Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five #12 Review

Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five #12

Writer: Brian Bucellato

Artist: Iban Coello

Colorist: Iban Coello

Published by DC Comics

Writer Brian Bucellato (The Flash, Exterminators, Witchblade) and artist Iban Coello (Age of Apocalypse: Warzones, Batman Beyond Universe, and Captain America & The Mighty Avengers) created literary magic in issue #12 of Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five. A variety of writers and artists have contributed to this series, but Buccellato and Coella take the cake with this latest issue.

From his previous work with high profile superheroes (Flash and Captain America) Bucellato has proven time and time again that he knows what it takes to move a story forward. In this comic, he does just that. Accompanied by Coello’s beautiful artwork, readers finally get to see the fight they’ve been waiting for — Superman vs. Bizarro … eh … sort of.

Bizarro, who believes he is the one and only true Superman is embroiled in a heated battle with Solomon Grundy when he sees Grundy committing acts of violence against civilians. Once the real Superman, Clark Kent, gets wind of the impersonator claiming to be him, he immediately flies to the scene.

Once the Man of Steel arrives, he has a hilarious back and forth with Bizarro until he gets fed up and punches his doppelganger into the next panel. Grundy soon realizes that he wants the spotlight back and the three larger than life figures go head-to-head. After a bit of sparring with fists and words, Hal Jordan arrives in the midst of battle.

Jordan encases the three monsters in a dome and things really start to heat up. Bizarro can’t escape the feeling of being trapped. He immediately breaks the dome with a supersonic scream and flies away. Meanwhile, Superman and Grundy have an interesting back and forth until Superman does something that’s uncommon in main continuity — but it’s something readers have grown accustomed to seeing the Man of Steel do in his time as leader of the Regime.

Although Superman is a darker version of himself, he still shows flashes of the hope, greatness, and love his fans have grown accustomed to over the decades.

The issue ends with Superman bringing Grundy to Lex Luthor. The Last Son of Krypton then asks Luther to do something that shocks Luthor to his core.

Bucellato sure knows how to sell a story. Even though Bizarro doesn’t feel like a real problem, Bucellato made him seem like he’s going to be a huge factor moving forward. And the way he wrote the complex relationship between Luthor and Superman is a statement of its own. Their relationship continues to deteriorate the more Kent pushes Luthor to the extreme and that’s another big idea to hold on to.

The Bottom Line: Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five has been a nonstop rollercoaster ride since issue one. With so many pieces in play and double-crosses, a reader can’t help but want more. One thing I’m hoping we will see very soon is the eventual showdown between Superman and Batman.