Random Happenstance

One of the few pieces of dad-advice I've given my kids, is never, ever, ever get rid of a video-game console. Even if you've played it to death and are bored to tears by it, I guarantee if you do pawn it off, in five or ten years you'll be kicking yourself. I miss my old Sega, for example, and today's book got me remembering a beloved...actually, at best it was an also-ran, but still. Anyway, from 2013, Injustice: Gods Among Us #6, "Part Six" Written by Tom Taylor, pencils by Mike S. Miller, David Yardin, and Jheremy Raapack; inks by Miller, Yardin, Raapack, Le Beau Underwood, and Jonas Trindade.

Above the title on the cover reads "From the creators of Mortal Kombat," but this made me think of the 1995 fighting game Justice League Task Force, which was pretty mediocre in comparison to other fighting games available at the time...like Mortal Kombat, actually. I preferred Eternal Champions, but we're getting off-topic...JLTF gave about three seconds of lip-service to the why of "let's you and him fight," in that your opponents were actually android duplicates. Which does explain how Green Arrow could beat...anyone. Tom Taylor would get a lot of issues out of setting up the grudge matches for Injustice: Gods Among Us and its sequel. This issue opens mid-riot at Arkham--actually, I'm assuming it's Arkham, it's not named until much later. Solomon Grundy has Robin by the face and knocks Wonder Woman through a wall, but Nightwing takes a moment to egg Superman on: Grundy is dead, you can do whatever to him. And he does, lasering off the zombie's hand then flying through his chest.

Nightwing frees Robin from Grundy's dead mitt, and while Robin tries to play it off like he had it under control, Nightwing doubts it but still covers for him with Batman. Batman then blows the head off the still-moving Grundy. While fighting other prisoners, Robin starts in with the excessive force, claiming Superman was right and they didn't deserve protection. When Nightwing criticizes him, a petulant Robin sidearms his stick at Dick--catching him in the side of the head, and he breaks his neck in the fall! Isn't that how Million Dollar Baby ended?

Superman tries to comfort Robin, partly because it was an accident, but also because I think he was on Supe's side there. Batman, of course, is devastated at the loss of his son. There's what seems like a jarring transition then, to Catwoman, as she robs from the one percent and gives to the poor; maybe keeping a bit of the shinier stuff for herself. Superman shows up mid-robbery, and Catwoman has to take off, but has planned ahead: she heads for the sewers, armed with sonic bafflers and an earring with a sliver of Kryptonite! Not enough Kryptonite, though, as Superman is able to take it out with heat vision. He's not there to stop or kill her, though: he wants her to help Batman through his grief, since he couldn't. Look, it's a fighting game, not a talking game, alright? Selina agrees, although she also suggests that Superman consider "some wrath for the evil people who truly rule the world."

After taking care of Alfred and Bruce for two pages, Selina accompanies Batman to the Bat-Signal, lit not by Commissioner Gordon, but by the president. Superman and his side (Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Shazam, among others) have begun dictating peace across the world, stopping multiple global conflicts by force. Batman knows that doesn't help the underlying problems, but to enforce the peace Superman might have to take over completely. The president wants Batman to stop him; in return Catwoman wants him to be a better president. They begin gathering their player characters--I mean, team.

Although killed here, I know Nightwing is a playable character in the game: maybe Taylor brings him back elsewhere. This is a little grimdark for my tastes, but a perfectly fine random comic to read.