DC’s Injustice: A Dark Side of Superman

Finally, this long-awaited animated feature has become available, and it doesn’t disappoint. For those familiar with the video game, you already know the premise to this movie. For those who don’t, let’s just say it’s the flip side of Superman’s decision in the seminal Kingdom Come series written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Alex Ross. Though people tend to compare him here with Omni-man as he appears in Invincible, he is more of like Plutonian in the comic book Irredeemable also written by Mark Waid (hmm…).

What would happen to Superman if Lois Lane were murdered? This movie answers that question, and provides a side of Superman probably only seen in the darkest corners of the elseworlds universe. And, the film paints a scary picture. As is found in many epic Superman stories, the movie wouldn’t be complete without the presence of the other two members of the DC Trinity: Batman and Wonder Woman. Having said that, ‘Injustice’ also includes an array of supporting super hero characters that form part of the DC comics mythos with most of them coming from the Justice League bevy of characters.

With the characters set, and the premise plotted, we get to see how far Lois’s death can darken (strenghten?) the moral compass of the Man of Steel. The result is a police state not far from the imagination of Batman himself, though one can argue that a Superman police state is far scarier than one envisioned by the Dark Knight himself. Most especially since Superman has the raw power to carry it out without need of a lot of prep time. As we see just how far Superman can take his new moral compass, we can also see the heroes themselves take sides on the world Superman wants to enforce. There is no in-between here as battle lines are well-defined, and even Superman gets help from an unexpected, but unsurprising source.

Amidst the chaos, and destruction there is an apt order established; and one wonders if this is the way the way the world should have always been from the beginning yet it took so long to realize. However, even though the title of the film reveals its nature, let us not forget that this is still a Superman story, and the very best Superman stories are when he is at his best. This is the question the movie seeks to answer with its resolution: what indeed is the best version of Superman?

The answer is found in the vast multiverse that is the DC mythology though the answer still posits more questions. In the end, it is Superman himself who decides if this injustice done to him is worth the price of his ideal Earth or betrays the memory of his wife Lois. Even if the video game doesn’t provide any real ending to this madness, the film does provide the closure warranted. And, Superman is revealed as the hero we deserve even from the darkest depths of his soul. However, you still get to wonder how long before this tragedy happens again in the vastness of the DC Multiverse. Still, ‘Injustice’ shows Superman as he is: the best of everything we hold dear.

Mark Waid & Barry Kitson's Legion of Super Heroes Run in a Time of COVID-19

Because of the current quarantine, I have a lot of time to catch up on my comic book re-reading. I like to collect creator runs. The stories just inspire me and jump start my imagination. One of my favorite yet neglected runs that I have is the thirty issue run of Mark Waid and Barry Kitson on the LEGION OF SUPER HEROES (LSH).

There’s something about Mark Waid’s writing that attracts me. He first caught my attention when he was writing THE FLASH during the 90s. In the now seminal ‘The Return of Barry Allen’ story arc, I got to feel the love he has for Wally West (MY FLASH). From there, I was hooked and followed Waid’s adventures throughout his THE FLASH run all the way to the Speed Force. I kept following him from there to KINGDOM COME (one of my favorite limited series of all time) to EMPIRE. In EMPIRE, I discovered Barry Kitson. That was a great limited series as well. I began to love this artistic tandem of Waid and Kitson. So, it was only natural for me to pick up their LSH run when it came out.

I’ve been a fan of the LSH ever since I encountered them being written by Paul Levitz. I’ve been waiting for an iteration of the LSH to pick up religiously, and I was given that chance. I wasn’t disappointed either. The LSH run of Waid and Kitson combined the super hero science that I loved in THE FLASH with the intrigue found in EMPIRE. You could see just how much fun Waid was having with the characters…and who wouldn’t. This is THE LEGION. Waid had his gamut of a variety of super powers to play with, and the personalities that came with them. Accompanying on his storytelling was Barry Kitson’s top notch artwork. The combination of Waid and Kitson provided the reader with a feast of information that any new or seasoned LSH fan would love. As if the storytelling wasn’t excellent enough, the creative duo added one more trick up their sleeve…they added Supergirl to the mix.

Yes it was fun seeing the varying leadership styles of Brainiac 5 and Cosmic Boy. Yes it was entertaining seeing the creative use of super powers by our teen wonders. But, adding Kara Zor-el aka Supergirl to the mix elevated the book to a whole new level of storytelling. Mind you that, at the time, Superman and albeit Superboy was off limits to be used in the LSH because of some timeline retconing (I will not talk about that here). Adding Supergirl to the story was an excellent alternative, and it worked beautifully. I’ve always loved Kara as a character, and she was one of LSH’s members in the past so this was all good for me.

However, what made me stay issue to issue was the brilliant weaving of art and story by both Waid and Kitson. I was dumbfounded every issue if what was written was at all possible. The creative ways of mixing the use of super powers,and character interaction at the same time made me come back for more. Also, the political intrigue that evolved from a bunch of teenagers showed us that Waid and Kitson’s LSH was far different and equally entertaining (if not more so) than any LSH run that came before it.

And, I think that’s what we need nowadays in this time of COVID-19. We have to realize our own powers because we have them. We need to find creative ways of using them that allow us to help out without neglecting ourselves. This iteration of the LSH shows even amidst the worst of times, we can all help out little by little until we become Legion.

I’m glad I still have this comic book run in my collection. If you have it I’d recommend you re-read it. If you don’t, well then you have one activity worth doing in this time of COVID-19 quarantine. Long LIve the Legion!!!!