cyclonus_the_warrior's Injustice: Gods Among Us #1 - Volume 1 review

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    The ultimate boy scout experiences the ultimate loss and all will pay.

    Superman is going to receive the shock of his life when Batman’s prime nemesis, the Joker, pays a visit to Metropolis and picks a feud with him, simply because he’s tired of constantly losing to Batman. The results are tragic, as Superman reaches his breaking point and soon the whole world will experience a change like nothing it has ever seen. -summary

    Based on the 2013 fighting game of the same name. Injustice: Gods Among Us takes place in an alternate reality very similar to DC’s Elseworlds and Marvel’s “What IF” titles. The cool thing about storylines like these, is that they allow the writers to take huge risk that they normally can’t even attempt in main continuity. These stories will usually result in the deaths of major characters right off the bat, or a complete change to a world that you know would be retconned later if they were canon. Injustice is that type of storyline, and it’s among the best of this type I’ve seen to date. Injustice Volume One collects issues 1 – 6

    The plot begins with Superman suffering a tremendous loss, and this leads to him believing that the best course of action is to FORCE world peace amongst its nations; he attempts to completely end war disregarding whatever could be the case for fighting in the first place; whether it’s over religion or land, it doesn’t mean a thing to him. In addition to this, out of respect and also due to some seeing things his way, there are other superheroes giving it their all to support him such as major powerhouses the likes of Wonder Woman, Shazam, Green Lantern, and the Flash. However, Batman is completely against his best friend and even decides to plan on taking him down if reasoning is no longer an option.

    Tom Taylor pens this story and quite frankly I find his take on the Justice League refreshing. I honestly believe had Geoff Johns wrote this it wouldn’t have been as engaging due to him having his favorite characters he loves showcasing to the max. Taylor not only handles Superman very well, but the side characters and opposition feel every bit as important, and while some may seem predictable, others are conflicted just enough to not be able to predict what they may do.

    This story is definitely not for those whom are accustomed to Superman the boy scout, because he goes completely against his upbringing. I’m sure it sounds like a great idea to live in a world free from crime and war, but at the same time, people wouldn’t be too happy with their choices being taken away from them. Taylor provides plenty of thought-provoking examples examining the good and bad in Superman’s actions, plus I also love the steps Superman takes to display power over those against him. I will also point out that this is the best portrayal of Wonder Woman I seen in the New 52. She is clearly Superman’s enforcer but at the same time she comes off as an instigator whom is loving all the changes.

    The flaws in this storyline up to now are rather small yet very noticeable. This story mainly being a drama and kind of light on action isn’t the problem; there’s one big plot hole in the opening of the story I couldn’t ignore. I understand it was meant more for dramatic effect, but I still find it to be pretty weak writing. The artwork is something else I’m not too fond of; it really isn’t bad with some brutal action moments and some nice backgrounds at times, but the inconsistency across the various artists is obvious, to include I feel that a story this big should have production values matching Jim Lee’s art on Justice League or Ivan Reis on Aquaman. In any case, it’s serviceable with the best feature being the placement of dialog boxes and bubbles.

    It also must be mentioned that despite this book being a prequel of a video game, one can get into it without any knowledge of said game. It’s newbie friendly to a point, because there are various characters that will be more familiar to avid DC fans. I guess this can be considered something of a weakness, yet really isn’t a cause for concern in regards to one’s enjoyment. This volume also ends in a cliffhanger which is definitely important to know. I recommend this mainly to serious DC fans and fans of the game.

    Pros: Very interesting storyline and strong characterization

    Cons: Artwork doesn’t feel as epic as the story

    Other reviews for Injustice: Gods Among Us #1 - Volume 1

      Injustice: Tripe Among Us 0

      Well, that could have gone better. Despite a few nice little moments here and there, this is a slapdash pile of nonsense that strains credulity to the breaking point faster than apparently the gossamer-threaded breaking points of all so-called heroes in the DC Universe. The initial premise, while not new, is interesting enough: what if Joker got tired of losing to Batman all the time and took on Superman? Apparently, Joker can defeat every single hero but Batman faster than a hummingbird can fla...

      1 out of 2 found this review helpful.

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