[BOOK REVIEW] Injustice: Gods Among Us Volume 2 by Tom Taylor

Title:  Injustice:  Gods Among Us Volume 2



Author:  Tom Taylor



Artists:  Jheremy Raapack, Tom Derenick, Bruno Redondo and Mike S. Miller

Genre:  Suspense / Superheroes / Drama / Competition

Year Published:  2013

Year Read: 12/13/2014

Series:  Injustice: Gods Among Us #2

Publisher: DC Comics



Source:  Library



Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Fight Scenes and Violence)

Introduction:

So I just got through with reading the first volume of Tom Taylor’s take on “Injustice: Gods Among Us” and I must admit that reading that volume had gotten me pumped up for the second volume of this series!  So, I went to the library to pick up the second volume of “Injustice: Gods Among Us” and man, was it just as interesting as the first volume!

What is this story about?

Continuing off from the first volume, Superman along with the Justice League continues to promote peace in the world, with the help from a truly unlikely source, Lex Luthor!  Meanwhile, Batman continues to thwart Superman’s plans for world peace by instigating a spy into the Justice League and once this spy is revealed to the team, Superman starts making everything personal between him and Batman as he plans to reveal Batman’s true identity to the world!

What I loved about this story:

Tom Taylor’s writing: Tom Taylor has once again created a fascinating and intense story about how the rivalry between Superman and Batman continues to escalate as both heroes are trying to figure out ways to protect the world from each other.  I really liked the fact that Tom Taylor explored the tough choices that the heroes have to make in order to have a more peaceful world as you have some of the heroes siding with Superman on maintaining world peace while you have the other heroes siding with Batman to prevent Superman from going off the deep end.  I enjoyed the scenes where the heroes from both sides of the rivalry were questioning both Batman and Superman’s motives for their plans as it made the characters really believable to me and it also had me thinking about whether or not Superman and Batman really had everyone’s best interests in their minds. Another great aspect of this series was the bantering between Harley Quinn, Green Arrow and Black Canary as I think that they were the funniest characters in this entire series so far and I loved the way that they all bring humor to this story, even though the majority of this story is pretty dark.

Jheremy Raapack, Tom Derenick, Bruno Redondo and Mike S. Miller’s artwork:  Just like the previous volume, the collaboration between Jheremy Raapack, Tom Derenick, Bruno Redondo and Mike S. Miller on the artwork had lent itself greatly to the characters and the events happening in this volume!  I loved the way that all the artists in this book made the action sequences so amazing to look at, especially with the images of the explosions whenever a city is being blown up!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The reason why I gave this book a four star rating is because I still have hang ups about the whole “heroes vs. heroes” story lines that have been plaguing both DC and Marvel for years now.  Even though I will admit that I am enjoying this story, especially since we get to see Superman’s more aggressive side, it still feels like another “Batman vs. Superman” story that I have read so many times over and I wished that something different would be done about that rivalry (I guess we will see in the next few volumes)!

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Injustice: Gods Among Us Volume Two” is another great volume that details Superman’s growing aggressiveness with his plans for world peace and I definitely cannot wait to see how this battle between Superman and the world will play out in later volumes!

[BOOK REVIEW] Injustice: Gods Among Us Volume 1 by Tom Taylor

Title:  Injustice:  Gods Among Us Volume 1


Author:  Tom Taylor


Artists:  Jheremy Raapack and Mike S. Miller

Genre:  Suspense / Superheroes / Drama / Competition

Year Published:  2013

Year Read: 12/4/2014

Series:  Injustice: Gods Among Us #1

Publisher: DC Comics



Source:  Library


Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Gory Violence)

Introduction:

Alright, so I have read many superhero comics where we see the good guys going rogue and trying to do more damage to the world then they really need to.  So, when I heard about this new comic book from DC Comics called “Injustice: Gods Among Us Volume One,” I will admit that I was a little hesitant about trying this comic out due to the premise being about superheroes fighting each other (again).  But, I was quite surprised at how good this story actually turned out!

What is this story about?

The story starts off with Superman finding out that his wife Lois Lane is pregnant and he goes to tell Batman the good news.  Unfortunately, the Joker ends up kidnapping Lois and then tricks Superman into murdering Lois by making Superman see Doomsday instead of Lois.  This horrible incident causes Superman to decide that in order to prevent more tragedies like Lois’ death; he must rule the world with an iron fist and the Justice League start helping him take control of the world. The only member of the team who is against Superman’s plan is none other than Batman himself and he tries to stop the Man of Steel from ruling over the world before it is too late!

What I loved about this story:

Tom Taylor’s writing: Now, when I heard that this comic book was based off of the popular video game of the same name, I will admit that I was extremely surprised by this since I had never read a DC or Marvel comic book that was based off of a video game before.  Tom Taylor has done a great job at adapting this story to comic book format as we learn more about why Superman had gone mad and what caused him to have a falling out with Batman.  It was also interesting seeing the different viewpoints between Batman and Superman on how they should make the world a safer place for everyone and what that could cost for people if they let the power get to their heads in achieving those goals.  I also loved the way that Tom Taylor brought out the personal drama between Batman and Superman as you can see them start out as best friends and then when Superman lost Lois Lane and started ruling the world with an iron fist, his friendship with Batman had shattered as Batman does not agree with Superman controlling the world while Superman believes this is the right thing to do to prevent more violence from happening in the world.  I actually did felt so much intensity in the story as I was hoping that things would patch up between Batman and Superman (but seeing as this is just the beginning of the story, it probably will not happen for a while) and I really hope that Superman does not turn so evil that the Justice League would have to put him down permanently to stop his madness (but I guess we will see in future volumes of this story)!

Jheremy Raapack and Mike S. Miller’s artwork:  Jheremy Raapack and Mike S. Miller’s artwork were spectacular in this volume as the characters look truly realistic and the facial expressions are so animated that I found myself actually experiencing the emotions that the characters are feeling.  I also loved how the fight scenes are drawn, especially with the scenes of Superman and Batman fighting off their foes in a spectacular fashion.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The reason why I took off half a point from the rating is because while I think that the concept of this book was pretty interesting, I am currently at that point where I am getting sick and tired of seeing superheroes fight each other and this comic book was another attempt at having superheroes fighting each other.  Also, if you have not played the game “Injustice: Gods Among Us” before, then chances are you might be a bit confused about what is really going on in this story or how it connects to the current DC universe.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Injustice: Gods Among Us Volume One” is a pretty interesting story about how a tragedy can affect a person’s life in a negative way and the moral grounds that are explored in making the world a better place for everyone. I am definitely checking out the second volume of this series!