A new bad end is being set up here.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom Taylor
Art: Bruno Redondo, Juan Albarran
Colors: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
Batman asks Ted Kord to join his new Justice League Council, but Ted runs afoul of Deadshot before he can answer.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With some very solid time spent with Damian the last time around as a look to the past, Injustice works to bring past and present together with this issue. Tom Taylor’s got a plan by bringing Ted Kord into things and it’s an area that looks like it’s going to muck up a lot of things for people in the long run. This installment brings Bruno Redondo back on the art duties with Juan Albarran on the inking and the pair are a very solid match once again. Redondo’s artwork feels like it’s firing on all cylinders with this series with what feels like more time to really dig into the material with motion and backgrounds and Albarran’s inking definitely feels like it connects in a big way with the penciling while providing some continuity between pencillers.
With the world in a divided mindset and some dark days ahead in trying to get past what has come before, Batman’s looking to find ways to fund it and do what’s needed. The allusions here to the real world are not subtle but they get the point across in reminding us why some people would follow someone who has gone so far down what so many consider a dark path. Though Superman is locked up and dealt with there are many that advocated his positions in the general population because of how it did make many of them feel safe. So it’s good to see how Bruce is looking to work with Ted on a non-powered side to try and find solutions to bring people together and fund various projects for it. It’s not what Ted expects, particularly as he’s so adamant about not getting back into that ill-fitting suit.
Ted’s time has been spent mostly working with Jaime in trying to get him up to speed on being the Blue Beetle. He’s clearly not ready, though getting better, but he does suffer from criticism far too easily and is struggling in the shadow of bigger players. There are some nice bonding moments between the two and I really like how Redondo brings out this iteration of Ted overall. Ted’s basically dealing with three people at this point, Jaime first and then Batman, but it’s the arrival of Booster from the future that puts everything in motion. This feels a little rushed after the other two parts and I wish it started the next chapter instead as Booster, a few years older than when he last saw Ted, is preparing him for the end that’s about to come. And while he can’t interfere he can be there for it, and it looks like it’s going to be hell when Damian and his crew show up and go to town on Ted. It’s a rough piece that plays hard and the way it unfolded just made me wince in a big way.
In Summary:
Injustice 2 looks like it’s getting ready to really light the fuse that will set things off and I’m curious as to what Ted’s true role in all of this will be. The time spent early on with Jaime and Bruce works well because of the different relationships they have and how they interact and I was glad to have some time with Booster in the mix as well, even if it felt rush. Taylor has my faith completely at this point to tease out an engaging tale and he’s doing just that with this chapter. Redondo and Albarran hit it out of the park with the artwork with some good layouts to be had, some really great detail in the character pieces, and some fun action when it hits. It’s a very good chapter part of the larger whole that puts a few more pieces into play for the storyline.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: June 6th, 2017
MSRP: $0.99
