The New 52 sure has done a number on the Golden Age superheroes. I have enjoyed bits of Earth 2 since its launch, but it has done little to truly reinvigorate these characters. And no, messing around with their costumes, origins, and sexuality does not count. Being the first generation of heroes who ushered in the heroes of today made characters like Alan Scott and Jay Garrick a special, integral part of the old DCU. In the New 52, they have zero bearing on the other 51 titles, leaving the success of their book to the quality of its storytelling, which has been okay at best.

Artist Nicola Scott does a fair job on this issue, but the constant use of exposition by writer James Robinson hurts her efforts. Robinson has nearly every character spelling out exactly what they are thinking and doing, leaving the reader with nothing to infer about a character’s dialogue or be surprised by with a character’s actions. It’s pure blunt force information. Scott displays the action as the script calls for, yet I can’t help but wish she had more wiggle room to play to her strengths.

Robinson concludes the first story arc of the battle against Grundy with a solution to the problem that feels rehashed from a dozen other superhero comics and movies. Tidbits intended to imply a more complicated connection between Hawkgirl and the Atom’s superiors do little to infuse this title with depth it so desperately needs. Despite this book’s obvious flaws, I was glad to see the gay Green Lantern kicking ass and learning about his powers, so know that this book does manage to satisfy the most basic of superhero comic cravings.

Joshua writes for IGN. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl or on IGN, where he will air-bend, Force-push, and optically blast his opinion into your brain.

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