Earth-2 #19 *Spoilers included!*

Earth-2 #19
Writer: Tom Taylor
Penciler: Nicola Scott and Robson Rocha

The Dark Age, Part 3


Going to give some spoiler room here for those whom aren't regular readers of Earth-2.

















- Commencing Spoilers-




The newest arc in the Earth-2 saga continues featuring the revealed Brutale, Superman and his rampage on behalf of Darkseid. As the invading parademons and the furies rampage, the World Army and it's wonders are regrouping. Fate has been injured, and Arrow is holding things together on the ground. Meanwhile,  within the Arkham facility, the impromptu team of the new Batman, the newly awakened female Red Tornado (Lois Lane), Major Sato, Marella the Atlantean Queen,  and the rescued super-brain Jimmy Olsen are scouring the sublevels for the next piece of the puzzle.

The interesting thing with this series aside from a really fresh take on the Golden Age heroes and their World War era continuity is their attention to the really obscure bits of DC lore. And as a long-time comic fan, that detail work is refreshing. Sloan's hidden secret turns out to be another Kryptonian, one from the not-often mentioned island of Vathlo, which isn't referred to quite often, but lurks about in the memories of sharp creators. A dark-skinned subset of Kryptonians, whom remained apart from the main Kryptonian empire, although relations were quite strong between them, eventually immigrating to Kandor prior to the destruction of the planet.

The end half of the issue has our heroes departing in a very typical style, with a teaser of what looks to be a reconstituting Solomon Grundy. Between that, the capture of two of the Earth's brightest,  and Superman's rampage on Washington DC, things are looking even worse for our heroes.

The Round Up

To sum it up, the art is as strong as ever, there's no repeated panels, the dialogue is strong, and the story remains quite engaging. Being this deep in an arc, I must say it's for the best to get some familiarity with the backstory before launching into Earth-2 haphazardly, else you will get lost. That being said, I'm quite excited for where the future will be going for this ongoing. I'm only crossing my fingers that there will be no crossovers with the regular New 52 earth aside from World's Finest with Huntress and Power Girl being a part of that earth. I don't think either's ready for a crossover of those proportions at this time, and would only be detrimental to the development of both Earths.

Recommendation: Pick it up in the trade paperback.

Musings on "The Rock".

It has been revealed, by "The Rock" himself, that he has had a sit down meeting with the powers that be at DC about some upcoming work.  Nothing was actually said as to what said work was going to be.  My thought process went through some ideas and then one jumped out that made complete sense...

.....Amazo.  This is a character that could make a great villain in the often mentioned Justice League movie they tell us WILL be coming out.  For those of you not sure who this is, Amazo is a construct made by a Professor Ivo (Those watching Arrow will notice the Professor Ivo is pretty relevant right now, and did anyone notice his ship's name, yep, AMAZO).  This creation had all of the powers of the Justice League.  How amazing of a movie would this be.  One villain that has all of the powers of the big hitters of the DC Universe.  All of the members would be facing off against themselves, personally, I feel that would be better than another Lex Luthor Real Estate plan.  I know that they have recently announced Bryan Cranston as playing Lex Luthor in the Batman / Superman movie coming out, so have Professor Ivo as one of his countless scientists trying to figure a way to get rid of Superman and the gang.

If you really look at the character as well, you could see The Rock playing this character very well.  He has the look, and can definitely look intimidating as well.  That is my two cents.  Now, what do you think is going to be the outcome of The Rock and his meeting with DC?  Let us know here.

- Great Scott

Geek is Dead: part 1

"Geek culture" has been officially pronounced dead. Sadly, only the devout  have felt the disturbance and will recognize of it's passing into the Gray Wastes. How could this have happened? Who is to blame? Did it happen suddenly or pass from a slow, undiagnosed illness? The writing was on the wall and the final hour has arrived. What were the symptoms and more importantly, is there a cure?

Of course, after reading such a statement, you have the right to ask questions and dispute the proclamation.  You may ask, "Who made you king of the nerds?" Or you may say, "You must be really pretentious and elitist to claim the rights of and ownership of geek culture in order to make such a sweeping claim!"

But before you whip out your sonic screwdriver to prove who's is bigger....hear me out. Let's start with the fact that the term nerd culture even exists. Nerds, geeks and dorks were once words used to identity someone as a social outcast. It reflected someone who was intellectual and outside the mainstream with their interests in fantasy, sci-fi and hobbies. The insulting terms were all interchangeable,  lumped into a generalization that was intended to be derogatory.  But to be fair, we wore those terms like a badge of honor. The difference is that, now we have a "culture" that is not only considered socially acceptable, but it is part of the popular cultural norm....pop and nerd-culture, sharing a symbiotic relationship with the other.

Nowadays, you can enter any mall in America and purchase items that used to only be found at conventions....hats, shirts, mugs, wallets etc and they are all marketed for adults. In fact, the other day I saw a Deadpool t-shirt in men's section Wal-Mart. Deadpool is in Wal-Mart?! Allow that to sink in for a moment. Stores are flooded with products aimed at nerds, geeks and collectors who are not children. Is that a simple case of supply meeting the demand? Of course it is. There was always a demand for it though. But admittedly, the demand has never been so high. I can't tell you how many hipsters I've met who have donned the clothing for fashion with shirts that read "Geek is Chic" and " I Heart Nerds." Long ago, we once wore our nerd logos and crests to identify others of our tribe among the general horde. We took pride in our Spider-Man t-shirt that caused awkward glances, eye rolls and bullying. We suffered the fact we were outcasts for the solace we received when we encountered someone who gave you the head nod....that unspoken, "I'm with you brother. You are not alone." But the clothing and the items shouldn't and truly don't matter to someone who loves something. I love my daughter but I don't wear her image on a hat. That just comes from maturity. Some feel the need to identify themselves and label themselves as a defense mechanism in order to preempt someone doing it for them.

But wait a second, what is exactly the complaint? Doesn't this mean great and wonderful things will be in store for us? Wouldn't this mean the social acceptance of our passions lead to an acceptance of us as people for who we truly are? Doesn't the money machine keep rolling out box office and television hits that have actual quality, with good actors and story-telling? I still don't understand what the problem is.

To many, on the surface, it would appear that the geeks did inherit the Earth. We run the world in every way. But the geek culture is it's own separate entity. We convinced the world that the things we loved so very much, were not only cool, but also, the passions that they evoke are justified. So, is that how the acceptance happened? Is that how our passions became mainstream? The answer is no.

Simply put....We have been invaded. They realized that there was a party and that they were missing out. And like a loud and uninvited drunk they have crashed our party. They have entered our holy land (Comicon), they have distorted the history of our holy texts (comics and graphic novels) and these Skrulls, as I will be referring to them henceforth, have hidden themselves among our own people. Is this a social war? No....not yet. We need to convert them into our ranks. They have taken the first step toward accepting us in some form and now it is time to accept them. Because if we do not convert them, the consequence will be that they stay anyways.

=> Part 2 The Symptoms and The Cure

Aquaman #26

Aquaman #26
Writer: Jeff Parker
Pencilers: Paul Pelletier / Sean Parsons

 “Sea of Storms” begins with the debut of new AQUAMAN writer Jeff Parker! The Earth’s crust is grinding to life, releasing deadly volcanoes and bizarre creatures…so humanity’s first instinct is to blame Atlantis! And as the plates pull apart, the pressures of ruling a kingdom under siege are weighing on Aquaman and Mera as well!

I will be honest and say that I have not been reading Aquaman regularly, and this being the start of a new arc and a new creative team, why not.  Geoff Johns turned the character of Aquaman around and made him a fan favorite quickly with his run of the previous 25 issues.  He fleshed the character out and made it exciting.  Now in this new issue, Arthur and Mera are dealing with the repercussions of what happened just before.  The political climate of Atlantis is not very welcoming to Arthur or Mera and the other leaders resent that he is spending far too much time with the surface world.  With being the start of a new arc, of course you are going to have things thrown at you.  The plates of the world's crust are coming apart, your kingdom is about to revolt against you, oh and there is a gigantic Leviathan attacking Iceland.

Bottom Line

With this being a new creative team, it is going to be different.  The biggest thing that I noticed and bothered me was the sharing of the pencils credit.  I really enjoy Paul Pelletier's artwork, but when they change page to page on this, it is almost jarring at times.  I am not saying that Sean Parsons is not talented, it is just that their styles can be radically different.  And fighting a giant sea creature, I hope that this is not a sign that they have run out of ideas.  Aquaman is still a character I enjoy so I am interested to see where it goes and am anxious for the creative team to get their sea legs as well.

Recommendation:  Borrow It

Deadpool gets married?!

The Informant: News for Jan. 2nd 2014

Deadpool to Wed a Mystery Bride

I am engaged to be married in 2014, but it now appears that so is the Merc with a Mouth. That's right....save the date, because Deadpool is gettin' hitched!
Marvel has announced through teasers  (puzzle pieced wedding photos and invitations) throughout the week. Today, with the puzzle complete, we can see our groom standing next to his bride to be. Her face, however, is still covered. So, let the speculation begin. One thing is for sure - she is biting off more than she can chew and hilarity will follow. Is this a cheap gimmick?  Or, have recent events in Wade's life, the "The Good the Bad and the Ugly" arc, led him to view his life and existence in a new way? Let us know at Sector3 if your thoughts and if you plan to RSVP.

Review: New Avengers #13.IN *WARNING SPOILERS*

Review: New Avengers #13.IN
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art:
Marvel $3.99 Dec. 31st 2013



Unlike it's cover or title would suggest, New Avengers #13.IN deals very little with the Inhumans following the events in the "Infinity" event/crossover. In fact, it is solely concerned with the continued prophecies of the Black Swan. She has been warning the Illuminati of the oncoming destruction that will end their world, basically since this book began.

The Black Swan first appeared way back in New Avengers #1 from another reality of the multiverse and warned them of what happens when multiple earths collapse in on one other. Which, she explains, is what led her to this reality (Earth 616). She fled her reality while destroying it's Earth, thus preventing the destruction of both universes. The Illuminati have kept her their prisoner/guest ever since. They mine her for advice and on instruction on weapons construction in order to combat these incursions. She does aide them throughout the series, but is always vague and dramatic rather than simply give the vital information.

Following the events of "Infinity"- The Black Swan mocks the Illuminati's intergalactic war and victory over the Builders because she claims the real threat is still out there. She then instructs them in building a "Mirror." This mirror is to view and map realities as they fall one by one during these "incursions". So basically, the Illuminati watch realities fall when dimensional earths crash into one another. They plan to use the mirror, because whomever they may meet during an incursion will probably also have one. So, not having one is a disadvantage. Lost yet?

So, in this issue, the Illuminati of Earth-616 use their "mirror" to witness another reality (Earth-20399) that has its own and different team of Illuminati. The Illuminati of that world are being killed during the incursion. This is the first time we have had any emotion context to these other Earths. We are introduced to these new villains who are referred to as the "Black Priests." These Black Priests wipe out, in just a couple of pages, the Earth-20399's Illuminati. And the Illuminati of Earth-616 look on in horror. The design of The Black Priests look amazing, in my opinion.

Also in this issue somewhere, far from his teammates, we see Dr. Strange contemplating making horrible sacrifices in order to gain and amass mystical powers. This is what I found most interesting about this issue, because it seems like being mind-controlled in "Infinity" has really impacted him in a psychological way.

Bottom Line

In the regular Avengers title, there is ALSO a planet being hurled at Earth in the story "Rogue Planet". How is that different than whats happening here you ask? Well, in that title, it seems that someone has found a way to use entire planets like rocks in a catapult. Does Hickman have writers block? What's the deal with planets colliding with Earth for completely different reasons in each of his Avengers titles going on at the same time?

I want to trust Hickman who knocked it out of the park with "Infinity". But this was more work to get through and wasn't fun to read or igniting my imagination whatsoever. I'm going to stick with this title because he has earned my trust but I hope the book becomes more enjoyable and exciting. I know Hickman writes for the holistic and long approach but for now this has been  the weakest issue to date for this series.

Recommendation:  Borrow it

Guardians of the Galaxy #10

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy #10

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Kevin Maguire

Marvel $3.99 Dec. 31st 2013

The plot of this issue is pretty straightforward. Following the events of Infinity, Gamora is out hunting for Thanos and decides that Angela, who craves a hunt, should join her. They travel to a planet enslaved by the Badoon, known allies to Thanos and his forces, to liberate the slaves and track leads to the whereabouts of Thanos. 

The issue can be viewed as a stand alone tale that has ties to larger plots.It primarily focuses on the developing comradery between Gamora and Angela as they liberate the slaves, and take the badoon forces out all by themselves. Angela gets a shocking revelation involving her people and Gamora gets the intel that she set out for. However, the Guardians won't get much time for these plot threads and will be put on the shelf as the Guardians deal with the "Trial of Jean Grey" next issue.

The writing Bendis does for the interactions between the two female leads is very solid and creates an interesting dynamic within the team....They don't ask the boys permission or even inform them of their plans. The warrior women go on the mission and handle it with barely breaking a sweat. Gamora has always been her own woman and the men of the team have always respected that, but now it seems she has a feminine equal to identify with. The art is solid but nothing fantastic. It does it's job of cleanly portraying the battles and scope of the setting but doesn't wow the eyes at any moment.

In short this is one of the more fun Marvel titles out there and this issue tells a complete and interesting story as well as develop a bond between two characters all in a single issue. Bendis continues to deliver on his titles.

Rating: Buy it