The team continues to assemble as the threat of Solomon Grundy, the Grey Warrior, looms above them. We’ve seen the origins of both Flash and Green Lantern, and in this issue get a look at one more familiar character: The Atom/Atom Smasher. 

Read forth for my review!

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Similar to how the Justice League got formed across the first six issues of that series, the first arc of this title has a similar feel. We do get a bit more here through the origins of each of these characters, but more or less, this is a threat that has suddenly appeared that requires more than one hero to face. Instead of Darkseid (since the DC trinity sacrificed themselves to defeat him in the first issue), we see a different type of interpretation of the events currently happening over in Animal Man and Swamp Thing.

That all said, even though the first issue of this series really impressed me, I feel like it’s kind of treading water to assemble this team for use in future storylines. There’s plenty of action in this issue to go around, so if you’ve been waiting for such, then this issue is probably going to cater to you. Plus, we also get a bit more character from Hawkgirl, who was previously just a kind of Deus ex Machina brought in to help train Jay Garrick with his newfound powers.

As stated in the solicitation, this issue brings us the Atom, who in this series is more similar to the Atom Smasher. Al Pratt’s shown as a militant soldier who is part of a pre-existing super-team that we’re slightly hinted at when he’s sent to retrieve Hawkgirl. It’s exciting to see which characters Robinson decides to bring into the series, and it’s one of the aspects of the title that draws me to it the most. I’m rather pleased with the way Robinson has chosen to introduce both Atom and Hawkgirl, as they’re now characters we haven’t seen the full origins for, which adds a bit of intrigue to keep me reading along in the series. 

Nicola Scott has a lot to cover in this issue as she not only has the opportunity to show us all of the heroes in action, but also the grotesqueness that is Grundy. The design for Alan Scott’s costume, however, has left me a bit disappointed. We’ll see what happens when, in the narrative, Alan learns how to use the power of his ring, as that might add some artistic depth to the character and what Scott can do with him. 

I have to say that overall I was more happy with the way this issue has played out compared to last month’s, but I’m hoping that whatever comes after this introductory arc will be able to keep me buying the title. 

GO Rating: 4/5

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