In a month full of so many filler comics, Injustice: Gods Among Us #9 really shines. Here is a book with a purpose, a story to tell.
In last month’s issue– which I highly suggest you read first– the world was under attack by the armies of Apokolips and Kalibak himself (a character I’d like to see playable in some DLC). The entire world was in danger as boom tubes opened across the globe, even some of our heroes were staring death in the face. But then Superman made the ultimate decision to commit to the course of action he took following the destruction of Metropolis. In the final pages of issue #8, the world cheered as Superman saved them by obliterating every single invading parademon. Nothing was left of the intruders but a red mist and while most of the citizens of Earth celebrated, Batman looked on in horror. This issue, deals with the aftermath.
While you might have been thrilled with the non-stop action of last month’s installment, this episode takes the fisticuffs down several notches. It’s a talkative issue where the cast discusses what has happened and what it means for the future of the planet. And the thing that I think makes the comic so great is that there’s no clear answer. In the game it was almost unquestionable that Batman and his rebellion were in the right, but here we actually see a heated debate between Batman and other members of his band of rebels as to whether or not Superman isn’t correct after all. Had they continued taking half-measures like Batman wants and how the Justice League has traditionally operated, then not only would countless millions have died whether they ultimately won or not, but Green Arrow and Black Canary– who are sitting at the table during this discussion– would be dead. Tom Taylor’s prequel comic is doing a fantastic job of taking the conflict from the video game and making it far, far more complex.
In addition to the discussion between Batman and his team, we also have great scenes between Lex Luthor and the Kents and another great moment between the Flash and Superman. It’s interesting that The Flash, of all the characters, is proving to be someone that Superman turns to for counsel. It’s an element that was missing from the video game’s story and earlier chapters of the comic for sure.
Lastly, since the comic is a collection of three of the online chapters, our final act deals with yet another concept: the super soldiers and Lex Luthor’s magic pills. This is something I’ve been eager to see addressed in the comic and it should make for a real game-changer. There are also some other great surprises during the comic’s final act that I won’t get into plus a bit of action, but I’ll let you read it for yourself.
The artwork on this issue is also quite good even with there being three illustrators in all I thought that the look of the book flowed rather well. Jheremy Raapack, Bruno Redondo, and Tom Derenick all do a terrific job of making all of their characters highly expressive for this thought-provoking and emotional issue that relied heavily on character close-ups. It’s also quite cool to see the artists give Injustice designs to characters that were never actually featured in the game.
Recommended If…
- You loved the story from the video game– this is actually way better
- There’s a long list of DC characters you wish were in the game but weren’t– they show up here
- You read last month’s issue– this is a tight story and you’ll be doing yourself a disservice jumping right in now
- Deep conversation between Luthor & the Kents and Superman & The Flash sounds intriguing
- Damian Wayne is a character you miss seeing in the New 52
Overall
The aftermath to the all-out-war of last month’s issue is just as compelling if not more.
SCORE: 9/10
