The good
If you followed Paul Levitz's THE HUNTRESS mini-series like I did, then you probably wondered which version of The Huntress was the star of that series. Was it Helena Wayne or Helena Bertinelli? When it was announced that DC would be launching a "Second Wave" of books focusing on the Earth 2 characters and concepts, most of us assumed that the Huntress in Levitz' book was Helena Wayne -- and we were right. Within the first page of this book Levitz confirms what we already assumed. Helena Wayne had been posing as Helena Bertinelli and using her old passport and identity, thus making Bertinelli's character virtually moot. This wasn't the only big reveal in this issue, however.
If you are planning on picking up this issue and diving into the Earth 2 books, I recommend reading James Robinson's EARTH 2 before you get into this issue. EARTH 2 sets the stage for the story you will be reading here and introduces both Helena Wayne and Karen Starr, the two stars of this series. After a war that left many of Earth 2's heroes dead, Helena Wayne and Karen Starr become displaced and land on Earth Prime. They have no idea where they are and are mourning the loss of their loved ones as well as their feelings of being displaced on a new world that is both similar yet very different from the world they knew. It's an interesting story, and Levitz does a great job writing these two characters' interactions. They lean on one another for support and it feels as if they are close friends, which is nice.
Although a lot has changed, some things remain the same. Karen Starr still owns Starr labs and has recently acquired new technology that may aid in transporting the two girls back to their home: Earth 2. It's an interesting story that Perez is weaving, and he depicts a really fun and entertaining interaction between these two girls. I really enjoyed reading this issue -- it's a lot of fun.
I think one of the things I really found compelling in this issue was Helena's resilience. After losing her father, falling into a worm hole that landed her and Karen Starr on Earth Prime; she still managed to pull Starr out of the water. She still struggled to survive so that she wouldn't "lose her (Karen Starr) too." It's a great moment that really reflects Wayne's character.
I'm not a huge George Perez fan, and although I did like his pencils in this issue, I wasn't crazy about it.
The Bad
I totally understand that comics are supposed to be "unbelievable" but leaving a "black card" on a restaurant table because Karen Starr already "has so many" is just really, really silly. And I still really can't get over how much I am not into Power Girl's new costume. I think she looks ridiculous.
The Verdict
Now, I've never been a huge Helena Bertinelli fan, but I could totally see how by having Helena Wayne pose as Helena Bertinelli could be seen as a slap in the face to Bertinelli fans everywhere. Yeah, we realize that this character appeared in over 580 comic book issues, but we're going to do away with her character anyway. I understand the argument that you don't need both Huntresses and having two characters who are so similar can be confusing, but I kind of liked Bertinelli and her back story, so I am a little bit sad to see her go.