Injustice: Year Two #17 Review

Written by: Tom Taylor
Art by: Mike S. Miller
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: July 29, 2014

Guy Gardner, Voice of Reason?!

Injustice: Year Two has all built up to this.  Superman has allied himself with some pretty nasty fellows, specifically Sinestro and his Corps.  Of course, Team Batman has some heavy hitters as well and it's all about to hit the fan. You would guess that the time for talk has long gone, but Guy has a different idea.

Tom Taylor has done such a great job setting up this issue.  Year Two has been more about character development than shocking death and because of that, the tension has been through the roof.  Last issue ended with Taylor pretty much telling the reader that next issue, shits going to get real.  Well, it's next issue and shit gets real.  

Guy Gardner and the GL Corps reach Earth and Guy and Superman have a little one-on-one.  Here's the kicker, Guy is calm, collected and makes a whole lot of sense.  Crazy? Insane?  In response, Superman acts like a dick.  I have to admit, the whole time this was going on I was waiting and hoping for a little "One Punch" action.  Where's Ted Kord when we need him.

Meanwhile, Batman's troops are preparing for War and are just waiting for the signal.  There is a great scene with Batman and Barbara that is a bit of a reverse Oracle and I loved how Barbara stands up for Harley.  This is a great example of the character moments I mentioned earlier.

Then the signal is fired.  I don't mean to underplay it, I just don't want to spoil it.  It is so awesome.  The War has begun and I'm not shedding a tear for the first casualties.  I did expect a little more of the promised carnage, but I'll take it.  

On a side note, if DC decides they want a Guy Gardner solo monthly (a reboot of Warrior, maybe?), they should throw a boatload of money Tom Taylor's way.  Guy steals every scene he's in.

I have to admit, I wasn't a fan of Mike S. Miller's art this week.  He does a good job with masked heroes, but when they take them off...not so good.  Sometimes you can get away with it, but when the main offenders are Batman and Superman, there's a problem. That being said, there were two full page spreads that were good enough to make posters out of and hang on my bedroom wall.  Yea, I still do that sort of thing.

Bits and Pieces:

Injustice: Year Two #17 might promise carnage, but it's the character moments I loved.  However, it's not a "quiet" issue.  Those yelling for blood will be satisfied and I'm sure the body count will rise quickly from here on out.  Tom Taylor has set this issue up for so long and it was worth the wait.  I can't wait for next week, I just hope the art is more consistent from here on out.

8.9/10