Review: Earth 2 #4 - a confluence of wonders

Entitled a Confluence of Wonders, issue 4 of Earth 2 certainly lived up to its' name as the heroes who will eventually make up the New-52 JSA come together to take on a common threat.

This issue is all about the reveal of the Atom (or is it Atom Smasher) and his origin as the first few pages of this issue focus on the explosion that not only destroyed Al Pratt's unit and the land they were guarding, but also left him alone and unharmed (and as is shown later, powered up). The story then returns back to the present with the New Grundy going on a rampage and the new heroes Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Flash (as Jay Garrick now decides to call himself) seperately travel towards him in order to prevent the the decay of the world they have witnessed and (with the help of present day Atom) defeat the monster responsible.

This book contiues to impress me, mainly down the art. Nicola Scott's work in this title is still gorgeous; the colours the vibrancy, the crisp lines, the work continues to impress. In fact I think it has improved a lot, such as Al Pratt, who in issue 1 lots like a hobbit instead of being the short man he is shown to be in issue 4. The writing too continues to inspire, moving the story forward in fast and frentic pace.

However, the story does seem to have its problems, most notably in the back and forth between characters which does feel a little forced. The Flash/Hawkgirl dynamic just feels like they talk far more than they need to, even in the action scenes. This, in fact, beats the look of Grundy as the low point of this issue, although Grundy looking like an S&M reject doesn't really fill me with confidence.
That said, despite these problems, this book continues to impress me and certainly has meaning needing more due to the ending asking more questions than answering. Who is hawk girl and how atom know her? Why was Al Pratt found in a hand print? Is there more to his change than meets the eye? And, of course, an ongoin question in the series, where is Mr Terrific? Hopefully issue 5 will answer some of those questions while asking others.