Earth 2 #18

Earth 2 #18

Writer: Tom Taylor
Penciller: Nicola Scott
Inker: Trevor Scott
Colorist: Pete Pantazis
Letterer: Dezi Sienty
Cover Artist: Ethan Van Sciver and Hi-Fi

Earth 2 #18 moves on and into some fun territory. On one hand, there’s evil Superman who is unstoppable. On the other hand, there’s evil Batman who is unstoppable. They’re both dressed in red and black with red glowing eyes, but their allegiances seem to be different. Superman is serving Darkseid. Batman appears to be on his own agenda, and while he’s walking on the bad side, he does want to stop Superman. In the end, I suppose it’s all a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.

The issue starts in the rubble of the World Army Arkham Base. It’s been reduced to ruins by Superman. To buy the good guys some time, Flash leads Superman on a merry chase. Writer Tom Taylor sneaks in some humor, but he also dishes out a lot of darkness in this story. The confrontation between Flash and Superman captures both of those spectrums. Meanwhile beneath the wrecked base, Batman gets past Major Sato in order to release a couple super criminals that might be able to help him out.

Without spoiling anything, that’s basically the plot. The details, though, are what make the issue so fun. That’s because Tom Taylor whips up some really good dialog and character interactions. There’s the predicament Commander Khan finds himself in, a certain something that happens to Batman, Flash’s poor choice of confrontation with Superman, and then an awesome parting moment for Batman. Each of these elements add a lot of enjoyment to the comic. Seriously, I don’t want to spoil anything because it’s really worth the surprise.

The art continues to be rock solid and is a good complement to the story. Yet the great storytelling is what really drives this issue. Earth 2 #18 is definitely worth picking up. With things even crazier and more messed up than Injustice: Gods Among Us or Forever Evil, Earth 2 proves to be a strange and intriguing spin on the DC superheroes. I give this issue a five out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.