I’m not a gamer, but I heard the DC series titled Injustice, which serves as an introduction to the video game, regularly impressed readers.  When I happened across it at my local library, I knew I had to give it a read.

Wow.  I’m glad I did.

If you’re unfamiliar with the premise, the Joker manipulates Superman into killing his wife, Lois Lane.  Superman loses it, punches Joker through the chest, and then promptly establishes a new world order in which all countries must be peaceful or suffer his wrath.

But this is not a maniacal Superman.  Taylor is brilliant in that it is still largely the Superman we know and love, but it’s a Superman who, little by little, loses his famous sense of morality.  Like all the best villains, he firmly believes he is in the right, and when things go wrong, it’s never his fault.

Of course, Batman has no wavering morality issues, which puts he and Superman squarely at odds.  Batman forms a team to challenge Superman’s Justice League which is comprised of Wonder Woman, Shazam, Green Lantern, Flash, Cyborg, and others.

Anything goes in this title, and no one is ever safe.  That sort of climate makes it an exciting, unpredictable read, which is something mainstream super hero titles need.

Consequently, many of the characters are, well, out of character, particularly the Flash.  I’m glad that Taylor makes Flash the most hesitant of Superman’s acolytes, the one who questions their actions, but, in the end, I realize this book is a different take on our beloved heroes and so I’m willing to accept heroes like Wonder Woman and Cyborg acting harsher than usual.

If you’ve seen the video game, you know how radical some of the costumes are.  Batman’s works very well in this comic book, others, such as Catwoman’s, falls very flat.  Most of them are interesting variations on an already established theme, such as with Nightwing, Robin, and Green Arrow.

If you’re a DC super hero fan, I think you’ll enjoy this title.  Sure, it explores ideas already established by titles such as Kingdom Come and Red Son, but it does so more deeply and at a much more satisfying pace.  In fact, that’s how I would describe this title – very satisfying.

I cannot wait to check out the rest of this series’ installments.