Oh, Damian…
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom Taylor
Art: Bruno Redondo, Juan Albarran
Colors: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
Following the death of one of their own, two of Batman’s allies make a major decision about their future, but the Dark Knight has his own crisis to deal with.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
One of the things I love about comics is just how ridiculous it can get over time, especially in continuity heavy shared universe stories. The Injustice books kind of get to avoid that to some degree since it’s all self-contained but there are some very wonky and weird, and laugh out loud, moments that come with the territory. Tom Taylor knows when to lean into them and embrace it while using it to advance the story itself. It also doesn’t hurt that he has Redondo and Albarran here once again making this book look fantastic in a way that a lot of the Gods Among Us run of issues simply wasn’t able to do. This series just feels like it’s been polished a whole lot more and the end result is an even more appealing and infectious book.
With some interesting Supergirl material recently, this issue takes us back to the fallout from Ted Kord’s death at the funeral where Jaime makes a scene but may get himself involved in the war. It’s more a showcase for Intense Batman but it works to show some real energy and sense of justice out of Jaime as well. What this area sets into motion isn’t a surprise though as Ollie makes his proposal to Dinah while she’s at the tombstone of this world’s Ollie. Yes, it’s weird, and she says as much about it being the wrong time – especially as they’re about to embark on a new war – but Ollie puts it all into perspective. Seeing your own grave like that makes you appreciate life all the more and embrace the moments you have and that’s exactly what he’s going to do with her. It’s a great representation of their relationship, something that from this 90’s era fan I can definitely fall in love with a whole lot.
That gives a decent chunk of the book over to the wedding itself, a small and quiet affair in a church that Bruce sets up for them. There’s cuteness with kids and even a grin from Bruce that makes him incredibly human. I love what we get out of Dinah during this as she’s just stunning thanks to Redondo and Albarran’s work here but it’s the addition of Wildcat Ted that makes it great. The two of them have a long relationship and seeing him back in the game to some degree, and throwing down with her in a way that totally makes sense, serves to reaffirm one of the many reasons Ollie loves her. The downside to all of this is that there’s more afoot with the wedding that nobody knows about as an attack is planned there and a disturbing distraction back at Wayne Manor involving Damian and Alfred. You kind of expected it with Ra’s involved, but still… damn.
In Summary:
Injustice 2 continues to deliver in a way that the franchise hasn’t for a bit. I’ve had fun with the more recent Gods Among Us material and found some fun in the Ground Zero book as well, but Tom Taylor is firing on all cylinders with this run and it’s got Redondo and Albarran delivering some of their best yet in this lengthy franchise as well. The focus on a wedding may be the kind of thing that some fans (too many fans?) will roll their eyes at but it’s the humanizing material that’s a draw for me more than the punching and fighting with one-liners. This is what gives those scenes real impact and weight and the team here is delivering on it in a big way.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: July 4th, 2017
MSRP: $0.99
