WELCOME TO EARTH-2 TEASER RELEASED

[MattBrady]

After teases aplenty, Geoff Johns has released the following image for this summer's JSA Annual #1, "Welcome to Earth-2." The image, by Alex Ross features the Earth-2 versions of many characters, including Robin and Huntress (who, classically in Earth-2 genealogy was the daughter of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle) as well as Lyta and Hector Hall from the original Infinity, Inc.

Click on the image for a larger version.



Welcome to Earth-2
Teaser Analysis by Troy Brownfield

The teaser for the forthcoming Justice Society of America Annual arrived, and it’s big. The Alex Ross art showcases some very familiar faces to long-time readers of the DCU. For some of the newer readers, though, they may not catch the significance of some of the cameos. Let’s do a quick run-down:

First: Earth-2. What?: Even the newest readers know about the DC Multiverse. At one point, there were many, many parallel worlds. Earth-1 was the DCU mainstream prior to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths; Earth-2 was the world that was the home to the Justice Society of America and Infinity Inc. (mostly comprised of their children and wards). After Crisis, five Earths and their universes (1, 2, X, S, and 4) merged to become one consistent DC continuity. (I ran through much of the JSAs history and the notions of alternate Earths here. After the events of 52, the Multiverse is again divided; one of the worlds, apparently, is again Earth-2.

Power Girl is significant here because of her complicated history. In fact, I once did a lengthy bit of coverage on it here
Essentially, Power Girl was Earth-2 Superman’s cousin, and lived on Earth-2 prior to the merge. Post-Crisis, it was deemed that Superman would be the only Kryptonian, and much was done to give Power Girl a different origin. By the time Infinite Crisis rolled around, Geoff Johns and the gang, knowing that the Multiverse was coming back, simply decided to reveal that she was still good ole’ Power Girl from Earth-2. As Denny Green might say, “She are who we thought she were!”

Extreme Top Right: Just behind the “Johns”, we see Hawkgirl. Granted, at that point, the blurring effect of the image’s edge comes into play, and we can’t see if that’s the present, “New Earth” Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) or the original Earth-2 Hawkgirl. Considering that the only “New Earth” character in the foreground is Power Girl, we’ll guess that it’s the classic Earth-2 Hawkgirl. The original Hawks were reincarnated from an Egyptian prince and princess, fated to live through their tragic love story throughout history.

Extreme Top Middle: The winged fellow there is Northwind. One of the founders of the original Infinity Inc., Northwind was the son of a human father and a mother from a race of bird-like people that Hawkman and Hawkgirl had befriended. Northwind was close to the Hawks and had a bit of siblingesque rivalry with their son, Hector Hall. On “New Earth”, Norda (his real name) has undergone a mutation to take on a more Hawkish appearance, perhaps suggesting the Hawkgod who appears in Kingdom Come.

In Mid-Air, left to right: They are, as follows: the original Dr. Fate, Kent Nelson; the original Starman, Ted Knight; an elderly (?) Johnny Thunder and the original Thunderbolt of Johnny Thunder; and the original Hawkman, Carter Hall (wearing the cowl that he adopted later).

Johnny Thunder is a bit incongruous. He was still somewhat vital by that point (witness JLA #219-220 and Crisis); I'm curious to see why he would appear aged.

Standing, left to right: We’ll come back to some of these. Here, we find: Fury II, Lyta Trevor-Hall; apparently the original Wildcat, Ted Grant; the Silver Scarab, Hector Hall; the adult Robin of Earth-2, Dick Grayson; Nuklon, Albert Rothstein; Power Girl; the Huntress of Earth-2, Helena Wayne; Dr. Midnight (Beth Chapel of Infinity Inc; yes, she spelled it differently); and the original Atom, Al Pratt, in his second outfit.

Okay, deep breath . . . It’s important to remember at this point that these aren’t all necessarily the characters that we knew as the Earth-2 heroes back in the day. Many of those heroes have aged or changed identities or died on post-Crisis or “New” Earth. However, they do appear to be a revitalization of the characters as they appeared on Earth-2 in the DCU circa 1985.

That notion is further supported by certain pieces of visual evidence: Hector is Silver Scarab and not Dr. Fate III; Dr. Midnight is still alive (she was killed by Eclipso in his series in the early ‘90s); Starman and the Atom are still alive (having died in the James Robinson Starman series and Zero Hour respectively); Nuklon has his original appearance and mask (he later become Atom-Smasher); and so forth.

The question then becomes: what will the JSA of the present DCU do when confronted with these past versions of themselves, their children, or friends long dead?

Update: Sharp-eyed reader (and artist in his own right) Claudio Pozas noticed the following at the edges of the image:

"Good rundown, Troy, but you forgot to mention:
- The original Star-Spangled Kid (later known as Skyman). It is his arm framing the left side of the picture, covered in stars.

- The glowing bright green hand seen just next to Hawkman's head (belonging to Jade, Alan Scott's daughter)

- The background is a bit weird, being dark in parts and light in others. I *think* it is The Spectre, standing gigantically behind them all, his body turned to the left, and the dark parts are his cape (you can see what seems to be his collar just above the word "Geoff")."

Thanks, Claudio!

[Matticus]

Man oh man, I can't wait!

[coolmvm]

Aww, yeah.

Let the fun begin again.


Although I must say that DC a little late with the Earth-2 stuff, thanks Marvel comics and it's MC-2 universe.

[Tekkamansol]

wow alex ross sure like hitting up old school ideas

[Baka baka]

I can't wait. It will be interesting to see how this plays into the fact that Earth-2 supposedly never came back with the rest of the Multiverse. Unless it was saved for this moment.

[kofijamal]

Whoa. This could be really cool. Back in the eighties I use to really like the All-Star Squad and the teen WW2 group book, name escape me right now. A new All-Star Squadron book done well, could get me back into the comic book shop!

[shadow-ray]

Wow. It looks like the real Infinity Inc. is returning.

[Wonder Boy]

Looks like a certain Kryptonian woman is heading back home.

[RoiVampire]

is it just me or is that picture way too bright

[Ace]

This doesn't do a thing for me.

I love Roy Thomas' Marvel work.

I love all post Zero Hour uses of DC's Golden Age including Starman and JSA.

I can't read Thomas' DC work. I just can't.

On the other hand, I'm glad that this will make a lot of people happy, even if it doesn't do much for me.

[Michael D.]

What's Cyclops doing there in the lower right corner? Is it a confused Skrull?

[Omac1985]

Although I must say that DC a little late with the Earth-2 stuff, thanks Marvel comics and it's MC-2 universe


What???? dude DC invented Earth 2 long before Marvel even thought of it

[SeamusMcClernan]

Originally Posted by coolmvm

Although I must say that DC a little late with the Earth-2 stuff, thanks Marvel comics and it's MC-2 universe.

That's GOTTA be a joke.

[superboy072]

Originally Posted by coolmvm

Although I must say that DC a little late with the Earth-2 stuff, thanks Marvel comics and it's MC-2 universe.

...Um. Someone needs to wiki "Earth-2."

[JeffCapo]

Whoo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jza1218]

Originally Posted by Tekkamansol

wow alex ross sure like hitting up old school ideas

You just realized this now?

[sjhughes]

The teen WW II book was Young All Stars

[JJ Fresh]

Might be an interesting ride, but I get the feeling that "Final Crisis" will wipe out the multiverse again (because what's a crisis without taking it away or bringing it back again?).

[holtom2000]

as opposed to how DC RUINED the rest of the multiverse by using it as cannon fodder for the terrible Countdown series, this looks good. And that's the way the multiverse worked in the past. You only went there once a year in the JLofA. And you didn't destroy whole planets in one issue just because.
Even series centred on Earth 2 didn't flop around the multiverse every issue - they centred on the earth they were on.

[Punchy]

Biggest MEH in the history of the world, I can't even bring myself to hate on silver-age nostalgia anymore, so prevalent is it.

But Jerry Ordway's work should look good, his Brave and The Bold art has been the best I've seen from him since the 1980s.

[Blackbeard]

Outstanding! I'm really looking forward to this.

[outride]

Originally Posted by Ace

This doesn't do a thing for me.

I love Roy Thomas' Marvel work.

I love all post Zero Hour uses of DC's Golden Age including Starman and JSA.

I can't read Thomas' DC work. I just can't.

On the other hand, I'm glad that this will make a lot of people happy, even if it doesn't do much for me.

Roy Thomas? I thought this was going to be written by Geoff Johns.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by outride

Roy Thomas? I thought this was going to be written by Geoff Johns.

It is. But it's set firmly in the world that Roy Thomas built, being Infinity Inc, All Star Squadron, and Young All Stars, which is something I've NEVER been able to get into.

I assume that these aren't going to be the Golden Age/Starman/JSA characterizations for the Earth-2 characters.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by outride

Roy Thomas? I thought this was going to be written by Geoff Johns.

It is. But it's set firmly in the world that Roy Thomas built, being Infinity Inc, All Star Squadron, and Young All Stars, which is something I've NEVER been able to get into.

I assume that these aren't going to be the Golden Age/Starman/JSA characterizations for the Earth-2 characters.

[Amoebas]

Originally Posted by coolmvm

Although I must say that DC a little late with the Earth-2 stuff, thanks Marvel comics and it's MC-2 universe.

Best laugh of the week so far!

Very cool!

Earth 2 looks just as I remember it. I just hope that that is McNider as Mid-Nite and not Roy's female version (if it is her I hope Eclipso's around the corner )

It is too bright.

Does Earth 2 have a Dreaming? (I was hoping that would be singular thing thru-out the multiverse like some assume Apokolips, the Guardians and maybe Spectre are.