Comic Reviews: Earth-2 #1, Avengers vs. X-Men #3 (and #2 finally!)

Ok, so although I have been waiting anxiously for the Night of the Owls event, DC royally screwed over Alternate Reality Comics near my school and short-changed them on their shipments.

So I'll start out by reviewing the AVX crossover that I missed two weeks ago and its latest installment, but first, let us examine the return of the DC Multiverse!

Earth-2 #1


I was curious how they would handle the Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman characters here since Earth-1 versions already exist. Luckily, the way they handled it made the comparison incredibly easy to summarize. Patrick, do the honors for me!

Thank you. Yes, the entire focus of the first issue is killing off the Trinity of classic heroes in the most epic ways possible.

So for those of you who actively seek the death of DC's heroes in their own books, you got the chance here. And I will say that each death was done amazingly well.

I think Batman's was the best because it was the most selfless and he knew from the start that it was coming. Superman's was next best due to the sheer volume of attackers needed to finish him. And Wonder Woman's, while it was quite possibly the most awesome kill page I've seen, was weakest in that it was basically over-aggression opening her up to a sneak attack

The last of the book sets up the Jay Garrick Flash and Alan Scott Green Lantern. Also, it becomes very clear why the Flash of this world uses the costume he does after seeing this book.

Overall, I loved this issue. It showed the Golden Age heroes being the heroes they always were and the clean art gave this whole book a Golden-Age feel.

I'll admit, part of me was worried about the return of the multiverse. DC just retconned its way out of a lot of its convoluted continuity, and even still it's hard to tell what is canon. Adding multiple earths to the mix could easily add to the problem less than a year into the New 52.

That said, the Justice Society of America seems to have a massive fan base, and I actually am interested in seeing how these incarnations of Flash and Green Lantern (two of my favorite versions of the characters, by the way) develop here.

It's an extra dollar, but given what is in this book, I'd say it's a well-advised investment of time and money.

AVX #2


Sorry for the delay on this one. I actually spaced on it until I picked up the one today.

I enjoyed AVX #2 because of its straightforward, "let's kick each other's asses" mindset and the issue was really just everyone beating each other up.

Additionally, seeing Hope go out on her own at the end sets up the drama of a search nicely.

The problem with this book is that no one seems to be likable. The Avengers are a little less insane right now, but they're all just being ridiculously brutal with each other, and the only people besides Hope who are likable are only that way because they haven't had enough screen time to be jackasses to each other.

This book is good if you plan on seeing the storyline through, and it's serviceable otherwise, but it needed to step up in Issue #3 if it wanted to keep my $3.99.

#3


And lo and behold, they actually stepped up... on the fight scenes and plot anyway.

Besides the fact that this is one of the most epic covers of the year, the storyline finally made use of the fact that Wolverine is really a 'tweener in this fight.

Once again, though, the whole unlikable thing reared its ugly head, as he may be the most deranged of all the characters. I found myself actually liking Captain America more simply because he was holding to a no-kill order while Wolverine was going all League of Assassins on us.

That quickly changed, however, when Cap has his boys gang up on Wolverine and KICK HIM OUT OF A MOVING AIRSHIP. I mean I guess they figured he would survive, but this is a serious problem with Marvel. All of their heroes are capable of being so unlikable by virtue of being so human simultaneously.

The thing is, when you have the ability to kill with your bare hands easier than most humans, actions like this don't make you seem human; they make you seem like a douchebag.

Why should I like anyone in this storyline? Hope is the only one sort of acting alright, and she'll probably end up blowing something up with people on it by the end of it if the Phoenix has its way.

I'm tempted to switch to the VS book so that plot and dialogue don't get in the way of the awesome fight sequences. (By the way, Cap vs. Wolverine is the only thing making this book worth the price.)

That way, I can enjoy what I came to this crossover for and not have to deal with Team Giant Douche vs. Team Turd Sandwich.