“Convergence” #2 is a mess. The story is finally clear and free of setup, but you wouldn’t know it thanks to some painfully on the nose dialogue. Every character in this story spouts exposition like a fire hydrant. There is no reprieve from being hit over the head with the dire stakes at hand, and worse yet Dick Grayson’s voice-over explains away any subtext the comic had to offer.

WRITTEN BY: Jeff King, 
ART BY: Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: April 15, 2015

At first glance, there appears to be a lot to like about “Convergence.” It’s giving readers a taste of continuities long dead, and provides a mostly self-contained “event comic” which readers have been clamoring for. However, with this story being the main thrust of what’s going on, it’s hard to look at it as anything more than background noise.

Jeff King’s script is packed with lines like “Then push it Superman! If anyone can break free it’s you!”  Or “Feel that, while he’s distracted my bonds are getting looser.” These lines are not only cheesy but severely out of character. His script paints the Earth-2 heroes as bewildered versions of Jimmy Olsen. They speak like candid mockery of the golden age, delivered with the conviction of darker grittier times.

Even when they may be a glimmer of hope, King’s script skips right over it. Take for example the meeting of Thomas Wayne’s Batman and Bruce Wayne’s Batman. A moment that could and should pack an entire issue worth of emotion is reduced to a silent exchange with TONS of voice-over narration. The moment is ultimately ruined and turned into a quick plot device to give Thomas a batmobile.

The art from Carlo Pagulayan is serviceable and generic enough to fit anywhere into the New 52 line. It’s luckily pretty easily digested and clearly manages the action demands of the script. But so often beautiful panels are reduced to dancing around the heavy-handed caption boxes that populate them that the entire issue is distracting and difficult to read.

Jeff King is a veteran script writer from the world of television. But you wouldn’t know it. He takes no time to learn the nuances of scripting a comic book and instead delivers a painful issue that doesn’t even seem to understand the characters its focusing on. There should be something to like about this story, but its wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity.

So far the main “Convergence” series is a trainwreck with no signs of course correction in the future. With messy writing, characters acting out of character, and a horrendous tendency to over explain we’re receiving one of the worst event comics ever put to paper. Avoid it this main series at all costs, but check out some of the one shots.