False Gods.
A new year of Injustice starts and this time it’s Olympus’ turn to enter the battle.
Thankfully, they’re not the sole focus of this year (atleast
from first impressions) as we see repercussions of earlier Years also come to
the front.
The first is handled completely in the art department by
Bruno Redondo, Juan Albarran and Rek Locus and they are a highly competent trio
– rendering a very non-action heavy book very dynamically.
Where it falters a little is the setup routine they have to
go through. It’s not avoidable, but could be presented better.
SPOILERS FOLLOW………….
At Olympus, Ares tries to
goad Hercules into going to war against the self-declared ‘God’ of Earth –
Superman. He substantiates it by saying that the people have forgotten the real
Gods like Hercules and Zeus in favor of the Justice League.
Superman meanwhile grows tenser as no news of Batman comes,
which results in a flare-up between him and Hal about competency that is
quickly doused by Wonder Woman.
Diana tries to make Clark
see that his forceful actions are actually making his allies doubt him. His
pursuit of Batman is alienating him from his compatriots.
Meanwhile, Bruce has himself gone into isolation. Finding no
new way to fight Superman’s army, it’s up to Alfred to make sure he stays alive
– by serving him macaroni and telling him to mend fences with Damian
Near the Hall of Justice, Robin (Damian Wayne) and Cyborg
take a stroll where they deliberate where Batman is – only for Cyborg to get
knocked out by a shadowy figure.
In a mountainous region at an unknown location, Bruce meets
up with Ares and they strike up an as yet unknown agreement.
We then go back ten years, as Maggie Sawyer and Renee
Montoya storm a kidnapping. Things go wrong, as Renee is forced to kill one of
the cult members, only to be consoled by Huntress – who comes in for support.
We are brought back to the present as Huntress morphs into Batwoman.
Renee is completely drunk and Selina is disgusted by it –
deciding to leave until Bruce actually starts to work again. Bruce’s mention
brings Renee out of her stupor, and she decides to do something while Batwoman
is busy with a disenchanted Selina.
Harley is also lost and when Poison Ivy refuses to relive
the Gotham Siren days where she, Selina and Pamela pulled heists and robberies
together – she visits Billy’s school (and pangs for him in a very creepy way –
especially with Billy unaware of what is going on outside his window).
We come back to the attack on Robin and Cyborg – and see its
Renee hoped up on the super pill. She attacks Robin and demands to see Superman.
In main continuity, Renee Montoya is lovers with both Batwoman and Huntress at different times (atleast in the pre-Flashpoint universe). So, Helena's death affected Renee deeply. And this on top of losing Harvey Bullock (her best friend) and Commissioner Gordon (her mentor) has caused her to lose it.
Ares is the God of War and as long as battles and bloodshed exist, he will thrive. So, it isn't surprising that he's cultivating a battle between the Greek Gods and Superman's Army - though what exactly his arrangement will Batman is seems like it will be a mystery for a while yet.
SPOILERS END……………….
The first issue is very character work heavy with almost no
action scenes, but suffers from trying too hard in the introductions for the
new cast.
The artwork is a beauty as usual, though there are one or
two lapses.
Overall, this is a solid start to what will hopefully be a
good year.
So, I give it 8.0 out of 10.
+Good artwork
+Nice character moments
-Setup is a little clunky
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