This is an excellent followup to what was a very good first volume. Everything is different in this version of Earth 2, so throw away all of your preconceived notions. The names might be the same (Al Pratt, Jay Garrick, and Alan Scott, among others) but the origins, the powers, the villains, the attitudes are different.
In this second volume, we are introduced once again to Terry Sloan, the self-proclaimed "smartest man on earth," and we find out just why he's so hated. The flashback goes back to the early days of the conflict with Darkseid and Terry, as a costumed hero, has joined Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman, to take out a major stronghold of Darkseid, the generator that is broadcasting the "anti-life" equation which is subjugating so much of the world's population. Sloan has a dimensional viewer that has allowed him to explore alternate universes. In the process, he believes that the tactics they are currently employing, destroying the generator and trying to bring these affected by it back to life again, are futile. Instead, he sabotages Batman's plan and substitutes his own: the total destruction of those cities and those individuals affected by the generator, the deaths of billions.
We then transition to another earth's Mr. Terrific, who has used his own dimensional viewer to gain insight into various matters. What we find, though, is that Sloan has been manipulating him. Mr. Terrific has technology that Sloan needs, so Sloan sends him into a portal that leads directly to Sloan, with the outcome that we briefly saw in the last volume.
With the prelude out of the way, we are introduced once again to our main heroes, as Kendra, Hawkgirl, visits a very depressed Alan Scott, who is still mourning his lost love. Kendra has tracked down his secret identity based on various clues, and tries to persuade Alan that they should be working together, as they did when they took on Grundy. Scott is not convinced and he rejects her offer.
In the meantime, Commander Khan of the World Council is having problems with the Council and with the man it has appointed to be his civilian superior, that very same genocidal Terry Sloan. Khan has his own secrets, though, and he's not going to blindly roll over and submit. He sends his agents, led by Wesley Dodds, to investigate one of Sloan's strongholds, where they discover a now-brainwashed Mr. Terrific, whom they manage to overcome and rescue.
We are next introduced to Steppenwolf, Darkseid's general in the prior war. He survived the destruction of his forces and has been laying low. He's currently in the kingdom of Dherain, whose king has given him safe haven for his own purposes, intending to steal Steppenwolf's technologies and secrets. Steppenwolf has a few surprises, though, including a woman named Fury, the brainwashed daughter of Diana, Wonder Woman, who is totally subservient to him and who takes out the Dherain army as Steppenwolf kills its king and takes over the country, making it clear that this is just the first step towards world domination.
Finally, we are introduced to the main protagonist of this volume, Khalid, an archaeologist/historian, who has become (quite against his will) the new Dr. Fate. The helmet of Nabu has chosen him but it has a sentience of its own and while he wears it, it takes over to a certain extent. In addition, the impact of the helmet is such that when he takes it off, he finds himself practically schizophrenic. In a panic, he has sent the helmet away, to the Tower of Fate, vowing to have nothing to do with it again.
Kendra persuades him that he must take a more active role, that he can't simply abandon his destiny, and she asks him to look in on Jay Garrick. This proves to be fortunate for Jay, since he dropped his cell phone in his initial interaction with Mercury, and that has allowed the World Council forces, led once again by Al Pratt (the Atom), to find him at his mom's place. Jay fights them off but Wesley Dodds has taken his mother hostage and stops him. Fortunately, Khalid is watching and takes a hand, although not in the manner you would expect. Ultimately Khalid, Jay, and his mother are teleported out to a mystical land, the location of the Tower of Fate.
It turns out that they have been summoned to that location by an evil mage, Wotan, who has a long history with the original Dr. Fate, and who wants the power of the helmet of Nabu. Unfortunately for Wotan, he cannot enter the tower, so he needs Khalid and Jay to fetch the helmet, with Jay's mother held as hostage to force them to comply.
In a brief sidebar, we learn that Alan Scott has been trying to determine just who destroyed the train that he had been on and why. To his surprise, he finds that the target may have been his dead lover, Sam, instead of Alan himself. He realizes that he is out of his depth in this, so he finds Hawkgirl and begs for her assistance.
Back at the Tower, Khalid and Jay find that it is not unguarded. Jay pushes Khalid on while he engages the tower's defender. Khalid finds the helmet and finally decides to accept his, well, fate, donning the helmet and becoming this generation's Dr. Fate. Fate takes on Wotan in an epic magical battle, and with the helmet's assistance. You'll have to read the book to find out the outcome but it's a very satisfying ending.
This was an excellent followup to the first volume, with a good mix of action, foreshadowing, multiple plot lines, character growth and interaction, along with fantastic artwork. I can't wait for volume 3.
OR
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Reviews with images
Waaaaay Better Than What I Expected.
Delivery - Days sooner than expected.Book - Nice size, Seal wrapped, Decent weight.Story - Really Good! I could see DC making a movie based on the Earth 2 Series.Overall - 💯💥 Definitely going to get more.
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Volume 2 expands the story beyond the three main supers ...
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