There are a lot of spoilers in this review. You've been warned.
The Good
The third issue of EARTH 2 by James Robinson opens up with a bang -- literally. Last we saw Alan Scott he had just been involved in a major train accident, and in CV's review of EARTH 2 issue #2, we discussed how the result of the accident was important in determining whether or not Sam (Alan Scott's boyfriend) was being used as a plot device. We'll get to that in a little bit. Robinson delivers a lot of action right from the get-go, and he deals with Alan Scott and his induction into the Green Lantern Corps immediately. This scene actually works pretty well, in the sense that the only reason Scott survived was due to the fact that he was saved by the GL force. I think this makes sense being that Scott is the only survivor in the crash, and he looks visibly injured and deformed as a result.
We flash forward to the Flash, (no pun intended). Last issue we got a peek at Hawkgirl, and she makes a rather triumphant return in this issue in her scene with Jay Garrick. What a great set of moments this was. I loved her first appearance in this series, and I think she looks and sounds great so far. She's really strong, confident and her snide remarks are all a little bit witty. Not to mention Nicola Scott does an amazing job depicting her character artistically. It's a great scene and a lot of fun to read the interaction between these two characters.
The Bad
Like I mentioned above, the fact that Sam dies is a pretty big deal, and it almost feels as though Robinson is using his character as a plot device. Like Alan Scott can't be a hero or do heroic things without experiencing some tragedy. The worst is that we only just met Sam, so we didn't really have a chance to get to know him and to really see how he influenced Alan Scott's character. Why did Scott love him so much? I would have really liked to have seen the romance between these two characters fleshed out a little bit more.
The Verdict
I feel a bit conflicted over the scenes where Alan Scott becomes the Green Lantern. I think that he didn't mourn enough -- that was my biggest problem. If I had lost the man I was about to propose to in a horrific accident, I don't know if some green mystical force could deter me from being upset or in pain and conflicted. I don't know, because I haven't lived it. But I do think that scene where the GL force introduces itself to Scott did happen a little bit too quickly, and that did bother me. However, the fact that Scott used the ring he was about to propose to Sam with as his power source -- that part was brilliant. It's a symbol of his love for Sam, and the way it was written, and the dialogue in that moment really made up for the rush through in the previous one. I enjoyed. I thought it was a really touching moment. The following moment where he crouches down and pays tribute to Sam was really beautiful. I really hope that Robinson brings Sam up again and uses flashbacks to show how important he was to Alan Scott. If Scott will really fight in honor of Sam's life and death, then the creative team will have to show the readers exactly that. And that's something that remains to be seen.
I love the fact that Solomon Grundy has returned to the DC Universe. I think he's a great, conflicted and interesting villain when written well, and I really enjoyed the internal dialogue of the character as he rose from the ground. It was really interesting and entertaining to see.
Overall though I think there was more I liked about this issue than didn't like.
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