Review: Earth 2: Society Vol. 3: A Whole New World trade paperback (DC Comics)

Dan Abnett’s Earth 2: Society continues to be enjoyable. There’s a certain error that’s plagued the latter iteration of this series that Abnett cleverly fixes in Earth 2: Society Vol. 3: A Whole New World; as well, the epic, rather self-contained, six-issues-and-done of this book reminds of its spiritual predecessor, Geoff Johns' JSA. The next volume is the last volume proper, though if its anything like this one, I’d have happily kept reading.

[Review contains spoilers]

There’s enough going on in Whole New World that I’m hesitant to say this is Earth 2 Batman Dick Grayson’s book, but he’s largely the character most changed in these pages. I do wonder if Abnett devoted the Earth 2: Society annual to him with recognition that both other Earth 2 annuals were Batman-centric. Though to some extent I thought Abnett offered a better argument in the annual for why Dick ought not be this world’s Batman than that he should (Earth 2 Batmen have a tendency to die), the resolution of course is that he embraces the mantle. There’s a hint of Batman Beyond here and the suggestion of a new Dynamic Duo, all of which makes this a fun alt-Earth Batman piece.

The potential Robin to the Earth 2’s Batman, of course, is John Grayson, son of Dick and Barbara. John’s had a rough time of it since his introduction in Earth 2: World’s End both in-story and out; various writers called him Tommy instead, and different stories had him go missing from his parents in different ways, sometimes restored as if the former never happened. I believe World’s End had Dick handing John off to strangers to take care of at least twice, and while the end of that book teased a pending reunion, Society has been coy about John’s whereabouts ever since. (This is a good time to mention the Earth 2 Yolanda Montez character has also been missing since Convergence.)

[See the latest DC trade solicitations.]

Smartly, Abnett turns it all into a plot point, with John indeed having been on his way back to his father before being kidnapped by the Ultra-Humanite. The villain’s “Humanites” team of children tend toward the bland — I’d like to have seen Abnett make these some analogues, and the sooner John can lose his Humanite moniker “Firepattern,” the better — but the surprise of having one of them be Dick’s aged-up son gives it all extra “oomph.” Though Abnett bandies around no bird names (nor “Justice Society,” to answer my question from my review of Earth 2: Society Vol. 2), shots of Batman and Firepattern running toward the light together will look awful familiar for seasoned Bat-fans.

Aspects of Whole New World crackle. Here at the almost end of Society, and in a title where already “no one is safe” has been established, Abnett underscores the power of the Ultra-Humanite’s team with a few choice deaths (remains to be seen if they’ll be undone with the book’s end). The finale is particularly strong, with a classic Arrow/Lantern face-off even as these are the Earth 2 Red Arrow Oliver Queen and Green Lantern Alan Scott. The Ultra-Humanite’s possession of Alan in the final pages makes concrete how much raw power is gathered here — Val-Zod and Power Girl and Green Lantern and Fury — and how easily the fragile structures they’ve built can be destroyed.

It makes up for, for me, a variety of ways in which the seams show in this book. Somewhere between writer, editor, and letterer, no one can keep straight “Earth-2” or “Earth 2,” “Ultra-Humanite” or “Ultrahumanite.” I was disappointed to find this was not “our” Ultra-Humanite but rather one original to Earth 2; the heroes' hand-waving acceptance of this superhuman white gorilla with his brains exposed and the lack of any origin given all seemed too simplistic. After the Ultra-Humanite has defeated the strongest of the Wonders with his strength and mind control, Batman and others seem incongruously to stop him just by hitting him hard. I sure thought Abnett missed an opportunity when he made “Donna” the true identity of the Fury character and not “Lyta” as she’s been historically.

There’s some nice art on Whole New World, including by Federico Dallocchio and Angel Hernandez; Brundo Redondo continues six degrees of Earth 2/Injustice separation. I hoped naively that Tony Harris' presence in the book might foreshadow the introduction of an Earth 2 Starman, but no, it’s just random Tony Harris pages. To my eye, all these particular artists go well together, with a wide-faced consistency among Harris and the others' styles.

I can’t speak to what extent Dan Abnett knew the end was coming after Earth 2: Society Vol. 3: A Whole New World, though it’s certainly interesting to do a Zero Hour-esque fade to white (and presumably a new reality) with a single volume left. Only tertiary characters died for the most part here — Steel, Sandman, Red Arrow — and I’m curious whether that’ll be reversed by Fury’s reality-bending or not. The further question would be why Fury wouldn’t just resurrect the original Earth 2 Wonders — Superman, Batman, and her mother Wonder Woman — and erase the Apokolips war, instead of just smoothing over the current ready-made planet. One more to go.

[Includes original covers]