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Mild Mannered Reviews - "Injustice: Gods Among Us" Comics

Injustice: Year Two - Chapter #22

Injustice: Year Two - Chapter #22

Released Digitally: September 2, 2014

"Canary's Revenge"

Writer: Tom Taylor
Penciller: Tom Derenick
Inker: Rex Lokus
Cover: Jheremy Raapack with Santi Casas & David Lopez of Ikari Studio

Reviewed by: T.A. Ewart (aka liheibao)

Click to enlarge



Out of a smoking crater, Regime Superman and Black Canary can be seen. Regime tries to explain to Canary, but she's not having any of it. She shoots Regime with a Kryptonite bullet and he's down. Elsewhere the battle is turning against the League and the Yellow Lantern Corp. Ganthet lays waste to the YLC, in addition to removing Captain Marvel from the field. Cyborg, Flash, and Robin have been captured, and Canary announces victory. However, she doesn't see a solitary yellow ring flying towards Superman. It selects "Kal-El" of Krypton for his ability to instill great fear Regime uses the ring to remove the Kryptonite, then trains his heat vision on Black Canary, killing her. He stands over her lifeless body, now adorned in the color and uniform of the Yellow Lantern Corp, and the look of his face bodes of a horrible reckoning to come.

5Story - 5: Bloody hell, that was good! A subtraction is on the individual reader, should he wish to apply it for the regular inconsistent plotting, characterization, and just plan stupidity, for instance: how in the world did Canary survive that crash landing, super-pill or not? What happened to the blood Regime Superman was oozing last issue? Where exactly did that gun come from, how did Regime not detect it or the Kryptonite, and how did any of it survive the crash? What is Canary's outfit made of? It survived better than Regime's. Why are Captain Marvel and Cyborg, two of the League's most powerful members, so easily owned?! The end of the day comes and it doesn't matter, and we're given something we don't see with Superman in his books, and that's a 'come from behind' victory, that makes him look even more badass than any of his other titles care or try to do. The key isn't that he gets the yellow power ring, or that he uses it to save himself, rather than doing it of his own powers. The linchpin in the issue is, and this something that so many writers fail to get, he saves himself. The ring comes to him because he's worthy of it. Regime's abilities to instill fear, such as they be, allow him a Deus ex Machina save... that actually makes sense. Ganthet's obliteration of the YLC makes the scene not only plausible, but reasonable. Regime's killing of Canary mirrors that of Green Arrow, as they both die after a major blast, but Taylor actually makes Regime, with Derenick's help, seem more reasonable than Canary. He actually tries to talk to her, while Canary is the scowl of revenge, going so far to invoke Lois' name, a low and thoughtless blow, for if Lois was alive, none of these events would have transpired.

I give Taylor what for in terms of his storytelling, but when he's right, it's striking. In Injustice and Earth 2, Taylor shows more insight in what it means to be Superman, and what readers need to see from him as well. It was the same last year when Regime broke the Batman, and this year when Val-Zod contended with Bizarro. Superman needs to be self-sufficient. He doesn't need to run to Batman for help or be saved from his own battles. What's more, he doesn't have an automatic fail when someone uses Kryptonite. It's such a trite and tired stock response. Here we see Kryptonite used and it fails, and it's so bloody revealing, Sweet Grace! The whole plan was hinged on the Kryptonite, and when it failed, there was no contingency. Not from Batman, Oracle, and surely not Canary. Regime is now powered by a power ring, in addition to his own formidable abilities. Ganthet is in for one hell of a fight. He should have read my earlier reviews.

4Art - 4: The prodigal son returns and doesn't disappoint. His beefier Regime is a welcome sight, though doesn't mean an actually neck isn't needed. It's the look he places on Regime's face that are so effective: innocent in panel one, crazed by panel five.

Cover Art - N/A:


Mild Mannered Reviews

2014

Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

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