I like a good, extended storyline every bit as much as the next person.
But Earth has been in the Phantom Zone for 2 issues and one page, and it's starting to feel less urgent. More and more in this issue we hear about the ramifications of the Earth being in the Phantom Zone, but we're not seeing much of it. I guess that's one thing that you have to be careful with in these sorts of situations. Yes, the Earth in the Phantom Zone is a great idea, but you're not really going to do anything with any lasting ramifications for the planet because that fundamentally alters the landscape of the shared universe.
Now, it can be done. In the 80s, Marvel's New Universe needed a makeover, so the powers that be decided to destroy Pittsburgh, and have the various series react to this event. It worked rather well, though it did turn the New Universe from the world outside our doors to another superhero universe. In the end, shades of Top Ten, New York is populated almost solely by superpowered individuals.
So DC could do it, could allow some massive change to the planet. What if an entire state was lain waste - it might not change things fundamentally, but it would offer a lasting ramification of a story like this one. And that opens up all stories to be high stakes of some sort. Mr. Bendis is a smart writer, so I imagine that there will be some ramifications to this story. I hope there will be. Because if the Earth comes out unscathed, then what was the point of any of this?
More to come...
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