The Good
Well, that escalated quickly. As expected, Wonder Woman’s fist of fury to Aquaman’s face has started a little war between the heroes and the Atlanteans. Writer Tom Taylor is definitely giving Wonder Woman her credit and then some when it comes to physicals because that one punch sent Arthur into dreamsville. ONE PUNCH! ONE PUNCH!
What comes next is a fairly fun yet short melee, but the real attention grabber is the dialogue between Bruce and Clark. It goes without saying that the conflict between DC’s two most popular heroes is the crux of the story and, for most of us, the reason why we’re reading this. Thankfully, Taylor delivers both a relatable and compelling conversation between the two A-listers. Neither is blatantly in the wrong here and both make completely understandable points. Wayne drops a pretty powerful statement – a line that’s sure to set some fans off, but it’s one that I actually agree with. Alfred’s “master” retort was a perfect way to conclude the scene.
The art in this issue’s absolutely a mixed bag but it does work with the Bat Cave segment. The focus on rough edges and heavy shading/inking creates a fitting atmosphere for the heated conversation taking place between the two. The dialogue is gripping between the two (though the "loved him" remark was a bit odd to me) and thankfully the art does an able job bringing the key scene to life.
The Bad
The brief battle wasn’t as epic as I hoped it would be. Shazam doesn’t do anything except for hold Aquaman and Green Lantern’s visible interaction is limited to the conclusion. Don’t get me wrong, it was cool seeing Aquaman and Wonder Woman face off (even if it was very short), but I’d love to see these other characters get some extra love. Hopefully we’ll see that in the next issue.
While Tom Derenick’s art works well with the powerful Batman/Superman scene, it falls flat during what should feel like a grand war. I understand there’s a tight deadline with this weekly comic so it’s somewhat understandable, but the scene is seriously lacking in detail whenever the panel isn’t a close-up. Seeing as this battle is roughly half of the comic, it definitely took a bit away from the experience for me.
The Verdict
If someone asked me Superman / Wonder Woman / Shazam / Green Lantern vs. the Kraken, the answer would be pretty obvious, right? Superman alone could probably swat the thing into orbit. But this Kraken… wow, talk about massive. We’ve only seen parts of two tentacles and those things are absurdly large. The coming battle should be a blast and hopefully show off why Shazam and Hal are characters we'll want to play as in the upcoming game. I'm sure they'll get smacked around by this beast, but seeing why they're a powerhouse would be nice too, even if it is only momentarily. Regardless of my visual complaints, INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US continues to be one of the best series from DC and is well worth the mere $0.99 cover price every Tuesday.
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