It’s time for the dirty work.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom Taylor
Art: Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran
Colors: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
In the White House, President Jefferson Pierce has to make a crucial decision. Meanwhile, in Gorilla City, Grodd makes his move.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The value of a series like Injustice 2 is important since it allows for some real creativity and a chance for characters to become something more without worrying about them reverting. Tom Taylor has had many of them having to deal with hard choices in the past and that’s only going to continue with so many things to face. This issue has a few and it’s all wonderfully brought to life with Daniel Sampere handling the art duties once again with Juan Albarran inking. It’s a two-location book but mostly takes place in the White House and lets us see the cast in a different way for those that are aligned with the President here. That makes for a fun looking work but one that doesn’t have to stretch too much in terms of action.
We do get a little time out at Gorilla City but it’s without some of the key stuff from where we left off. Seeing how bad things went down for Ra’s the last time around has me wanting to see more of what his situation is like but mostly we get more focus on Grodd drawing from the young to his side with promises of bringing their parents into it soon enough. Grodd has always been crafty but he largely played within the same game as everyone else. Here, he’s moved to a new level and is intent on really seizing power and not letting going, so he’s bringing plenty of pieces from the board into his grasp with a firm grip on them. And kids of various fellow apes that may be aligned with Solovar? That definitely cements it.
The bulk of the book takes place in the White House where it opens on the fun of the kids playing around, taking down secret service members while Ollie and Dinah play at being shapeshifting aliens for them to fight while protecting the President. Jefferson does let them do this until he has to get to the serious work, which involves the discovery on their part through General Lane that Grodd’s forces are on the move. It’s here that Jefferson, separated from his hero friends, makes the hard choice to not warn Solovar because of what had gone done before with Ra’s. But it also reaffirms his mindset that he has to do what’s necessary to ensure that the kids never fight. It’s a foolish mindset because even eliminating all the threats in the here and now doesn’t mean new threats will come in the future. So the idea he has is one that’s right but the reality of it is that it’s a huge disservice to all involved.
In Summary:
There’s a fair bit going on here for a quieter issue as there’s not much in the way of action to it. But the decisions being made, the mindset that’s being put into play by Jefferson in particular, sets the stage for what’s to come. I’m definitely interested in seeing how far Tom Taylor will take this kind of characterization with Jefferson since it’s one that can make for some tough choices for many ahead and we end up similar to how some of the villain groups worked and the discomfort at not being true to your beliefs. Especially in a world that has gone as crazy as this one. It’s a solid book with some great artwork from Sampere who I want to have an entire issue of the kids in simple costumes playing alien invasion defense in the White House.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: July 31st, 2018
MSRP: $0.99
