Earth-2: The Tower of Fate, Vol. 2 by James Robinson

Genre: Superhero Comics

Series: Earth-2, Vol. 2

Publisher: DC Comics (October 8, 2013)

Length: 176 pages

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Much better story than volume one, in my opinion. Lots of interesting and mysterious stories going on everywhere you look. Several diabolical bad guys; some purely evil, some who might not be. Our good guys are not just fighting, but dealing with personal issues as well as attempting to learn to be heroes. And we have the introduction of one of my personal favorites: Doctor Fate — a character that never gets enough love.

Equally important to this story is our returning cast: Green Lantern, Flash, and Hawkgirl. Green Lantern uncovering some information about the train crash that killed his partner, which suggests there is going to be some major crap coming down the pipeline. Flash is teamed up with Doctor Fate most of this story line, and I have to say he has really grown on me until he is my favorite character right now. And Hawkgirl is flying around in the mix, not center spotlight but always nearby (though I hope the next volume might make her more of a focus.)

As for foreshadowing of future problems, I really thought the Terry Sloan angle was interesting; this guy being revealed as possibly a force of evil hidden at the center of the U.N. security forces. His motives and desires for the future murky at best, but damn interesting.

What really shocks and awes in this volume is the introduction of a surprise character into the mix: Fury. Promising to really make a splash in the coming issues; this badass villain looks to kick some serious ass for her “foster father” Steppenwolf, the Apokoliptian General hiding somewhere on Earth-2 waiting to unleash hell upon its inhabitants once again.

As for the artwork, it is above average. Great fight scenes; good storytelling technique; cool shifts between panels, splash pages, and mixed. Really a huge reason I enjoyed this collection so much.

After Earth-2: The Gathering disappointed me a bit, this one did the opposite: encouraged me to continue with this series. I’ve always loved Earth-2 tales; they were some of my favorites when I was a kid in the 1970s; and perhaps they can be again.

Purchase the book at Amazon.