Injustice: Ground Zero #23 - A Review

The battle to save the Earth of Injustice continues!  The tide turns when the still-noble Superman of another world arrives to aid the Insurgency. Yet when this Superman is ambushed by a mind-controlled Doomsday, who will save the savior?

Who do you think? She's only been narrating the whole story so far! Yeesh!



Much like in last week's review, I have to question Tom Derenick being tapped for the art duties on this issue. Derenick is a fine artist but his talents are best spent on close-combat and conversations. As a result, the epic, large-scale battles depicted in most of this issue look sloppy and off-model.

Christopher Sebela's story remains on point, however, and thank goodness for it! Harley's journey from hench-wench to hero in this reality has been an engaging one and it's a real treat to see her step-up to be what the world needs, as it is needed. I just wish we saw more of this smart, heart-felt Harley in the real DCU.

Injustice: Ground Zero #22 - A Review

The battle for the Earth of Injustice has begun in earnest. As Wonder Woman fights her alternate universe countepart for leadership of the Amazons, The Harley Horde raid one of Lex Luthor's old armories. They aren't looking for weapons - they're looking for tools to keep the people caught in the crossfire safe.


While I love Tom Derenick as an artist, I fear he was the wrong choice for this particular issue of Ground Zero. Derenick's animated style would normally be a good fit for a story focused on Harley Quinn. Sadly, it doesn't really work here, where Harley is narrating most of the action and trying to be serious. The Wonder Woman fight suffers the worst in this regard, looking more like a slapstick sequence than a brutal battle between two Amazons. Despite this disparity between the art and Christopher Sebela's excellent script, this issue remains a good read.

Injustice: Ground Zero #21 - A Review

As Barry Allen makes a fateful decision in the wake of Shazam's death, Harley Quinn has a question of her own to ponder - what do I do with myself next? A visit from an old friend and lover may give her some guidance and a new direction for herself and The Harley Horde.


This is a particularly strong issue of Injustice: Ground Zero. Seeing the events of the game from Harley's perspective, as they are presented in this issue, makes them feel brand new. Harley's insights into Barry Allen's character show her intelligence and insight - a welcome change of pace given how she's usually written as a bimbo. Then again, showing Harley's brains has been par for the course in Christopher Sebela's excellent scripts for this series and it's gratifying to see him also touch upon the Harley/Ivy relationship here, however briefly.


Marco Santucci proves a good choice for handling the art for this issue. Santucci's detail-drive style excels in bringing out the best of the intimate scenes that take up most of this chapter. The vibrant colors of J. Nanjan provide the perfect finishes to Santucci's pencils and inks.

Injustice: Ground Zero #20 - A Review

The Joker is subdued but his Joker Clan is still running loose in Gotham City. With Batman and the parallel Earth Justice League focused on bringing down the tyrant Superman after his vicious murder of Lex Luthor, it will fall to Harley Quinn to save her city. But she isn't fighting alone...



With this series, Christopher Sebela has written the best Harley Quinn focused story in the last decade. He interjects a few good bits into the subplot taken directly from the Injustice game (I particularly like Aquaman offering to let Green Arrow ride one of his giant shellfish friends as a consolation.) but Injustice: Ground Zero has been Harley's tale from start to finish. Much as I'm looking forward to Tom Taylor's Injustice 2 book, I'll be sad to see this story end.

Miguel Mendonca joins Daniel Sampere on the art duties this time around. Their styles clash but thankfully both artists are individually devoted to different subplots so the sudden changes in the art are not as distracting at they might have been. This is my first time viewing Mendoca's work and it is quite good, as are the inks and colors by regular creators Juan Albarran and  J. Nanjan.

Injustice: Ground Zero #19 - A Review

Still a captive of The Joker from another Earth, Harley Quinn is still struggling to find a way to break free. Will a chance encounter with Lex Luthor - now revealed as part of The Resistance - give her the chance she needs?


One of the few flaws the Injustice: Gods Among Us game was how poorly it represented most of its female characters. Wonder Woman in particular was horribly out of character, portrayed as having no reason for backing Superman's efforts at world domination other than her unrequited love for him. Harley Quinn suffered similarly, with her efforts at breaking free of The Joker coming about almost entirely because of Lex Luthor causing The Joker to admit that he had just been using her.

Injustice: Ground Zero #19 recreates this scene, but with a greater focus on Harley Quinn's emotional state and a more proactive role for Harley. The ultimate end is the same, but Christopher Sebela's script gives Harley more agency in how she breaks free of The Joker's control, showing that she was already looking for a way out when Lex Luthor showed up.

Jheremy Rappack's artwork is somewhat sloppy, loosing detail in the long range, However, his close-ups are to die for! I particularly like Raapack's designs for The Joker and Harley and the physiognomy of the characters from the fluidity of The Joker's movements to the stiff methodology of Lex Luthor. J. Nanjan's vivid colors finish the artwork nicely.

Injustice: Ground Zero #18 - A Review

With most of her gang turned upon her and out destroying Gotham on the parallel Joker's orders, Harley Quinn is in dire straits. At the same time, Cyborg struggles to commandeer the Watchtower and escape before the Tyrant Superman figures out what he's doing...


This week's Injustice: Ground Zero is an enjoyable comic. Christopher Sebela continues to build upon and around the story of the original Injustice, with his portrayal of a Harley Quinn struggling to break free of her codependency remaining the serie's high point.

The artwork is somewhat weaker this week, with Secret Six artist Tom Derenick delivering some uncharacteristically sloppy work. There's some slight inconsistencies from panel to panel, such as how low-slung Harley's pants are and how high her underwear is riding up on her hips. Still, Derenick does draw some great expressions, such as the forced smile Harley wears in dealing with The Joker that does not match her horrified eyes at all.

Injustice: Ground Zero #17 - A Review

The jail-break to free Batman hits a snag when Cyborg has trouble hacking the Watchtower teleporter, And as Lex Luthor flies off to confront the tyrant Superman, Harley Quinn faces a new crisis. The Joker from another world has freed himself and turned most of her gang against her. Can Harley fight against Mistah Jay AND her own followers?


While Ground Zero has never been a bad book this issue shows a marked improvement on recent issues, where the need to show the action of the Injustice game for the benefit of those readers who haven't played it slowed the pacing a bit. This chapter has no such issues, with the various subplots moving at a rapid pace. Harley's story remains the high-point, however, with Christopher Sebela showcasing a true command of Harley's rich character and internal conflict.


The artwork is just plain fantastic. I've been a big fan of the collaborations between Daniel Sampere and Juan Albarran for a while now and their work here is a prime example of why that is so, Rex Lokus' color art provides the perfect finishes to the pencils and inks

Injustice: Ground Zero #16 - A Review

Sent forth from The Tower of Fate, Harley is stuck struggling with the revelation that her soul is bound to The Joker across all of time and space. Will she be able to use the magic word Fate gave her to free herself when her army is threatened by Joker's madness? And what of the jailbreak to free the Batman of another world from the tyrant Superman?


Injustice: Ground Zero continues to be a solid read. Christopher Sebela's command of Harley Quinn as a character is impressive, but the story's pacing is hampered by the continual cutaways to retell the events of the Injustice game. The artwork is wonderful, with Marco Santucci turning in a fantastic showing, backed by J. Nanjan's vivid color art.

Injustice: Ground Zero #15 - A Review

Back under the spell of Mistah J (albeit one from a parallel Earth), Harley Quinn is unable to help Batman and his otherworldly allies from the parallel Justice League in their raid on Stryker's Island. But Harley isn't entirely helpless and a twist of fate and a little magic may help her save her army... if not herself.


If ever a comic proved that a good inker can make or break a book, it is this latest volume of Injustice: Ground Zero. The difference between the two inkers who worked on this issue is like night and day. One uses a light touch that enhances the original pencils of Derlis Santacruz. The other uses thick lines to outline everything, leaving the finished artwork looking like a coloring book page. Granted, it's a fantastically colored page thanks to Rex Lokus, but it's still distracting and amateurish.


Christopher Sebela's script remains the high point of the series. There's little he can do fight the repetitive feeling within the sections of the story which replicate the action from the original video game Injustice: Gods Among Us. His take on Harley Quinn, however, is pitch perfect, presenting a Harley who only acts dumb and is crazy like a fox.

Injustice: Ground Zero #14 - A Review

As Batman and the Justice League of another world move to rescue his counterpart, Harley Quinn breaks into the Hall of Justice with murder on her mind. Specifically, she plans to kill The Joker of the other Earth. When push comes to shove, can she really follow through on ending her 'Puddin?


This series suffers the more it focuses upon retelling the story from the game. The script by Christopher Sebela isn't bad but repeating a story that most of the people reading this series already know can't compete with the original material focusing on Harley's antics. If nothing else watching Harley in action is more interesting than Harley talking about what other characters are doing.

The artwork seems similarly weaker this time around as well. Pop Mhan is a good artist but several of his panels here seem rushed and sketchy. Most of them look fantastic, however, and there's some great spreads throughout the book, finished perfectly by Mark Roberts' colors.

Injustice: Ground Zero #13 - A Review

As Batman and his allies from another world plot against The Tyrant Superman, Harley Quinn finds herself shut-off from helping out. Again! Thankfully, after a little prompting from her loyal henchmen, she knows just what to do to help The Insurgency - Kill The Joker from the other world! Now she just has to find him...


Christopher Sebela takes over writing and plotting duties with this issue, to no apparent change apart from slightly more scenes recapturing the story of the Injustice: Gods Among Us game. These scenes are well handled and it's a treat listening to Harley's commentary on the other heroes' battle. Still, the best bits are the original material focused on what Harley Quinn was up to outside of the action of the game.


Tom Derenick is one of my favorite artists and this issue is a good example of why that is so. Derenick is a great visual storyteller, who fits an amazing amount of detail into every panel he draws. Sometimes those panels are obscured by the inks but the darker aesthetic suits this story well. And J. Nanjan continues to rock on the colors.

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: 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!