Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe #4 – Tim Seeley, Writer; Freddie Williams II, Artist; Jeremy Colwell, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: An action-packed fourth issue of this oddball video game/cartoon crossover, Tim Seeley’s cosmic adventure continues to deliver chaos and magic, and a surprising amount of humor.
For instance, did you ever think you wanted to see Batman interact with diminutive mage Orko? Their interaction in the opening segment as Orko gets Batman free from Superman’s captivity is hilarious. But the issue has a surprisingly dark tone aside from that, as He-Man and Superman face off one-on-one. We haven’t seen all that much of Superman recently in the Injustice 2 comic, but this issue drives home just how far he’s gone. He’s a sadistic maniac with multiple different alien presences lurking in his brain, and he’s willing to openly brag about his murder of Billy Batson. While it’s certainly a well-written scene, it’s also a reminder of why the Injustice universe didn’t really work for many people prior to recent comics.
At the same time as the battle between Superman and He-Man, Darkseid and his forces are invading Eternia and the forces of Greyskull are no match for Apokalips. The battle is chaotic, with agents of both sides getting in good shots, but it feels like Darkseid’s been nerfed a bit. His Omega Effect, the most powerful death effect in the DC Universe, is broken down to little more than heat vision this issue, with Teela shrugging off a couple of blasts.
Meanwhile, Skeletor has been lurking in the background of this series for a while, but this issue he steps up as a major threat – with a new power that was teased earlier in the issue. However, the death of a major player in the series comes almost offhand and makes it unclear whether this series is actually supposed to be in continuity for this universe.
It’s a fun, if somewhat scattered and chaotic comic book, that manages to fuse two universes that have no business going together.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
