and over abundance of new characters, Earth 2 has so much to offer without ever getting confusing. So far all of the references being made seem to be on their way to fully developed characters. I am looking forward to getting back to Green lantern and Flash, though, as they do not make an appearance in this issue or the annual. It is nice to see Hawk-girl again and get a piece of that story, plus the cameo by the new Batman. Over all, this is again a must-read issue of a must-read series.