Wonder if the inconsistency of S2 could be related to reducing it and then making it 12 issues again. Perhaps Morrison had mapped out the 8 issues after he was told it wasn't going to be 12 like S1, and then when it was going to be a full season again decided to write a few filler-like stories to make it a full season. That's what the TV format often does, which Morrison has often compared the series to. I will say though that in terms of presentation S2 has been even more ambitious and experimental than S1. I can see why to some people it comes off as self-indulgent though. It's still nice that DC pretty much lets Morrison and Sharp do whatever they like.