Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five Chapter #28 Review

If I Could Turn Back Time

Written by: Brian Buccellato
Art by: Tom Derenick, Rex Lokus and Wes Abbott
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: June 28, 2016

With all the Rebirth hype, the Digital First stuff seems to get pushed aside by most other sites, but as you know...we ain't like other sites.  Nope, we are much, much worse.  Yea, don't let anyone tell you different, we are awful human beings who take pleasure in other's misery and would laugh at the less fortunate if we weren't at the bottom looking up.  However, we do review just about everything DC Comics puts out each and every week, so we at least have that going for us.  In fact, that's why you are here, right?  You want to see what I think of the latest issue of Injustice and think I'm just going to tell you.  Sorry, from here on out, there's a toll in the hole!  Actually, there isn't.  I'm just trying to be tough.


The issue opens with king Shark and Girder trying to arrest the Central City Three for crimes against the Regime.  Buccellato doesn't actually call them that, but he should!  The problem for the two villains is that The Flash is in the house and he's not happy at all about what's going down.

Buccellato has turned the focus of the book onto Barry Allen and it's all the better for it.  Of all the members of the Regime, Barry would surely be voted "least likely to follow a murderous despot" and that's what this issue is really about.  After accidentally killing King Shark and finding out he is not looked at as a hero by the Insurgency, he grabs Iris and hightails it outta there.

One of the best parts of the last chapter was seeing the flashbacks of Iris and Barry right after the whole Superman killing Joker thing.  Barry promised Iris that if Superman ever crossed the line, he would do the right thing and stand up to him.  Buccellato is a pretty sneaky fellow and has made it seem like the recent events with Batman have been him doing just that, but with another Flashback (this time to Year One) we see that is not the case.  Barry has been living a lie and Iris calls him on it.

The issue ends with Superman accepting Barry back into the Regime and while that sounds ridiculous on Superman's part and very upsetting for Barry fans (like myself), you can tell that everything is not as it seems.  I'm positive that both sides have ulterior motives and Barry's just have to involve a plan with Iris.  Why else would Iris want to get arrested so bad and why would Barry do the actual arresting?!?!

We also get a little bit of Batman here, but it's just Barry telling him that he's not going to pull a Cher on this Universe.  That is kind of a spoiler, if you are a Cher fan and know what I'm talking about.

This was a good chapter of Injustice that feels like something that will turn even more important down the line.  Iris and the Central City Three (that is catchy) are up to something and if Barry is playing along, then I'm all for it.  Really, the one thing that has bothered me from the beginning of the series is why Barry would play along with Superman and now that that is changing, I am a happy camper.

Tom Derenick does a great job with what he is given here, but because of the nature of the issue, there is little "WOW" factor.  It's more of a dialogue heavy issue and the biggest compliment I can give Derenick is that nothing he did threw me out of what was going on.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue felt like one of those "it's going to pay of big later" type of issues.  A lot of what went on went on behind the scenes and possibly just in my head.  I love that Buccellato is focusing on The Flash and can't wait to see who is next in line for the spotlight treatment.  Overall, this was a good issue that longtime fans will get the most out of.

8.0/10