Earth 2 #26 Review: Superman Versus Superman, With A Twist

For all Superman fans who were upset that the movie Superman Returns featured no punching, you probably won’t like the new Earth 2 Superman, Val-Zod. Val’s a pacifist, see, which means he’d prefer not to fight and definitely doesn’t want to use his super strength on other beings no matter how deserving.

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Still, Val’s arrival on the scene is just what the good guys needed to have a fighting chance in the climactic showdown featured in Earth 2 #26. Tom Taylor and Nicola Scott end “The Kryptonian” arc with a flourish, with the heroes of this alternate world arguably coming together in the most effective way we’ve seen to date. Yes, you’d hope that a world that is in more desperate need of super-powered protectors than the prime DC Earth would be able to learn teamwork in less than 26 issues, but that’s beside the point.

Taylor’s plot twist right before the end helps make some of the developments earlier in “The Kyptonian” arc a little easier to stomach, though there are still a few questions to be answered. It’s not ruining anything to say that the new Superman was able to get through it all without ruining his non-violent stance, but other odds and ends need to be discussed after the …

SPOILER ALERT!

Thanks to some crucial leadership from Batman, we’ve got ourselves some semblance of a team. Green Lantern, Sandman, Flash, Hawkgirl, the World Army, and most crucially, the Queen of Atlantis (can we call her Aquawoman?) are all ready to do their part to close the gateway to Apokalips. They even have a plan to deal with Bedlam, who is mind-controlling Mister Terrific, Terry Sloan and Mister Miracle. The plan works, and the “I can’t believe Bedlam got taken out so easily” factor is balanced out by the “crap, someone probably should have checked to make sure Bedlam is really down for the count” foolishness by the heroes. Let’s call it a wash.

The other big turning point comes in the battle of Supermen, as Val proves able to stand up to the evil Superman’s power while Red Tornado Lois messes with his head. Val gets in his verbal barbs as well.

The agreeable part about the twist is that it’s not actually Superman gone bad, but something akin to an Earth 2 Bizarro — a failed clone, one would think. Why does he start crumbling in his fight with Val? Is it contact with another Kryptonian that undoes his physiology? That part’s never explained, but all’s well that ends without Clark Kent turning murderous.

It’s a rare happy ending to any New 52 DC comic, but particularly for Earth 2, which is fascinating despite its overall grimness and not necessarily because of it. The determined group shot of the heroes is a fitting ending to this part of the story, and Alan Scott, in particular, has made the whole journey from selfish to arrogant to genuinely heroic.

Of course, given that epilogue and what’s coming in the weekly series this fall, we know this relative happiness for the Earth 2 heroes is going to be fleeting.

Favorite moment: That Jay Garrick is such a polite young man. He apologizes to Aquawoman because there’s no “dignified” way to carry her inside the base they’re about to assault at super-speed.

Final thought: Mister Terrific is like the Avengers movie version of Hawkeye: he’s spent more time mind-controlled so far than he has in control of his own faculties.

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