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Back Issues [National Superhero Day]: Kingdom Come

28/04/202622/01/2026Dr. K3 Comments

In 1995, Marvel Comics created “National Superhero Day” and, in the process, provided comics and superhero fans the world over with a great excuse to celebrate their favourite characters and publications.

Story Titles: “Strange Visitor”
“Truth and Justice”
“Up in the Sky”
“Never-Ending Battle”

Published: May 1996 to August 1996
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Alex Ross

The Background:
While working on Marvels (Ross, et al, 1994), artist Alex Ross pitched a similar “grand opus” to celebrate DC Comics’ long and illustrious history. Inspired by a similar, rejected proposal by Alan Moore, Ross brought his signature photorealistic artwork to this acclaimed, thought provoking miniseries. Kingdom Come was such a hit that it spawned numerous spin-offs and follow-ups and has influenced DC Comics ever since.

The Review:
Perhaps the greatest DC “Elseworlds”, Kingdom Come begins with audience surrogate and main character, pastor Norman McCay, visiting the aged, sickly Wesley Dodds/The Sandman. Wesley has been driven to near mania by nightmares of an apocalyptic future, one akin to the “Book of Revelations” and dismissed as the delusions of a dying old man. Insistent to the end, Wesley begs Norman to read from the Bible to understand the coming crisis but passes before he can fully explain himself. Having met Wesley near the end of his life and shared many dinners with him, Norman is somewhat aggrieved that he took Wesley’s stories of his past heroics for granted, especially as this is a world (since designated Earth-22) where superheroes (or “metahumans”) are a controversial topic. Wandering the streets, Norman reminisces about how Wesley despaired of society, which placed so much faith in a new, more violent and less morally skewed generation of superheroes and wished more than anything for the legends of yesteryear to be remembered rather than reduced to mere pastiches by the likes of the Planet Krypton restaurant chain. Recognising that “hope” has become a precious commodity, Norman tries to take solace in scripture, but his faith is tested as the “mighty” far outweigh the “meek” and seem destined to inherit the Earth. The heroes of today are largely the children and grandchildren of legends, numbering in the thousands and fighting mainly for their own egos, having eliminated most old-school supervillains and caring little for the collateral damage their battles cause. Indeed, it’s up to normal folk like Norman to rescue crying children from these dangerous conflicts, though even he despairs for the fate of the world when Earth’s greatest and most belligerent “hero”, David Sikela/Magog, led the Justice Battalion against the confused and desperate Parasite and caused widespread devastation when he split Nathaniel Adam/Captain Atom open in a panic and decimated Kansas with a nuclear explosion.

*The Spectre recruits pastor Norman McCay to observe and judge the world’s new and old metahumans.*

Already suffering from the same horrific visions that plagued Wesley and rattled by these events, Norman believes he’s gone mad when Jim Corrigan/The Spectre appears and tasks Norman with assisting him in judging the world in Wesley’s absence. Though initially reluctant, Norman accompanies the Spectre to a seemingly innocuous midwestern farmland (actually an elaborate virtual reality environment tied to the Fortress of Solitude), where the aged, bitter, reclusive Clark Kent/Kal-El-Superman has exiled himself and his livestock after losing faith in humanity. Norman watches, unseen and unheard, as Princess Diana Prince/Wonder Woman visits ~~Clark~~ Kal and expresses concern for him, believing he has lost touch with humanity after all the losses he’s suffered. Annoyed at Kal’s dismissive stubbornness, Wonder Woman demands that he remember what he once stood for (“truth and justice”) and review Magog’s destructive behaviour. Though stoic, Kal’s obviously disturbed by the devastation, yet he urges Wonder Woman to return to Themyscira where she will be safe. The Spectre reveals that Superman’s exile caused many of his contemporaries to also give up their crusade, but not all: Wally West/The Flash (now pure energy) still patrols Keystone City as a lightning fast “guardian angel”, an unknown Hawkman protects the forests of the Pacific Northwest, and Alan Scott/Green Lantern guards the Earth from extraterrestrial threats from an emerald-hued space station. Bruce Wayne/The Batman also still maintains order in Gotham City (despite being confined to an exoskeleton) with a series of Batman-themed robots. Angered that their successors have become even more reckless after Kansas, Norman rages at the Spectre, asking why he or his “higher power” didn’t stop the madness. While the Spectre remains impassive, Norman’s pleas are answered when a noticeably changed version of Superman makes a dramatic return, immediately awing the masses but bringing only dread to Norman as his visions tell him this is a sign of greater conflict.

*Although Batman refuses to join the new Justice League, Superman hopes to inspire the new heroes.*

Norman finds himself displaced from time and space as the Spectre follows the pastor’s visions, eventually watching with horror as super-patriot (and aggressive fascist) the Americommando and his Minutemen attack immigrants coming to the United States. Luckily, the reformed Justice League (Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Hawkman, Kara Zor-L/Power Woman, and Raymond Terrill/The Ray) quell the danger, with Richard “Dick” Grayson/Red Robin also dispatching two psionics (the Brain Trust) who were escalating the situation. The Justice League then address the world’s press from the United Nations to state their intentions: namely, to inspire hope in people once more and mentor their misguided protectors into more benevolent force, though Superman is noticeably reluctant to discuss Magog given their history. Still puzzling the link between Superman and his prophetic visions, Norman accompanies the Spectre and Superman to the remains of Wayne Manor, obliterated years ago when Bane and Harvey Dent/Two-Face exposed Bruce’s identity. Since then, he’s lived in the Batcave, his crimefighting efforts largely aided by the deaths of many of Gotham’s worst criminals in unsanctioned bombings. Bruce dismisses Superman’s offer to join the new Justice League, persists in calling him “Clark”, and criticises Superman for pretending like the state of the world is anything new. Bruce believes the metahuman situation requires a finesse the Justice League isn’t equipped for and is as unimpressed that Superman recruited Dick (Batman’s former partner and adopted son) to his cause as Superman is that Gotham is now a police state ruled by fear. Bruce has his own allies (Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, Dinah Lance/Black Canary, and Ted Kord/Blue Beetle) and his own plans to address the situation. Norman’s stunned at the bickering between Batman and Superman but watches with hesitant optimism as the Justice League, through diplomacy and force alike, turn others to their cause and bring hope to the masses.

*Superman’s decision to imprison rebellious metahumans inspires an unlikely alliance for Batman.*

Norman and the Spectre then observe a meeting between Lex Luthor and his “Mankind Liberation Front” (including Selina Kyle/Catwoman, immortal tyrant Vandal Savage, and Raʾs al Ġhūl’s heir (and Batman’s illegitimate son) Ibn al Xu’ffasch). Luthor offers medical aid to the Kansas victims while also outfitting survivors of the Belle Reve and Arkham Asylum massacres to arm vigilantes and metahumans to their cause, aiming to heighten tensions between humans and metahumans so humanity can reclaim their world through war. Justice League’s unexpected return sees Luthor’s plan escalate to a ten-day plan that largely depends on Billy Batson/Captain Marvel, who’s been swayed to Luthor’s manservant. Next, Norman observes as the Justice League gate-crash a metahuman bar and chastises the patrons, offering the chance to be better or be dealt with, only for the awestruck metahumans to receive an alternative pitch from Green Arrow. Still, many join Superman and setup their headquarters in Green Lantern’s emerald space station to spread their mission across the globe. When Superman shares his concerns about the resistance they’ve met, Wonder Woman takes him to Atlantis to ask King Arthur Curry/Aquaman to setup an underwater penal colony for rebellious metahumans. Although Diana tries to appeal to Aquaman by reveal that she’s been stripped of her royal heritage and has committed herself to improving the world, he refuses to grant the request as his focus remains on his people. Superman’s similar talks with Orion end in failure as he’s disappointingly become as grim and ruthless a ruler of Apokalips as his father, Darkseid. Although Scott Free/Mister Miracle and Big Barda provide the solution (a labyrinthine gulag built on the ashes of Kansas), this sees Batman and his allies join forces with Luthor in response. Superman’s worries about Wonder Woman’s anger are shelved when Magog resurfaces in the wastelands of Kansas, desperately trying to repair the damage he caused.

*The reunion between Superman and Magog is as combustible as the tensions in the gulag.*

When Superman chastises him, Magog challenges him to punish him, mocks him, and then blames the Kal for everything that happened ten years prior since he refused to change with the times and the people’s demands for darker, more violent heroes. Magog bitterly recounts how the Joker easily murdered the Daily Planet staff, including Superman’s wife, Lois Lane, because of the heroes’ refusal to kill. Magog had no such compunction and publicly murdered the Joker, only to be arrested by Superman and summarily acquitted for ending the Joker’s threat. Magog was then slighted when Superman refused to acknowledge him as Metropolis’s “number one” and exiled himself in disgust rather than fighting for that title. Interestingly, Magog isn’t some unhinged psychopath. Instead, he’s incensed that he had to become the man, the killer, Superman refused to be and blames him for it, submitting to Superman’s custody after raging at the Man of Steel. Yet, Norman’s cataclysmic visions only increase, especially as the gulag is filled within two weeks, its embittered inmates only incensed by Superman’s hologrammatic lectures. The events catch the attention of God-like beings like the Wizard, Shazam, the Phantom Stranger, and Ganthet, who refuse to intervene since the affairs of man are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. While observing this, Norman is approached by Boston Brand/Deadman, who questions the Spectre’s motivations as he’s lost touch with humanity since becoming God’s avenging spirit. While Superman and Wonder Woman debate metahuman ethics and motivations, Luthor subjects Captain Marvel to further brainwashing using a combination of his silver tongue, doctored videos, and Mister Mind’s psychic powers. Luthor the reconvenes with his allies, sure to keep Batman on side by talking of necessary evil rather than world domination and reveals that Superman’s no longer vulnerable to Kryptonite, though Batman assures him that the youths they’ve recruited are more than willing to fight.

*Despite Norman’s pleas, the Justice League war with themselves over their conflicting views.*

While listening in to Red Robin’s concerns about the gulag, Norman is stunned when the Flash drags him into the real world. Met with suspicion, Norman tries to warn Superman of the coming apocalypse, only for his fears to first be disregarded and then come to light by reports of a riot at the gulag. Although Superman orders it to be quelled peacefully, Wonder Woman orders the opposite, leading to some conflict between them ahead of their meeting with the United Nations. Despite Superman’s assurances, the representatives are unimpressed with their God-like saviours and their prison and ready to act for themselves, if necessary. When Luthor prepares Billy to capitalise on the gulag riot, Batman punches him out and betrays Luthor, subduing him and his allies and trying to reason with Billy, only for him to panic and explosively become Captain Marvel. Superman’s fears about Wonder Woman’s warrior lust come to a head when she dons her ceremonial battle armour and leads their allies to war when the gulag riot turns violent and fatal, forcing Superman to demand help from the Batman before things escalate further. After learning of Captain Marvel’s threat, Superman speeds to the battlefield, only to be intercepted by the Big Red Cheese and a fist fight to break out between them as the Justice League battles the rioting prisoners in all-out war! Norman is horrified to see his visions coming to life and begs the Spectre to intervene, though he refuses as he’s simply there to judge. While Superman unsuccessfully tries to talk sense into Captain Marvel, the United Nations tasks the Blackhawks with launching three multi-megaton nuclear missiles at the site, reasoning that the collateral damage is acceptable to ensure the survival of the human race. Norman watches as both sides (Wonder Woman, especially) use lethal force, all moral qualms abandoned, and Batman and his allies try and subdue and save whoever they can, leading Bruce and Diana into a moral and physical conflict.

*Though many lives are lost, Norman appeals to Superman’s reason and a new age is born.*

When they spot the incoming Blackhawks, Wonder Woman finally sees she’s consumed by anger and violence and tries to intercept the planes alongside Batman, toppling two of three. Superman struggles against Captain Marvel’s magic and desperately shuts him up, rendering him powerless, but is horrified to see the third, wayward nuclear missile heading towards them. When it easily shrugs off Superman’s heat vision, he hesitates to intercept it, unsure if he should keep it from destroying them all. Reasoning that Billy, who’s both man and demigod, is the best to make the decision, Superman begs for his help and releases him before racing towards the missile. The Spectre then turns to Norman and demands that he decides what should happen, shouldering the burden of judgement to the unsure priest, who sees “good” and “evil” on both sides. Ultimately, Norman’s unspoken decision impacts Superman and Billy, who transforms into Captain Marvel one last time and takes Superman’s place, unleashing his magic upon the missile and detonating it up high. Norman is as devastated as Superman to see the battlefield littered with charred corpses and few survivors. Overcome with grief and rage, Superman turns his wrath on humanity and, enraged at the Spectre’s impassive nature, Norman demands to talk sense into him. Thankfully, Norman succeeds, appealing to Superman’s better nature and talking him down, with him and the other survivors vowing to exist alongside humans as equals rather than acting as Gods. Thus, Batman follows in his father’s footsteps and becomes a healer, caring for any survivors and building bridges with his family; Wonder Woman reconnects with her sisters; Green Lantern joins the United Nations; and the Spectre thanks Norman for giving him perspective, with the whole experience having reaffirmed Norman’s faith in a higher power. After building a fitting monument to the lives lost, Superman works to restore Kansas and begins a new life with Wonder Woman as lovers, with them naming Bruce godfather to their pending child and the DC Trinity finally committed to making the world a better place together.

Final Thoughts:
Unquestionably, Kingdom Come is an absolutely gorgeous and glorious piece of work from Alex Ross, with the artist’s signature, painted realism bringing these classic characters to life in ways never seen before. Although it’s similar to Marvels in that we follow a mortal man as he observes these God-like beings, Kingdom Come presents a possible future for the DC Universe with a new generation of violent anti-heroes. Thus, the likes of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are aged and noticeably changed by time and conflict, meaning the story doesn’t present these characters at their physical peak and renders many in very different guises, yet it beautifully captures the spirit of their morals, conflicts, and very personalities in its morality tale. Superman, especially, is rocking a striking look. While his costume is extremely familiar, his signature S-shield is visibly simplified and tinged with black to show he’s still morning his losses and attempting to be the light against the dark. Wonder Woman is largely unchanged, but more focus is placed on her warrior heritage, especially when she shuns Superman’s more pacifist ways and takes up her Themysciran armour for war. Batman is only briefly seen in his recognisable suit in a flashback and is dramatically presented as physically broken and relying on an exoskeleton, but is no less cunning and capable, employing gigantic robotic bats to curb any crimes in Gotham and eventually donning a mechanised Batsuit for the finale. I especially liked Green Lantern’s emerald armour and the Flash’s disembodied look, and the blend of “Golden Age” and “Silver Age” heroes, such as using Alan Scott and Wally West. While these legendary heroes are changed, they’re still recognisable and inspire the same awe (and fear) from the masses, who embraced more violent heroes some time ago, ones whose designs are purposely exaggerated and “extreme”.

*Classic heroes face new challenges in this alternative future in desperate need of hope.*

Magog is the figurehead of this new generation. Donning golden, ram-like armour and wielding an energy staff, Magog won over the people when he did what other heroes refused to do and made violent supervillains pay for their crimes with their lives. It’s an interesting ethical quandary as, undoubtably, the Joker is more than deserving of the death penalty but, on principal, Superman cannot sanction wanton execution and is disgusted when the people embrace such violence. Interestingly, Magog isn’t exactly happy about having to be what Superman refused to be, and it’s implied he would’ve preferred to be more virtuous but was forced to fill that void because the “old guard” wouldn’t change. The absence of the legendary heroes and the rise of increasingly violent vigilantes saw conflicts escalate as “heroes” disregard the innocents caught in their crossfire and cause as much damage and death as they prevent, with them only resenting being locked up and judged by the reformed Justice League. While Superman urges his followers to teach and inspire first, he’s forced to imprison those who refuse to conform, which quickly skews his mission as he and the Justice League act autonomously, agitating the United Nations and causing many to question their methods. This is part of the reason why Batman refuses to join the new Justice League as he’s always been a little resentful of metahumans, but he also sees that the situation requires a more strategic approach. He allies with Luthor to influence those on his side away from all-out war and worldwide domination, though largely out of his own sense of self-preservation due to his stubborn nature. Though Wonder Woman urges Superman to reconnect with humanity, she’s ironically as separate from them as he since she takes a far more aggressive approach towards the rebels, believing that violence is often necessary to ensure peace and still clinging to her demigod status despite being ostracised from Themyscira.

*Norman’s given an impossible task, one that will decide the fate of the entire world.*

Norman is not only our guide through all this, but also the Spectre’s. Norman’s amazed by the events he witnesses, which test his faith in the metahumans of hold and in the almighty, with him astonished to see just how flawed and vulnerable these God-like beings really are. Norman’s understandably enraged at the Spectre, and God, for simply standing back and letting such awful things happen, though the Spectre impassively maintains that it’s not their place to intervene…only to judge. Norman’s journey is a tumultuous one, with him seeing heroes and villains on both sides, meaning his final judgement is clouded by shades of grey and isn’t as simple as saying they all deserve to live or die. This is the same conflict that laces disagreements between Superman and Wonder Woman, as one wants to preserve and improve life, and the other is adamant to protect it. In the end, Norman is faced with an impossible, heart wrenching decision that he seemingly subtly delegates to Superman and Captain Marvel, meaning Norman carries as much of the guilt for all the deaths as Superman. Yet, Norman has seen how inspiring these heroes can be and how they need to use their powers for the greater good by acclimatising with humanity, with both sides understanding that they’re each flawed and must work together for the greater good. I loved seeing Superman so consumed by guilt and rage that he became a wrathful God ready to scorch the Earth, and that Norman managed to appeal to his humanity and core values. It’s not a pretty end, as many lives are lost, much has been destroyed, and there’s a lot of work and healing to be done, but the message is clear: there’s hope for the future. This sees the DC Trinity reunite as equals, committed to improving the world using all their talents, rather than just being seen as God-like figures to be revered, feared, or hated. All this makes Kingdom Come one of the most emotionally engaging and visually stirring tales in all of comics and easily places it as one of the quintessential alternative takes on these beloved characters.

My Rating:

Fantastic

Ae you a fan of Kingdom Come? Do you also appreciate Alex Ross’s artwork? Were you shocked to see the classic DC superheroes so changed by time? Do you prefer violent anti-heroes or those with a moral compass? Would you have saved or destroyed all the characters if you were in Norman’s shoes? Which DC Comics character is your favourite? How are you celebrating National Superhero Day today? Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment down below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other superhero and comic book content.

Back Issues [Crossover Crisis]: Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!

06/04/202611/01/2026Dr. K2 Comments

Cover-dated April 1985, the first issue of Crisis of Infinite Earths (Wolfman, et al) precipitated the destruction of the “Multiverse” and what better way to celebrate than with a “Crossover Crisis” of my own?

Published: September 1994

Writer/Artist: Dan Jurgens

Quick Facts:
After DC established an infinite number of parallel worlds in Showcase #4 (1956), writers like Mark Wolfman became frustrated with this concept and spent two years planning Crisis on Infinite Earths, one of the greatest comic book crossovers. However, while the likes of Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman and Wally West/The Flash benefitted from this reboot, others like Carter Hall/Hawkman did not so writer/artist Dan Jurgens sought to correct this about ten years later with Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! Accompanied by numerous tie-in issues and occurring during the “Dark Age” of the industry, the story is largely regarded as a confusing, poorly executed mess that created more problems than it solved.

The Review:
As if numbering this miniseries in reverse order (so the story starts in issue #4 and concludes in issue #0) wasn’t unique enough, each page and/or panel takes place at different times, both literally and relatively, making this a confusing time-based tale. The story begins at the literal end of time, when destructive, unstoppable entropy has engulfed the cosmos. Here, an unseen force executes the mysterious Time Trapper while berating the cloaked figure and others like him for flaunting their omnipotence and yet allowing injustice to prosper. This powerful, unseen figure then harnesses entropy’s destructive power and vows to end the universe’s suffering. His actions (unseen at this point but probably related in one of the event’s many tie-in comics) are detected by Metron, the scientific advisor to almighty Darkseid, who’s so concerned by the unravelling universe that he defies his master and seeks out allies to halt annihilation. Our first indication that something is very wrong with time occurs in Gotham City, where the Joker’s latest killing spree is unexpectedly ended by Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, apparently back in her prime and perplexing even Bruce Wayne/Batman since she was dramatically paralysed by a gunshot some time ago. The enigmatic Linear Men, who monitor and safeguard time from a pocket dimension, then observe entire timelines being erased, dispatching Matthew Ryder/Waverider and Rip Hunter to investigate. In the 64^th century, Wally West/The Flash notices the surreal light engulfing the world and learns from Waverider that entropy is ceaselessly making its way back through time, wiping out everything in its path. Though Waverider’s powerless to stop it, Citizen Abra/Abra Kadabra and the Linear Men suggest that the Flash create a super-speed vortex. However, Waverider realises all-too late that the effort is futile and is unable to keep the Flash from running to his untimely doom just like his mentor in the previous Crisis, resulting in the death of the 64^th century and Waverider vowing to honour Wally’s sacrifice.

*Waverider desperately gathers the forces of justice to stand against Extant and this time rifts.*

Their next stop is 57000 A.D, where a youthful Harold “Hal” Jordan/Green Lantern (plucked from before he became the malicious Parallax) is currently battling entropy. Green Lantern’s efforts only feed the destructive force, however, causing it to obliterate Hal and Rip. Before he dies, Rip tells Waverider to research the previous Crisis. Disregarding an anomaly in the timestream, Waverider returns to Vanishing Point and is horrified to learn of the last Crisis and frantically heads to Earth for help, arriving to find Hawkman fluctuating between his various incarnations, Alan Scott/Green Lantern randomly de-aged, and reminding Jay Garrick/The Flash of Barry Allen’s fate while simultaneously informing him of Wally’s leaving Jay heartbroken at having lost the men he considered sons. When Waverider transports the Justice Society of America (JSA) to Vanishing Point, they’re mysteriously separated and attacked by the malevolent Extant. Metron recruits Batman and Superman, who call an emergency meeting of all costumed heroes (though Metron fails to enlist Jim Corrigan/The Spectre’s help as he’s unconcerned by natural disasters). Already rattled from experiencing his own time anomalies, Superman stops to assist the debuting Bartholomew “Bart” Allen II/Impulse (displaced from the 30^th century) and recruits him. Earth’s heroes discuss the time anomalies, which see heroes pop in and out of existence, the various Hawk-beings merged into a single, God-like entity, and timelines to merge as the Crisis worsens. Waverider brings the group up to date (inspiring Guy Gardner/Warrior to attempt to change Hal’s fate) but quickly teleports to Vanishing Point when he senses the JSA are in trouble. When he arrives, Extant has killed Al Pratt/The Atom and Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate and rapidly aged Doctor Charles McNider/Doctor Mid-Nite and Rex Tyler/Hourman (to the point that he dies). Although the grief-stricken Alan’s ring is depleted, Waverider gets his comrades to safety and confronts Extant, horrified to find his future self behind the mask and not Hank Hall/Monarch as he suspected!

*Parallax is revealed to be the mastermind behind the Crisis and wishing to reset time in his image.*

Extant reveals that he’s the amalgamation of Waverider, Monarch, and others, having assimilated incredible powers, amassed an army, and spread entropy to birth a new world. Extant teleports Waverider and the others away since it’s too soon for them to fight, though the shattered, aged JSA quit from superheroics due to their losses, officially making Kyle Rayner the only Green Lantern. Inspired by their sacrifices, Superman and the others transport to the 30^th century with Metron. As they struggle to halt the entropy, Kara Zor-L/Power Girl suddenly goes into a mystical labour, and Warrior suddenly sprouts weapons by mere thought, they’re attacked by Extant’s brainwashed Team Titans before the man himself attacks…as his future self watches on! Waverider desperately teleports the others away right before Extant plunges his hand into his body and absorbs his incredible time-based energy, assuming Waverider’s guise and completing his time loop as an unseen other retrieves Alan’s discarded power ring. Returned to the 30^th century, Metron has Superman and Princess Diana Prince/Wonder Woman hurl his “Mobius Chair” into the entropy rift and Captain Nathanial Adam/Captain Atom pour his full power into it, creating a Boom Tube that successfully dispels the rift. Unfortunately, entropy continues to ravage the timelines, shredding John Henry Irons/Steel and leaving Warrior distraught. Still, angered at his plans being disrupted and his armies defeated, Extant’s past and present-selves merge to ponder the rampant entropy rifts, only to be blind-sided by a greater power for attempting to usurp his plans for reality with the rifts, which erase Impulse and Michael Carter/Booster Gold. Luckily, Jay ~~convinces~~ guilt-trips he Spectre into joining the fray right before he also dies and the few survivors flee to Vanishing Point to restore Waverider. Although he arrives too late to save the Batman from being torn apart by a random rift, Waverider leads the assault against Extant (which leaves Doctor Ray Palmer/The Atom de-aged to a teenager!), only for Parallax to finally assert himself as the man behind the destruction of time!

*Although Parallax’s mad ambitions are stopped and reality is reset more naturally, the cost is high.*

Determined to re-write reality to undo all the injustices they’ve suffered, Parallax wills entropy to engulf all that ever has or will be in the hopes of starting fresh, reshaping reality from a pocket dimension of pure, white space as the handful of shocked survivors watch. Although Guy and the others think he’s mad, Parallax vows to ensure all of them, even the time displaced Batgirl and Extant, get the world they desire, utilising leftover chronal energy and cosmic power from the first Crisis to effectively make himself a God. Having saved a handful of others and spirited them away to Vanishing Point, Waverider proposes piggybacking off Parallax’s efforts and restarting the universe in a more natural way, rather than allowing Parallax to decide who exists and who doesn’t, bringing them into conflict with Batgirl and those who want their worlds back. Lamenting having to fight his old allies and amazed that they would oppose his promise of paradise, Parallax easily fends off Superman and even the wrathful Spectre. While Oliver Queen/Green Arrow tries in vain to reach his friend and laments how far he’s fallen, Waverider has Superman and a few others channel their awesome powers through him, which he then redirects to confused outcast Grant Emerson/Damage, with the remorseful Batgirl sacrificing herself to protect the boy from Parallax’s fury. Heartbroken by how far his friend’s fallen, Green Arrow does the only thing he can and fire an arrow at the weakened Parallax, seemingly killing Hal and leaving the stage clear for the super-charged Damage to spark a new big bang. Thanks to Waverider’s intervention, Superman and the others watch as a new timeline forms, restoring many lost during the Crisis but leaving others, like Batgirl, lost to memory. Although Power Girl rejoices at having birthed new life in this new world, Green Arrow is left devastated and the survivors are both rattled and haunted by the experience, which caused numerous changes to their history (such as Warrior losing his armour and Batman no longer knowing who killed his parents, and the “Modern Age” of superheroes having only started “10 Years Ago” with the debut of Superman).

Final Thoughts:
As I really started getting into comics during the 1990s, Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! was possibly the first Crisis event I ever read (or, at least, the one I read the most). I’ve only ever read the main five issues and a few of the tie-in and aftermath issues, which mainly dealt with our heroes encountering other versions of themselves or bizarre time anomalies. However, I would probably advise that you seek out the complete event as the main story can be confusing without context. For example, Superman says he encountered his Kryptonian parents and different versions of Batman, Warrior’s left devastated by some unexplained loss, and it’s clear that key events are missing from the main story. This may be the first DC event where the tie-in issues were semi-required to fully grasp what’s going on, which does impact the story as it’s so crammed with characters and events that it’s difficult to keep track of what’s happening and a chore to read at times. Every panel is stuffed with heroes and word bubbles, with many just standing around aimlessly, justifiably confused, or summarily executed by the entropy rifts. This means Raymond “Ray” Terrill/The Ray is left spouting “Cool!” and hovering in the background before randomly helping to kick-start the new big bang, and powerhouses like Matrix/Supergirl are as powerless to stop the destruction as the likes of Richard “Dick” Grayson/Nightwing, who joins Batman in a futile attempt to save lives. However, I did like that the heroes were determined to save as many as they could, and to intervene when the timelines merged, even though it was blindingly obvious they couldn’t stop the entropy, and how devastated they were when they inevitably failed. The stakes are definitely high and the heroes are constantly fleeing, reeling from their losses, or trying new ways to halt the destruction, keeping tensions high as they constantly fail.

*This confusing mess of a Crisis is bogged down by copious exposition and cluttered action.*

However, the pacing is all over the place. One minute, things are going a mile a minute; the next, things grind to a halt, and the cluttered panels are filled with endless dialogue as Waverider describes what’s going on. This really comes to a head in issue #0, where Waverider plucks the survivors from a microsecond of time and they witness the rebirth of the universe, all while Waverider waffles on about how they have one shot to re-join the timestream and it must be at the exact moment. He then explains, in great and confusing detail, why the likes of Batgirl (and, it’s assumed, Kyle) are dead but Batman and the billions of others are alive. Conveniently, this is because those latter examples died before the timeline reset; but anyone killed afterwards is really, truly dead. This does tie into Green Arrow’s grief and anger as he’s devastated at being forced to kill his best friend, despite having no choice as Hal was clearly mad with power and had appointed himself judge and jury over all lives and timelines. Green Arrow gets into a physical and ethical debate with Batgirl regarding this as Batgirl simply wants to live, just as the other anomalies want their worlds and lives back, and they briefly defend Parallax since he promises to give them everything they want. Though impressed by Batgirl’s spirit, Green Arrow echoes Warrior’s sentiments and believes Parallax isn’t qualified to make these decisions since it defies the natural order, but Oliver is distraught at being forced to take such extreme actions and this informed his characterisation for a while in the aftermath. Sadly, this comes far too late in the main story to be as impactful as it could be. I’m sure it’s fleshed out more in a tie-in comic but it’s noticeably lacking here, just like Warrior’s desire to undo Hal’s corruption and restore the Green Lantern Corps, which ends up being just one of many sidebars that aren’t resolved in the main story.

*Extant and Waverider don’t make for compelling characters, making the story more dull than exciting.*

As Zero Hour features time travel shenanigans, it makes sense for it to be confusing story and that the likes of Metron and Waverider must rattle off a lot of exposition. It gets frustrating as every issue reiterates a lot of this information, and if you’re not a big fan of Waverider, like me. I liked the twist that Extant was a gestalt entity comprised of different time-based powers and people, reducing him to an energy-based being with no real identity who sowed destruction for this own ends. I quite like Extant and feel he got short-changed here as he was rendered completely impotent once Parallax emerged from the shadows. Consequently, I think Zero Hour would’ve been far better and more coherent if Parallax had been the antagonist from the start, going around time destroying and absorbing power from the likes of Extant, the Time Trapper, and Waverider, just to give the story more focus and really emphasise how shocking it is when the JSA are de-aged and killed and characters are erased. This would’ve been a natural evolution of his original turn when he destroyed the Guardians of the Universe and would’ve made for more drama as his former allies lamented his madness and struggled with fighting him, rather than Extant constantly unmasking to be different people, and could’ve even seen Hal’s past self confronted by his future, corrupted counterpart. While the art is okay, Zero Hour suffers from having far too many characters crammed into every panel, making it difficult to keep track of who’s still around or not. I liked the depiction of entropy erasing characters and timelines, especially as a metaphor for DC literally streamlining their time, but the execution was lacking as it left Hawkman a combined entity rather than simply resetting him and I always come out of this story wondering what the purpose was beyond being a cluttered celebrating of DC’s colourful characters. Sadly, it falls very short and everything that happened in it was rewritten eventually, with even Parallax being redeemed, making the entire story forgettable and pointless.

My Rating:

Could Be Better

Were you also disappointed by Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!? Were you able to follow all the time-based nonsense and exposition? Are you a fan of Waverider and Extant or did you also find them dull characters? Which of the deaths was most impactful or senseless to you? Were you a fan of Hal’s turn as Parallax and do you agree he should’ve been the sole villain here? Did you like the changes made to DC following Zero Hour? Which Crisis event was your favourite and what are some of your favourite cosmic events? Tell me what you thought about Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other Crisis events for me to cover.

Game Corner [Crossover Crisis]: Injustice: Gods Among Us (Xbox 360)

06/04/202209/04/2025Dr. K3 Comments

In April 1985, the first issue of the ground-breaking Crisis on Infinite Earths (Wolfman, et al, 1986) released and saw the temporary destruction of the “Multiverse”. To celebrate this momentous event, I’m discussing multiversal crossovers all throughout April in an event I dubbed “Crossover Crisis”.

Released: 16 April 2013
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Also Available For: Arcade, Mobile, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One and Xbox Series One X/S (Backwards Compatible), Wii U

The Background:
When it was first released, Mortal Kombat (Midway, 1992) was a phenomenal success for Midway because of its focus on gore and violence, and it offered some real competition for Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Capcom, 1991) in arcades and on home consoles. For a time, the series seemed unstoppable during the 2D era of gaming but struggled to find a footing in the emerging 3D fighter arena and Mortal Kombat seemed to be in jeopardy after Midway went bankrupt in 2010. The main reason for this was the poor reception of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (Midway Games, 2008), the first collaboration between Midway’s Mortal Kombat and the DC Comics characters owned by Warner Bros. Interactive, which was hampered by age-related restrictions. Luckily, Warner Bros. Interactive stepped in and the team, now rebranded to NetherRealm Studios, immediately set about getting their violent franchise back on track; Mortal Kombat (NetherRealm Studios, 2011) was subsequently very well-received for its “back to basics” approach and, bolstered by the reboot’s success and eager to take advantage of the vast library of characters of their parent company, NetherRealm Studios sought to expand upon the game’s mechanics with a new, all-DC brawler. Although the game wasn’t as bloody and violent as its sister series, Injustice: Gods Among Us was a massive critical and commercial success that was followed up by not only a bunch of additional fighters and skins added as downloadable content (DLC) but also a sequel in 2017 and a critically-acclaimed comic book series.

The Plot:
In an alternate reality, Clark Kent/Superman has become a tyrant and established a new world order after the Joker tricked him into killing Lois Lane before destroying Metropolis with a nuclear bomb. In an effort to stop him, Bruce Wayne/Batman summons counterparts of the Justice League’s members from another universe to join his insurgency and end the totalitarian regime that threatens to subjugate the entire world.

Gameplay:
Just like Mortal Kombat, Injustice: Gods Among Us is a 2.5D fighting game; however, this time you’re able to select one of twenty-four characters from the DC Universe and battle it out in the game’s single-player story mode, one-on-one against another player or computer-controlled opponent (both on- and offline), tackle numerous arcade-style ladders, or take on character-specific missions in Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories (S.T.A.R. Labs) training scenarios. Just as you’d expect from a Mortal Kombat videogame, Injustice’s fights take place in a best-of-three format (although there are no longer announcements or screen text between each round) and against a time limit, though you can alter these settings (and many others, such as the game’s difficulty) to your heart’s desire in the game’s options to suit your playstyle. If you’ve played the Mortal Kombat reboot then you’ll be immediately familiar with this game’s fighting mechanics and controls, although there are subtle differences: X, Y, and A are assigned to light, medium, and heavy strikes, for example, and may be either punches, kicks, or weapon-based melee attacks depending on which character you’re playing as. You can still grapple and throw your opponent with the Left Bumper (or X and Y and a directional input), dash towards or away from the opponent with a double tap of the directional pad (D-Pad), but now you must hold back on the D-Pad while standing or crouching to block, which can make blocking a bit trickier as sometimes you’ll simply walk or dash backwards when trying to block. If your opponent is crouch-blocking, you can land an attack by pressing towards and A for an Overhead Attack, and string together light, medium, and heavy attacks with directional inputs and your various special moves to pull off quick and easy combos.

*Attack with strikes, grapples, and combos to pummel a number of DC’s most recognisable characters.*

As is the standard for NetherRealm Studios’ releases these days, you can practise the game’s controls and mechanics as often as you like and take part in a very user-friendly tutorial to learn the basics of the game’s simple, but increasingly complex, fighting mechanics. You can also view your character’s moves, combos, special attacks, and “Character Power” from the pause menu at any time, allowing you to also see a range of information (such as where and how to pull of certain moves, the damage they inflict, and frame data). Each character has a range of special attacks that are unique to them; these mostly consist of certain projectiles or grapples and strikes but can also include various buffs for your character or to slow down your opponent. Each character also has a specific Character Power that is performed by pressing B; this sees Batman summon and attack with a swarm of bats, Oliver Queen/Green Arrow fire different trick arrows at his opponent, Doctor Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn gain various random buffs, and allows characters like Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Rachel Roth/Raven to switch between different fighting styles and thus access different special attacks. While some Character Powers have a cool-down period, others don’t, but they can also be detrimental to you; for example, Slade Wilson/Deathstroke can briefly give his shots perfect aim but, once the Character Power is expended, he’ll miss every shot until it refills. Another new addition to the game is the annoying “Wager” system; when the Super Meter is filled up by two bars, you can press towards and RT when blocking an attack to play a quick mini game where you and your opponent select how much of your Super Meter to gamble. If you win, you’ll regain some health; if you lose, the opponent regains health; and if you tie then you both lose. Personally, if find these “Clash Breakers” even more annoying than the usual “Breakers” seen in the modern Mortal Kombat games as I never win them and they generally just unnecessarily prolong a fight (and, even worse, there’s no option to turn them off).

*Different characters attack and interact in different ways according to their strengths.*

In a bridge between the differing character movesets of Mortal Kombat and the “Variation” mechanic seen in Mortal Kombat X (NetherRealm Studios, 2013), Injustice features a limited “Class” system whereby characters are split into two camps: Gadget- or Power-class characters. Gadget characters are generally smaller, faster, and rely on various tricks and weapons in fights while Power-class characters are typically bigger, often slower, and rely more on brute strength. One of the main ways you’ll notice the difference between playing as, say, Barry Allen/The Flash and Cyrus Gold/Solomon Grundy is that they interact with the game’s fighting stages in different ways. As in Mortal Kombat X, you can press the Right Bumper when indicated to use (or attack your opponent with) various environmental hazards, such as firing missiles at them or knocking them into the background. But, whereas Superman will wrench a car out of the air and slam it on his opponent, someone like Dick Grayson/Nightwing will rig the same car to explode or somersault off the environment to get behind their foe rather than try to crush them with a wall. As you might naturally expect, there are no Fatalities or gruesome finishing moves in Injustice (not even “Heroic Brutalities”). However, when your Super Meter is full, you can still press LT and RT together to pull off a devastating Super Move; while you won’t see bones breaking and organs shattering like in Mortal Kombat’s X-Ray Moves, it’s still pretty fun to see Hal Jordan/Green Lantern transport his opponent to Oa to pummel them with his constructs, Ares shower his foe with arrows and stamp on them while grown to gigantic proportions, Arthur Curry/Aquaman force his enemy into the jaws of a ferocious shark, and Bane demolish his opposition with a series of throws and grapples, culminating in his iconic backbreaker.

*In addition to powerful Super moves, you can bash your foe into new areas using stage transitions.*

Another way the game separates itself from Mortal Kombat is stage transitions; when near the far edge of certain stages, you can hold back and A to wallop your opponent through the wall or off into the background where they’ll be smashed up, down, or across to an entirely new area of the stage which often allows more stage interactions and new stage transitions available for your use. You might wonder exactly how someone like Louise Lincoln/Killer Frost can survive being blasting through the brick walls of Wayne Manor or go toe-to-toe with the likes of Doomsday but the game’s entertaining story mode explains that, on this alternative world, the tyrant-like Superman has developed special pills that bestow superhuman strength and dexterity to his generals. As is also the standard in NetherRealm’s titles, the story mode is broken down into twelve character-specific chapters, which is again a great way to experience a wide variety of the game’s roster (though Batman does feature as a playable character in two chapters, which seems a bit lazy). You can replay any chapter and fight you’ve cleared at any time, which is great, and skip through the cutscenes after they’ve loaded a bit, and the story mode isn’t all constant fighting either as you’re asked to pull off a handful of quick-time events (QTEs) at various points, such as blasting cars with Superman’s heat vision. The story is a fairly standard multiverse tale of the main canon heroes fighting against their corrupted or misled counterparts but it’s pretty fun and easy to blast through in no time at all.

*Fight to earn XP and level-up, unlock additional perks and modes, and take on a series of challenges.*

Every time you win a fight, you’ll earn experience points (XP) that will eventually level-up your character profile. This, and performing a certain number of specific attacks, playing through the story mode, and tackling the game’s other modes and mechanics, unlocks icons and backgrounds for your profile card as well as additional skins in certain circumstances. You’ll also be awarded “Armour Keys” and “Access Cards” to spend in the “Archives”, which allows you to unlock concept art, music, more skins, and certain boosts that will increase how much XP you earn, to name just one example. Like in Mortal Kombat, you can also take on ten opponents in arcade ladders in the “Battle” mode; these range from the basic tournament-style ladder to specific challenges against heroes, villains, or battling while poisoned, injured, or with certain buffs (such as a constantly full Super Meter or health falling from the sky). We’d see a similar system be incorporated into the “Towers” modes in later Mortal Kombat games and similar scenarios exist here, such as a survival mode, battling two opponents, or being forced to fight against the computer set to the hardest difficulty.

Graphics and Sound:
Like its violent sister-series, Injustice looks fantastic; there’s almost no difference between the high-quality story mode cutscenes and the in-fight graphics (which, again, makes it all the more frustrating that NetherRealm Studios insist on having character’s endings represented by partially-animated artwork and voiceovers), though it has to be said that the graphics are much more palatable when in a violent fight. I say this purely because I am not a big fan of some of Injustice’s character designs: The Flash looks a bit too “busy”, for example, and Batman’s suit (and cowl, especially) look really janky to me, though I love the representation of Green Lantern and Thaal Sinestro.

*In addition to various intros, outros, and Wager dialogue, characters also take on battle damage.*

Each character gets a nice little fitting intro and outro for each fight and, between rounds, will perform and quip a variety of taunts to the opponent. In a nice little touch, different character skins get different intros and outros; when playing as the evil Superman, for example, he enters and exits the fight differently to his more heroic counterpart. When playing as different skins, like John Stewart or Hank Henshaw/Cyborg Superman, you’ll also be treated to slightly different dialogue and animations, which is a much-appreciated touch on the developer’s part. Although there aren’t any character-specific interactions in the intros, there are during the Wager cutscenes and, even better, both characters and the arenas will accrue battle damage as the fight progresses! This means that you’ll not only see Selina Kyle/Catwoman’s cat suit rip and her skin be blemished by bruises and blood but arenas will degenerate or change around you the more damage you dish out, which can also allow different intractable options to become available to you.

*Stages include a range of recognisable DC locations and take damage as you fight.*

Speaking of the stages, Injustice really goes above and beyond to make the best use of the DC license; while it’s a little disappointing to see Arkham Asylum and Wayne Manor feature twice in the game, they are made distinctive by having Joker-ised and night-time variants, respectively (and also being clearly modelled after, and featuring cameos by, the Batman: Arkham (Rocksteady Studios/Various, 2009 to 2015) videogames and villains). Additionally, the use of stage transitions really helps to add a whole new dimension to combat, with some stages featuring more than others (or even none at all), to help ensure that every fight can be a little different. Stages also feature a bevy of other little cameos and DC references, such as the Fortress of Solitude being clearly modelled after Superman (Donner, 1978) while also featuring a portal to the Phantom Zone and a cameo from Starro the Conqueror. Similarly, J’onn J’onnz/Martian Manhunter floats in the background of the Watchtower space station, Floyd Lawton/Deadshot is just hanging out at Stryker’s prison, and Amazons are preparing a boat to launch on Themyscira. Every single stage has a number of intractable elements and changes as you fight, cause damage, or smash foes around, with Gotham City being my favourite as you can battle on the roof with the Bat-Signal and then down to the grimy streets below and then blast your foe back up to the roof using a nearby truck!

Enemies and Bosses:
Injustice helpfully separates its character-selection screen into heroes (on the left) and villains (on the right) but, despite their different alignments (and that their loyalties change due to the multiverse shenanigans of the story), every single one of them will be an enemy of yours at some point as you play through the story, Battles, S.T.A.R. Labs missions, and on- or offline. Consequently, it’s worth keeping track of which character suits your playstyle as some have easier combos and special moves to pull off compared to others, or more useful Super Moves and Character Powers.

*Play as, and against, the game’s characters to learn their strengths, weaknesses, and skills.*

Additionally, the Class system should also be factored in; Lex Luthor, Doomsday, and Solomon Gundy may be powerful and capable of gaining armour to tank through attacks but they’re also a lot slower on their feet and with their jumps. Superman and Shiera Hall/Hawkgirl are much faster Power-class characters but can also have their own drawbacks at times depending on your playstyle (Superman’s Character Power, for example, simply powers up his attacks rather than being a more offensive move like, say, Areas being able to conjure massive magical weapons). Personally, I tend to lean more towards Gadget-based characters, like Nightwing (who can switch between using quick batons or a longer bo staff to attack) or Green Arrow (whose arrows and bow allow for both ranged attacks and blindingly fast melee attacks).

*Take on the corrupted Superman and banish him to the Phantom Zone for his crimes!*

Unlike Mortal Kombat, Injustice doesn’t really feature any secret or hidden fights or unplayable sub-bosses or boss characters; the story mode and basic arcade ladder culminates in a battle against the corrupted Superman that is a far fairer and more competitive fight compared to the finales of NetherRealm’s recent Mortal Kombat games. While Superman is definitely a bit more of an aggressive foe, even on the game’s easiest difficulty, he doesn’t gain inexplicable armour, can be stunned, and doesn’t deal ungodly amounts of damage or spam his attacks like a cheap bitch. Additionally, he doesn’t transform into some monstrous final form and, instead, the final battle is a far better use of the skills you’ve built up through regular gameplay rather than forcing you to resort to cheap tactics and tricks.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
Because it lacks a “Test Your Luck” mode and “Kombat Kodes” for multiplayer fights, there aren’t really any in-game power-ups available to you outside of the various status effects seen in the Battle mode. As before, though, some characters can gain in-game buffs with their special attacks and Character Powers: Lex Luthor, for example, can erect a shield, Doomsday can cover himself in impenetrable armour for a brief period, and Solomon Grundy slows time down and drains his opponent’s health with his swamp gas. However, you’ll earn yourself additional XP if you mix up your fighting style and take advantage of stage interactions and transitions, which will allow you to unlock further customisation options for your profile card, and you can also earn additional skins and rewards by playing and linking up to the mobile version of the game.

Additional Features:
There are fifty Achievements up for grabs in Injustice, with three of which being directly tied to the story mode (50- and 100% completion and succeeding at all of the QTE mini games). Others are tied to the game’s online modes, levelling-up to specific levels, customising your profile card, and finishing Classic Battle with one (and every) character. There are also some character-specific Achievements on offer, including performing every character’s Super Move or a ten-hit combat and winning a fight using only arrows as Green Arrow, or landing at least twelve shots without missing as Deathstroke. Batman is the only character to have two specific Achievements tied to him, though, as you’ll get some G for winning a match using all of his special moves and his Super Moves and for defeating every villain as him. Another standard of NetherRealm Studios is their addition of further skins and characters through DLC; you can get skins to play as John Stewart, Cyborg Superman, and the Flashpoint (Johns, et al, 2011) Batman, among others, and they’re all easily applicable when selecting a character (no need for extraneous “Gear” here).

Injustice included some surprising DLC fighters; even Scorpion showed up!

While the game’s DLC characters have no additional Achievements tied to them, Injustice included some fun and interesting extra fighters; Lobo, General Dru-Zod (who also sports his Man of Steel (Snyder, 2013) look as a skin), Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, Zatanna Zatara, and the Martian Manhunter were all great choices to add to the roster and it was nice to see NetherRealm Studios exercise a little restraint and not overload the DLC with additional Batman characters. By far the most exciting DLC fighter was the inclusion of Scorpion, who sports a Jim Lee redesign and began a trend of DC and Mortal Kombat characters appearing in each other’s games. When you’ve had enough of the story mode and regular battle options, you can take the fight online in a series of matches; here; you can participate in ranked and unranked fights and “King of the Hill” tournaments where you watch other players fight until it’s your turn and bet on who’s going to win. The S.T.A.R. Labs missions will also keep us offline, solo players occupied for some time; these are expanded upon when you download the DLC fighters, which is much appreciated and, similar to Mortal Kombat’s “Challenge Tower” mode, basically serve as extended tutorials for each of the game’s characters. You’ll take on ten character-specific missions, with each one getting a little bit of text and maybe a picture to set the context of the mission, and these range from performing certain combos or attacks, winning fights, or completing tricky challenges (such as guiding Catwoman’s cat through laser trip wires, avoiding damage or debris, or racing against Superman).

The Summary:
Injustice: Gods Among Us is a far better marriage of Mortal Kombat and DC Comics than Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe and a fantastic expansion of the gameplay mechanics and features NetherRealm Studios revitalised their violent fighting game series with in Mortal Kombat (2009). While Injustice is obviously not as gory or violent as its sister-series, that doesn’t make it any less fun and it’s still a very brutal fighter; the Super Moves, especially, and certain character’s outros (such as the Joker’s) are definitely in the Mortal Kombat mould. With gorgeous in-game graphics, a fantastic amount of variety thanks to all of the character’s different special attacks and gameplay mechanics and the stage transitions, and a simple to learn, easy to master fighting system, Injustice is an extremely enjoyable game for anyone who’s a fan of either franchise or fighting games in general. The story is a breeze to get through (thought it is essentially every basic multiverse story ever told in comics) and nicely varied with some QTE sequences; the S.T.A.R. Labs missions and different arcade ladders are much more enjoyable and challenging than in its sister-series and there are plenty of character options, variety, and unlockables to keep you busy. Best of all, the game isn’t bogged down by endless grinding to unlock Gear, skins, or other perks and is a much more user-friendly and accessible fighting game, and overall experience, than its sequel.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

Were you a fan of Injustice: Gods Among Us? What did you think to it as a blend of Mortal Kombat and DC Comics? What were your thoughts on the game’s story and its depiction of a parallel world terrorised by a corrupted Superman? Which of the game’s fighters was your favourite and why? Did you buy the base game and all the DLC packs separately or did you pick up the Ultimate Edition when it released later? What did you think to the additional DLC characters and skins? Were there any characters or features missing from the game for you? Which DC Comics videogame, movie, comic, or other piece of media is your favourite? Are you a fan of multiverse stories and crossovers? Whatever you think about Injustice, leave a comment down below and be sure to check back in next Wednesday for more Crossover Crisis content!

Game Corner: Injustice 2: Legendary Edition (Xbox One)

25/07/201814/10/2025Dr. K23 Comments

Given that Warner Brothers bought Midway back when they were forced to shut up shop, it should have been seen as inevitable that a videogame would be made that mashed together characters from the Mortal Kombat series with those of the DC Universe. Of course, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (Midway Games, 2008) was quite the barebones, lacklustre effort compared to the spiritual successor, Injustice: Gods Among Us (NetherRealm Studios/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, 2013).

*Brainiac is coming to collect the Earth!*

Injustice was generally applauded not only for its graphics, gameplay, and competitive fighting mechanics but also its story mode; NetherRealm Studios have seemingly perfected the art of infusing their fighters with an in-depth and genuinely captivating single play story and Injustice 2 (ibid, 2017; 2018) continues this trend. After the Justice League travel to a parallel world to help end the reign of a dictator-like Superman and his regime of similarly-evil former heroes, the Injustice-world faces a new threat in the form of Brainiac. Though Batman attempts to rally a new generation of heroes against Brainiac, they have no choice but to free Superman from his red sun prison cell in order to combat the threat and enter into an uneasy alliance.

Injustice2Roster — *A good roster, bogged down with one-too-many Batman characters.*

A fighting game is only as good as its roster; like Injustice, Injustice 2 has an unhealthy obsession with Batman characters – Batman, the Joker, Robin, Poison Ivy, Red Hood, Scarec r ow, Bane, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Deadshot bloat out the roster. While it is a little disappointing that this appears to have caused other, unique characters such as Booster Gold or Doctor Sivana miss the cut, Injustice 2 does bring some welcome new faces to the game; Firestorm, Blue Beetle, Atrocitus, Gorilla Grodd, and Doctor Fate are just some of the new heroes and villains available to play as. The Legendary Edition also includes some fantastic downloadable characters, such as Hellboy, Black Manta, and even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Injustice2Unique — *Every character has a unique play style.*

Every character boasts their own unique combos, special moves, and super moves and plays a little differently; Darkseid, for example, is slow and methodical, Supergirl is a much faster character, while characters like Green Arrow and Batman rely more on their gadgets and skills to succeed. Successfully pulling off combos, counters, and landing attacks allows players to build up their super meter and power up their special moves or execute a world-ending super move. Each character starts with three loadout slots, which can be increased to five, that allow you to gear up Aquaman, for example, to have one loadout the favours attack, one that favours health, one that favours special moves, and so on, depending on the gear you apply. You can also apply this gear to AI Loadouts and have them fight for you, which is kind of weird and I’m not sure why you would want to do that rather than play the game yourself but it is useful for the game’s Endless and Survival modes.

Injustice2Stages — Injustice 2‘s stage selection levels much to be desired.

While Injustice 2 has a decent roster, it doesn’t have much in the way of stages; there are only twelve stages to pick from and they’re not really that dynamic or interesting. You can still send characters flying to other parts of the stage, which is fun, but it seems there’s a lot less opportunities to do this than in Injustice. There are also some fun stage interactions to be had, like smashing Swamp Thing over the head with a crocodile in Slaughter Swamp, but, again, it seemed that there were more and better stage interactions in Injustice. The primary selling point of Injustice 2 is the Gear System; winning matches not only earns experience points for each character and the player’s profile but also awards numerous gear. Players can then apply this gear to each character to boost their attributes, gain performance buffs (such as greater attack strength against Metahumans), alter the character’s costumes, and even unlock different special moves. Winning matches also earns the player coins and crystals, which can used to buy Mother Boxes and unlock more gear, transform or combine gear to make it stronger, or unlock Premier Skins for certain characters.

Injustice2Skins — *Premier Skins are available…at a price.*

Premier Skins allow you to play as new characters; Cheetah, for example, has a Premier Skin that turns her into Vixen and Raiden’s Premier Skin is Black Lighting. This is great, as it effectively adds even more characters to the game’s roster; the only downside is that, to purchase Premier Skins, you need Source Crystals, which are few and far between. You’re therefore forced to grind over and over, levelling up your profile and characters, to earn a pittance of Source Crystals or spend real money. This latter appears to be what NetherRealm Studios want you to do as it is extremely difficult to earn enough Source Crystals as the Premier Skins carry a hefty price tag, and only the best Mother Boxes and rewards can be earned through spending real money, it seems, making the in-game currency all but worthless. Unlocking gear and applying it to characters is fun but, let’s be honest, you won’t be applying all of your gear to every character as some characters are better than others and some or just dead weight. The biggest downside to the Gear System is that, unlike in Injustice, it is the gear that determines what your character will look like; therefore, you can’t just select Green Lantern and choose to play as Yellow lantern, you have to unlock the correct gear and colour palette (which also require Source Crystals), which is quite disappointing and annoying.

Injustice2Clash — *The clash mechanic as as annoying as ever.*

In terms of gameplay, Injustice 2 is very similar to its predecessor with a noticeable increase in AI competency; I played the entire game on Very Easy and, on more than one occasion, noticed that the AI doesn’t take any shit. If you spam moves or favour a certain tactic, the AI calls you out on it and gives you a competitive match more often than not. The story mode is fun to play through but a breeze; I finished it in within two casual days of gameplay and only went back to it to finish off the branching paths. The clash mechanic returns from Injustice and it’s just as annoying as ever; as you take damage, you can spend your super meter initiating a clash and pressing a button in a rock/paper/scissors type of mini game, which will either deal additional damage or restore your health. It seems that the AI always busts out a clash at the worst or most annoying opportunities and it’s easily to most frustrating part of the game.

Injustice2Multiverse — *Take on the entire Multiverse…once you’re levelled up enough…*

Similar to Mortal Kombat X (ibid, 2015), Injustice 2 utilises an ever-changing Multiverse mode that allows players to fight a number of opponents and obtain better rewards. These change hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly and often carry certain themes that will be familiar to DC Comics fans; you can also use the Battle Simulator to play traditional tournament modes or battle endless opponents. One thing I will praise about Injustice 2 is that every battle is different; I don’t think I ever fought the same version of a character twice as it seems every match sees random gear and colour schemes applied to the opponent. You can also join a Guild and take part in Guild Multiverses and challenges to unlock even more Mother Boxes and rewards; these are far more challenging than the regular Multiverse modes and, similarly, the best Multiverse rewards are only available when you’ve levelled a character up to level twenty or thirty, meaning that you’re going to have to play again and again and grind over and over to reap the benefits. Honestly, maybe I’m a bit jaded, but I don’t find myself particularly enthusiastic about stepping up to this challenge; Injustice 2 features a wealth of Achievements, many you can sweep through regular gameplay, but the more specific ones (such as maxing every character’s level out) just seem like too much of a chore. I really don’t like that I have earned so many in-game coins and yet I cannot use them to purchase Premier Skins or extra colour palettes; I don’t really want to spend my actual money buying them, was disappointed to see that they weren’t already unlocked in the Legendary Edition, and am not sure I can be bothered to grind over and over to unlock them.

Injustice2Batman — *Want the best stuff? You better have deep pockets!*

In the end, Injustice 2 is good; it’s fun to play, the story mode is decent, and the graphics are very impressive but there’s not too much calling me back to it. I played Injustice pretty much to death working my way through the challenge mode but you have to put some serious effort in to challenge the best Multiverses and the motivation is severely lacking this time around just because the best gear and rewards are either really rare or too expensive. Maybe, next time around, NetherRealm Studios should limit the in-game currency to two forms (one to buy stuff, one to upgrade stuff) and move away from forcing players into spending their real-world money on additional extras, especially if they’re going to bring out a Legendary Edition after the initial versions.

My Rating:

Fantastic

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My Rating:

Could Be Better

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My Rating:

Great Stuff

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My Rating:

Could Be Better

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