Injustice: Ground Zero #12 - A Review

Things were looking bad for Harley and her gang when Black Adam showed up. Then Billy Batson got his gag off and transformed into Shazam! Will The Big Red Cheese be ready to forgive and forget his alter ego's kidnapping at the hands of The Bombshell Buffoon? Or has Harley just traded one world of hurt for another?


It's a fact few people remember these days, but originally Captain Marvel was an independent personality from Billy Batson. In modern times, the magic of Shazam usually transforms Billy into an idealized adult version of himself but originally the two just traded places.

I mention this because I know Geoff Johns played with the difficulties posed by Billy Batson perusing young love in the pages of JSA (Jay Garrick caught the glances exchanged between Shazam and Stargirl and put two and two together.) Yet to the best of my knowledge this is the first time anyone has played with the idea of Captain Marvel looking for love independent of his alter ego.

Okay, calling what exists between Harley and Shazam "love" is a bit of a stretch. Yet the relationship between them  s an amusing and surprisingly sweet one. And kudos to Brian Buccellato and Christopher Sebela for finally establishing that Harley Quinn - for all her other sins - isn't a pedophile by clarifying that - in this world at least - Captain Marvel and Billy are different people. I also like the reasoning Shazam gives for staying on Team Superman in spite of his misgivings over The Regime's mission.


As great as all the artists on Injustice: Ground Zero have been, I think this particular pairing of creative talents may be the best overall. Granting, I'm a bit biased, having been a fan of Daniel Sampere since his work on Batgirl, yet there's a clarity to his character designs that appears smooth and streamlined even in scenes where the line work should clutter the finished art, as in the scenes of Harley and Shazam chatting in the rain, Juan Albarran's inks and J. Nanjan's colors partner up to provide the perfect finish to an amazing issue.

Injustice: Ground Zero #11 - A Review

No sooner is Harley free of The Batcave with a "recovered" Batmobile, then she has to head back. Batman and the Justice League of a parallel Earth are there, unaware that they're walking into the ambush Harley just evaded! Unfortunately, Black Adam has just arrived on the scene and seen the very conspicuous Batmobile in the streets of Gotham...


The artwork in this issue is fantastic. Marco Santucci crafts a dark, moody atmosphere befitting the Gotham City setting and the Gothic aura of the abandoned Wayne Manor. This aesthetic is further aided by J. Nanjan's wonderful colors.


The use of humor continues to be the best quality of this series' writing. Strangely, considering the focus on Harley Quinn, nearly half of this issue centers upon Batman and The Justice League. There is humor here as well, yet the characters are written as true to form as Harley and Black Adam in their fight scene. And Christopher Sebela crafts what may be the single greatest summation of Harley Quinn's character with this line - "I think I need my head examined sometimes. Then I remember how fun it is to be this kind of crazy."

Injustice: Ground Zero #10 - A Review

As Batman leads a group of Justice League members from another world to recover a weapon they can use against they tyrant Superman from the ruins of Wayne Manor, Harley Quinn leads her own team to break into The Bat-Cave. Their mission? Steal the Batmobile back for Batman. Unfortunately, Damian Wayne is standing in their way.


Jheremy Rappack - who had previously worked on the original Injustice comic - returns to handle the pencils and inks on this issue. Rappack proves a good choice, his gritty style and thick inks suiting the setting of a dark, underground complex. My only complaint - and it is a small one - is that Harley with a white-eye mask just looks strange to me.  Mark Roberts joins J. Nanjan on the color-art duties but you'd never know that two colorists were at work on this title, so seamless is the transition between their respective pages.


Again I must praise Chris Sebela's writing of Harley Quinn. She is silly, yes, but there is a brilliance behind the comedy, such as how she psychoanalyzes Damian Wayne as they are fighting and works that into her taunts to put him off-guard. It's a nice, subtle touch and part of why I enjoy this series so much. (Hey! That rhymed!)

Injustice: Ground Zero #9 - A Review

Batman's big plan is in motion and Harley and her gang are still stuck on the sidelines. Luckily, Harley knows just what to do to get back into Batman's good graces. Unluckily (for Billy Batson, at least), her plan to steal back The Batmobile from Wayne Manor requires her going through Shazam!


I know I dote upon this series' humor but it truly is one of its best features. This issue easily has the funniest dialogue in Ground Zero to date. More importantly, Brian Buccellato and Chris Sebela continue to show a masterful understanding of Harley Quinn's character and the fact that Harley only plays dumb.


The humor extends into the artwork, with Injustice: Gods Among Us artists Tom Derenick and  J. Nanjan returning for this week's issue. J. Nanjan delivers a masterful performance on the coloring, as always. Derenick draws great expressions and takes full advantage of the comedic script to deliver cartoonishly hilarious images of Harley being electrocuted or licking Shazam's nose cutely. I also love the quick sight gag of Batgirl playing Mortal Kombat.

Injustice: Ground Zero #8 - A Review

Bored out of her crazy little skull, Harley Quinn and her new gang of resistance fighters were reduced to asking the GCPD if there was anything they could do to help them. This led to the sewers and their accidental uncovering of a Regime plot to draft the few free heroes and villains still free in Gotham. Can Harley and company overcome an enraged Bane and Killer Croc?!


Pop Mhan's artwork proves a perfect vehicle for this erratic tale. Mhan shifts his style expertly to fit the needs of the scene. His action sequences make use of a more traditional style that well-suits the kinetic nature of the conflict. By contrast, the flashbacks in which Harley remembers better days (well, relatively speaking) with The Joker are rendered with a softer, more exaggerated appearance that would look cartoonish even without the inclusion of singing birds circling a romanced Harley's head. Mark Roberts does an equally fantastic job finishing the art with his colors.


The story is the equal of the art. It is worth noting that Chris Sabela does not romanticize The Joker and Harley's relationship at all. The plot by Brian Buccellato makes no bones about the fact that Harley is being abused. This is not the least bit preachy, however, but serves to drive home the central conflict of Harley's character. Intellectually, she knows The Joker is bad but that doesn't matter when the bad feels good. The rest of the issue outside the flashbacks, however, confirm Harley's status as a capable anti-hero and a true icon of the DC Universe.

Injustice: Ground Zero #7 - A Review

Sidelined by Batman's orders following the arrival of The Justice League of another Earth, Harley Quinn is itching for action. Nostalgia leads her to try and contact the few super-villains left free to see if they're willing to team up for old time's sake. Unfortunately, most of them don't want to get involved, leading Harley to a new low - asking the GCPD if she can help them!


The artwork on this issue is amazing! I've been a fan of both Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran and J. Nanjan for a while now and every page of this issue is a good example of why this is so. Sampere has a great gift for allowing the characters to express themselves through their physicality and Juan Albarran proves capable of shading a comic without making it seem overly dark. And J. Nanjan's colors leave everything looking bright and exciting, as any comic starring Harley Quinn should appear.


What really sells this series, however, is the story. Chris Sebela writes a damn good Harley Quinn, knowing that the greater part of Harley's character is born of pathos rather than random lunacy. The best moments of this issue involve Harley trying to talk her best friend/girlfriend Poison Ivy into a team-up and being shot down because Ivy sees Harley's newfound heroic instincts as an equally self-destructive substitute for life with The Joker. It's a fair comparison and a heart-breaking moment, well-balanced by some fine action sequences and, yes, a few bits of funny random lunacy.

Injustice: Ground Zero #6 - A Review

As Harley Quinn fights her conflicting feelings regarding a new Joker entering her life, her army of protesters wage a more physical battle against Superman's Regime forces. Meanwhile, The Regime has captured Batman... but not the one they expected!


While a solidly written piece of work, Injustice: Ground Zero #6 lacks the luster of previous issues. Half of this is due to the book's intrusion into the story of the original game, when the appeal of the original Injustice comic was that it told us all the stories we didn't see in the five-year gap between the game's prologue and first act. The other half is the lack of Harley's narration in the later part of the book, as the action shifts to focus on The Regime torturing Earth Prime Batman.


While the story may seem somewhat repetitive to those who have played the original game, the visuals of the artwork more than make up for it. Marco Santucci has a great gift for depicting facial expressions and the close-ups in this book look fantastic. The rich colors by J. Nanjan are also worthy of special praise.

Injustice: Ground Zero #5 - A Review

Harley Quinn was finally finding some degree of contentment (not peace because... well, this IS Harley Quinn we're talking about!) as an honest to goodness superhero. Unfortunately, her ex is back. Or at least a reasonable facsimile of "good ol' Mistah Jay"is in Gotham and Harley isn't sure just how to feel...


Pop Mah's artwork is a little uneven this time around. The individual splash pages look fantastic but some of the panels in the action sequences appear to be a little rough. Thankfully, even the rough patches look merely good rather than great.


What really makes this issue shine is the story. Chris Sabela does a fantastic job getting into Harley Quinn's head and portraying her central conflict - the heart and the mind at war between what feels right and what you know logically is wrong. This dichotomy is what has endeared Harley to many readers and these fans will truly love this issue.

Injustice: Ground Zero #4 - A Review

As the heroes of another Earth arrive just in time to save a group of anti-Regime protesters, Harley Quinn finds herself in the unlikely role of hero, moving to protect the crowd from the fallout of a superhero battle. This leads to some deep thoughts of the insanity of heroism and how Harley - for better or worse - has definitely become one of the good guys.


The last thing most people expect from a Harley Quinn comic is deep thoughts. Yet that is precisely what Chris Sebela delivers this week, as Harley pontificates upon how inherently silly superheroes are. Of course Harley, being Harley, revels in the insanity rather than criticizing it... right up until the point when two bozos in spandex slapping each other around becomes more important than the people put in danger. Still, the opening speech of the comic is on-par with the speech Alan Moore wrote for Rorschach regarding the clown who couldn't laugh anymore.


The artwork continues to impress, with Daniel Sampere and Juan Albarran turning in their usual high-quality work. Every panel of this comic looks gorgeous, with intricately drawn figures, astonishing colors and inks that enhance the original pencils without making the comic look overly shaded.

Injustice: Ground Zero #3 - A Review

With her first secret mission for Batman in the can, Harley is ready to celebrate. Being a generous boss, Harley decides to take her henchmen out to enjoy in the merrymaking and finally learn their names. But there's no rest for the wicked, even if they are the good guys now... technically. So when Harley sees a news story about the Regime's police moving in on a peaceful protest, she knows just what her new gang/team's next mission will be.


Daniel Sampere is one of my favorite artists and this issue showcases precisely why that is so. Sampere has a great gift for expressions and is a wonderful visual storyteller. He is well-paired with inker Juan Albarran, who adds the perfect definition to complete the artwork.


Harley Quinn hasn't been written this well in quite some time. Plotter Brian Buccellato and writer Chris Sebela present a classic Harley Quinn here - one who means well but whose "help" is of dubious quality. Still, it is fun to watch ol' Harl cut loose and there are many moments of hilarity in this issue.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #40 - A Review

The wolf is at the door for Batman and what remains of his Insurgency. The Regime has discovered the location of his last refuge and Bruce Wayne is cornered by Superman, Wonder Woman and the Yellow Lantern Hal Jordan. Now the only hope for the world rests on Batman's ability to stall for time as Barbara Gordon tries to activate the portal that will summon reinforcements from another Earth...


The final chapter of Injustice: Year Five is somewhat muted. Brian Buccellato does the best he can to push the suspense but there's only so much you can do when the reader already knows how the story must end. Mike S. Miller's art is unusually off-kilter, with a variety of forced poses and one laughable sequence in which Superman is somehow able to slap the mask off of Batman!

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #40 - A Review

The wolf is at the door for Batman and what remains of his Insurgency. The Regime has discovered the location of his last refuge and Bruce Wayne is cornered by Superman, Wonder Woman and the Yellow Lantern Hal Jordan. Now the only hope for the world rests on Batman's ability to stall for time as Barbara Gordon tries to activate the portal that will summon reinforcements from another Earth...


The final chapter of Injustice: Year Five is somewhat muted. Brian Buccellato does the best he can to push the suspense but there's only so much you can do when the reader already knows how the story must end. Mike S. Miller's art is unusually off-kilter, with a variety of forced poses and one laughable sequence in which Superman is somehow able to slap the mask off of Batman!

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #39 - A Review

The war between Superman's Regime and Batman's Insurgency has cost both sides many lives. In a desperate bid to end the fighting and save the man she loves, Catwoman offers to reveal the location of Batman's final hideout to Superman in exchange for his life. Little do they all realize that Batman and Lex Luthor are moments away from their own master-stroke to end the war...


This is a powerful penultimate issue for what has always been an enjoyable series. While there is little sense of suspense at this point, Brian Buccellato still wrings every bit of emotion he can from the proceedings. And Mike S. Miller and J. Nanjan bring that emotion forth in every panel of this book - from the tears in Catwoman's eyes as she betrays the only man she ever loved in a bid to save him to the determination in Batman's face as he faces his former friend in battle one more time.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #38 - A Review

Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five #38 continues into the story of the game's opening sequence. This time,we see The Joker and Harley preparing to set-up a nuclear bomb in the middle of Metropolis. The twist is that the story is told primarily from Harley's perspective.


With little room for action in this issue, Brian Buccellato delivers the funny instead. Thankfully, his takes on The Joker and Harley are quite amusing. Marco Santucci manages a splendid sense of motion throughout as well as a few fantastic splash-pages as we see the action from afar. And Rex Lokus' colors are as wonderful as usual.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #37 - A Review

Another time. Another place. Another Earth. It is an Earth where Superman has yet to become a tyrant and a pregnant Lois Lane is still quite alive. It's an Earth where Bataman's secret identity remains secret. It is an Earth where The Justice League remain allies in battle and fast friends, capable of celebrating a birthday together. Alas, there's no rest for the wicked and a coordinated attack by their fiercest foes requires a swift end to the Justice League's good time...



At this point there is very little left in the tale to tell and the ending of this issue seems to be leading into the start of the original Injustice game.  With little action and no suspense, this issue gives us a spirited little character story focusing on The Justice League in happier times. Your enjoyment of this issue may come down to one simple question - do you smile a little at the thought of Jim Gordon and Rene Montoya arguing over proper meat placement on a grill?

If the answer is yes, then you will find this comic quite amusing. If, however, you wish to quibble over Jim Gordon being invited to a Justice League gathering at Wayne Manor, Batman and Superman enjoying a beer together or the very idea of Batman hosting a barbecue with horseplay by the pool... well, I'm sure there's a more dour comic out there you can enjoy. The rest of us will enjoy Brian Buccellato's scripts, Xermanico's artwork and Rex Lokus' color art without you. This is a good, fun comic, plain and simple.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #36 - A Review

Zasaz has turned up dead in his cell - a mystery that further convinces Hal Jordan that Sinestro is hiding something within The Regime's new super-prison. Meanwhile, Deathstroke encounters some unexpected resistance in his mission to steal a Motherbox from STAR Labs. It seems The Regime has recruited Metamorpho as a secret security guard and he's more than willing to give the world's greatest mercenary a beating.


I want to like this issue of Injustice more than I did but it suffered from a serious case of deja vu. Sinestro's playing dumb with Hal regarding the constant security breaches around Zasaz has become a running gag.  The problem is that Sinestro playing dumb seems horribly out of character for the former Green Lantern whose biggest crime was arrogance.

I think the ultimate problem is that we're close enough to the ending now there's little room for the sudden surprises that have made this series a delight. So while it's nice to see Metamorpho, the fight between him and Deathstroke falls a little flat since the action of the battle isn't clear. Mike S. Miller illustrates it well enough but there's no explanation for some of that happens. A little more narration might have smoothed things over.  In the end, this comic is merely acceptable rather than excellent - still worth reading, but a disappointment compared to what we're used to seeing on this series.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #35 - A Review

Lex Luthor and Batman have come up with a plan to recruit a Justice League from another dimension to help them fight The Regime. To pull it off, they'll need to steal a Motherbox from the most secure armory in the world. And to pull that off without exposing Batman will require the services of the world's greatest mercenary - Deathstroke!


I can't recall off-hand if Deathstroke has appeared in the Injustice comic or not before now. In either case, his appearance here is well handled and - much like the earlier appearances of Green Arrow and Harley Quinn - reflects the character as he was before The New 52. This is the principled mercenary Slade Wilson as written by Marv Wolfman and Brian Buccellato does a fine job capturing that voice.


Mike. S. Miller does an equally fantastic job on the artwork. The artwork for this series has rarely been anything worse than average but I believe Miller is probably my favorite of all the many fine artists to work on Injustice. He has a great eye for detail and always finds the perfect balance between merely outlining the original pencils and enhancing them. Talking of enhancements, the color art by J. Nanjan is impressive.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #34 - A Review

The Resistance has proof of Superman killing innocent civilians! Unfortunately, Superman still has some allies who believe the order he's imposing is more important than justice. And with his final plan thwarted, Batman will have to turn to his most desperate gamble yet.


The action is starting to die down as this series enters into its final issues. Thankfully, the plot here doesn't seem like pointless padding. Brian Buccellato does a fine job of keeping this story moving but there's not much he can do at this point to offer up the surprises and twists that made this series such a delight to read.

The artwork is stronger this week, but still seems a little rushed at times. Tom Derenick still has some issues with over-inking certain panels, though his pencil-work is much stronger in this chapter. And Rex Lokus continues to amaze with his color art.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #33 - A Review

The race is on for both The Regime and The Insurgency. As Batgirl desperately tries to hack Cyborg's memory banks and find some proof of Superman murdering unarmed protesters, The Regime works to find Batman's team and to save the life of a poisoned Superman. And even now The Flash can't help but wonder if he's chosen the right side...


This art in this issue is uncharacteristically weak. I'm quite fond of Tom Derenick's work - both here and on Secret Six - but there are a lot of panels here that just look off, whether it be due to the proportions of the characters, some oddly chosen angles or the overly heavy inks. Every artist has their off days and this is definitely not one of Derenick's better pieces of work.


Thankfully the writing is as strong as ever. Brian Buccellato makes The Flash our point-of-view character again - not surprising his long history of writing the character and Barry Allen's status as a man in the middle in this story. And the scene in which he confronts Lex Luthor with his fears is a dramatically ironic one, given that Barry is totally unaware of Lex's own secret campaign against Superman.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #32 - A Review

Hawkman has returned to Earth and he is out for blood! Abandoning Batman's plans to peaceful bring Superman to heel, he's laced his mace with Kryptonite. Unfortunately, that won't help anyone when the rest of The Regime show up...


The action in this issue is amazing. Marco Santucci and Rex Lokus do a stellar job in portraying Hawkman in all his savage fury and create a number of amazing visual effects, such as the golden glint of Hawkman's helmet. The emphasis may be on the action this week, but the script by Brian Buccellato still allows for some brief character moments, such as one panel where it seems that Barry Allen seems conflicted over the fight and is seriously pondering stepping in to change things... one way or the other.