Friday, November 22, 2013

Injustice: Gods Among Us, Volume 1

Since I'm not really digging DC's "New 52", it would stand to reason that one of their recent offerings that I actually did enjoy would be set apart from that mind-boggling new continuity. But if you had told me that I'd enjoy a comic based on a video game this much, I would have laughed in your face.

 Pretty much the only reason that I read INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, VOLUME 1 was because DC sent me a review copy. Comics based on video games based on comics never turn out well. Yet, happily enough, this one did.

 This is your basic "Superman gets pissed off and takes over the world" Elseworlds story, but wow....sooooo dark and depressing. The book starts off with Earth a crime-free paradise, ruled over by Superman and his armies, and then gets into the backstory, which is dark, soooo dark......Lois Lane, still married to Superman (Take THAT, "New 52"!!!), informs him that she's pregnant, so, of course, she is kidnapped by The Joker and Harley Quinn, and made the pawn in a cruel plot: Through a really nasty twist, Lois dies at the hands of her Husband, and Metropolis is obliterated in a nuclear inferno. Superman murders The Joker, and slowly sets off on the path to world domination. With the best intentions, of course. Superman assembles a team of like-minded individuals, Batman opposes them, and things get sooooo much darker. Seriously dark, heartbreakingly dark. This is a really depressing book, folks. But, as familiar as these types of apocalyptic tales are to seasoned comic book readers, this one is exceptionally well-told, thanks to Writer Tom Taylor, who manages to nail every characters voice and personality. The art is also very good, but since DC's review copy doesn't list any credits, I can't lay too many compliments on the Artists.

 The only drawback to this book is that INJUSTICE is an ongoing book, so this volume doesn't offer any kind of resolution. But, as long as Taylor is holding the reins, I'll be along for the ride.

 DC Comics provided a review copy.

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