The ties that bind us.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom Taylor
Art: Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran
Colors: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
Still missing Alfred, Batman reminisces about Damian’s first night alone in Gotham without backup.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Injustice 2 took a bit of an odd turn this week due to the holiday, getting it a day later but also having the Supergirl origin story issue coming out as well that, for me, was unexpected. This installment of the main series is one that’s a welcome bit of navel gazing in a way as it serves to expand the characters well so that we understand them within the context of this series but also accessible to new readers that aren’t steeped in the lore. That’s something that Tom Taylor has done well over the course of this project in general and it’s one that looks great and has a good sense of fun thanks to Sampere and Albarran’s artwork. The flow of the panels works really well with how the pages are laid out with the actions that Damian takes and the color blending from Lokus really brings it together beautifully.
With a lot having gone on recently, we’re now in that momentary quiet stage where things are being set for the next big action. The bookends side made me wish we had a bit more there as we get some time with Bruce in the Batcave trying to figure out where Damian is after he was taken from the prison holding. That has him focused and intense and not noticing that Connor has come in. Connor provides some out of the mouth of babes material but that includes the nod toward how Bruce really lost a lot when Alfred died. That comes out in the flashback that dominates the book as it’s made clear that the World’s Greatest Detective doesn’t know when he eats, how much milk there is and a whole host of other sundry things. Alfred’s role is a critical one in keeping Bruce functioning and it’s something that Bruce remembers once in awhile.
What the main focus is here is on Damian getting his first solo night out while training under Batman quite a few years ago. I’m no fan of Damian in general but Taylor crafts this well enough to show the human side of the character as Batman essentially tests his morality and what kind of hero he would be at this stage. Setting him about three hours away from the Batcave, he tells him how long it would take to get there and then whisks off to quietly observe him. Damian figures he can do it under two hours but as time goes on he ends up helping more and more people, sometimes in very charming ways, and it ends up taking him ten hours. The way it’s presented is just very well done thanks to the way Sampere makes each of the encounters feel real and engaging, not just quickly tacked on obvious pieces. It serves to really make you feel empathetic toward Damian (in this period) and you can see it as a way that they’ll try to draw him out of the mindset he’s in now, somehow.
In Summary:
Injustice 2 does some very good stuff here with the quieter material, even if I wish it had spent more time working with Bruce and Connor as there’s some interesting possibilities there. The flashback material with Alfred just made me all the more sad at his loss and remembering how it happened, but I really enjoyed the Damian material even though I typically don’t care for the character. The series has lots of room to play with yet and this is some good foundational material that I’m sure we’ll see being built upon later. The team here did a great job with this issue and I can’t wait to see what’s next to come.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: May 30th, 2017
MSRP: $0.99
