Injustice 2 #6 came out last week and sported some cover treatment announcing this to be the origin of Supergirl. Now I am not a big video game player (don't have the time to dedicate to long play) and I'm not a big fan of the premise of Injustice (Superman killing the Joker and going mad and taking over as a despot). So I have shied away from this book.
All that said, I have seen Supergirl's story videos on YouTube and a number of players have told me that Kara is really treated well in the game, acting the hero. So when I saw this glorious cover by Mike Miller with the Injustice Supergirl flying in such an iconic pose, I figured I'd bite.
I have absolutely loved what writer Tom Taylor has done on the All-New Wolverine book so I shouldn't be surprised that Supergirl is treated well. And Miller's art is clean and slick.
And this origin story is a good one, showcasing Kara's strength, courage, and even a little nod to Silver Age Supergirl.
If only it wasn't a universe with an evil Superman I might stick around. On to the book ...
We start in a flashback on Krypton where Zor-El and Jor-El have taken Kara to the top of a mountain and ask her if she is ready to jump.
I like an El family where Jor and Zor are friends. I have seen and read too many where they are rivals. So seeing them rib each other was a nice touch.
But Kara is ready for whatever this test is.
She leaps! And lands on a flying dragon Kryptonian beast (akin to Jor-El's leap in Snyder's Man of Steel).
She breaks her arm but she did it.
That first panel is a nice foreshadow to her being a hero on Earth, flying. And, as Zor-El says, learning to fly isn't easy.
But it also shows just how brave this Kara is, literally taking a leap of faith.
Back at home, Alura helps take care of Kara's injury. (It seems in this continuity Alura is a physician!)
While she is only mending a fracture, her words are heavy with portent. 'It will get better while you're sleeping. And when you wake up you will be with family. And you will be safe.' Those words could be said before the flight across the cosmos.
We know Krypton is going to explode of course.
Brainiac arrives and begins to gather Kandor and trigger the explosion of the planet.
Kara is rescued from Brainiac drones by Alura and put into the escape ship. Kara will head with Kal to Earth and help protect and raise him. But a chunk of the exploding planet knocks her ship off course.
And so this origin mirrors the Loeb/television show origin. Kara is years older than Kal but is in suspended animation, arriving after he has grown.
She lands on Earth and is found by Black Adam. She is brought to his stronghold in Kandaq and told to recuperate.
You can see that this Kara is going to carry the weight of grief for a while. She saw everyone die. She saw the planet explode. She survived. The art here captures a lot of that pain wonderfully.
The hope, of course, is that this Supergirl fights like mad to make sure no one else feels this sort of pain.
Given that I have seen the panel of Superman putting his arm through Joker's chest, I can't imagine this is correct.
Of course, misinformation will keep Kara in line.
And then this ending sequence.
Adam tells Kara to stay inside and safe until her powers develop. She is to reveal herself to no one.
That totally smacks of the 'emergency secret weapon' era of Supergirl. Until she has control of her powers and understand Earth ways, she needs to stay hidden. Nice nod, hopefully intentional.
So that is the Injustice Supergirl origin. There were scenes of Black Adam at a border skirmish, threatening armies, etc. I don't think this lured me into buying this title. So I'll need others to keep me in the loop.
Overall grade: B
Most people classifies Superman as evil in Injustice. I don't think that is completely correct. If I were to use the classic D&D alignment spectrum I would put him at Chaotic Good, at most with an inkling to the neutral spectrum.
ReplyDeleteSuperman still retains most of his core values. Where he differs I think is that he becomes pragmatic and is prepared to do away with buerocracy and his no kill policy in exchange for a safer world.
From what we can see, the world under his rule becomes a safer space. The price is that those who would work against this new order are executed or have their leaders deposed.
What Superman does is definitely in the deep moral gray zone, but how many countries on earth would be above executing a man who nuked one of their major cities? How many countries are today trying to depose rulers they believe to be dangerous to the world? How many would send their soldiers to kill those who would oppose them?
It is hard to label Superman "evil" for something that is practiced by the leading countries of the civilized world today.
Now I have the luxury of living in a country that has not known war under my lifetime, so I like most others are opposed to Supermans actions, but I have to say. Had I lived in the DC Universe with their villains, I would have been standing on the parapets holding the team S flag. Go regime! :D
From what I've gathered, the comic tries to redemptively read the premise of the game by having it be less about evil Superman and more "Superman is having a nervous breakdown on a scale incomprehensible to humanity. No one can get him to stop his self destructive behavior because he's Superman, and the only people who could are either dead or egging him on to go more fascist." Not the best case for the premise, but Tom has to work with what he has. Also 2nd best Harley.
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