Injustice 2: Gods Among Us Omnibus

Good illustrations are story lines for fans

Although a good bit of the artwork is excellent ,there is that familiar DC habit of going from graphic novel quality,to artwork no better than bronze age characterisations.And the end "Oh I know it's taken us many years but lets drag in Superman from another world/part of the multiverse..!" then to give so much time to Harley Quinn,whose artwork depictions go from very good to very very bad. is a travestyNot having read/collected the comics..it seemed to go from PART 2..with expectations of a part 3.to Harley tying up the loose ends..Then of course there's the (about) 40 pages of sketches and alternative drawings..Supposedly the comic version of dvd blu ray extras,.It has been an expensive and long old trudge reading through this omnibus and the previous volume..and now I know the ending I doubt I will put myself through it again.NOTE FOR ANY DC EXECSIn the Bond film SKYFALL THE BAD GUY SHOWS BY REMOVING BITS FROM HIS MOUTH what he would look like without them..Totally different.So it must / should be easy enough for the stable of DC Superheroes to do similar things,i.eput protective plates in their mouths,this would1 alter their looks enough for them not to be caught on face reading cameras.2 Give them some protection against all the endless blows to face.3 Alter looks enough in daytime guise.In other words if Batman / Bruce Wayne had protective inserts in his mouth..total change to facial expression.,same with false/protective teeth.Over / underbite..At least then DC could be seen to be making an effort ,to explain how Bruce Wayne and other heroes with a cowl on or flimsy mask PLUS FACIAL PROTECTION/INSERTS looks so different to their other selves..

This volume collects the complete Year Four and Year Five of this superb "Elseworlds" series; It continues, via "Ground Zero" into an "Injustice 2" series, which is well-worth reading.I first read these stories in the original paperback collections, which I review separately below:Injustice – Gods Among Us Year 4 part 1 (3-stars - issues #1-7)This volume starts to feel like the story is running out of steam, as the latest party to try and stand up to Superman’s reign of good governance shows up. There is a “quiet” bit to begin with, as the rebels begin to lose heart at their continuing failure, and Harley goes looking for Shazam, but can only find Billy Batson. We see that Lex Luthor is up to something involving man-sized green test-tubes, from which nothing good seldom comes.The main event is the Greek Gods of Olympus, who feel affronted at Superman’s reign over the Earth, and so send an ultimatum, which, as these things always do, ends in a fight. There are a few character-development scenes mixed in, but the main action just seems uninspired compared to previous volumes - though it could be me that was tired when I read it. It might pick up in the next volume though.Note that the three stars for this review are in relation to the previous volumes - there are many worse comics out there than this one, but this one could have been better.Injustice – Gods Among Us Year 4 part 2 (4-stars - issues #8-12 & Annual)This volume continues the trough which this series has settled into, after the first couple of years of superb stories - another power joins the resistance to Superman’s regime, does well for the first half of the story, and then it all comes undone in the second half.In this case it is just as well that it does go wrong at half time, for as it turns out there are New Gods at work pulling the strings of the Old Gods, and both factions of the League have to pull together to avert a catastrophe, if not an apocalypse…Now, my criticism of recent volumes is in relation to the earlier ones - this one and its predecessors are still head and shoulders above most other titles out there, and the writer of those first volumes, Tom King, is back for the Annual, a stand-alone story - which closes this volume, in which the most dangerous man in the world comes to call on Superman and his team.Wonder Woman: “He’s more capable… more dangerous… than you can possibly comprehend.”This man, a former member of the League, wants his son - who led a protest against Superman - released from the super-prison where the villains, opponents of the regime, and survivors of the Green Lantern Corps are being kept. Superman says no…I was in two minds about giving this volume a 5-star rating, but, even though the Annual deserves it, the main storyline holds it back; but only in relation to those earlier volumes.Injustice – Gods Among Us Year 5 part 1(5-stars; Issues #1-7.)After a superb opening year or three, the series tailed off in Year Four, but it is now back on course, and concentrating on what it did better than the ‘real’ Justice League (and the New 52 Universe, come to that), which is the characters of the core, err, characters. Is it a coincidence that this final year coincided with the Rebirth reboot? Probably, but we live in hope that the regular universe will sort itself out.Anyway, the pieces are being brought into play, the dominoes are being lined up, and cards are being put on the table - choose your favourite metaphor - as Damien is moved into the spotlight (prodded on by Alfred and the ghost of Dick Grayson), Bizarro, Doomsday and Solomon Grundy appear (all powerful artificial life-forms), and Superman and Batman both begin to recruit supervillains (though Batman naturally selects the non-lethal rogues, while Superman deputises Bane and his allies, who are not so careful), with the not-unexpected results.It is not clear yet where we are going, but if the quality is maintained, it will be character, and not plot-device that will bring this series to a close.Injustice – Gods Among Us Year 5 part 2(4-stars; issues #8-14)When this series began, I said in my first review that it was a better Justice League series than the ‘real’ New 52 one. Now, the New 52 has been superseded by the rebirth universe, and it is STILL a better Justice League book, although this volume is feeling like a place-holder until we reach the finale, despite lining up the dominoes ready for that finale.Some of the more recent volume started to suffer from a ‘flatness’ as stories were artificially broken down into segments of a particular size, regardless of the strength of the content. This volume feels like there is a lack of flow from one episode to the next, despite me just checking and seeing that the stories are now running as ‘integrated’ ones; it just feels like there is something missing in the flow. It might just be that I have got so used to it that I am now projecting that discontinuity myself.Also, many of the characters are moving so far away from their baseline selves that I may be feeling distanced from them. Superman, especially, has been ‘forced’ into being so different a character that it is beginning to make me wonder about the others; only now are they starting to think things have gone too far.This still an ‘Elseworlds’ story that is head and shoulders above much of the ‘real’ universe’s titles, though.Injustice – Gods Among Us Year 5 part 34-stars; issues #15-20 plus the Annual; but be warned, not the conclusion!!! Apparently, for that, you have to play the videogame (and, I assume, you have to win at it – I don’t play videogames myself). However, if you have read "Convergence" then you will have discovered the ending a couple of years ago.)All that aside, this is an excellent story, as even the closest supporters of the regime (finally) start to get a bit concerned about Superman’s behaviour, especially when Batman (finally) gets his hands on the smoking gun, and begins to broadcast the CCTV footage to the world.However…The story then continues in “Injustice: Ground Zero”, which apparently follows Harley’s activities during and/or after the finale, before we arrive at “Injustice 2”, which takes place after the conclusion of the videogame, and is written by Tom Taylor, who made the much of this series a 5-star one as far as my reviews are concerned, so I look forward to that and to finally learning what the official ending of this story will be.All that aside, this was an excellent volume of this series; and I would have to say, because of, and not in spite of, the ending.