EARTH 2 #0

Don't you just love a tale of times past? They're poignant and always a blast. Take this one for instance. It has no resistance. From the great German composer called, James Last. Or these fine chap's either. Writer: James Robinson; Artist: Tomas Giorello; plus Publisher: DC Comics in October 2012. But I could be mistaken don't you know.

So what’s the STORY morning glory?

I once read a biblical tale about the Great King Solomon, who proposed to chop up a tiny little baby just to keep its wanton parents happy. OK, I am sure you will agree with me when I say that this proposition does sound like a very tough plan to propose, right? But do you know what? It also reminds me of this issue of Earth 2 -- entitled 'A Hero's Tale' -- because the main star of this story likes reading biblical tales. The git.

Imagine if you will; you name is Terry Sloan -- also known as the hero 'Mister 8' -- and six years ago you discovered that for you to be able to save the future, you have to hinder the present.
You know, like put a dent in Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman's plans to save a continent from apocalyptic foul play for example, which will cause a whole lot of strife in the process.
Still, what else are you going to do, huh? Sit in a chair six years later and wait for the continuation of this plan to go ahead?

Yeah! Why not? To be continued...

What is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

I did like the little insight of what the Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman collective were labelled as in the Earth 2 media. Terry Sloan is right you know. 'Ternion' is a word that is defined as 'a company of three'. Like a 'triad' for example. Just without any crime connotations associated with it

What was the BEST thing about this issue?

As much as this might sound rather strange to you, I did like the fact that Terry Sloan has called himself 'Mister 8 -- the eighth wonder of the world', because superficially it does distance this character from the 'Mister Terrific' name.

Well, I am a bit of an old school buff myself. And I wouldn't want this new Terry to tarnish the reputation of the old Terry all that much. Plus now that he's gone all 'Ozymandias' on us, it would be intriguing to find out how he eventually does fall.

What was the WORST thing about this issue?

Although I can understand why this issue was slightly exposition heavy due to the nature of this yarn -- i.e. a first person narrative -- I have to admit that it was a bit too much 'in your face' as a story goes. Coming and going from planning to execution at a drop of a hat.

This is only a small gripe though. Not a biggie.

What was the most CREATIVE thing about this issue?

STORY: Alright, I know that I have stated previously that the one thing I wasn't too keen on was the flimflam nature of this piece -- compiled with a narrative that drifted too and throw like a handkerchief in the wind. However, in hindsight, this is the only thing creative about this story. And I did get a kick out of the bookend-ed confrontation between Batman and Mister 8 too.

So fair's fair, huh?

ART: Tomas Giorello is one great artist. Honest to God, one of the best things about this book was how the cinematic scope of this story really opened up under his direction. Just look at the image provided, and you can tell how much effort he has put into making this yarn much more focused than it truly is. Brilliant.

If you had to CAST TWO CHARACTERS in this comic book, who would they be and why?

MISTER 8: OK, so what hard-nosed actor looks like he knows how to follow through on a very tough decision? What's that you say? A young Jack Nicholson? Yeah. Why not. As long as a woman isn't involved, what could go wrong, huh?

BATMAN: Now what actor looks like he could be duped by a young Jack Nicholson? What? Are you sure a young Warren Beatty would be up to this task? Well, just as long as a woman isn't involved, it should be OK.

If this issue had a MOVIE TAG LINE, what would it be?

Sometimes Harsh Decisions Are Very Harsh To Come By. Just Ask Mister 8 And He'd Tell You Why His Suit Is So Cr*p.

If this issue were a MOVIE, an OBJECT, or a piece of MUSIC, what would that be and why?

I want to say that this issue is like 'women's underwear' again, so I can insert a very provocative YouTube clip by default. But I can't. As this issue is like what I said it was in my summation -- a tale of King Solomon -- just a bit more perverse in its perspective. Here, check this out if you didn't get the aforementioned reference...

FINAL thoughts...

If truth be told, this is far from being the best issue of Earth 2 I've read, and it's far from being the worst issue either. Perhaps? Well, I just wished that it could have been a bit more detailed is all. More than a 'combined re-cap' of stories that we've already seen previously, with a couple of classifications thrown in for good measure.

Still, you can't win them all, can you? And in someway this tale may pave the way for a looming confrontation with 'Earth Nu'?

MARKS out of 10? 8.1