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Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three #6 - Chapter Six: Xanadu

4

Batman and John Constantine want more information on Superman's side, so they visit Madame Xanadu.

The Good

Holy buildup, Batman! INJUSTICE: YEAR THREE #6 isn't about over-the-top conflicts or intense battles. It's all about foreshadowing and, by the time you're done with this chapter, you're really going to want to see what happens next. This issue makes us expect big things and anticipate thrilling developments in the future, so it'll be very disappointing if the intensity doesn't pick up in the next few chapters. It doesn't subtly hint who'll appear; it throws the information right in your face in hopes of getting you ridiculously excited. Now it's just a matter of seeing if these events will be worth the buildup. Tragically, we don't receive an update on Detective Chimp's condition. But if Harley Quinn's looking after him, that means he'll totally bounce back, right?

Before we're struck by a ginormous dose of foreshadowing, writer Tom Taylor mostly uses the story to give us a little more insight into John Constantine. There's a laugh or two along the way (the handling of the sign was great), but this is all about getting a good, focused look at Constantine's psyche. We've already seen him interact with Batman, but where does he really stand on this conflict and what does he think he'll bring to it? It's really there to illustrate he isn't as noble as the Dark Knight... or at least he doesn't think so.

As for the art (pencils by Bruno Redondo, finishes by Xermanico, inks by Juan Albarran, and colors by Rex Lokus), the character work's consistent and the bright shades of purple, blue and pink tend to leave the strongest impression. There's a clever layout showing Batman and Constantine talking with Madame Xanadu through a door, but overall, it's a relatively calm set of pages when compared to the usual variety of settings and effects we see in this series. However, the double spread does a more than satisfying job complimenting the gripping dialogue. I'm really hoping Redondo illustrates an issue with Swamp Thing because he made the character look quite awesome.

The Bad

I understand Taylor wants to give us a better handle on Constantine's character, but it seems like Constantine's blatantly overshadowing Batman and dictating the dialogue. "Dude, doesn't Batman get enough attention?" Completely true, but if he's teaming-up with Constantine, you'd expect him to speak up a little more. Yes, he's somewhat out of his element, but the guy's still a genius and very knowledgeable of the DC universe. It just seems a bit odd to have him act so passive.

As said above, this chapter is all about building excitement for what's to come. That's obviously not a "bad" thing, but making us look forward prevents this one from really leaving an impact or becoming one of the more memorable chapters.

The Verdict

INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US is known for its shock value and jaw-dropping developments, but this one is all about teasing YEAR THREE's future. If you're a fan of the mystical side of DC's universe, there's a double splash page in here that is sure to make you stick around. And, if you're wondering where a certain injured character has been, well, let's just say their return is pretty blatantly teased. There's even another big teaser in there; one which has me scratching my head. Could it just be a nod to what happens several years down the road or is Tom Taylor going to hit us with a huge surprise? Only time shall tell and I'm absolutely going to stick around to see how it all plays out. You'd think a weekly series would begin to lose steam in its third volume, but INJUSTICE is still great. This chapter may not have big action or big laughs, but it does a more than satisfying job building up the hype for what's to come.

Oh, and Constantine is right. Tea does fix everything. Drink your tea, kids.