Week In Review : Earth 2 #2 + Extermination #1 + Sweet Tooth #34 + Trio #2

Here you go folks, the wrap up on our picks from this weeks new releases!

Today we have a wickedly amazing mixed bag of comics - every single one unquestionably awesome and entertaining. This is maybe the highest scoring total for new releases in one post I'd wager! 

Enjoy!

Earth 2 #2 (DC)

Story : James Robinson

Art : Nicola Scott (pencils), Trevor Scott (inks) & Alex Sinclair/Pete Pantazis (colours)

(Reviewed by Anant Sagar)

Ladies, gentlemen and other species. Welcome back to Earth 2. And boy what a welcome it is!

It’s time for a match between Holt and Sloan. “TERRIFIC?” I thought, as I saw them. So basically Earth-1’s Mr. Terrific (this is the point where you go “oh that’s what terrific meant” ) has landed up on Earth-2 by accident, and right there waiting for him is Terry Sloan. The first Mr. Terrific from Earth-1, plain ol’ smartest man here. There's fighting, Sloan wins, cut to next scene! No that’s not a spoiler.

Picking up from last issue, Jay Garrick meets Mercury. Not Max Mercury – MERCURY like the roman god. And it’s time to power up. This issue is all about the birth of the Flash.

I like and don’t like the costume at the same time. Is that possible?

Also if you didn’t already know, ALAN SCOTT IS GAY! (No it’s not a problem for me, I just felt like writing in caps since it seems to be such big news these days) We catch a glimpse of him with his boyfriend.

So what we do know now is that the heroes are not around. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman have been dead for five years. And now we see members of the Justice Society : Sloan, Garrick and Scott. The big daddy’s of the JSA. S#!t just got interesting.

I like the story, it is gripping, unlike my review. I'll give it...

SCORE : 8 / 10

Extermination #1 (Boom Studios)

Story : Simon Spurrier

Art : Jeffrey Edwards

(Reviewed by Akshay Dhar)

Absolutely-frakkin-awesome!!

In today's world of almost endless comics – especially in this day and age – when at times it feels like almost everything that could have been done with the cape-n-tights titles and concepts had been done, I can't tell you how much I enjoy finding the exception.

This book promises to be that exception.

I've enjoyed many superhero titles and many rehashes but this is an idea that is so simple yet I don't think has ever quite been handled like this (that I've ever seen): the main story concerns one Batman-like superhero named Nox and his nemesis, Red Reaper, who is to me very much like the Lex Luthor from Paul Cornell's epic run on Action Comics. They are both the last survivors of some kind of all-powerful alien race with psychic powers who (as the title suggests) have undertaken an extermination of all life on Earth. And they're doing just fine. Our “heroes” are merely trying to survive – there's no grand plan, no idea who the bad guy is or what the plan is, no team, no survivors to rescue and herd to safety. It's just these two guys who spent years taking on and (clearly) dislike each other – a lot. But each other is all they have to survive as they struggle to make their way toward one of Nox's secret bases in what's left of his city and hope to find supplies or some such.

Spurrier does a bang-up job not only with executing this concept and creating the beginnings of a unique and interesting world and story with this first issue, but he also brings in a lot of character and gravity to his dual-leads – Nox must face a new world where his non-lethal creed and ideals may not apply anymore if he is to keep going and Reaper has his own brand of genius-crazy dealing with the situation in which he (unhappily) seems to have found himself.

At first I wasn't sure about the art, but only a couple of pages in you can tell that Edwards has a nice handle on this story – both in terms of design and style. All characters and environments have a great look to them and the colours used for the aliens and effects is really quite stunning to behold.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone with a thirst for something new!

SCORE : 8.8 / 10

Sweet Tooth #34 (Vertigo)

Story : Jeff Lemire

Art : Jeff Lemire and Nate Powell

(Reviewed by Anubhav Dasgupta)

Writer/Artist Jeff Lemire is an absolute gem. The way he handles the plot, the characters, the suspense is absolutely unparalleled. When he writes, he makes sure he keeps you engaged. In fact, I’m yet to come across anything by him that disappoints.

This is the last issue before we move into the final arc of Sweet Tooth and if this issue is any indication of what’s going to come, I don’t think it’ll end well.

Lemire is brilliant with suspense, but his greatest strength lies in developing characters and defining their relationships, and there’s a ton of the latter in this one. It’s mostly the story of Doug, the guy who ran that Animal/Hybrid farm where Gus was imprisoned back in the early issues, and his brother Johnny, who helped Gus and co. escape. It’s sort of an origin story and it’s very good, very emotional, very moving and quite shocking.

Lemire’s sketchy but beautiful art is perfect for whatever story he writes, and Nate Powell (who handles the flashbacks) is pretty good. His colours and line-work seem like a perfect extension to Lemire’s style.

If you’ve been following Sweet Tooth, you’ll love this issue. If you haven’t, please check it out. This is absolutely masterful work.

SCORE : 9 / 10

Trio #2 (IDW)

Story & Art : John Byrne

(Reviewed by Anirudh Singh)

The more I read this the more I am impressed. Trio is one of those superhero comics you would dismiss for its seemingly generic plot-line. A superhero team similar to the Fantastic Four, protecting a city in another time, another place. But the team of Rock, Paper and Scissors is quite different from what you expect. The comic is fast, pulls no punches and serves up action on the double. The plot has taken an exciting twist with the Trio meeting more than their match against the Merman from the deep. Will the succeed in overcoming this threat to the entire city? Or is the city doomed to fail...?

Exciting stuff really. Keeps you at your toes. Keeps you turning those pages. I like the characters, I like the clever narration. The writing is top notch. The artwork is top notch. The comic feels like something from the Silver Age but the story is updated. John Byrne has done an awesome job with the project. As far as Im concerned everyone ought to read this comic book. And if you haven't read the one that came before, then find it and read it too.

SCORE : 10 / 10