At the end of the last issue, the lead heroes encountered their newest foe, Hakkou, which Huntress later points out can translate to “radiation” in Japanese. Is it possible that it could also translate to “hulking, rampaging atomic monster?” He is so powerful, he may be mightier than Power Girl. He has her on the ropes, but a well-aimed arrow from Huntress damages his helmet and he flees. The two heroes speculate about his origins and wonder if he might be from Krypton or Apokolips.

In a flashback, Helena is investigating the differences between their two worlds, but Kara is determined that if the Darkseid that battled the Justice League (in their first story arc) is the same one that devastated their Earth, then there is a way for them to go back there. There’s also the speculation that someone else may have slipped through to Earth 2 along with them.

In a more recent flashback, we see Karen Starr running a branch of her company in Micronesia. They need some “rare earths” so she dives into the ocean and digs it up herself, before flying off to Italy to meet up with Helena. (See Huntress #6.)

Back in the present, the pair are tracking Hakkou and locate him at a devastated nuclear reactor, surrounded by floating pieces of irradiated debris. (In a cut-away, someone at Wayne Enterprises finds something fishy going on with their money… Huntress’ siphoning some away to fund their endeavors.) When the heroes confront Hakkou, Huntress notices his armor looks Apokoliptian. In a NICE move, George Perez’s illustration of Power Girl slamming into Hakkou and beating him is a direct recreation of his drawing of Supergirl’s final battle with the Anti-Monitor in ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths.’ The scene, unfortunately, mirrors the hero’s defeat. Power Girl crumbles to the ground leaving Huntress to stand alone against this powerhouse.

Perez is a master. Fellow artist Kevin Maguire, who handles the flashbacks is also very good. Their two styles don’t really mesh, but it’s hard to complain about two top notch illustrators in one book.

Last month, I had a few qualms with the plot (mostly the quick and easy dismissal of Helena Bertinelli), but overall praised Paul Levitz’s handling of the two lead characters, Huntress and Power Girl. Their characterization continues to shine here. I simply love their dynamic!

And the mysteries of how they arrived on Earth 1 and the ties to Darkseid are interesting. It was nice to see Karen Starr in her element running her company. (A potentially interesting “Gal Friday” named Somya is introduced.) But, I don’t find rampaging Hakkou interesting at all. DC has plenty of radioactive villains that could have been substituted. I’m sure there’s more to the plot, but so far I’m not that intrigued.

I’ll hang on as long as the characterization stays at it’s present level. But I hope the storylines get a bit more interesting.

Verdict: Borrow

WORLDS’ FINEST – HUNTRESS AND POER GIRL #2
Written by Paul Levitz
Art by George Perez and Kevin Maguire
Cover by Perez and Hi-Fi