The Batlord

It's hard to put these in any type of definitive order, and I'm not entirely sure I wouldn't knock off one or two for something else in another mood, but these are the top ten comics (both old and new) I've read/been reading since I started really getting into comic books last June/July. There are plenty of books I'd put here (especially Batman comics) from before the cutoff, but since I'm restricting this to a year, then unfortunately things like The Long Halloween aren't being featured. This will be a ten-part series, since it would just be too massive to do in one entry. Anyways, onto #10...






This series is a weekly, digital title, which is actually a prequel to the fighting video game of the same name. It's so much more than some tie-in, however: it's a "What if?" tale about the possibility of superheroes going too far, and the consequences, both for them, and the world itself. Not to mention an excuse to **** with the DC Universe in an alternate universe where anything and everything is possible.

The story -- divided into five "years" -- starts five years into the future, in a fascist police state ruled by Superman...




We are immediately taken five years into the past, and discover a world much like the mainstream DC comics universe: Superman does Superman things, Batman does Batman things, the Justice League does Justice League things, etc. Everything is perfectly as it should be, until Superman is tricked by the Joker into killing his wife, a pregnant Lois Lane, simultaneously setting off a nuclear explosion which wipes Metropolis off of the map.

Superman reacts thusly...




Having now snapped, Superman -- backed by most of the Justice League -- declares a moratorium on conflict throughout the world, directly intervening in every war going on anywhere. At this point the Justice League is mostly benevolent, seeking only to save the world from itself, but as the series progresses, it takes progressively more direct control of world politics, becoming a de facto, totalitarian junta.

Not all of the world's heroes back Superman, however. Led by Batman, a small group of soon-to-be rebels attempts to stop this escalating power grab. While this takes the form of talk early on, battle lines soon harden, friends become rivals, and in the end, bitter enemies now too consumed by hatred to ever reconcile.

Interestingly, the pro-Superman contingent are made up of most of the heavy hitters: Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, etc. It's the street-level heroes who dissent: Batman and his clan, Green Arrow, Black Canary, etc. The series seems to imply that, with great power, comes a skewed perspective.

For me, the best part of Injustice is that no one is safe. By the end of the first two years of the series an alarmingly large percentage of mainstream DC characters are dead, and it doesn't seem to matter whether you're obscure, or an A-lister. Some of the most emotionally heavy moments I've yet read in superhero comics are in this title, and much of that is due to the shock of seeing a character who would never in a million years bite the dust in the real DC Universe, die in service to a world-shattering plot development... or simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Naming names would be a crime, but I'll just say that the rivalry between Superman and Batman is made far more than simply the clash between two opposing ideologies by the end of Year One. There's as much chance of their friendship being revived as there is between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

And yet it's never black-and-white in this series. Yes, Superman becomes ever more of a corrupted villain, but it's a gradual shift, and no matter how ruthless he becomes, he never loses sight of his goal of saving the world. His allies likewise hold onto their integrity as much as they can. On the other side of the coin, the rebel heroes are at times forced to use tactics they might otherwise never resort to when it becomes necessary. Even villains take sides, both for and against the Justice League: Lex Luthor allies himself with Superman, and genuinely seems to believe in his cause, while Sinestro appears to do so only for his own secret purposes -- and of course Harley Quinn becomes a good guy, because **** YEAH, HARLEY QUINN!!!

But of course, this is all just a glorious excuse to have Batman and Superman go at it. Batman is clearly the antagonist of the series -- because of course he is -- but isn't able to pull some random rabbit out of his cowl as he has done in past Batman/Superman battles. His allies are not in the same league (pun intended) as their enemies, and so must operate like guerrillas: they strike where they can, always knowing that in a direct confrontation with their former allies that they will have to immediately withdraw.

Superman becomes a truly daunting figure of terror. Time and time again, they attempt to defeat him, but always he survives -- like some unkillable, slasher movie abomination -- and proceeds to wreak brutal revenge on those foolish enough to fight him head-on. His superhuman sight, hearing, strength, and speed make any action by Batman's allies, no matter how carefully planned and clandestine, into a potential catastrophe; at any time, the Kryptonian might hear one of his enemies step on a twig halfway across the world, and then it becomes a question of escape vs. death.

I'm only up to Year Three -- I believe Year Four has just ended -- and Injustice just keeps getting better. With so many dead, focus shifts from traditional superheroes to more... esoteric characters, keeping the plot from becoming stagnant, ever keeping you guessing as to what direction the story will take next. Epic in scope and fearless in direction, this is simply one of the best titles on the stands at the moment.

In short, The Batlord ****ing loves Injustice: Gods Among Us, and so should you!

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