All cards on the broken table…..
Tom Taylor is going for a more refined approach towards Year
Two. While Year One was a succession of highs with a rare peaceful moment
thrown in between, this has been the reaction stage as the pieces are being put
in place before the death toll starts and armies clash.
While this may make for dull reading for those expecting
wall-to-wall action ala the Injustice Game, this approach works as it creates a
sense of layers as Superman’s allies and the rebels both take decisive steps
that will shape them into very different people from where they started.
The art has been leaps and bounds better than Year One, as
the expressions and silent moments ring true – from Superman’s contemplating to
Gordon’s helplessness.
SPOILERS FOLLOW………….
Gantlet, Guy Gardner and Hal Jordan meet Superman. As they
are enroute to the watchtower, Superman remembers his first moments that were
Krypton’s last.
It makes an excellent parallel to what is going on right
now, as we know from Man of Steel, Superman the Movie and various origin
stories of Krypton’s death, it was the apathy of the Krypton council that led
to its fall.
Superman, in the twisted way he’s thinking right now,
believes the Earth is suffering from the same situation – and he’s the only one
who can take proactive action to save it.
Gantlet tries to make him understand that he cannot chart
Earth’s destiny and that brings out the Krypton problem – the Guardians did
nothing when it exploded. That leaves an emotional Superman unwilling to relent
and as Gantlet is forced to retreat; Sinestro emerges from the shadows and
again re-affirms his support to a still suspicious Superman.
All the Lanterns are called back from their respective
patrols, with entertaining snapshots as
John Stewart finally raises his head – he’s fighting the undead on Ryut, which
most may remember as Red Lantern Atrocious’ home planet that was devastated by
the Guardians’ malfunctioning first attempt at an universal police force – the
Manhunters.
On Earth, Superman and Lex Luthor unleash the first wave of
the ‘special’ soldiers as a takeover of Gotham
is announced. Gordon decides to bare it all as he contacts Barbara and tells
her he knows about everything – Bruce being Batman, Barbara being Batgirl and
so on. This finally leads to a very solemn moment as Gordon confesses to
Barbara he has lung cancer and Barbara shows him the first counter to Superman
is preparing – the Birds of Prey which include Black Canary, Batwoman, Huntress
and Catwoman.
At Coast
City, Hal says his
goodbye to Carol for the umpteenth time, and not surprisingly Carol doesn’t
take it well. Hal is the focus of this year and his moments reveal the ‘fear
factor’ that has been gnawing at him since Joker destroyed Metropolis.
Guy Gardner is mostly used as a reaction here, and he’s left
on Earth to monitor Superman’s actions. That will go well for Guy, won’t it?
Some stray thoughts. Tomar Re is alive in this universe. He
was the first lantern to welcome Hal to Oa and fell when Sinestro first became
a yellow lantern. If the same relationship between Hal and Tomar is kept, it
will be interesting to see their interactions. John featuring on the cover was
misdirecting. He’s barely in this issue, appearing only near the end.
I’m glad Tom is fleshing out Superman’s motivations this
time around. His latent pain at Krypton’s demise has surfaced after so long,
serving to explain partly why he’s being so hard and ruthless here. Gantlet’s
confession about Krypton doesn’t help.
SPOILERS END…………..
As the pieces are still being placed on the board, Tom’s
approach is more steady than vicious as he explains the different mindsets all
the players are bringing. Alliances are being made and sides are changing.
The art by Redondo is brilliant and above all, consistent – so
long a bane for Year One. I prefer this approach as it shows Tom’s excellent
handling of the main players without having to resort to death every second
page. This will just make the inevitable fall all the more tragic.
So, I give it 9.0 out of 10
+Excellent use of the characters
+Some superlative artwork
+The subtle changes to Superman’s mindset help in explaining
his evolution into a dictator
+Some great emotional beats
-The start may have been a bit too slow for a 12-issue event
(the current year)
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