Written by Tom Taylor
Art by Bruno Redondo; Daniel Sampere; Xermanico; Juan Albarran; Rex Lokus; Gabe Eltaeb; J. Nanjan; John Kalisz; & Wes Abbott
Compilation Cover Art & Original Issue Cover Art by Bruno Redondo & Alejandro Sanchez
SUMMARY:
Released by DC Comics in 2019, this 184-page compilation consists of Injustice 2 # 31-36 and Annual # 2 from 2018-19. In Injustice’s alternate reality, this volume serves up a final prequel leading into the Injustice 2 video game. With planet Oa besieged by Starro-controlled Red Lanterns, the Green Lantern Corps is met by a Titans strike team (Superboy, Wonder Girl, Starfire, Lobo, Jaime Reyes’ Blue Beetle, & Booster Gold).
Against such overwhelming odds in intergalactic combat, the Corps allows Oan prisoners ex-Yellow Lanterns Hal Jordan and Sinestro to reclaim emerald rings. Even a sliced-in-half Lobo is recruited into this makeshift Green Lantern Corps Wonder Girl and Superboy fatefully encounter Brainiac in deep space. Jaime & Booster make a desperate last chase after an elusive Starro, as its next conquest will be Earth.
The Suicide Squad visits Ra’s Al Ghul’s Gorilla City to attend the wedding of Killer Croc and Orca. Brainiac makes his move to recruit Grodd’s insurgents into a sinister pact. Including Ra’s Al Ghul, U.S. President Jefferson Pierce, and Aquaman, the world’s feuding world powers are cajoled by Harley Quinn (of all people, no less) to make some sense of peace on Earth.
In Gotham City, Alfred informs Bruce Wayne & Selina Kyle of a heartbreaking choice. While Brainiac’s sinister Gorilla City alliance continues assembling, a flashback harkens back to eight years before. Deadshot’s near-assassination of Bruce at Wayne Manor necessitates Selina, Alfred, and a recuperating Bruce hiding out with the Kents in Smallville.
With help from Oracle’s team, Lois Lane (resembling Man of Steel’s Amy Adams) & Superman pursue Deadshot’s clients. Proving that she doesn’t need super-powers, Lois demonstrates that she is a force of nature in her own right. Back in the present-day, Bruce shares a private chat with Jonathan Kent while Martha Kent visits their imprisoned son. The final scene depicts Bruce & Clark’s shared pain over a world without Lois Lane.
REVIEW:
Fans won’t likely be disappointed. Volume 6 delivers a last dose of Injustice’s combustible formula of hardcore violence and wistful poignancy. Despite plenty of implied gore, writer Tom Taylor’s scripting somehow remains credible in heartfelt scenes – i.e. juxtaposing its well-played flashback to a grim, present-day world missing Lois.
A glaringly out-of-place element early on, however, is the unnecessary inclusion of Lobo’s perverted antics. Suffice to say, implied obscenities he conjures with a power ring aren’t hard to fathom. All readers actually see is one blurred emerald image – the shape is plainly obvious what it’s supposed to be. Beyond over-indulging crude humor at this juncture, Taylor generally stays on his game through this volume.
Though the inconclusive finish isn’t satisfying (i.e. all the various loose ends awaiting in the video game), the art squad’s visuals are still consistently first-class. Case in point: the flashback sequence’s artwork is excellent.
For Injustice fans, no matter if it isn’t the franchise’s best installment, Volume 6 is a means worth reading to the end.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Bruno Redondo’s designs for Green Lantern Lobo are included. Cover sketches-in-progress for Injustice 2 # 31-32 and # 34-36, as well as Annual # 2, are seen in black-and-white.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
