This was really great! I don’t think there’s a villain I’ve hated more this year than Injustice Superman and he is definitely at his worst here. I’m going to mention spoilers regarding the previous issue and any spoilers from this particular issue will be hidden so if you haven’t read any of this series before but plan to, turn back now!
As you’ll recall, last month’s issue ended with Superman murdering Green Arrow. It was an incredibly moving sequence, but it wasn’t over yet. After the touching send-off of the previous episode, issue #12 takes us right back to the Fortress of Solitude where the totally unhinged Man of Steel is pummeling Ollie’s corpse again. And again. And again. Just mashing his skull into the pulp and grinding it into the crystals of the fortress floor. We never actually see GA’s body, instead each panel focuses on Superman’s face and his fist going on and off panel, returning bloodier and bloodier every time! I think handling it in this way made it all the more brutal because the reader can imagine for themself what horror the Kents are watching their son commit.
Not only are the Kents watching, but the holograms of Kal-El’s Kryptonian parents as well and the scene of both his alien and human parents pleading with him not to continue down this path is juxtaposed with a scene back at the resistance’s HQ where Catwoman is begging Batman not to return to the cave, the one place where he can analyze the contents of the super-pill Green Arrow gave his life for AND the first place Superman will come looking for him. I loved both of these moments, but as a Batman fan I especially enjoyed seeing Catwoman and Batman’s closeness, a factor that’s been lost to the New 52. See, the Injustice’s version of these characters are closer to what we saw following HUSH, where Bruce told Selina who he really is.
As you can imagine, (well, you don’t really have to imagine because without these next steps there could never be an Injustice game and this is, after all, a prequel) Batman doesn’t listen to Catwoman and Superman has gone too far to turn back now so we the big confrontation we’ve all be waiting for does indeed unfold. And with that we enter spoiler country and I’ll put whatever comments I have in spoiler tags. Just know that I found every page to be incredibly compelling and I couldn’t put the issue down!
- I loved the level of tension in this scene and how each panel of Superman or Batman speaking to one another was played against panels showing how far along the analysis was of the “super pill”
- I did find it hard to believe that Superman would just lose sight of Baman. After distracting Superman with the wedding video (a great ploy), Superman can’t get a bead on The Dark Knight. While I’ll buy that Superman would get distracted by the video, he still has super hearing and X-ray vision. He would hear Bruce’s breathing or heartbeat and he would see Batman hiding in the rafters above. Heck, he could fly around the room, surveying every inch of the cave in under a second!
- My jaw dropped when we paid homage to Knightfall! To see that iconic image twisted to now show Superman breaking Batman over his knee was very surprising
- Surprise was taken to an entirely new level when Alfred showed up. Seeing him whoop Superman was immensely satisfying! I love Alfred and as I said, I have really grown to hate this Superman. However, like my comment about Batman being able to out-sneak Superman, I feel like Alfred wouldn’t be able to creep up on Superman either. It’s just a pet peeve of mine, I hate it when somebody manages to get the drop on Superman and yet it’s something I see happen all the time
- I think Mike S. Miller has been the best artist on this series so far and his emphasis on facial expressions was perfect for the moment when Superman begins torturing Batman and the horror on his face when he realizes what he’s doing
- Really, there shouldn’t even be a Season 2. Alfred had Superman beat. I’m kind of surprised that Batman didn’t tell Alfred to finish knocking Superman out and then go call up the rest of the rebels
- Alfred should be a DLC character and it would be hilarious if he was the only one who could dish out Mortal Kombat style fatalities
The artwork in this issue is also among some of the best the series has had. As usual, duties are split but this time they are distributed between only 2 different artists and they are luckily two of the best who contribute to the series. I found myself liking the much more animated style of Mike S. Miller the most and I’m happy to say that the transition between artists wasn’t too distracting either since both Miller and Derenick delivered great pages.
Recommended If…
- You’ve been reading this series from the start
- You’ve never read a single issue, but have played the game and want to see what all the buzz is about with this tie-in comic
- You can’t wait until 2015 for some good Batman vs. Superman action
- You want to recapture the days when Catwoman and Batman were at their closest
Overall
Not only is it a great ending to the first season of this series, but it’s one of those comics where you’ll eagerly want to show certain panels to friends just to see their astonished reactions. That’s especially true if you’re an Alfred fan like me, I’m a sucker for any comic that gives e a great Alfred moment and this one? Wow!
SCORE: 10/10
