Everyone’s juicing on Kryptonite pills!
Creative Staff:
Story: Brian Buccellato
Art: Mike S. Miller
Colors: J. Nanjan
What They Say:
The duel at Wayne Manor continues, Batgirl tries to save Catwoman, and on Thanagar, Hawkman gets ready to head to Earth.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
When you throw your most powerful characters against each other, even when they’re very different in where that power comes from and how it’s used, it’s generally some of the strongest material that you can do. Part of the appeal of DC for me is that their characters often feel like modern day gods and titans that stride the earth, whereas Marvel is a lot more human level material and appeals to me in a different way. So when we get this series where they really get to throw at each other in a big way, it’s hugely appealing to see that player out. Particularly as one of the most powerful characters becomes increasingly unhinged and the nature of how others react is instructive.
With the fight that we get between Superman and Batman here at Wayne Manor, it is unfortunately a bit undercut by the fact that it’s mostly a ruse and at best a holding action while other things go down. But it’s a strong piece in general because it puts these two back against each other again in a direct way after quite some time apart. And while Superman is fully cognizant of his own strength and superiority, it’s Batman that continues to get under his skin and really digs at him in a way that lands far better than any blow to the chest or head would do. These are the seeds that push Superman further into crazytown as Batman makes it clear that he won’t stop when it comes to stopping him. The fight itself is mediocre at best – lead-based smoke bombs? yeah, okay – but the dialogue is where it’s at for me.
While this unfolds, we get the fight with Batgirl saving Catwoman from Killer Croc, which lets Batgirl show some decent moves but also realize quickly that she needs Catwoman’s help. It’s amusing once again to see how quickly the good guys are popping Kryptonite juicing pills in order to go against the really powered types out there, but it reinforces the everyman versus the superman concept. What I really like out of all of this is the eventual fallout as Catwoman makes it clear to Batman that she’s done. She’s been through a lot in her life, which he notes quite plainly, but she’s so far gone after this last round of torture she’s been through that she’s simply done. It’s no surprise that Bruce rejects her request to run away with her – where could they really go at this point? – but it just undercuts Bruce a little bit more at a time when he needs everything he can get.
In Summary:
Injustice closes out a couple of things here for the moment while keeping the larger war alive so there isn’t a lot in the way of surprises here. I like the fight that we get at the manor, muted as it is, and I enjoyed the brief time against Killer Croc. It’s the character material that clicks the best here, notably with Selina and her making some pretty plain stands here. This issue, as you can tell by the cover, also brings Hawkman back into play as he’s coming back to Earth to find Shiera as she wasn’t on Thanagar when he got there. Suffice to say, lots of anger management will be needed once he lands and sees what’s going on here, and what she’s involved with. It’s just a tease at this stage, but a well done one.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: February 2nd, 2016
MSRP: $0.99
