The end of the beginning.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom Taylor
Art: Roge Antonio
Colors: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
Final chapter of Year Zero! After the destruction of the Hall of Justice, who is still alive? And where did the JSA go? Meanwhile, do old habits die hard for Harley Quinn? Find out here in the epic conclusion to the prequel to Injustice: Gods Among Us!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With this prequel series wrapping up and largely bringing the whole thing to a close, Tom Taylor has a good bit of fun with this book by setting the expectations high while having already seen just how bad it all goes in the upcoming/previously released installments. Roge Antonio has been a solid addition to this run overall and I liked his take on a lot of characters and the kind of almost rough draft look to some of them that let it take on a kind of magical feeling at times, especially with Rain Beredo’s color design. The digital-first books often do work with some different styles and approaches and it’s one of the more appealing things about it.
With the Joker having Superman under his control, he makes the usual mistake of talking instead of doing. The effect of him using Superman to wipe out the League in an instant on camera would have been the perfect kind of chaos for him but he talks too much, allowing Alan Scott to arrive and contain Superman. Of course, that’s not going to really contain him but it does allow for Batman to start trying to get through to Superman by reaching inside even while Joker is fully in his head. The problem that they’ve had with him for so long is that Superman is incorruptible and can always be brought back from being taken over. And we’ve seen that over the years to good effect because that innate goodness is what we want to see overpowering the bad. And while it does all wrap up neat and tidy, laying it bare like that has now given the Joker what he needs to destroy him as his next big play. Which we know will not be the man himself but the woman he loves.
The back half of the book is mostly wrap-up, which includes Harley heading off to see Joker and learning what his plan is. He continues to prove that he views her just as a tool like everyone and everything else but she’s not going to learn for a long time, which frustrates Harley. I do like that we get a good look at Diana wanting to eliminate Joker after all he did and understand Batman’s reasons why but at the same time I wanted her to get him locked up someplace better than Gotham. Something ancient. We also get some nice moments between Jim and Lois as he prepares to go along with the others in search for the missing JSA members that got swept away by the chaos. It puts everything into place for what’s to come and adds that extra little bit of nuance for it all to take shape with.
In Summary:
Injustice: Year Zero draws to a close and leads into the initial series that got all this going alongside the game years ago. It’s bittersweet as I’d love to have more but at the same time, this particular little universe has come tidy and done. Yes, there are places to go and things to do but it’s worked through so much that it feels like it’s time to let it go fallow, to let the grass grow over it and leave us with the fond memories of it that we can stroll through at any time. There’s always a chance of a revival or something else down the line but for now, with this series, it feels complete.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology | Amazon
Release Date: January 5th, 2021
MSRP: $0.99
