It’s a race to free Wonder Woman! As Kara, Antiope, and Phillipus lead a band of sisters to aid Diana, they face stiff opposition. Elsewhere, Barry rights two wrongs—even at the risk of violating Batman’s rules. One story ends, and another plays out in its entirety, in Injustice 2 #16.
Paradise Lost, Pt. 3
This installment might have been named “Undercover Amazon,” as much of the internal tension is resolved by Supergirl—disguised as an Amazon—putting her true power to use. I don’t hate it, but Taylor perhaps leans a bit too hard into the underestimate-then-gape-in-awe scenarios, so the whole business can feel a bit cheesy. That’s not terrible, either, but it does rob the story of the more intimate tension it could achieve with rounder characters.
Mike Miller’s lines are pretty good overall, and I really like his layouts. When the camera gets closer, though, his characters take on late-Frank Miller-esque properties, and while it doesn’t quite distract me from the story, it is definitely unpleasant to look at. Nanjan does a good job avoiding anything overly complex in the colors and lighting effects, playing nicely into Miller’s aesthetics.
If—unlike me–you’ve been keeping up with this series, this installment may carry more weight; but for me, it’s just okay—it reads well and looks decent, but I doubt I’ll ever look at it again.
Step Forward
Barry’s inner turmoil in the timeline of the first Injustice game was one of my favorite parts of the story. “Step Forward” shows the now-reformed speedster walking slow across a long, familiar road, on the way to right a particular wrong from his days in Superman’s regime. Along the way, he defies Batman (for good reason), and ultimately finds a way to work toward closure.
I don’t have much to complain about here, but there isn’t much to cheer for either. I like seeing Barry do the right thing, whatever the cost to himself, and I like seeing him put a personal touch on restitution. But there isn’t that much more here, and because of the short space it has to play out, we don’t get to witness the more poignant moments that would have preceded the final scene.
I like Derenick’s artwork, but some of his repetitive layout choices meant for dramatic effect come off as bland and uninteresting visually. Lokus’ washed out palette isn’t helping, either.
Recommended if…
- You want to read every issue of Injustice.
- You would like some light, throwaway entertainment.
- You want to see fifty people punch one woman in the face fifty different ways.
Overall
The two stories in Injustice 2 #16 read fairly well on their own, but they aren’t really all that special. The artwork on “Step Forward” is the better half here, but that’s not saying much. It all moves pretty fluidly on the first trip through, but there is little of note to encourage a second pass. If you’re part of the Injustice faithful, pick it up—otherwise, there isn’t anything that demands your attention.
SCORE: 6.5/10
