Who Deserves a Happily-Ever-After? Earth2 Society volume 4 - Life After Death

   

Review:

The DC Comics New-52 Earth 2 reboot comes to its end with this collection. After more than 60 issues across three series, we learn the final fate of Earth 2. And it's ... surprisingly happy an optimistic.

After years of dark, dystopian stories, putting the earth and its Wonders and citizens through multiple wars with Apokolips, the deaths of countless heroes, the global population reduced to a fraction of a percent of its original number, after all that pain and suffering we reach the end. And it's bright, cheery, filled with smiles.

Like a fairy tale or heavenly vision, all is restored. Through the actions of Wonder Woman's daughter Fury, unleashing the mystical powers of the Pandora Casket, old Metropolis, old Earth, it is all back, and filled with all the social and economic and environmental challenges we would expect.

Oh, the path from dystopia to restoration is not smooth. We spend 2+ issues in a world of white panels, with Bruno Redondo giving us his pencils but inker Juan Albarran getting the month off - no need to ink these panels!

Lurking throughout is the Ultra-Humanite, seeking to eliminate the Wonders and control this world the same as he sought for the previous one.

The final chapter is pure Epilogue, as author Dan Abnett gives these heroes, who have been through so much, a chance to breathe, relax, smile, do their hero thing. In many ways it's a clever reversal, taking Earth 2 out if its early twenty-first century dystopia all the way back to the candy-colored optimism of the Golden Age of comics, from whence these character originally came. He leaves this Earth and its heroes ideally set up for unlimited possibilities in DC's future.

For a happy ending and the novelty of page after page of all-white panels, 3.5/5 capes.

Description:

Writer Dan Abnett (AQUAMAN, TITANS) and artists Bruno Redondo (INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US) and Vicente Cifuentes (BATGIRL) bring the story of the Wonders of Earth-2 to a stunning conclusion!

The heroes of Earth-2 have lost their planet twice—first to the forces of Apokolips, and now their newly rebuilt world has fallen thanks to one of their own. To prevent the all-powerful Pandora Casket from falling into the Ultra-Humanite’s hands, the Wonder known as Fury used it herself in an attempt to recreate their original world.

Unfortunately, Fury and a small band of other Wonders have awakened in a ghost of a world…one that appears to have entirely wiped out and replaced Earth-2 and all of its survivors.

But the Wonders are not alone in this ghost world. Something is stalking them…something familiar, and powerful, and with one all-encompassing mission: to kill the Wonders before they can solve the mystery of this strange new world!

Collects: issues #17-22

Authors: Dan Abnett
Artists: Bruno Redondo
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Aug. 15 2017
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401271435
Pages: 136 pages

How Many Pencils? Earth 2 Society volume 3 - A Whole New World

   

Review:

Turnover in a book's creators often feels like a portent of doom - when a series starts jumping from one set of hands to another almost every issue,, the lack of coherence and focus can hasten its collapse, already under way.

This collection fortunately has a stable hand at the keyboard, with Dan Abnett crafting a new and growing challenge that is actively subverting the already unstable structures and institutions of this new Earth 2 society. Increasingly the Ultra-Humanite emerges from the shadows as the brain behind much of the recent turmoil.

However, the art chores seem like a hot potato that no one wants to hold onto long. This is a relatively short collection - four issues and an annual - yet it has 8 different artists handling the pencils and inks. The growing inconsistencies in its visuals mar Abnett's tales. From facial distortions to exaggerated forms, the flow of the narrative across the page is frequently interrupted by a sloppy panel here or a figure there who looks rushed and slapped together.

The end of Alan Scott's great sacrifice - walking away from being Green Lantern to allow the ring to power the planet - comes as no surprise. Despite his best intentions, he is out-foxed by the Ultra-Humanite. As mind-control takes over Green Lantern, it sets up one of the finest sequences of the whole series: Red Arrow facing down the mind-controlled Green Lantern with his godlike powers. Nothing but a bow, some arrows, and a spine-full of courage. In the end, it's the man that matters most.

Also not to be missed is the Annual and its reflections on heroism, family, duty, legacy and more. It's a beautiful parallel tale of Dick Grayson being talked out of retirement as Batman by his lost-and-now-found son John. All mixed together with flashbacks of Huntress going into hand to hand combat with one of Ultra-Humanite's most powerful children.

Some strong stories, gripping tension, and frequent visual letdowns. It's a mixed bag that scores 3 / 5.

Description:

For the first time since their planet was destroyed, the citizens of Earth-2 finally see a path forward. But for some Wonders, it’s not enough. Not when there’s a chance to bring back what they’ve all lost: Earth itself. Fury, the daughter of Wonder Woman, has arrived with an Amazonian artifact called the Pandora Casket, which possesses the power to recreate the Earth that they’ve lost…or destroy the new one that they’re creating.

But the choice of whether or not to use the Pandora Casket might not lie with the Wonders. The Ultra-Humanite wants to create the world in his own image, and he’s engineered an army to take the artifact for him. These super-powered Humanites are strong enough to take on the Wonders

Collects: EARTH 2: SOCIETY #13-16 and EARTH 2: SOCIETY ANNUAL #1

Authors: Dan Abnett
Artists: Angel Hernandez, Federico Dallocchio
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: April 11 2017
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401267971
Pages: 136 pages

Of Peace and Politics - Earth 2 Society volume 2 - Indivisible

   

Review:

The group of crossover-event Convergence-related mini-series from DC Comics occasionally gave glimpses into what life would be like under a dome for a year, and the increase in social chaos that the inevitable shortages would cause. When that planet, Telos, became the new home of the Earth 2 refugees, it had, it turns out, scant natural resources. The budding young city-states slowly realize this, and political wrangling begins in earnest

Led by Green Lantern, can the Wonders play diplomats and keep the peace? As they become increasingly blamed for the current situation, what role do they have in this young new society?

Author Dan Abnett raises some interesting questions and he packs some clever ideas into his narrative. But ultimately this collection feels overly simplistic in its purported stakes. The city-state politics, Green Lantern's miserable failure at diplomacy are a frustrating subplots. Far more interesting is the re-emergence of Fury and the Amazons (and briefly Queen Marella and the Atlanteans)

Jorge Jiminez's are is fun, fluid and dynamic. The battle sequences, postures, hair and faces are reminiscent of Manga. When the art team changes to Federico Dallachio in issue #11, the visuals become simpler, and the colors brighter. That the art team changes again for issue #12 is a sign of the looming end - high turnover among less-established names surely hints at the publisher's struggles with the series.

With a story that meanders between fascinating and simplistic, and the beginning of head-spinning artistic shifts, I score this a mediocre 2.5 out of 5 capes.

Description:

Earth and its greatest champions have never felt so familiar—or so alien—in this alternate take on the DC Universe.

Green Lantern, Superman and a World Army cabinet of “Wonders” have assumed leadership roles in an effort to unite the cities of Earth-2…whether the population of the still-rebuilding world likes it or not.

But the growing sentiment against metahumans may soon prove moot. Earth-2 is a geologically barren world, unable to produce vital natural resources for its newly arrived inhabitants. And the resources that do exist are rapidly dwindling, prompting cities to wage all-out war against each other.

Even as the Wonders struggle to prevent the last of a civilization from renewing its violent history, Batman and his allies take the battle to the mysterious Mist, who profits from the racketeering of power cells steeped in toxic waste. Unfortunately for them, he’s also recruited a Wonder of his own in Hourman. Meanwhile, Hawkgirl may have uncovered Earth-2’s greatest threat: the world-changing intentions of an Amazon race resurrected by Wonder Woman’s daughter, Fury!

Collects: EARTH 2: SOCIETY #8-12

Authors: Dan Abnett
Artists: Jorge Jimenez
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Aug. 30 2016
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401264710
Pages: 128 pages

Homesick Heroes - Earth 2 Society volume 1 - Planetfall

   

Review:

At last, the diminutive label "Earth 2" makes sense to its occupants. Calling anything "number two" diminishes it relative to the prime, the "number one". And since the Silver Age it has always carried overtones of supremacy and superiority with the occupants of Earth-1 - DC's mainstream reality and continuity - relegating their Golden Age forebears and counterparts to second-class heroes.

But just as we are learning to change our language away from, for example, saying Columbus "discovered" the Americas (one cannot discover a land already filled by other nations), so DC has finally given Earth 2 a proper meaning. It is now "Earth 2.0" a reboot of the original, and not defined by the self-referential "discoverers"

Now, finally, the residents of Earth 2 occupy a new Earth. They can proudly apply the label to this new planet in their own context. It is a brilliant evolution, emerging from the DC Comics Convergence crossover extravaganza. They are now no longer the discovered, but rather the literal colonizers, putting their energy toward settling their new planet, building cities, societies and new lives.

It beggars belief, the things they were able to build within a year of Planetfall. Even with a handful of Wonders, and with scavenging from the wrecks of their space-going Arks, to have such apparently well-established civilizations is an immediate annoyance. Superpowers can do amazing things, but bend the rules of physics? Concrete takes time to cure, welds to cool, iron to set. These would pose real limits to their ability to build such amazing cities in such a short time. But let's suspend belief enough to accept how shockingly far this society has come in just a year after crash-landing in wrecks scattered around the planet.

Daniel H Wilson's tale brings our heroes (Superman, Power Girl, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Red Tornado, Huntress) into conflict with both the brilliant megalomaniac Terry Sloan and Doctor Impossible. Jimmy Olsen, reimagined as a brilliant early-teens hacker, has now been transformed into a superpowered anarchy-minded villain. Both Sloan and Impossible wish to remake the earth under their own vision and control.

The tale moves at a brisk pace, as Wilson tries to fit many scattered plotlines into his limited space. Jorge Jimenez and Alisson Borges' art leans toward dark tones and images, working somewhat against the mood of hope at the new start, and of relief of their very survival. Their stylized characters strike Manga-esque poses, minus the big eyes, and their body poses, spiked hair and narrow, pointed chins and combat poses evoke such influences repeatedly.

Overall this is a promising new start for the very beleaguered citizens and heroes of Earth-2, now justly considered Earth-2.0. Looking forward to more, I score this 3.5 capes out of 5.

Description:

Continuing the saga that began in EARTH 2, writer Daniel H. Wilson (EARTH 2: WORLD'S END) and artists Jorge Jimenez (SUPERBOY) and Alisson Borges (LOBO) start civilization from scratch in EARTH 2: SOCIETY VOL. 1: PLANETFALL!

A year has passed since Earth-2 was destroyed by the armies of Apokolips. The survivors of the catastrophic tragedy have now made planetfall on a new world, and, with the help of heroes old and new, built a home.

But some threats can survive even Apokolips. New super-villains have arisen to capitalize on the confusion, even as heroes like Batman, Power Girl, Superman, Green Lantern and The Flash struggle to find their place on an unfamiliar world.

And unknown to all, Terry Sloan has developed technology with the power to change everything. Some will want to use his Genesis Machine to re-make this planet into an exact copy of the Earth they left behind; others, to build a brand new society, free from the mistakes of the past. Who wins this debate will determine the course of a civilization, but one thing is certain: in the wrong hands, this device has the power to destroy the last hope of a people who thought they'd already lost everything.

Collects: issues #1-7 and DC SNEAK PEEK: EARTH 2: SOCIETY #1

Authors: Daniel Wilson
Artists: Jorge Jimenez, Alisson Borges
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: March 15 2016
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 9781401261238
Pages: 170 pages

Vaguely Unsatisfying - Y: The Last Man volume 10 - Whys and Wherefores

   

Review:

2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the start of Y: The Last Man, a stunning and ground-breaking science fiction comic series with nary a cape-wearing super-powered hero or villain to be found. Instead, it contained classical allusions, contemporary pop culture references, depths of character and relationship dramas, and plenty of action sequences, all framed in a speculative fiction world of what might happen, both locally and globally, if all the men (save one) died suddenly.

This re-reading and series of reviews wanted to explore how well the series aged, as it turned 20. After two decades, including such an earth-shaking event as a global pandemic, would this seem prescient? laughable? naive? My first time through, I found the conclusion and the explanation of the plague causing the gendercide to match Yorick's own assessment: "vaguely unsatisfying". Maybe it is the influence of already knowing the ending, but this 20th Anniversary rereading felt more, well, satisfying overall.

In this final volume, all roads converge on Paris, France. Yorick and 355; all the many Beths; Alter and her squad of soldiers. And amazingly, against all odds and after 5 years and tens of thousands of miles, Yorick and Beth Deville are reunited at last! Their reunion sex is great! Their ensuing pillow-talk not so much. They've passed each other, philosophically, and his desperate search for his beloved turns sour as they debate the power and meaning of the very dreams that have sustained them both. This sequence is a long, uninterrupted dialog, yet in the hands of master storyteller Brian K. Vaughan and his Master of Visuals Pia Guerra, these pages are gripping, beautiful, intense and intimate.

Competing for biggest emotional wallop are the multiple goodbyes. Especially touching is 355 melting away as the reunion with Beth approaches. When they both realize their love, Yorick and 355 seem on the verge of crafting a new direction and a new life, which the final confrontation with Alter brings to a shocking end. A scene that is breath-taking in its clean simplicity. After all the previous miraculous survivals, this seems too easy, too quick, almost out of character. Until we reach Yorick's heart-breaking resignation: "Enough" he says and walks away.

The series ends with an Epilogue set 60 years in the future. It is a more promising and hopeful future. The women of the world have rebuilt society, technological progress has spiked, society has flourished. My original impression of the Epilogue, on first reading some years ago, dismissed it as an anticlimactic letdown - after so much drama and high adventure, its sleepy pace seemed out of character for the rest of the series. I must revise that opinion on rereading it as part of this 20th anniversary review. It exchanges edge-of-your-seat drama, conflict and tension for calm conversation and exposition, interwoven with beautiful and heart-rending flashbacks into the post-Paris lives of our beloved characters. The death of Ampersand is especially moving. And the final sequence, of octogenarian Yorick's escape from his family's loving confinement is, in retrospect, a perfect cap to an amazing series.

In sum, 20 years later, the assumptions of how much of the world would fall apart minus the men is balanced by the portraits of resiliency, strength and creativity of the women. More than survivors, they become architects of the next great civilization.

This daring, moving, ultimately satisfying finale, with its simple layouts that perfectly frame visually the mood and offer subtle illustrations and metaphors to work hand-in-hand with the narrative, earns another 5 capes.

Read all 10 reviews of Y: The Last Man here: Volume 1 Unmanned; Volume 2 Cycles; Volume 3 One Small Step; Volume 4 Safeword; Volume 5 Ring of Truth; Volume 6 Girl on Girl; Volume 7 Paper Dolls; Volume 8 Kimono Dragons; Volume 9 Motherland; Volume 10 Whys and Wherefores.

Description:

Featured in THE NEW YORK TIMES and on NPR, Y: THE LAST MAN is the gripping saga of Yorick Brown, an unemployed and unmotivated slacker who discovers he is the only male left in the world after a plague of unknown origin instantly kills every mammal with a Y chromosome. Accompanied by his mischievous monkey, Ampersand, and the mysterious Agent 355, Yorick embarks on a transcontinental journey to find his long-lost girlfriend and discover why he is the last man on earth.

Yorick Brown's long journey through an Earth populated only by women comes to a dramatic, unexpected conclusion in this final volume. Collects issues #55-60 of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra's award-winning Vertigo series.

Collects: issues #55-60

Authors: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Pia Guerra, Jose Marzan
Published By: Vertigo 
Published When: July 1 2008
Parental Rating: Mature
ISBN: 9781401218133
Pages: 168 pages

A Fractured Kaleidoscope: Review of Earth 2 Volume 6 - Collision

   

Review:

The New-52 series Earth 2, a critically acclaimed reboot of this corner of the DC Multiverse in its early issues, staggers and crawls to its demise in this volume.

From the start, the series tried to do too much. With too many characters, spread over too many settings, with too many competing plot directions, it was always a struggle to tell coherent and compelling tales. The novelty and strong characters and relationships, coupled with stunning art, succeeded for a time. But not anymore.

The stories in this volume are reduced to episodic jumps from one slice of Earth 2 life to another. We find origin tales of the Furies of Apokolips, followed by those of the Earth elemental powers and their champions; then death and destruction in Chicago; and last stands around the world. The singular unifying theme is the death and destruction of Earth 2 in a final victory for Apokolips.

Hence the large number of writers and artists in these tales, each filling a quarter or a half an issue with their little vignette. Missing from this collection are all the in-between bits found in Earth 2 World's End, where even more of the same death and destruction happens.

There are still occasional glints of gold. The best examples include Khalid / Fate and Kendra / Hawkgirl sharing a touching moment; Thomas Wayne / Batman and granddaughter Helena / Huntress with their running generational family dysfunction; and an African American version of Harley Quinn.

The Earth 2 Universe has so much potential, and so much creativity and clever takes on familiar characters. But the authors have written themselves into a tragic corner, and this series ends with a fizzle, to be re-rebooted in Earth 2 Society. One and a half capes out of five.

Description:

Cataclysm has come to Earth-2. The forces of Darkseid, which were thought to have been repelled years ago, have struck back with a vengeance. Apokolips itself is attacking the Earth, with Darkseid’s Furies leading the charge of destruction. This may be humanity’s final hour.

But Earth-2 is not without its defenders. There are the heroes, like Huntress, Power Girl and Batman. There are the soldiers of the World Army. There’s Green Lantern and his fellow Avatars of the Earth, wielding the power of the planet’s plant life, animal life and even the air and water.

But it’s Doctor Fate, the powerful but inexperienced sorcerer, who alone may have the ability to repel Apokolips and save the planet. Empowered by the Helm of the ancient wizard Nabu, Doctor Fate could turn the tide against Apokolips…or, if the Helm were to fall into the hands of Darkseid’s servants, Fate could be handing absolute power and total victory to Earth’s enemies!

Collects: Earth 2 (New 52) issues #27-32

Authors: Marguerite Bennett, Daniel Wilson Tom Taylor, Mike Johnsons
Artists: Andy Smith, Trevor Scott, 10 others
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Feb. 14 2017
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401272616
Pages: 168 pages

Superman of War and Peace: Review of Earth 2 Volume 5 - The Kryptonian

   

Review:

Tom Taylor, of Injustice fame, spins another tale of Superman as a super-powered despotic tyrant. In this collection of Earth 2 chapters, plot threads that once were scattered with only the loosest of connections have been woven into a more coherent picture, one that is dark, grim and rapidly worsening under Superman's mighty thumb.

The strength of Taylor's storytelling is in the relationships and complex, nuanced characters. They show us their ability to hate one another on one page, then courageously risk their lives for their frenemy in the next. Even the villainous Superman has hints of depth and humanity beneath his near-omnipotent power and unstoppable rage.

Alternate realities such as this New-52 Earth 2 give creators lots of room to experiment, and DC's multiverse has a long history of fostering such imaginative alternate tales. One of the cleverest twists here has Red Tornado in female form and with Lois Lane's mind. This takes some getting used to for the reader, though apparently not for Superman, who grasps it in seconds. Likewise turning Jimmy Olsen into a 13-year-old tech hacker flips familiar characters into exciting new roles.

In this story, Superman has become a loyal servant of Darkseid, and works to destroy the World Army and other Wonders, with great prejudice and gory violence. He is also compelling the world's greatest brains to build a planet-sized Boom Tube, to take the whole planet Earth back to Apokolips.

The secret weapon of the good guys is Val-Zod, another Kryptonian. Alas, with his embrace of pacifism, can he truly confront Superman and save them all?

When the visuals are in the hands of Nicola Scott, she continues to deliver jaw-dropping panels and clever sequences. In this collection, she shares art duties with others, whose more constrained style serves to help Scott's stand out all the more.

Description:

Superman is the most powerful being in the universe. And for once, that's not a good thing.

The Last Son of Krypton is now an enforcer of Darkseid, the evil despot who will stop at nothing to take over Earth 2. However, there is one man who can stop them and that's...Superman?

A new Superman--named Val-Zod--has appeared and the heroes of Earth 2 must convince him to help them in their darkest hour in one last desperate attempt to stop Kal-El. Can they band together in time to prepare for Apokolips and the forces of Darkseid? And can Val-Zod become the hero they need him to be?

Collects: Earth 2 (New 52) #21-26 and Earth 2: Futures End #1

Authors: Tom Taylor
Artists: Nicola Scott, Scott Trevor
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Dec 1 2015
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401257576
Pages: 176 pages

Enter the Bat - Maybe? a Review of Earth 2 volume 3 - Battle Cry

   

Review:

Is James Robinson's Earth 2 tapestry a complex weaving of plot threads? or a frayed and tangled mess? Volume 2 suffered from an ever-widening scope of Earth 2 stories competing for attention, and likewise this collection has so many scattered plotlines and characters doing their own independent things that it feels too big for a single series. Either Earth 2 needs a second series to give the characters more room to breathe, or Robinson needs to tighten his focus. As it stands, they compete and crowd each other out, and the rich characterizations of the earliest issues get compressed into disconnected vignettes.

Including sightings of a mysterious, reborn Batman. Hawkgirl has a brief conversation with him. Mister Miracle and Barda hunt for him. But despite his prominent place on the cover, these tiny glimpses are all that get fit into these 160 pages.

Still, Robinson has so many clever ideas, and they are so beautifully brought to life in Nicola Scott's images, that the series merits sticking around a little longer.

Nicola Scott is an amazing comic artist. She shows mastery of her craft page after page. All elements work together: from layouts to structure to innovative perspective shifts, her visuals have always been and remain the strongest point of this series. Jay Garrick's growing maturity is as evident in the art as the narrative. Ditto for Alan Scott's intensity, and Khalid / Doctor Fate's ongoing mental health struggles. These are challenging character traits to illustrate, stretching beyond the brawn and beauty stereotypes of the superhero genre. Yet they are as superbly handled by Scott as the epic battles of armies and Wonders.

As with all my previous Earth 2 reviews, this scores 3 capes out of 5 for its mix of astounding visuals and confusing, over-extended narrative.

Description:

The wonders of Earth 2, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Flash, Atom Smasher, The Sandman, Mr. Terrific and Dr. Fate, take on the forces of Steppenwolf and the Hunger Dogs of Apokolips when all hope is lost. Now a new Batman enters the fray, but is he enough to turn the tide and prevent Darkseid from taking control of Earth 2?

Acclaimed creative team James Robinson (STARMAN) and Nicola Scott (SUPERMAN) enlist the heroes of an alternate Earth in their greatest battle yet in EARTH 2: WAR!

Collects: Earth 2 (New 52) #13-16 plus #15.1 and Annual #1

Authors: James Robinson
Artists: Nicola Scott & Trevor Scott
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Oct. 14 2014
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401249380
Pages: 160 pages

Walking in Escher's World: Review of Earth 2 Volume 2 - the Tower of Fate

   

Review:

The sense of confusion and disorientation one feels in M. C. Escher's optical illusions hits us both figuratively and literally in this second volume of the New-52-era Earth 2 series. The story within the collection is somewhat disorienting, as it imperfectly stitches together issues #7-12, plus issue #0 and an excerpt from DC Universe Presents. It's a big Earth-2, with a lot going on, which leaves too much to cover, and therefore too much is left out.

Then artist Nicola Scott drops us into a literal visual riff on Escher's staircase illusion. As Flash and Khalid wander through the Tower of Fate, seeking the fabled golden helm, the two-page spread of their meanderings is the absolute pinnacle of another great set of artistic work. Scott's tremendous visuals are the highlight of this collection. Page after page is resplendent with dynamic scenes of action, detailed and crammed full of stunning expressions and postures. So vivid and amazing! Beyond the stunning work inside the Tower of Fate, her visuals of the mystical battles between Fate and Wotan show a deft touch and care in the tiniest of details. The patterns and swirls of magic power trace back to subtle symbols and tiny gestures. Well worth lingering over each character and panel!

James Robinson's story brings the realm of magic more fully into this new Earth 2. It has been there all along, as acknowledged in a nod to Flash's new, magic costume. But the size and scope of the plotlines, stories, indeed the whole earth, feels like a struggle in this collection. Too many good ideas, too many interesting characters to fit into one book, and Robinson keeps losing some of the threads for extended periods of time.

For its mix of top-notch art and scattered story-telling, I give this 3 capes out of 5

Description:

The World Army has begun rounding up the super-heros of Earth 2, but for what reason?  In an attempt to avoid capture, Dr. Fate and Kid Flash find themselves in the powerful magical realm of Nabu.  The protector of Nabu, Wotan, seeks Dr. Fates assistance in obtaining a secret magic locked deep within a tower that only Dr. Fate can enter.

Collects: Earth 2 issues #0, 7-12

Authors: James Robinson
Artists: Nicola Scott, Yildaray Cinar
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: April 15 2014
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 9781401246143
Pages: 176 pages