Earth 2: Society #3. Daniel H. Wilson- Writer, Jorge Jimenez- Artist, Alejandro Sanchez- Colorist.
Is it ironic that in this issue the most relatable character is the Red Tornado/Lois Lane hybrid? In a book that has struggled so far to create something recognizable or relatable for the reader to latch onto, Lois is a big bright shining star in Earth 2: Society #3. She definitely seems the most familiar and her narration in this issue is a recognizable element to the stories of Earth 2 she told in the last 6 months of Worlds’ Finest when it featured the histories of its Superman and Batman.
The book begins where issue #2 ended- Sloan has started the terraforming machine and Batman is too late to stop it. It’s still unclear what the alliances are in the parts of the book that take place 1 year after planetfall. Red Tornado, Power Girl and Val-Zod all show up, but only Kara takes any action. Huntress and Red Arrow still seem to be aligned with Sloan, but it’s not clear why. After PG smashes part of the terraformer, the scene jumps back a year and Lois narrates her story. We learn that her metal body can cry and she instantly becomes relatable. She then drops in on the original Wonders that were featured in the first run of Earth 2– Green Lantern, Flash and Hawkgirl. These moments make the book feel more like Earth 2 as written by James Robinson.
Lois then describes the walls that are in every new city that have pictures of missing loved ones. All over this new Earth 2, families have loved ones who are still missing and pictures are posted on walls in the cities. Lois is able to bring a father back home to his family and it has a healing impact on her. After this wonderful character moment, we are shunted back to the year after planetfall timeline to discover that the terraformer is malfunctioning due to PG’s damage and that Sloan has been assassinated.
The Positive
No doubt Lois’ storyline is the big winner in this issue. This has been the best of the issues of this title so far because of this element. Wilson is clearly capable of writing a good book as this demonstrates.
The Negative
The situation a year after planetfall is still muddled. There’s a traitor and Sloan has been deemed the only one who can save the new Earth 2. I still don’t understand why this is. I don’t understand why Huntress and Red Arrow are supporting him. There’s something about Helena’s father being the mastermind behind the terraformer or the Source Vault, but again- clarity is the issue.
The Verdict
This issue finally hit upon what could drive this book- character. These Wonders all have a story to be told. With more issues like this, Earth 2: Society could quickly launch to the best in the line, however the labyrinthine and stygian plot in the year after planetfall time frame are holding back the title from breaking out. 3 1/2- Nearly 4.
