Earth 2 #13 - A Review

Picking up where the recent Earth 2 Annual left off, Earth 2 #13 further explores the various "Wonders" recruited or created by The World Army.  The primary focus is on Captain Steel, whose origins and powers are explained in detail as he undertakes a mission to explore one of the fire pits created during the Apokolyptian invasion.  We also get another glimpse of the new Batman, who is following Hawkgirl even as she continues her investigation into the the death of Alan Scott's lover.  Mention is also made of several other World Army agents, all of whom share the word "Red" in their code-names. 


No one can deny that James Robinson is in his element when it comes to this series.  No writer can match Robinson for his knowledge of the classic Golden Age heroes and his revamps of these classic characters have all proven skillful and satisfying.  The conceit of drawing a connection between several unaffiliated heroes who had nothing in common but a color in their name is a brilliant one and typical of the thought that went into Robinson's classic Starman series.  With mentions of The Red Tornado, Red Torpedo, Red Arrow and a Red Lantern, one wonders if we might see a Red Bee before Robinson is done.


Yildiray Cinar once again subs for Nicola Scott.  I've had issues with Cinar's work in the past but suspected that my objections might be due to two different inkers with two entirely different styles.  That suspicion seems to have been born out by this issue, which only employed one inker - Rob Hunter.  Cinar's figures seem less distorted and warped than in that previous outing.  More, Cinar proves to be no mean visual storyteller, capable of conveying the action effectively on those pages without any dialogue.