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 #23 - A Review

Desperate for a lead on Batman's whereabouts but unwilling to dirty his own hands, Superman releases the serial killer Zsasz from prison. Coincidentally, his release occurs on Alfred's birthday. Well, the day that Bruce Wayne has elected to celebrate his faithful butler's birthday this year, Alfred's real birthday being a closely guarded secret...


There is a lot of subtle humor in this week's chapter of Injustice. I'm not unused to comedy in Brian Buccellato scripts but it is is usually more overtly presented. There's a great irony that The World's Finest detective should prove incapable of deducing the birthday of his oldest ally. I find it hilarious that Alfred should keep holding this mystery over Bruce's head just to amuse himself and that Bruce still manages to find a way to fill Wayne Manor's kitchen with balloons from halfway around the world.


The action of the issue is ably illustrated by Superman: Lois and Clark artist Marco Santucci. Santucci draws a great fight sequence and the battle between Alfred and Zsasz is one of the most exciting this series has seen. Rex Lokus's colors provide the perfect finish to Santucci's pencils.