

Series: Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Four
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: DC Comics (May 3, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1401261302
ISBN-13: 978-1401261306
Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 0.5 x 10.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #38,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #176 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > DC #337 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Superheroes #10115 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

I need to start by blasting the entire concept of Injustice, which is just a tie-in to a videogame, not an intelligent piece of comic book literature. The idea of turning Superman into a megalomaniacal enforcer of vigilante justice -- and engaging in extremely unjust and immoral acts to do so -- is so laughably bad I can't believe the series lasted this long. Superman at war with the American government? At war with Batman? Teaming up with Sinestro? Punching chicks? Does anyone want their kids reading this? I’m sure DC is getting serious royalties from the videogame and wants to prop it up, but at what cost? I think DC stopped caring about the DC legacy long ago, and Injustice is further proof.So now, as if the story isn’t sufficiently crowded, volume 4 adds the gods of Olympus because Superman has become too godlike for the gods. Except the writers don’t seem to know the difference between Greek (Zeus) and Roman (Hercules) gods so we get kind of a mixture here. Even Billy Batson gets in on the act. Epic (not).Batman is all mopey because Superman can beat him up. Like, duh. Eventually the Batman insurgency relies on the girl team (Batgirl with revitalized legs, the pathetic Harley Quinn, a couple more Batgirl wannabes). Later a plot contrivance has Superman fighting Wonder Woman (to the death! yeah right) in the story’s silliest moment to date. Of course, WW fights like a girl (eye gouge, that’s low, why not just kick him in his nads of steel) but all of this only happens because superheroes are behaving stupidly, which is frankly not what I want from superheroes. And the Damien versus Batman thing is getting really tired, even in the other DC universes.OK, I understand that the point (made explicit by the reformed Lex Luthor) of this series is a good one.
I like the Injustice comics much more than I liked the Injustice game. The story is very much akin to Marvel's Civil War in that it pits hero against hero in a philosophical and very violent war. The difference here is that the deaths are frequent and lasting (given that it's an elseworlds type deal, the creative freedom afforded to the writers is a refreshing change of pace). This gives each sacrifice gravitas, even those that are mentioned or shown in the game, which has left me impressed and anxiously waiting to see what happens next.While previous volumes have had their highs and lows in terms of quality, they have all been pretty consistently compelling. In particular, Year 3 Volume 2 stands as a high point for me given that it caused both sides to come together again (even momentarily) to stop a reality-ending event. It's also fun to see John Constantine run circles around Batman. Everything felt deliberate and everything made sense within the context of the Injustice universe. In a way, the previous volume seemed to herald the beginning of the end, a segway toward fitting the universe more closely to that of the game. Unfortunately, Year 4 Volume 1 falls very far from its predecessor and, for me, any previous Injustice volume.The problem is that the conflict doesn't feel weighty. Gone is the drama, replaced instead by what feels like filler and a cheap attempt to pull a fast one on readers. Spoilers ahead. Wonder Woman fights Superman. For about a minute. Ironically, this fight is advertised right on the cover of the book, already making the twist weaker. And then it's not even a twist! She doesn't want to fight! If nothing else, I suppose this volume served more to demonstrate Superman's further descent into the tyrannical overlord presented in the game.
Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Four Vol. 1 (Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Four) Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Four (2014-) Vol. 2 (Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013-)) Injustice Gods Among Us Year Four Vol. 2 Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Four Vol. 1 Injustice Gods Among Us Year Four Volume 2 Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three Vol. 2 Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Two Vol. 1 Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three Vol. 1 Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five (2015-) #38 Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five (2015-) #39 Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five (2015-) #40 Injustice: Gods Among Us Year One: The Complete Collection Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message Magicians of the Gods: The Forgotten Wisdom of Earth's Lost Civilisation - the sequel to Fingerprints of the Gods Among the Fair Magnolias: Four Southern Love Stories Three Among the Wolves: A Couple and their Dog Live a Year with Wolves in the Wild Lost Among the Birds: Accidentally Finding Myself in One Very Big Year Unfair: The New Science of Criminal Injustice Unequal City: Race, Schools, and Perceptions of Injustice The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap