Harley Quinn in the underworld.
Injustice: Year Four is fast heading towards its climax as the war between Superman’s regime and the Greek gods intensifies. Plus, Harley Quinn is getting into antics, which is always fun. This issue packs in plenty of action of both the humorous and dramatic variety. But as has sometimes been the case with this book, the way the two chapters shift from one to the other results in a fairly disjointed reading experience.
The first chapter collected in this issue focuses on Harley, Billy Batson and Hera as they battle their way through Tartarus and back to the mortal realm. This setup is basically an excuse to watch Harley be goofy and beat up on one mythological creature after another (though Hera gets her licks in, too). Xermanico renders this bloody brawl with plenty of energy, though not with the same level of clarity and sleekness as when he ink’s Bruno Redondo’s work rather than working solo. Harley’s presence in this book has grown increasingly important in terms of maintaining a sense of humor while the general tone and state of the world grow darker. This chapter fulfills that purpose.
That said, it doesn’t contribute a great deal the larger conflict between heroes and gods, and the transition to the darker second chapter feels fairly jarring. But in and of itself, the second chapter doesn’t disappoint. The scale of the conflict increases thanks to Poseidon’s attack, while Superman himself feels outmatched in a way he really hasn’t during the entire course of the Injustice saga. And with Redondo back on pencils for this chapter, the series’ trademark sleek, cinematic look is back in force.
Meanwhile, Brian Buccellato is beginning to drop hints as to the true mastermind of this conflict and, presumably, the final war to come in Year Five. Suffice it to say, these next couple issues are shaping up to be very interesting indeed.
Year Four has never been the most focused or consistent volume of Injustice as it hops between story beats, and this issue is no exception. Even so, both halves of the conflict are engaging on their own merits, with Harley’s antics providing lighthearted amusement and the battle against Zeus offering as much danger and drama as any battle before it. Best of all, this series is setting the stage for something even bigger and better in Year Five.
