Earth 2: World's End #8 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Another DC weekly series, another set of increasingly complicated sub-plots.  This series continues to be easier to follow than "Batman Eternal," but I admit that I started to lose the thread a little here.  I was particularly confused by the storylines involving the Geneva-based team and the apparent zombie outbreak.

On the Geneva front, I'm still not sure why the team apparently decided to go after a possibly still-alive Clark than a definitely still-alive Helena.  Desaad seems to have done whatever he intended to do to Helena, since she flatlines here.  I'm definitely intrigued to see where the authors are going with Helena, particularly whether Desaad's machinations will permanently change her into Fury.  But, I feel like we're just randomly skipping from event to event in this part of the story.  It would be nice to get a full issue (maybe of the main "Earth 2" series) to focus on the Geneva-based team.  I'm assuming that their subterranean adventure will have some sort of impact on the overall story's final outcome, but it's hard to see it as relevant as, say, Mister Miracle's team's attempt to destroy a suddenly orbital Apokolips or the Avatars' attempts to defeat the Furies.

On the zombie outbreak, I think we need some sort of sense of its cause.  As far as I'm aware, we don't actually know it; we've just seen the zombie para-demons turning the CERN staff into zombie scientists and then it spreading from there.  It's clearly gone global, but it's happening so far in the background of the series at this point that it's somewhat of a surprise when it takes up such a prominent place in this issue's narrative.

That said, some of the other stories really are easier to follow.  The authors up the emotional stakes here with the implication, as the Furies overwhelm him, that Sam did actually retain his personality and remembers Alan as his partner.  Separately, the Apokolips team continues with its plan to detonate nuclear warheads on its surface, though it's pretty clear that everything isn't going to go according to that plan.  Also, the authors do a better job of integrating the main series into this event, letting us know that Barbara's story is going to unfold in the next issue of "Earth 2."  (That said, I'll admit to being annoyed at getting direction to "Constantine" for his story, since how many series does DC expect me to read to stay current on the events in this series?)  Also, Sato's decision to order an evacuation of World Army HQ clearly presages the possibility of evacuating the entire planet (per developments in "New 52:  Futures End").

So, some good, some bad.  With something like seven different stories told throughout this issue (and that's not even including any mention of Marella's storyline or any view of Helena), I feel like we're starting to fly a little too quickly through the story.  It would be nice to tighten the focus a little.  It's hard to connect with any of the characters here, since they're all too briefly on the page, and we don't want that happening in too many issues.  If this one was necessary just to move us to the next phase, that's OK, but the authors probably have to start getting some pawns off the board so that we can focus on the main pieces.

** (two of five stars)