Injustice: Gods Among Us #1, the comic book companion for the upcoming video game, has arrived on DC Digital Comics. Personally, I haven’t been much of a fan of DC’s digital content, but this series may be the one to turn me on to downloadable comics.
Injustice: Gods Among Us #1
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist/Cover: Jheremy Raapack
Cover Color: Tony Avina
Color: Andrew Elder
Letters: Wes Abbot
Asst. Editor: Sarah Litt
Editor: Jim Chadwick
If video games aren’t your thing, that’s okay. You can still enjoy the Mortal Kombat creators take on DC in the Injustice digital comic series. And, honestly, it surprises me to write that. The DC digital line hasn’t offered much to stimulate my interest outside the super cute Lil’ Gotham series by Dustin Nguyen, but to me, an interesting story is an interesting story, regardless of its medium. Injustice: Gods Among Us is a video concept from NeatherReal Studios (the minds behind the Mortal Kombat series) that puts all of the best and worst of the DC Universe into one fighting game, with no Mortal Kombat characters taking up roster space (see Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe).
Injustice: Gods Among Us – the comic – expands upon exactly why our heroes enter an every-man-for-themselves battle royal. I don’t want to say too much about the plot of this issue, because it’s a pretty short read (20 digital pages, but you’ll finish it in about three minutes), and saying too much would be downright spoiling it, but I will say that the ideas foreshadowed in this issue are very scary. Goody scary.
Forget what you’ve read in the New 52, because this continuity takes readers back to a more familiar era in the DCU. This inaugural issue follows Batman and Superman during a few hours of what will turn out to be a very important night in both their lives. Mainly Superman’s. What I liked most about this book is that the writer, Tom Taylor, knows the voices and the tones of each character. The Batman segments show the driven seriousness of the Dark Knight, while the Superman segments add a bit of humor and charm. Humor and charm that is a bit forced, but enjoyable nonetheless.
The art is as detailed and cinematic as you could ask for in a comic book. These books that act merely as add-ons to movies, or video games, or TV shows usually aren’t attached to the industry’s strongest talents, but Injustice is very satisfying. A great mixture of sexy and scary. The story takes place during the night, so the color palate is a bit limited, but it makes sense, and there is a good contrast between Metropolis night skies and lit up skyscrapers.
What I didn’t see in the issue that I was looking for was an explanation for the heroes’ gaudy looking armor costumes. The game designers’ choice to beef up each character with helmets and shoulder pads perplexes me. For the human characters like Batman and Nightwing, it makes sense, but why does Superman need a breast plate and a cup? But that’s a nitpick on my part. I’ll be judging this comic by its story and art, and the video game by its gameplay.
I can’t end this column without bringing up the name of this game/comic again. Injustice: Gods Among Us. What a weird crazy name for a DC Comics super hero video game. When I first heard it, I disagreed with it, but I’m gradually appreciating how risky and different that name is. My only complaint about Injustice is the costumes, but I have faith in NeatherRealm to make a fun game, and I like the comic so far, so if costume design is the only problem, I can’t complain too much.
Injustice: Gods Among Us hits consoles April 16, and the comic drops monthly on your mobile devise. DC likes to release their digital comics in print later on, so if you’re like me and love smelling the pages of a comic as you hold it in your own hands, look for Injustice in print form in the future.
For more of The Comics Console, click here!
Andrew Hurst
andrewhurst@comicattack.net
