In Year One of Injustice, the world changed. In Year Two, those responsible for the new world actually have to live in it.
The landscape of Injustice gets all the grander in issue #2 where the significance of Superman’s actions are put into perspective when The Guardians of Universe turn their eye to our pale blue dot and realize that something simply must be done. After all, when Sinestro tried a similar stunt on Korugar the corps did not look upon the act too kindly. And speaking of Sinestro, he sees what Superman has done and, of course, recognizes the parallels instantly and offers his assistance. We all saw Sinestro’s stunning entrance to the series at the end of last month’s issue and here he makes it clear that he has big plans for Superman’s regime, making him the #1 character to watch right now.
The entire issue is essentially a Lantern-centric one with appearances by multiple ring-slingers and set pieces that range from Oa to the Ferris air field. Sure, we touch upon Bruce’s recovery briefly and Diana’s– almost everyone from the conclusion of Year One is still quite shaken, honestly, but while they gather themselves the rest of the DC Universe is waking up and who makes up a big part of that universe? The lanterns who protect it. Hal Jordan, who made it out of Year One relatively unscathed is currently going through the biggest moment of self-realization of any of our heroes as he and Flash are tasked with exercising the powers of their new world order in a scenario quite reminiscent of events in our own USA when the Government shut down in 2013. Of course, just as Hal is growing comfortable with his ever-expanding role as Earth’s protector, the Guardians are stepping in and it makes for some nice tension and interesting possibilities.
If you’re looking for more of the “Oh snap!” moments that the series is famous for, you’ll be found wanting but that in no way means you’ll leave un-entertained. No page is wasted, nothing is unimportant. It appears that writer Tom Taylor is setting up something far bigger than what we saw in Year One and that should make every reader very excited. I’m also pleased to see Bruno Redondo pencil the book again as he is my favorite of the many artists who have contributed to Injustice since it began over a year ago. There are a very wide range of visuals throughout this comic and the layouts are diverse enough that we avoid the plain horizontal split appearance that many digital first-to-print edition comics suffer from. While it would have been nice to have seen more action, Redondo is terrific at getting just the right angle for these quieter, more emotional scenes and ensuring that the expressions on the faces of our characters relay the best performance. This comic might have been based on “just a fighting game” but it shows more depth than most of the books you’ll find in the New 52.
Barbara Gordon has a cameo here as Oracle and, yes, she’s in a wheelchair. I’m wondering if we’ll see her take a super-pill and start walking again, she’s a playable character in the game as Batgirl so that’s why I make the assumption. Perhaps giving the same medicine to the injured Dark Knight will help him –ahem– RISE.
Recommended If…
- Green Lantern (or any other Lantern) comics are in your pull list. With the focus turning to Oa and the rest of the Corps in these past two issues, now’s a good time for Lantern fans to check out Injustice
- You want to see more from Sinestro after issue #1’s shocking final page
- Bruno Redondo is your favorite Injustice artist
- You’re cool with reading a quieter issue that sets up events to come
Overall
It’s the most Green Lantern focused issue of Injustice yet and the quietest issue as well, but every scene is necessary and it’s clearly just the calm before the storm.
SCORE: 8.5/10
