Injustice: Year Two Annual #1 Review

Written by: Tom Taylor and Marguerite Bennett
Art by: David Yardin, Daniel HDR, Vicente Cifuentes, Mike S. Miller and Jheremy Raapack
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: October 1, 2014

Deleted Scenes

It's no surprise to anyone following our little site that Injustice is one of my favorite books.  Tom Taylor does such a great job with every character he throws at the reader (and there are quite a few) and I think that Bruno Redondo is DC's best kept secret on art.  I never thought I'd complain about getting more Injustice, but this Annual is the first.  I have my reasons.  First off, DC has screwed up again and released it on the day Year Three started instead of the empty week between Year Two and Three.  Second, Tom Taylor only provided the plot and there is no Bruno Redondo in sight. The last reason is these two stories are forced and way too predictable.  In other words, I hated it.



This Annual seems like an extended cut of Injustice:Year Two.  The two stories in this issue feel like scenes lifted from the cutting room floor and unfortunately they should have been left there.  The first story shows the bond between Jim and Barbara Gordon as they face his inevitable death.  It involves some of the best characters in the book (Harley Quinn, Black Canary and Barbara herself), but still falls flat.  I blame Bennett's awful dialogue and the appearance of one of my least favorite villains, who may be forced into this story, but doesn't fit the overall series well.  The story itself is pretty awful (in more ways than one) and ends in such a cheesy way that it was laughable.

The second story was a feel good tale of how Hal Jordan bonded with Sinestro.  I say "feel food", but it actually made me a bit sick to my stomach.  Bennett again ruins the whole thing with awful dialogue between the two old friends and a story that was even more laughable than the first.  Seriously, the ending was just embarrassing.

This book really has no reason to exist.  the stories in it do nothing to further the plot of the series and as one-shots, they suck.  It's a shame that a book that is so good because of great characterization, dialogue and art had none of these qualities.  Hey DC, if this is the best you can give us, keep the Year Three Annual to yourself.

As far as the art goes, Daniel HDR does a good job on his part of the first story and Jheremy Raapack was okay in the second.  The rest just mail it in and the transitions between artists were noticeable and jarring.

Bits and Pieces:

I actually wish I'd just skipped this issue because it is no ways up to the quality of the regular series.  Marguerite Bennett's dialogue and characterizations are awful and the art is split between too many artists to be anything but inconsistent.  Just skip this and get on to Year Three which is light years better than this Annual could dream to be.

2.0/10