Injustice 2 #64 & #65 - A Review

The Red Lanterns' siege of Oa continues in Injustice #64. The Red Lanterns' still have Starro The Conqueror on their side, and through it control of a Guardian and many Green Lanterns. Can Hal Jordan find it in himself to be a leader again?  If he can, will The Green Lanterns follow him despite his past crimes?



An unexpected arrival turns the tide of the battle in Injustice 2 #65. But the new arrival is not there to save Oa or to defeat the Red Lanterns. They have come for Conner Kent, the new Superman!




I regret that my Tuesdays of late have been so busy as to not find the time to discuss this book in a more timely manner. If pressed to pick a single favorite comic book right now, I dare say this might be it. Tom Taylor's command of these characters - many of whom no longer exist in the regular DC Comics universe (or, at least, are heavily sidelined) - is astonishing and I still say that when the current creative teams are done with their runs we need Tom Taylor writing a Green Lantern book.

As far as the artwork goes, it is ever fantastic. I have a slight preference for Bruno Redondo's clearer lines and Gabe Eltaeb's delicate inks over the grittier aesthetic preferred by Xermanico, but that is only because I think it generally fits the tone of Taylor's stories better. Generally, this is true, but Xermanico proves the perfect artist to draw the darker-toned Injustice 2 #65. The colors by both Juan Albarran and J. Nankan are spectacular and Wes Abbott is, as always, wonderful about using his balloon placement to enhance the action rather than obscuring it.

Bottom Line: There are both great issues. This is a fantastic series and it should be an obvious pick-up for anyone who loves the DC Universe.

The Final Analysis: 10/10 for both issues.

Injustice 2 #60-62 - A Belated Review

The Red Lanterns have recruited Starro The Conqueror and have lain siege to Oa - home of The Green Lantern Corps and The Guardians of The Universe. The New God Metron has recruited Jaime Reyes - The Blue Beetle - to stand against Starro, having foreseen that only the wielder of The Scarab can stand against the rage-empowered Starro.

Blue Beetle does not stand alone, however, with his friends in the New Titans and Booster Gold having joined in the fight. Even the bounty hunter Lobo, who was hired by Metron to bring Blue Beetle to him, has joined in the fighting on the simple grounds that it'll be hard for him to get paid in a universe run by a crazy hive-mind. And before the day is over, even more unlikely allies may be found to aid Oa in its blackest night...


Due to life being life and my schedule of late leaving me busy on Tuesdays when this book is released on-line, I haven't had the opportunity to review Injustice 2 for nearly three weeks. Indeed, I've barely had the time to read it!

Today, however, I made the time and I am glad I did. For Injustice 2 #62 contained no less than three jaw-dropping moments. I am not certain that my jaw literally did drop physically as I was reading the issue. Mentally, however, I was gobsmacked.

I know Tom Taylor is a busy man but I dearly wish he were writing several series based on his work here. There are a number of characters in Injustice 2 - no longer in existence in the DC Rebirth reality - who I sorely miss and am glad to see being given their due here. Chief among these are Conner Kent and Cassie Sandsmark, who have become this reality's new Superman and Wonder Woman and one heck of a cute couple. I'd also love to see Taylor tackle the Green Lantern Corps on a regular basis or pen a new Blue and Gold series.

The artwork is equally fantastic. This book is blessed by a number of great creative teams and I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite if asked to do so. Xermanico, Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, J Nanjan, Rex Lokus and Wes Abbot all deliver their respective A-games to every aspect of this series' artwork and I cannot recall any issue where the art was anything but excellent.

If you haven't been reading Injustice 2, for whatever reason, you've been missing out. This is one of my favorite series and you would do well to check it out and find out why.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. Great issues, all of them. 

Injustice 2 #36 - A Review

Breaking into The Fortress of Solitude in search of a working Phantom Zone Projector, Batman and the new Justice League Task Force were not expecting to run into an army of angry Superman robots. What they find inside The Fortress proves even more surprising!


Injustice 2 #36 is largely devoted to one humdinger of an epic action-sequence. Despite this, the best moments of the issue come in the quiet conversations our heroes have later on. Good as he is at writing superheroic battles, Tom Taylor's bread and butter are these quieter character-driven moments and these scenes are what keep me reading this series.

Xermanico excels at depicting both the active and static scenes, though some of the panels in the action-filled half of the story are a tad rough. The majority of the comic still looks fantastic, with J. Nanjan's finishes and Wes Abbott's letters proving as spectacular as usual.

The Final Analysis: 9 out of 10. A few oddly posed panels put this one just short of perfection.

Injustice 2 #31 - A Review

The war between the Amazons is begun, with Antiope and her rebels fighting against the new Wonder Woman, Nubia, and Hippolyta's loyalists. They will not have an easy time freeing the princess Diana, but they do have one advantage - the Kryptonian Kara Zor-El is on their side.


This should be an epic issue and with a different artist it might have been. Tom Taylor writes some great action sequences, as per usual, but Mike S. Miller seems to have phoned it in this week. The artwork in this issue is full of forced poses and Escher Girls, making a farce of the whole thing.



The Final Analysis: 5 out of 10. That's purely for the story.

Injustice 2 #30 - A Review

The plan to free Diana from her prison on Paradise Island has hit a snag. Kara has been discovered by the new Wonder Woman and subjected to the Lariat of Truth. Thankfully - for Black Adam and Damian Wayne, at least - they are not alone in wishing to free the Amazon princess.


Those who enjoyed the Wonder Woman movie this past summer and wished to see more of The Amazons would do well to read this issue of Injustice 2. Tom Taylor runs through an all-star list of prominent Amazons and handles them all with his usual skill. This is particularly gratifying given that the Injustice version of Wonder Woman - who seems to be motivated by an unrequited love of Superman and little else - is far and away from the Diana most fans admire.

Sadly, Mike S. Miller's work this week isn't up to his usual standard. It is not that his artwork is bad but many of his character poses seem forced and awkward. There's also very little sense of continuity between panels, such as the above sequence where Diana is suddenly standing and in a defensive pose after having been sitting with her hands around her knees in the previous panel.

The Final Analysis: 6 out of 10. It's a solid story, but Miller's artwork is a little awkward this time around.

Injustice 2 #29 - A Review

As Kara, Damian Wayne and Black Adam launch their plan to rescue Diana - the former Wonder Woman - from her Themiscyran prison, Diana is visited by an old foe with an odd request...


I can't show any images from this week's Injustice 2 issue. Partly because Tom Taylor has put enough surprises in this issue relative to the description above that I don't want to spoil anything and partly because all of this issue's failings lie in the artwork.  I'm not saying that Mike S. Miller is a bad artist, but his bright, detail-driven style is a poor match for the tone of Taylor's story here. Some of moments which are meant to be dramatic look goofy as rendered by Miller and the scene depicted on the cover does not happen, even in a metaphorical sense. Fans of the Amazons will want to read this issue anyway, particularly for the final page.

The Final Analysis: 7 out of 10. Good, but not great. 

Injustice 2 #26 (Digital Edition) - A Review

Confined to the royal palace of Khandaq, Kara Zor-El is totally ignorant as to what life on Earth is like beyond what Black Adam has told her. Damian Wayne - currently guesting in the same palace while trying to convince Black Adam to join the cause of Ra's Al Ghul - plans to show her the world. What is Damian's real agenda? Or does he have one beyond trying to offer friendship to another teenager in a tough situation?


Off-hand, I can't recall having read any stories that teamed Superman and Batman's primary teen sidekicks. Batgirl and Supergirl, yes. Robin and Superboy, certainly. But Supergirl and Robin? I can't believe this is the first but I'm certain this issue of Injustice 2 is probably the best.

Tom Taylor's most amazing feat in this series and the previous Injustice comics has been inspiring sympathy for those characters the original games painted in a primarily villainous light. Opinion is divided on Damian Wayne in the fandom but Taylor's portrayal of the character here breeds uncertainty as to the believe that his Injustice incarnation is wholly irredeemable. Of course this could all be a ruse but it is a credit to Taylor's skill as a writer that he can inspire such uncertainty and the character moments featuring Kara and Damian confiding in one another are the high point of the issue.

Mike S. Miller and J. Nanjan are an equally excellent art team. There is a certain sense of clarity to Miller's pencils and inks that is hard to define and Nanjan's colors are bright and lively. Ironically, this is the only flaw of this issue - things look too bright and streamlined for a comic that is primarily set at night.

The Final Analysis: 8 out of 10. 

Injustice 2 #12 - A Review

The capsule which carried Kara Zor-El from Krypton has arrived on Earth... but in this reality, on this Earth, it is a different caped figure who has recovered the teen who will be Supergirl. Now, as the newly awakened Kara copes with the trauma of having watched her world die, Teth-Adam - the dictator known as Black Adam - must repel the invasion of a neighboring country who would claim Kara and her ship for themselves.


What Injustice 2 #11 lacked in originality (being a basic retelling of Supergirl's origin story with a few more scenes expanding upon the House of El beforehand), this twelfth issue more than makes up for. Taylor's conceit of having Black Adam save Supergirl and tell her of her famous cousin is a brilliant one. I must balk somewhat at Adam describing Wonder Woman as Superman's love (I don't believe their relationship ever became a mutually romantic one in the original comics or game) but that may be presumption on Adam's part rather than the truth of things.

I wish Mike S. Miller's artwork was entirely the equal of the story this time around. Miller's artwork isn't bad and he does present some truly breathtaking visuals, such as the page above which ironically depicts Black Adam as an angelic figure. Unfortunately, several pages seem severely under-inked and some of of the facial expressions just look odd.

The Final Analysis: 7 out of 10. A serviceable issue, but not without some minor flaws.

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 #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 #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 #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.