Injustice: Gods Among Us Year One: The Complete Collection

Injustice really didn't have the right to be as good as it is--it was supposed to be a tie-in for a video game that was decent (but not great). Elseworlds have been done, tyrannical Superman has been done. And yet, despite all of that, this series, particular the first few volumes, are incredible. The premise is simple enough--the Joker pushes Superman to a breaking point by, without spoiling anything, taking away everything Superman cares about. Superman, in response, does the unthinkable and murders the Joker. But one step leads to another, and Superman realizes he can no longer let the world order exist as it does, without uniformly-enforced peace. Batman, always seeing a few moves ahead, knows this is headed nowhere good and begins gathering allies to prepare against Superman's budding regime. What makes this series work is not just the plot, but Tom Taylor's deep understanding of a huge cast of DC characters. Each plot development is a shocking combination of "I can't believe that happened" and at the same time, given the characters' personalities and histories, "That totally makes sense that this would happen." It's not just good world building, it's insightful writing and on the level of some of DC's greatest writers. I don't know what Tom Taylor's future holds but he's certainly won me over, and I can't wait to see how his writing career unfolds. I'd highly recommend this to any DC comics fan as one its best series, destined to become a classic!

Perfect story....some art is banging some is Ridiculous

Amazing read, highly recommended

As a Marvel and Mortal Kombat fan, I read this because of the game. As a Marvel fan, I was never a Superman fan because of his invulnerability and possessing every superpower thing. But this was a VERY interesting take on that. Making him a villain (to me) made him interesting. And the writing (to me) is SUPERB and makes me want to look up other comics from Tom Taylor.

The comic book tie-in to the Injustice video game could have been a tacky cash-in and frankly there might be some out there who do feel that way about Tom Taylor's sprawling prequel series that sets up the story of Injustice's campaign mode: Superman has gone insane and declared himself the defacto ruler of the planet and Batman has sworn to take him down. However, a cash grab this not in my opinion as the creative team behind this series has used Netherrealm's video game set up to explore some of the intricacies of the DC heroes and their various relationships. Central to this is the question of what would happen if Superman ever decided to police the planet. At the start of the book, Supes wants to undertake this path to ensure that needless war and death is stopped, but as the series continues and Batman's resistance tries to block Supes' regime, we can watch as Clark's mental state deteriorates and he becomes the villainous dictator of the game. The main problem that stops this book from being a five-star effort in my opinion is that some of the heroes don't get enough time to explore their psyches. We see enough of why Batman wants to oppose Superman and even why Superman embarks upon his path, but other characters don't get as much time to ruminate on their positions. If you've played the game you know that both Flash and Shazam join with Superman's regime only to stand up to him and question his choices during the game's campaign. However, this book takes place five years before that and while we do see both characters questioning their leader's new direction neither one does much about it and essentially just stop asking questions after awhile (the writers can't beat the game's own plot to the punch after all). Even worse is Wonder Woman. In the game, Diana is unquestioningly loyal to Clark's cause. I was interested to see what drives her to become his willing lieutenant and right-hand woman, but in the comics Wonder Woman is the closest we have to an outright antagonist (at least here in year one). Later on the role of the devil in Clark's ear is filled by Sinestro, but in this book it is Diana who eagerly pushes Superman to pursue his goals, knowing full well what it means for the world. If you're a huge fan of Wonder Woman you might not like her characterization in this book. That said, Year One is a great book overall and definitely worth reading for highlight moments such as Harley Quinn giving Lobo therapy, Green Arrow's standoff with Clark, and my favorite moment of a momentarily super-powered Alfred saving Batman from Clark. Injustice is broken up into five arcs aka the titular years. This is year one and this book collects all of that first arc.

The first 3 years of injustice are leagues above the rest of the franchise in story telling. Year one is the best it’s very thematic, purposeful, and dark. As time goes on the story loses its sense of purpose but maintains gritty spectacle.

Using the characteristics of Superman and Batman to create the ultimate verses story is genius! Great read. Can't wait to read year two.

I was utterly blown away by this. If the 'Batman v. Superman' movie was half as good as this, Zack Snyder would be ruling the world right now. I initially blew this series off because I figured it was nothing but advertising for the video game. I bought and played both games when they came out, and immensely enjoyed them, but eventually became curious about the backstory because a lot of the banter and trash-talk between the characters in the game referred to past events not seen in the game. So, I decided to check this series out to fill in some of the gaps ... Wow. Glad I did. Tom Taylor understands these characters in a way that the moviemakers at Warner Bros. clearly don't. This story works on so many levels, too. The conflicts that ensue herein are so intimately tied to these characters' psyches and mythos that their clashes and divisions seem fated and inevitable after the initial tragedy that catalyzes what follows. At the same time, this story deals with universal questions about collective security weighed against individual liberty, about the proper role of government, the proper use of force and power, and about what should be valued most. It's a beautiful, tragic story about good people trying to do what's right, but being corrupted by grief and by ideological differences, with lifelong friendships shattering and an epic struggle ensuing.

This is so good. Brilliant storyline. It will keep you hooked untill you finish the comics. The dark broody and tragic tone of this series so good. DC comics at it's bestttt...

Excellent quality.

Beautiful edition, some of the smartest writing I’ve read, and a perfect way to approach an elsewhere story. Get it, you’ll have no regrets.

Une histoire cohérente et des héros face à leur humanité. Un chef d’oeuf que je ne peux que conseiller. Le côté sombre de Superman face au côté lumineux de Batman... et ça marche !

Hermosa, aunque dejaron algo que desear algunos dibujos, la historia es fiel al juego y te atrae a seguirla, cada vez es más intrigante y te induce mas a leerlo, tiene tragedias, acción, de todo. Un hermoso Clásico.