Two very different paths open up here.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom Taylor
Art: Roge Antonio
Colors: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
Superman and Lois discuss their legacy and the possibility of it. Meanwhile, Joker and Harley convince Black Manta to help them get a hold of an underwater chest that holds the key for Joker to be able to control a God.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Injustice: Year Zero story has some strong material in this installment as it sets up more of what’s to come but also provides the pivotal turning point to events. Tom Taylor, as we’ve said before, excels at a wide range of characters often with just a little dialogue in order to show that he knows how to utilize them well. This one has him playing with a few more characters and it’s a delight to see them breathe under his guidance. Roge Antonio returns for the art duties on this one and it’s a big plus as well, from the quiet scenes with Clark and Lois to the fun deep under the sea. Antonio continues to have the right “look” for this project that feels tied nicely to what’s come in other ones and that’s a huge plus.
The more intimate storyline this time around has Clark struggling with his talk with Bruce about legacies and his wanting to leave behind something more than just those who follow in his footsteps. That has Lois knowing that he’s talking about kids and it raises all the concerns about whether it’s even possible. There’s a good honest between the two in how they talk to each other, which of course leads Clark to setting up a meeting with Dr. Midnite. While he is the most ideal, it doesn’t set a great tone for Lois with a blind doctor in the dark that has an owl in his office. But if there’s someone that can game out the pros and cons of this and support them throughout it, you couldn’t ask for much better than Dr. Midnite.
With the Joker storyline, he’s hooked up with Black Manta to head down to the trench to find the item Andre told them about. It’s a fun little journey overall with how everyone interacts with each other and I don’t even mind the Harley/Joker relationship too much as they’re not going as hard in on the terribleness of it all but still showing the toxicity of it. The recovery of the gem definitely goes off easier than one would expect – though it triggered an alarm that nobody would expect – and it’s fun to see how Joker basically powers up to a pretty impressive level here and is able to basically command people to do things by the power of his voice. You can sense the danger that Harley feels from it but it’s poor Andre that really suffers the wrath, making it clear what it is that Joker can do now.
In Summary:
There’s some good movement going on with the Clark and Lois storyline and I like the simple humanity of it all between the two, showing them as a real couple and the struggle they face that many can relate to. And I totally side with Lois on the weirdness of Dr. Midnite as well! The Joker storyline continues to move forward with the item of power now in his hands and that’s what’s going to be the real trigger point for things going forward, though it looks like he’ll be able to obscure his role in for at least a little while. It’s definitely presenting an interesting version of the character for a bit with a powered-up Joker.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology | Amazon
Release Date: September 1st, 2020
MSRP: $0.99
