Thoughts on Earth 2 #9-12

As I've mentioned before, Earth 2 is easily one of my favorite comic books DC is publishing at the moment. Robinson knows how to breathe new life into these Golden Age characters while staying true to the history associated with them. Also, Earth 2 shows you can have stories that are both dramatic and fun to read.

After the defeat of Solomon Grundy and the re-introduction of Steppenwolf, the last four issues (#9 - #12) have dealt with the re-introduction of Dr. Fate and seeing the characters come together in the end. Seeing as Dr. Fate is one of my favorite characters in the DC Universe and the Justice Society is one of my favorite teams, you can understand why I was excited for the "Tower of Fate" storyline.

Thankfully, Robinson did not disappoint me. "Tower of Fate" is a well-written story arc that does a fantastic job of introducing the new characters of Fate, revealing the more supernatural and magical side of Earth 2, and telling a fun story that also helped push the meta-plot further along.

Each part of the story did what I want every issue of a comic book to do: further along the story without feeling incomplete. Each issue remains entertaining and feels satisfying while keeping you interested in the overall story. This is just another example of why Robinson is a talented writer.

Of the four issues, my favorite has to be #11. In the issue, we get to see why Jay Garrick is an awesome character. While he is faced with a situation that could possibly end in his demise, Garrick knows he can't give up and will sacrifice his life to protect the world and the ones he cares about. This dedication to what is right and the willingness to sacrifice oneself for that cause is what makes a character heroic. Knowing it's that heroic attitude that inspires Khalid Ben-Hassin to finally put on the Helmet of Nabu and become Dr. Fate, even thought it might cost him his sanity.

The only real weakness present in these four issues is the same weakness that I mentioned back in my review of #8. While Robinson is a talented writer, his tendency to over-explain and not let the illustrations tell the story at times can get a little annoying. However, that weakness is less noticeable in these four issues, which is great.

If you love fun superhero stories with a heavy dose of magic and the supernatural, I would recommend you give Earth 2 #9 - #12 a read. You will not be disappointed.