The end is nigh for the heroes of Earth 2. It’s hard to believe that this weekly series is less than one month before fans will know the fate of their favorite characters. Usually this is the part where the heroes are at their darkest and every single plot line that has been laid down begins to weave into one gigantic finale. It’s all about building momentum and ultimately delivering a satisfying conclusion, which is easier said than done. Without wasting anymore time, let’s take a look at the penultimate month of World’s End!
You know the expression “the shit’s about to hit the fan?” It seems that the writers took this expression to heart, with (as I hoped they would) make all the plot lines converge. The tone has gone from fun superhero action movie with disaster elements, to a Roland Emmerich movie in a flash. The writing team did an amazing job of managing to keep the character’s in the spotlight, with great moments that proves why they are heroes. The writers could have focused on splash pages that would absolutely mean nothing due to not caring about the heroes involved.
So by taking time to make heroes feel real, moments that occur during this month actually feel like they have weight to them. Which all of that applies to with the exception of the seemingly going nowhere Dick Grayson “can’t find his kids” hour. Unless something amazing happens in the final four issues, this “plot line” will be a great disappointment. It’s been nothing but Dick screaming that he needs to find his son, with no advancement of his character, and with a detriment to Ted Kord going forward. If this book was once a month I could possibly forgive this, but seeing it every week since December just wears out its welcome quickly.
I did compare this month’s batch of issue with a Roland Emmerich movie and that’ is true, especially with the dialog. While some story sections (Commander Sato, Mr. Miracle and his team) felt organic, making for a pleasurable reading experience. Other sections (Batman/Huntress and Green Lantern/Avatars) just veered into hooky dialog that feels ripped from the mid 1970s. I don’t have a problem with either dialog styles, but switching back and forth in any given issue.
On the artistic side of things, I have been harsh on Tyler Kirkham in previous issues but here it’s seems like a different artist, or at least an artist with more time. He still has the sketchiness but it’s more controlled and his storytelling has improved immensely. Sadly the coloring for this section of this book just comes off as messy and muddles Kirkham’s pencils. With the exception of Kirkham, the art for World’s End has blended together but for the artist behind the Batman/Huntress storyline had a slight cartoony vibe with stiff character faces. It’s not terrible it’s just a sharp contrast from the other artistic styles.
Earth 2 World’s End #18-21 earns a 3/5