Scan barcode
A review by trike
Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Four, Vol. 1 by Brian Buccellato
2.0
I eagerly tore into this one to see what would happen next and within the first few pages I was struck by how different the writing was. Superman on a throne? Lame puns? Clunky exposition? What happened?
...oh, new writer. Gotcha.
This is simply not very good. This volume is the sort of thing I initially expected when I read the very first collection: a below-average comic about superheroes fighting for no good reason as an excuse to give a video game some background.
In this issue Ares, the god of War, plays the same role Constantine did in the previous Year Three storyline, manipulating the gods of Olympus into taking up arms against Superman. It’s not nearly as well-crafted, and the gods are chomping at the bit to get into the fight for some not-very-clear reason. Taylor would have delved below the surface more, whereas here everyone feels two-dimensional.
Nope. Not only do we not get to see Clark and Diana kill each other, they barely fight. She somehow gouges his eyes so they bleed and then breaks his arm. Superman just seems especially weak here.
In my headcanon, Superman has always had 9/10ths of everyone else’s skills. He’s not as smart as Batman. He’s not as strong as Shazam. He’s not as fast as Flash. He’s not as good a fighter as Wonder Woman. He’s not a natural leader like Aquaman. He’s not as headstrong as Green Lantern. But he combines all of those in an all-around package and he never, ever quits. He is the shining beacon of goodness, of right, of justice, which is why the others follow him. Strip away his goodness and replace it with rage, and he can truly shake the pillars of heaven. Which is what we saw in the first three years of Injustice.
Here, his abilities wax and wane literally from page to page, in a very unsatisfying way.
...oh, new writer. Gotcha.
This is simply not very good. This volume is the sort of thing I initially expected when I read the very first collection: a below-average comic about superheroes fighting for no good reason as an excuse to give a video game some background.
In this issue Ares, the god of War, plays the same role Constantine did in the previous Year Three storyline, manipulating the gods of Olympus into taking up arms against Superman. It’s not nearly as well-crafted, and the gods are chomping at the bit to get into the fight for some not-very-clear reason. Taylor would have delved below the surface more, whereas here everyone feels two-dimensional.
Spoiler
I thought the book might be redeemed when Wonder Woman was forced to choose sides between her friends and her allegiance to the gods, but she made that choice easily, siding with Superman. Then she invokes the right to resolve the conflict by choosing champions in a fight to the death. Superman steps up, and then Batman chooses Wonder Woman for his champion. Dilemma!Nope. Not only do we not get to see Clark and Diana kill each other, they barely fight. She somehow gouges his eyes so they bleed and then breaks his arm. Superman just seems especially weak here.
In my headcanon, Superman has always had 9/10ths of everyone else’s skills. He’s not as smart as Batman. He’s not as strong as Shazam. He’s not as fast as Flash. He’s not as good a fighter as Wonder Woman. He’s not a natural leader like Aquaman. He’s not as headstrong as Green Lantern. But he combines all of those in an all-around package and he never, ever quits. He is the shining beacon of goodness, of right, of justice, which is why the others follow him. Strip away his goodness and replace it with rage, and he can truly shake the pillars of heaven. Which is what we saw in the first three years of Injustice.
Here, his abilities wax and wane literally from page to page, in a very unsatisfying way.