Setting the stage for a whole lot of fun.
Creative Staff:
Story: Brian Buccellato, Christopher Sebela
Art: Pop Mhan
Colors: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
This new series retells the story from the first INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US video game from the twisted perspective of Harley Quinn.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I had definitely enjoyed the Injustice series that we had for the last few years in comic book form, though I only started reading with the third season. It was a welcome self-contained world that kept me involved with variations of familiar characters and a sense of anything goes. All of that finally caught up to the events that kicked off the game recently, a game that I have never played, and now shifts into this new series with events of the game being seen through Harley Quinn’s eyes. It’s easy to try and draw people in because of her and to find a new way to explore the game itself in this visual form. Brian Buccellato is sticking around as a plotter for this while Christopher Sebela handles the scripts and that should work well. This issue actually kicks off in a very good way as we get Pop Mhan on board to handle the artwork, which is definitely a treat.
And really, that’s the biggest draw here in a way, at least for those that have been reading all along. With Harley as the focus for it we get a good framework where we see her in the “present” as she’s on a bench talking about how things have gone for the last few years. It’s an extensive recap of what set everything off that she and the Joker did to Lois that turned Superman into the powerful dictator that he’s become in order to make the world safe. Having only read just over half of the run there was some welcome catch-up material in there that got me onto the right page and when I got to the material that I knew it was definitely fun to see it through Harley’s eyes. What it wants to setup is some of what she’s doing, such as a mission to raid a regime warehouse to get more green pills, and that’s the end result here that will get the book running in full next time around.
Normally, this might be a bit frustrating. But two things work in its favor here. First is that there is a ton of material that’s been produced in the last few years and recapping it for new audiences is important. With a new game coming and these books doing well in trade form in bookstores and gaming stores, making it accessible to someone picking it up is hugely important and Buccellato and Sebela do that with incredible ease here, picking the right points to cover and glossing over the others. The other thing that works in its favor is that Pop Mhan is an artist that I don’t get to see enough of and every panel, every layout, is just so wonderfully done here that it has great value in multiple readings. There’s a lot to enjoy in digging into the details that’s put into it as well as just the nature of the pacing and flow from the script to cover as much as it does. And for just a buck!
In Summary:
I’ll easily admit some wariness about the concept behind this series because I have no idea how much story was actually involved in the fighting game that it’s working off of. It has to do certain things to appeal to fans of the game but it also has to work as a continuation of what came before and be accessible to new readers as well as those that never played the game. It’s a tall order but the team here did a great job out of the gate in providing crucial foundational pieces. Yeah, it’s recap. But it’s beautifully illustrated and well paced recap with enough twists and nods to push it into a must-read category even if you’ve read every single digital issue that came before. Hell, it’s worth a couple of bucks just for Pop Mhan’s artwork alone. Definitely recommended and it has me hopeful that this series can build upon and exceed the Gods Among Us books as it progresses.
Grade:
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: October 4th, 2016
MSRP: $0.99
