Writer: James Robinson/Tom Taylor, Artist: Nicola Scott
IANN ROBINSON: Earth 2 exploded on the scene in the New 52 and has yet to let up. James Robinson designed this new world with artist Nicola Scott, and then turned the reins over to Tom Taylor. Between the two of them, Earth 2 is a hidden jewel in the DC crown. When not faced with the trappings of continuity, the world becomes a playground of new ideas. Robinson’s original slants on both the heroes and villains of the DCU were inventive on a level you don’t see in most “Multiple Earth” story arcs. Watching an evil Superman, now a slave for Darkseid, slaughtering millions is epically unsettling. Bringing this world to life is Nicola Scott’s staggering artwork. Scott gets it; she understands the world of comic books perfectly and utilizes her gifts to make Earth 2 sing.
Writer: Simon Spurrier, Artist: Tan Eng Huat.
ANDY HUNSAKER: Legion was always this weird, fringe X-character, and all I knew about him was that he was crazy, powerful, and he caused the Age of Apocalypse by trying to please his daddy Charles Xavier and accidentally killing him instead. Now, thanks to Spurrier’s gift for biting snark and incisive observation, David Haller is damn near my favorite X-character, and insulting him by calling him Legion is akin to calling an epileptic hero “Spasmo.” Haller’s journey to deal with his immensely fractured mindscape, the loss of his parents and a burgeoning relationship with squirrelly precognitive X-girl Blindfold, all while striving to proactively fight for his father’s dream while virulently disagreeing with his “X-Men” method, has been a fascinating outsider’s perspective of the ‘outsider’ superteam. Tan Eng Huat’s art may be an acquired taste, but the detail and imagination in depicting Haller’s internal struggles is truly impressive.
