| SYNOPSIS: A giant, octopus-like creature, accompanied by various toothy flying fish creatures, has turned the town of Judgement, Rhode Island into a warzone, and judging by Elijah Snow's tirade, The Drummer is somehow responsible. As Planetary leaves the scene, the Authority, self-proclaimed protectors of Earth, successfully clean up the mess. Snow's critical assessment is accurate, for he'd encountered the mysterious eggs (one of which spawned the mammoth beast) back in 1931, when a novelist inadvertently discovered a portal into the Bleed -- the space between universes. While the Authority is making the Bleed connection, and tying one of the eggs (hatched by human touch) to an energy signature in the Adirondacks they'd monitored previously, Snow is dismayed to learn that his teammates have turned their attention to The Authority itself. Indeed, they intend to break onto their 50-mile long ship, the Carrier, to access the vast informational archive stored there. Teleporting on, they are collecting data when they receive word that the Adirondacks base containing Doc Brass's super-computer (Issue #1) has been compromised. A psychotic who learned about the Bleed via the aforementioned novelist has infiltrated Planetary intending to use the computer to kill the world. The Authority, monitoring the situation themselves, also responds, and both teams arrive on the scene simultaneously. Outside the base, Jenny Sparks' team encounters an ever-growing army of killer robots; inside, Planetary finds their team (and the madman who killed them) dead and the computer Brass guarded for 50 years operating -- and opening a doorway to marauders from another universe, including a demonic, alternate-reality version of the Authority itself. Working independently, the teams overcome the invading force and shut down the computer, leaving each group conscious that future battles are yet to come. REVIEW: All too often when superhero teams cross over, an effort to give both teams equal time results in just the opposite: both get short shrift. To me that seemed to be the case here. While the concept was clever -- almost a non-crossover, since the teams don't meet -- and unlike many crossovers there was actually a story here, the execution seemed a bit clunky, the conclusion rushed and confusing, and there were several flaws in logic. To wit: Is this how the team honors Doc Brass' 50 years of hell guarding the super-computer that can wipe out reality; a small crew of scientists easily overpowered by one nihilistic human? Breaking the computer protects our world from the Worldruler; what about all the other alternate realities, apparently exposed through the actions of one lone psycho? Are they slowly being exterminated as we speak? I don't want to nitpick so I'll leave it, but clearly I had a few conceptual problems with this issue.That's the bad, now for the good. Of course, I loved the Elijah Snow-Jenny Sparks flashback. Very well done and funny. And God forbid John Cassaday go anywhere, but if he does, Phil Jimenez would be an ideal replacement. And of course, it's nice to see Brass' computer get center stage again -- there's a wealth of stories that can be done with it, assuming Snow's destruction (?) wasn't permanent. Bottom line, the unique appeal of each team did shine through, so fans of one series surely discovered the other one, which is typically one of the points of crossovers. I didn't dislike it, exactly, but for me the issue just wasn't as tight as I've come to expect...especially from Planetary. Postscript: Thanks to the many people who have written in to tip me off to the fact that the novelist in this issue is quite clearly horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. As one emailer explains, "[Lovecraft] was from Rhode Island, was racist, and lived with his two aunts. His work was full of great cosmic monsters seeping into our universe from other universes. The monster attacking Judgment at the beginning closely resembles classic Lovecraft monsters/gods such as his most famous deity/monster named Cthulhu." Here's the best H.P. Lovecraft site I encountered. Thanks again to all who wrote in. | |  Random Thoughts: The Drummer's theory that the various "century babies" like Snow, Sparks, and Brass ("and a few others," says Jakita; presumably Ellis will introduce them at some point) are humanity's immune system is just crazy enough that it's probably true. And after all, both Sparks (Authority #12) and Brass have saved the world already. What about Snow? Well, he might have just done so. He might have done so at some point over the past century. And of course, he might do so in the very near future... It appears that this reality's Jenny Sparks got the good looks. Considering how easily Jakita disposed of the alternate reality's version of Sparks, it appears we also got the kick-ass version of Jakita Wagner. ("I love killing those.") The giant octopus creature struck me as a nod to Watchmen, but I read on another site that it may have been Ellis' nod to the Justice League of America's first opponent, Starro the Conqueror. As mentioned at left, I received numerous emails telling me about the H.P. Lovecraft connection, and that the creature was likely Cthulhu. One amusing email: "Considering Snow's pulp heroic background, having him 'team up' with one of the pulp era's greatest horror writers against an alien evil...priceless. I showed the book to a friend of mine who worships Lovecraft, and he said, 'So that's where he got all of his ideas from!'" Although as I've said, this wasn't my favorite issue ever, I wouldn't be opposed to another crossover. For that matter, a Sparks-Snow story set back in the 1930s would be okay by me too. RATING: 6/10. Still better than average, but these guys have set the bar for these characters pretty high. |
