After reading and loving the Injustice Annual last week I had to dig in and see where the story goes in this week’s issue. Superman is pissed off and all the villains have been recently sprung from prison. Sounds like a good combo! Is it good?
Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five #1 (DC Comics)
This issue opens with Superman standing where the underwater prison used to hold nearly every DCU bad guy. He’s ticked off and ready to bring them all in one by one.
Why does this book matter?
The annual proved this version of Superman, however heroic he is, is still a militant fascist kind of Superman. That’s fun to see, because usually we get the boyscout version from the main DCU or some super evil version. Meanwhile the other heroes are kinda unsure about Superman’s attitude and Batman has downright defected.
He’s kind of a dick.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Brian Buccellato writes a solid issue here with an interesting framing device as we check in with each hero and Doomsday over seven pages. The top panel gives us a close-up of the character, and then we learn where they are and what they are doing down their page. It’s a fun way to link them all together and make the issue feel cohesive.
This is only my second Injustice comic and I never felt confused by what was going on. Sure, seeing Batman working on a team up with villains is a surprise, but it makes sense considering how much of a dick Superman has become. Which brings us to one of the best elements of this issue: Seeing Superman kick butt.
Superman is on a tear in this issue as he takes on Doomsday. His confidence comes off as ego and it won’t be a surprise if his cocky behavior gets him in trouble. Meanwhile, a surprising thing happens to Flash, and Hal Jordan fighting Parasite is fun too.
Mike S. Miller draws a good, action packed issue. The Parasite fight scenes in particular are a lot of fun and every ounce of semi-villainous behavior by Superman is felt due to the good stoic emotion Miller gives him. The intro pages of each character I mentioned also work because of Miller’s ability to draw the close up of each character.
It can’t be perfect can it?
After the annual set this up I’m surprised Plastic Man isn’t in this issue. That seems to be the main story to be tackled, but instead this is more of a fighting game-style hero versus villain after villain sort of read. Fitting considering this comic is based on a fighting game I suppose.
There’s also a very odd panel with Flash. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but his pain and injury is comical in how it is drawn.
Here he comes to NOT save the day! Sorta.
Is It Good?
This was a fun action packed issue that does a great job selling Superman’s cold nature.
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