Here's my analysis of issues #1-5 in case you missed it.
Also: SPOILER ALERT BEYOND THIS POINT. If you haven't read this yet, go to Comixoloy or Amazon and get on it!! ;-) The issues are only 99 cents each!!
Issue six. Superman flies to DC's resident made up middle eastern dictatorship, Bialya, rescues a little boy from a warzone, and demands to meet with the country's leader.
Also: SPOILER ALERT BEYOND THIS POINT. If you haven't read this yet, go to Comixoloy or Amazon and get on it!! ;-) The issues are only 99 cents each!!
Issue six. Superman flies to DC's resident made up middle eastern dictatorship, Bialya, rescues a little boy from a warzone, and demands to meet with the country's leader.
It's hard to ignore demands when the person making them is totally bulletproof. Superman is ready to make an example of the unnamed Bialyan president when Wonder Woman arrives on the scene.
(Note: If you just clicked on all those links and didn't grasp that all of them were examples of misogyny, my comics blog is not the place for you.)
In short, she, more than any other character, is the litmus test of any Justice League writer. If you can make her believable, interesting, and capable of serving the story as well as her own interests, without marginalizing her or diminishing her power in her vulnerable moments, I say you have succeeded admirably.
Taylor's INJUSTICE Wonder Woman is different from the Wonder Woman of my headcanon, but as I stated above, that's not really what I'm grading him on. There's things I can get into, and things I disagree with.
At the start of this scene, Wonder Woman has a lot in common with the Wonder Woman of my head canon (speaking of which: would any of you be interested in a post about my WW headcanon? Tell me in the comments.) Diana is an ambassador for her people and for the Justice League, and that puts a pressure on her that Superman and Batman will never have to deal with; Batman works under the cover of darkness and generally doesn't care enough about how other people feel about him, and Superman is the sole representative of a alien people that is mostly dead. Diana's advice to Superman here is not just that of a concerned friend, it's from someone with experience considering how to best comport themselves in the public eye.
The part where this Diana makes a steep departure with the one in my head canon is in that third panel. I find her almost wistful admission that she's been "waiting for [him]" to do this startling, because I don't see Diana as the kind of person who waits to do anything that she believes is for the greater good. I can be sold on a version of her that thinks that Superman is taking the proper course of action (though naturally, I'm curious as to where that Diana and her experiences differ with the versions of Diana I grew up watching and reading about) but the idea that she needs him to do this in order to do it herself leaves me incredulous.
Superman addresses the public with Wonder Woman by his side, reveals his Earth name of Clark Kent, and vows to enact an immediate world wide ceasefire. He shows he means business, and destroys a bunch of missiles to show he means business at the beginning of the seventh issue. The various governments of the world are not pleased. So not pleased, in fact, that they do the totally obvious thing and send a SWAT-like team of assassins along with classic Flash villain Mirror Master to Ma and Pa Kent's house to burn it down and kidnap both of them in order to blackmail Superman into stopping. That Superman somehow didn't consider that this could potentially happen to his parents is an indication of just how out of touch he really is with whatever humanity his life on earth managed to instill in him.
On the Watchtower, Wonder Woman meets with various members of the Justice League, and fills them in on the abduction of Superman's parents. Passionately, she defends Superman's course of action, and the League seems to silently agree to put their objections to Superman's behavior aside so they can assist in the rescue of his parents.
Wonder Woman talking about "knowing [her] place" raised a few feminist heckles. I think, however, in this particular instance, that Wonder Woman means more than just her place at Superman's side- she's talking about the bigger picture. I like to think that this lends a little credence to my theory that her "waiting" for Superman was less about his agency and more of a strategic move (though again, I'm not sure why she needed his help, given that she's such a powerhouse herself.) It's also an effective argument for why the JL should swallow whatever qualms they have with Superman's actions so they can work together to get his parents back. Their place is to help him when he's in trouble, because he is their friend.
Offhand, let me just add: I like that Cyborg is front and center in this issue. He is all too often relegated to the sidelines in Justice League stories, and that's a shame, because I love Cyborg.
Wonder Woman warns Flash about Mirror Master's involvement. The league splits up to take on villains who will likely know where he is. We get a few pages of mindless (but very well drawn, dramatic) action before Flash locates Captain Cold, and finds out Mirror Master is most likely in Keystone city. In a bar. Drinking.
As Flash takes off for the bar, Captain Cold points out something I never would have thought of, that is a really lovely world-establishing detail:
Alejandro Sanchez handled the colors for this issue, and while they're not as soft as the colors in the first few issues, they're really nice, aren't they? This style of page that use only two panels to establish two separate locations is difficult to execute, because both scenes have to look good together. Sanchez characterizes the mood and texture of the bar scene, giving us an emotional frame of reference that makes it easy to imagine what it would be like to be there.
The League descends on the bar, where Mirror Master is playing darts and drinking with a nice sampling of various Rogue's galleries (Cheetah, Riddler, Clock King, etc.) Mirror Master tries to escape, but Raven (who is perpetually red, like Dark Raven in pre-reboot DCU) prevents his escape. Wonder Woman interrogates Mirror Master with her lasso, revealing that his parents are in Bolivia.
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| Let's take a moment to appreciate the brilliance of Mirror Master hiding Superman's parents in a place that is such stuff as Cracked Articles and Discovery Channel documentaries are made on. |
Superman uses Mirror Master's gear to pass through the ice to rescue his parents, while the Justice League looks on.
Meanwhile, Batman breaks into the Oval Office and confronts the President for orchestrating the abduction of Ma and Pa Kent the first place. This scene is exactly what you'd expect- Batman is a badass who manages to evade the secret service and can guess the source of super secret military operations on a hunch. I'll just add that I have a particular story!kink for any superhero, but particularly Batman breaking into the Oval Office. Batman warns the President against doing anything that could cause the Justice League to unite behind Superman.
There's a particular arrogance in the President's characterization that I appreciate, in that he and his experts think that they somehow know better than Batman what Superman would do to the world.
One of the many reasons that INJUSTICE is so wonderfully thought provoking is that it draws attention to power imbalances that we, as readers of superhero comics, are so used to that we hardly notice or consider them most of the time. That Superman is capable of single-handedly conquering the world is a familiar concept because it's been the background radiation of nearly every Superman story since the Silver Age. That Batman is inherently more powerful and more connected than the President of the United States is also not an unheard of concept, but what's ominous about it is how thoroughly all the normal, civilian, non-superhero beings of this world are at the abject mercy of even people like Batman who don't have any superpowers. The least powerful Justice Leaguer is more powerful and more connected than the most powerful Civilian in the DCU, and nothing makes that more evident than the fact that Batman understands the scope and potential ramifications of the President's actions better than he himself does.
If these characters and their super powers were somehow real, their very existence would be inherently oppressive to ordinary people. But because comics creators inject their own experiences (whether consciously or not) into these characters, we personalize them, and that allows us to live vicariously through power fantasies without caring that we have more in common with the guy who says "That's not a bird, that's Superman!!" than we do with Superman himself.
Art is amazing that way, isn't it?
Issue nine opens on Wonder Woman in "making an example" of some Quaracian fighter jets (on their way to infiltrate the air over the also-fictional nation of Jusdal), being rather favorably observed by an at first unknown presence who turns out to be Ares, the God of War.
I'm tempted to wax a lot of poetic about how lovely and twisted this scene is, (Wonder Woman destroys a tank!!! To prove a political point!!!) but I don't want to post too many screencaps, because I really, really want you to buy the issue to see it. You should buy it. It's smart and brilliantly choreographed and well drawn, and the best fight scene in the series.
Ares reveals himself, appreciative of Wonder Woman's skill as she dispenses of her opponents.
When the dust is settled, Ares questions her about Superman, and things turn personal.
Upon my second reading, this is where my patience for Taylor's characterization of Wonder Woman officially wore thin.
I get Taylor's suggestion that Wonder Woman being a big picture thinker, but I don't think he's considered the power dynamics inherent to male and female characters when constructing Superman and Wonder Woman's relationship. I was especially frustrated by the few pages after this in which Ares and Wonder Woman fight, and she's rescued by Superman. (She also stabs Ares in the chest after that (he's a god, he doesn't die,) and yes, she gets in a snarky comment about Ares being replaced as the God of War (I see what you did there, DC) to become the God of Ponies.)
I was offended by Diana exclaiming that she'll "be whatever [Superman] needs [her] be" as an answer to whether or not she would sleep with Superman. Why is that a good reason for the most powerful, most iconic female character in the DCU to have sex with Superman? Don't get me wrong- if Wonder Woman wants to sleep with Superman, I don't ship it, but I can be okay with it, but I need her to prioritize her OWN desire and her own pleasure in that interaction, NOT just "being whatever Superman needs". I'm also VERY NOT OKAY with the possible implication that she's helping Superman take over the world because she wants an excuse to have sex with him now that he's single.
Anyway. Moving on.
Issue ten opens with Nightwing and Robin (Damian Wayne) training in the Batcave.
Nightwing looks a little beefcake-ier than I'm used to seeing him, and the bowstaff threw me a little (traditionally that weapon belongs to another Robin) but Damian actually looks like a tween, which is refreshing (also: he's alive!!) He tries to sneak in an extra blow by pitching his club at the back of Nightwing's neck. Superman intervenes, (amid Nightwing's assurances that Damian tries to catch him unawares all the time) and asks to speak to Bruce alone.
Batman points out that Damianhas massive trust issues isn't used to people appearing in front of him, though seriously Bruce, even in this very different universe, that is such a lie. What Damian is probably not used to is someone with metahuman superpowers who is fast enough to avoid his finely-honed detection, and if that's the case, it's probably because even a Bruce who is super best friends with Superman doesn't take kindly to a strong metahuman presence in his city.
Superman expressing his disappointment at Batman's lack of assistance with his parents isn't surprising, and makes me wonder when Batman found out about the abduction. If he's smart enough to figure out that the President was behind the attack, it's entirely plausible that he knew about it beforehand, in which case he deliberately allowed this to happen, possibly to teach Clark a lesson. It's harsh and hypocritical, but maybe that Machiavellian perspective is something this Superman and Batman have in common in this universe.
They argue, and Clark rips the faceplate off of Bruce's mask (which requires an extraordinary amount of control for such a physically strong person, because if he'd pulled too hard or too imprecisely, he would have broken Batman's neck.)
"They should be too scared to hurt each other. You taught me that," Clark says, and Bruce is almost speechless, but his only defense against this is that Clark killed someone, which he, Batman staunchly refuses to do.
I'll say again what I said in the first review: if Batman had just killed the Joker, and JUST the Joker, none of this would be happening. Batman points out, quite rightly, that if he killed one person, it would be difficult not to justify killing more than just one person, but if Batman ever went over the edge and started killing people, he's a lot easier for the Justice League to kill than Superman.
As Batman explains this, Aquaman rather symbolically loses his shit at a bunch of whalers, and the Justice League is understandably concerned. Wonder Woman swoops in to tell him to stop, and one of Aquaman's guards (why does he need guards?) zaps her with a triton, and it is officially on. Wonder Woman, who has spent the last two issues beating the crap out of everything who dares to stand against her, is sick of words.
I usually do not have a lot to say about Aquaman, but I do think it's interesting how many modern versions of him portray him, not as a staunch ally of the League, but as a potential antagonist. What I find interesting is that Wonder Woman is getting angry with Aquaman essentially for doing the same thing she and Superman are attempting to do- right wrongs by policing the actions of everyone who transgresses their boundaries of morality. I don't particularly like the idea of Aquaman killing sailors, however, if anyone has the right to police the seas, it is arguably Aquaman and not Wonder Woman. These hypocrisies are not addressed contextually, but they're glaring enough that I have to assume a writer as skilled as Taylor is intent on them being a conscious part of the story for the audience.
Issue eleven opens with Aquaman unconscious in the middle of the ocean, awoken by wales who beg for his protection. He's angry enough to surface and grab right onto Wonder Woman's ankle, dragging her under water where he has a serious tactical advantage. The specifics of what happens between the various factions of this fight aren't really important. What's important is: they fight.
Meanwhile, in the Batcave, Superman asks Batman if he loved the Joker.
Proof that I am not making that up:
Superman is still, in my opinion, missing the point when he asserts that the reason Batman kept the Joker around was that it was so he could have a constant nemesis, so he could "play [his] stupid game" that ended in Lois's death.
I don't read Batman's motives as having anything to do with love (and truthfully, I don't think Superman does either, he just wanted to get a rise out of Batman). To expand on that theory from my previous post: Having the Joker around offered Batman consistency, which is something a control freak such as Batman desperately needs. Batman's assumption of the Rescuer role in the Karpman drama triangle isn't about love, it's about codependency.
Superman then accuses Batman of being a shitty father to Dick and Damian for not comforting them in the wake of the crisis, and Bruce loses himself for a moment (probably because he's angry at himself for totally fucking that up) and punches Clark in the jaw. Moments later, it's like it never happened- Superman is asking Batman to study his fractured hand with X-ray vision, snapping at him "Don't be you, show me."
The levity of that moment underscores that while Superman's anger that Batman never killed the Joker is justified, that's not really what this scene is about: it's about grief. Batman is the person in Superman's life who is best equipped to deal with death. Loneliness is the only thing that makes Superman feel human at least half the time, and Taylor quite wisely plays on that, specifically mentioning that Superman's unborn child would have been a Kryptonian, which would have meant that Superman would no longer be the only one.
Their conversation is interrupted by Batman's announcement of the League's activities in the Pacific. As Superman goes to leave, Batman insists that he can't entirely fault Superman for wanting to police the world, admitting that he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to do it himself if he had Superman's powers.
Whether it's true that Superman is a better man than Batman or not, it's interesting that Batman seems to think so.
Ultimately the very loss that makes Bruce the perfect person for Clark to turn to for help dealing with his grief is the reason Bruce cannot cosign Superman's actions, and Clark leaves the Batcave without the comfort he was seeking (and with a harsh rebuke from Alfred. Ouch.)
Meanwhile, in the water, Aquaman brings out the big guns against the Justice League, and releases a literal Kraken. Shit just got real.
That's all for issues 6-11! Let me know what you think in the comments! :-)
Meanwhile, Batman breaks into the Oval Office and confronts the President for orchestrating the abduction of Ma and Pa Kent the first place. This scene is exactly what you'd expect- Batman is a badass who manages to evade the secret service and can guess the source of super secret military operations on a hunch. I'll just add that I have a particular story!kink for any superhero, but particularly Batman breaking into the Oval Office. Batman warns the President against doing anything that could cause the Justice League to unite behind Superman.
There's a particular arrogance in the President's characterization that I appreciate, in that he and his experts think that they somehow know better than Batman what Superman would do to the world.
One of the many reasons that INJUSTICE is so wonderfully thought provoking is that it draws attention to power imbalances that we, as readers of superhero comics, are so used to that we hardly notice or consider them most of the time. That Superman is capable of single-handedly conquering the world is a familiar concept because it's been the background radiation of nearly every Superman story since the Silver Age. That Batman is inherently more powerful and more connected than the President of the United States is also not an unheard of concept, but what's ominous about it is how thoroughly all the normal, civilian, non-superhero beings of this world are at the abject mercy of even people like Batman who don't have any superpowers. The least powerful Justice Leaguer is more powerful and more connected than the most powerful Civilian in the DCU, and nothing makes that more evident than the fact that Batman understands the scope and potential ramifications of the President's actions better than he himself does.
If these characters and their super powers were somehow real, their very existence would be inherently oppressive to ordinary people. But because comics creators inject their own experiences (whether consciously or not) into these characters, we personalize them, and that allows us to live vicariously through power fantasies without caring that we have more in common with the guy who says "That's not a bird, that's Superman!!" than we do with Superman himself.
Art is amazing that way, isn't it?
Issue nine opens on Wonder Woman in "making an example" of some Quaracian fighter jets (on their way to infiltrate the air over the also-fictional nation of Jusdal), being rather favorably observed by an at first unknown presence who turns out to be Ares, the God of War.
Ares reveals himself, appreciative of Wonder Woman's skill as she dispenses of her opponents.
When the dust is settled, Ares questions her about Superman, and things turn personal.
I get Taylor's suggestion that Wonder Woman being a big picture thinker, but I don't think he's considered the power dynamics inherent to male and female characters when constructing Superman and Wonder Woman's relationship. I was especially frustrated by the few pages after this in which Ares and Wonder Woman fight, and she's rescued by Superman. (She also stabs Ares in the chest after that (he's a god, he doesn't die,) and yes, she gets in a snarky comment about Ares being replaced as the God of War (I see what you did there, DC) to become the God of Ponies.)
I was offended by Diana exclaiming that she'll "be whatever [Superman] needs [her] be" as an answer to whether or not she would sleep with Superman. Why is that a good reason for the most powerful, most iconic female character in the DCU to have sex with Superman? Don't get me wrong- if Wonder Woman wants to sleep with Superman, I don't ship it, but I can be okay with it, but I need her to prioritize her OWN desire and her own pleasure in that interaction, NOT just "being whatever Superman needs". I'm also VERY NOT OKAY with the possible implication that she's helping Superman take over the world because she wants an excuse to have sex with him now that he's single.
Anyway. Moving on.
Issue ten opens with Nightwing and Robin (Damian Wayne) training in the Batcave.
Nightwing looks a little beefcake-ier than I'm used to seeing him, and the bowstaff threw me a little (traditionally that weapon belongs to another Robin) but Damian actually looks like a tween, which is refreshing (also: he's alive!!) He tries to sneak in an extra blow by pitching his club at the back of Nightwing's neck. Superman intervenes, (amid Nightwing's assurances that Damian tries to catch him unawares all the time) and asks to speak to Bruce alone.
Batman points out that Damian
They argue, and Clark rips the faceplate off of Bruce's mask (which requires an extraordinary amount of control for such a physically strong person, because if he'd pulled too hard or too imprecisely, he would have broken Batman's neck.)
"They should be too scared to hurt each other. You taught me that," Clark says, and Bruce is almost speechless, but his only defense against this is that Clark killed someone, which he, Batman staunchly refuses to do.
I'll say again what I said in the first review: if Batman had just killed the Joker, and JUST the Joker, none of this would be happening. Batman points out, quite rightly, that if he killed one person, it would be difficult not to justify killing more than just one person, but if Batman ever went over the edge and started killing people, he's a lot easier for the Justice League to kill than Superman.
As Batman explains this, Aquaman rather symbolically loses his shit at a bunch of whalers, and the Justice League is understandably concerned. Wonder Woman swoops in to tell him to stop, and one of Aquaman's guards (why does he need guards?) zaps her with a triton, and it is officially on. Wonder Woman, who has spent the last two issues beating the crap out of everything who dares to stand against her, is sick of words.
I usually do not have a lot to say about Aquaman, but I do think it's interesting how many modern versions of him portray him, not as a staunch ally of the League, but as a potential antagonist. What I find interesting is that Wonder Woman is getting angry with Aquaman essentially for doing the same thing she and Superman are attempting to do- right wrongs by policing the actions of everyone who transgresses their boundaries of morality. I don't particularly like the idea of Aquaman killing sailors, however, if anyone has the right to police the seas, it is arguably Aquaman and not Wonder Woman. These hypocrisies are not addressed contextually, but they're glaring enough that I have to assume a writer as skilled as Taylor is intent on them being a conscious part of the story for the audience.
Issue eleven opens with Aquaman unconscious in the middle of the ocean, awoken by wales who beg for his protection. He's angry enough to surface and grab right onto Wonder Woman's ankle, dragging her under water where he has a serious tactical advantage. The specifics of what happens between the various factions of this fight aren't really important. What's important is: they fight.
Meanwhile, in the Batcave, Superman asks Batman if he loved the Joker.
Proof that I am not making that up:
Superman is still, in my opinion, missing the point when he asserts that the reason Batman kept the Joker around was that it was so he could have a constant nemesis, so he could "play [his] stupid game" that ended in Lois's death.
I don't read Batman's motives as having anything to do with love (and truthfully, I don't think Superman does either, he just wanted to get a rise out of Batman). To expand on that theory from my previous post: Having the Joker around offered Batman consistency, which is something a control freak such as Batman desperately needs. Batman's assumption of the Rescuer role in the Karpman drama triangle isn't about love, it's about codependency.
Superman then accuses Batman of being a shitty father to Dick and Damian for not comforting them in the wake of the crisis, and Bruce loses himself for a moment (probably because he's angry at himself for totally fucking that up) and punches Clark in the jaw. Moments later, it's like it never happened- Superman is asking Batman to study his fractured hand with X-ray vision, snapping at him "Don't be you, show me."
The levity of that moment underscores that while Superman's anger that Batman never killed the Joker is justified, that's not really what this scene is about: it's about grief. Batman is the person in Superman's life who is best equipped to deal with death. Loneliness is the only thing that makes Superman feel human at least half the time, and Taylor quite wisely plays on that, specifically mentioning that Superman's unborn child would have been a Kryptonian, which would have meant that Superman would no longer be the only one.
Their conversation is interrupted by Batman's announcement of the League's activities in the Pacific. As Superman goes to leave, Batman insists that he can't entirely fault Superman for wanting to police the world, admitting that he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to do it himself if he had Superman's powers.
Whether it's true that Superman is a better man than Batman or not, it's interesting that Batman seems to think so.
Ultimately the very loss that makes Bruce the perfect person for Clark to turn to for help dealing with his grief is the reason Bruce cannot cosign Superman's actions, and Clark leaves the Batcave without the comfort he was seeking (and with a harsh rebuke from Alfred. Ouch.)
Meanwhile, in the water, Aquaman brings out the big guns against the Justice League, and releases a literal Kraken. Shit just got real.
That's all for issues 6-11! Let me know what you think in the comments! :-)
This was the point in the series when I noticed a theme of denial starting to come through. All of the main players, arguably the most powerful beings on Earth, are not honest with themselves and it's going to have massive consequences.
ReplyDeleteI read that WW scene with Ares totally differently actually. WW is a master diplomat and she has no reason to tell her true feelings to Ares. The Diana in this series has an ulterior agenda, and is more ruthless and ambitious than I have ever known her. She is not waiting for Superman to do anything for her; she decided that he is the most powerful partner worthy of her and she is going to nurture that partnership to serve her own ends as well. She takes an active role in shaping and guiding Superman's vision, especially when he doubts himself, precisely because it is more her vision than his. For example, she doesn't tell him that Aqua Man gave his sympathies about Lois, because he has power that she/they may want eventually. She needs Superman to still view him as a potential enemy, so he will not question her motives when that day comes. I wouldn't necessarily go as far as saying Diana is using Superman, but it's much closer to that than her being truly subservient to him. A physical relationship would cement their bond and help him trust her at her word (which he shouldn't!) and I'm sure the idea is attractive to her for other reasons as well.
Ares knows how ruthless she can be and the true scope of her ambitions, so she had to destroy him. His characterization of her is spot-on and it really becomes clear in the following issues. She is a warrior first, diplomat second. She will say the right words to get what she wants, but she fights without mercy.
I think it's interesting to consider why she would prefer to have Superman as the face of their efforts. She clearly has long considered how to create a permanent solution to all the evils in the world and waited to have Superman on board with her. Lois' death was an opportunity for her to act on fulfilling this dream that she may not even fully recognize or admit to herself its scope. It was also a catalyst to get the full backing of the JL with minimal dissent or violence. I think it's definitely partially a gender issue; the people of the world will still pay more attention to the strongest man in the world vs. the strongest woman. Our world won't give her own movie despite being one of the Big Three, and I'm sure the same factors are in play there. Her power grows exponentially with him at her side, and she would rather serve her aims efficiently more than her ego. When she says she knows her place, I do think she could partly be referring to her place in the world as a woman. She knows how the world works, more than Clark does, and she will expertly use that knowledge to ultimately wield more power than anyone has ever had, man or woman. God I adore her, but I'm glad she's not real!!
Ahhhh I was waiting to see if you'd dig into this with me!!! I love your reading that her behavior is to disguise her ulterior motives. Time's gonna tell on this one- I SUPER hope that you're right, but DC's track record on this is pretty terrible (especially when they're promoting the new Superman/Wonder Woman comic to be a Twilight-like romance for female readers UGH.) It's possible that I'm too jaded to see the forest for the trees, and that Taylor will surprise me. I wouldn't doubt that he has the capacity to do so, given all the other things he's _totally__nailed_.
ReplyDeleteAlso- YOU ARE SO RIGHT THAT DENIAL IS THE NAME OF THE GAME. All of them require a certain amount of denial in the post-crisis, pre-reboot DCU that I grew up on, but I think the biggest difference with the big three is that they usually check each other on. I think this is actually, bizarrely, a universe in which Superman and Batman (and possibly Wonder Woman?) are so close that they DON'T have that system in place.
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