I have become a sort of unwitting champion of this franchise, and I have to tell you, it’s come about in some very organic, yet unexpected ways.
INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us is, of course, the titular (love using that word) fighting game title that came out for the major consoles last spring. On the surface, it’s an enjoyable button-masher that makes for a great trash-talking party game. On closer inspection, though, it turns out to be a significantly clever and darker DC Universe than the one we’re all familiar with. Hell, let’s just call it — this is the racy, deadly, and no-holds-barred DCU that the New 52 advertises as, and fails at.
I’m going to try for broad strokes here, but be warned, there might be some spoilers. The game is actually a “spoiler” in itself to the comics, but trust me, knowing where you end up isn’t nearly as surprising as seeing how you got there.
The game has an unexpectedly clever story mode. In this version of the DC Universe, the Joker decides to try his luck in greener pastures and, well, f**k with the Man of Steel. This ends badly for everyone involved. With Metropolis and its famous citizens (save a couple) in ruins, Superman has been driven to the conclusion that he hasn’t done enough in trying to keep the world safe. When you join the story, you confront the results of this conclusion: a totalitarian world government with Superman at the helm and ministered by a handful of JLA loyalists, versus an insurrection lead by Batman and anyone he can find. For the sake of the game, this then includes members of the JLA from an “non-corrupt” universe that help this rebellion take down their once friends.
There are a few subtle-but-satisfying reveals over the course of the game about certain DC stars that are notably absent in this universe, as well as some unexpected alliances and so on. In my experience, the old “worlds collide” cliche is one of those forgivable ones for the sake of fighting games, tired as it may be, but Injustice makes good use of it, and keeps you from feeling too guilty about enjoying it.
So it was good fun for a playthrough or two. Sure, there was some extra skins and downloadable content and this and that, but I kinda tuned out for a bit. However, coming back to the game a few months later provided yet another surprise: the roster had picked up some great new characters, there were enough skins to have “themes,” and the side-challenge content was enough to almost be a game all its own!
So, if for no other reason, pick up the game for the character roster alone, especially now that the Ultimate Edition is available for under $50 with all the goodies included (link at the bottom).
But back to the story mode. As I said, there was some really interesting back info being glossed over in the game, and somebody at DC apparently noticed. INJUSTICE #1 followed the release of the game and began to fill in these gaps. Again, I gave it a look, thought it was okay, and forgot about it for a bit. By the time the very handsome hardcover had been released last November, it had evolved into something much more interesting than just some mere tie-in book. Not only was it better written and developed than the other Arkham-themed books, it was a damn sight better than most of the mainline DC titles!
Detailing the descent of Superman from mourning hero to despot is a brutal experience. Again, not to spoil, but characters you love die. Some in painfully stupid ways. Characters speak to each other in ways you never thought you’d see. And come to find out, the first 12 issues? That’s just year ONE.
It’s hard not to give some of this stuff away, but, in particular, there is an exchange between Flash and Superman discussing gun confiscation that left me speechless.
I can’t name a single other DC book in the last few years that managed to display such a heated real-world debate such as this one in a way that was sensible to the characters and non-condescending to the reader as this one was.
But it goes beyond just clever topical discussion. There’s elements played with in Injustice that seem to have been just lurking in the shadows of the DC Universe, but have never really played with. How far would Superman go to protect his family? What would it take to really take out Batman? How quick would the roles of hero and villain be reversed once the “s” finally started to hit the fan? Just like some of the best books I’ve read, this one manages to kick you in the nuts and still keep you coming back for more. And it does this with most of it’s major plot points outlined in a video game that came out almost a year ago. How’s THAT for storytelling?
So, the game is great fun, the book is a sleeper hit, and that’s all great. But this here is Fwoosh, and bread and butter in this place is all about the Action. Figures.
With the title of this op-ed already too long as it is, I could have finished it with “Finally?” There are some offerings for those of us looking to complete the “holy trinity” of geekdom: comic/game/toys. DCC collectibles has done some nice work in the 1/18 scale that aaaaalmost pulled me in. Unfortunately, they are true 1/18, and thus can’t work with your GI Joe/Marvel Universe stuff, and the quality can be hit or miss. Mattel did… well, Mattel did something with Injustice in 6-inch.
… screw that, I’m not going to pull punches on those clowns — they did barely functional, oddly proportioned and overall underwhelming 6-inch figures of some of the least impressive designs in the game. And they did so for a whopping four figures.
But this story isn’t quite over, as we heard about last year and saw just recently at Toy Fair, SH Figuarts is going to be taking on the title, and Insurgency Batman is already looking fantastic. There’s intentions of getting all the way into the roster, and as long as they’re close to 6-inch and the quality is decent, I’ll take every one of them. I suspect they won’t go with my, ahem, your DCUC collections, but they might work okay with your Marvel Legends, and I bet they’ll work great with some of the closer-to-1/12 lines like Star Wars and Funko’s Legacy.
So, if you’re new to this party, hop over to Amazon for a copy of the game and the first hardcover, as well as links to the DC Collectibles figures:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dvideogames&field-keywords=injustice+gods+among+us+ultimate+edition&rh=n%3A468642%2Ck%3Ainjustice+gods+among+us+ultimate+edition
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&field-keywords=injustice%20DC%20Collectibles
And watch this space for more info on the SH Figuarts line as details and pictures are finally creeping out.
