The Injustice DC Universe has been such a fascinating place to see grow. Outside of the two Injustice video games Tom Taylor has been able to expand on everything through the tie-in comic books set in that universe. Now with Injustice: Year Zero Taylor is revisiting what this version of the DC Universe looked like before the first Injustice video game happened. In the process Taylor has created a major storyline that involves the Justice Society of America and how Joker is an even bigger bad guy in this DCU than shown before. Let’s see what happens next with Injustice: Year Zero Chapter 11.
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Cian Tormey
Colorist: Rain Beredo
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: Barry Allen appears at the Garrick’s house and apologizes to Joan Garrick for now being fast enough to save Jay Garrick. Joan tells Barry that it was not his fault and talks about how highly Jay thought of Barry, as if he was his own son. Joan asks Barry that all she needs from him is to find whoever killed Jay. Barry promises to do so.
Flash runs right into the Batcave. Batman already knows why Flash is there and says that he is already on Joker’s trail. Batman reveals that with the help of Nightwing, Robin, and the Justice League he was able to get information on how Joker broke Andre Chavard out of prison to obtain the power to control both Jay Garrick and Alan Scott.
Batman then gathers Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash, Amazing-Man, Liberty Bell, Hourman, and Dr. Mid-Nite to go over all his findings about Joker and Andre Chavard. Batman says that Joker is using the item Andre Chavard used to fight the Justice Society during World War II.
Liberty Bell says that is impossible since the Justice Society destroyed the Amulet of Apophis. Dr. Mid-Night reveals they didn’t because not even Green Lantern Alan Scott and Spectre’s combine powers could break the Amulet of Apophis.
Batman asks the Justice Society what the Amulet of Apophis could do. Wonder Woman says with the Amulet of Apophis that the user can take over the mind of anyone they are near. Batman and Flash say that Joker is likely using the Amulet of Apophis to target the Justice Society in order to hurt the Justice League.
With that Superman tells everyone that they need protect the remaining members of the Justice Society. Batman agrees and they all agree to gather both the Justice Society and Justice League together in a safe place while figuring out how to deal with Joker.
Later, Green Arrow and Black Canary show up at Dinah Drake’s place to bring her to the Justice League’s Satellite. Dinah gives her daughter and Green Arrow a tough time about being escorted but agrees to go with them but first must get her cat.
When Dinah goes to get her cat Joker appears in the shadows already in control of Dinah. Joker teases how he knows the dark thoughts in Dinah’s head and wishes her goodbye.
After Dinah walks out with Green Arrow and Black Canary, Joker hangs out in the shadows and tells the actual mind of Dinah in the Amulet of Apophis that she won’t have time to suffer.
Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Dinah Drake teleport into the Justice League’s Satellite headquarters to join all the gathered members of both teams. As everyone welcomes the trio in Doctor Fate suddenly detects that someone else is inside Dinah’s mind. That warning comes to late as Dinah Drake unleashes a Canary Cry at the Justice League and Justice Society.
As Dinah Drake’s Canary Cry intensifies the windows of the Justice League’s Satellite are shown to shatter. End of chapter.
The Good: As we progress through each chapter of Injustice: Year Zero there has been a great sense of escalation with Joker’s plot to take down the Justice Society and Justice League. Injustice: Year Zero Chapter 11 continued that trend as we see how Jay Garrick’s death impacts both teams to take action immediately.
Opening with Barry Allen going to apologize to Joan Garrick for not being fast enough to save Jay was heartbreaking to read and watch. Tom Taylor does an excellent job making this scene powerful through all of the dialogue both characters speak. Specifically Joan’s words to Barry about how it was not his fault and Jay’s views of his Flash successor had such emotional impact. You could feel how all of Joan’s words were coming from a place of honesty. It made her request for Barry to find Jay’s killer and even more powerful moment.
This story is also an interesting look into why when everything goes down with Superman’s Regime. We already got some of the reason why in the first Injustice comic. But this Year Zero expansion of the story gives greater insight as to why Barry Allen would side with Superman when it comes to killing Joker and eventually joining Superman’s Regime. Taylor’s understand of the connection between Barry Allen and Jay Garrick really gave greater weight to that and how Joan’s words have a greater impact on Barry than we ever knew before.
From there Taylor does a particularly good job not wasting any time in getting both the Justice League and Justice Society working together to find Joker. The pace in which Taylor has Batman reveal everything about Joker’s plans and the Amulet of Apophis was done at a pace that is both fast and thought out. There is nothing that is drawn out for dramatic impact. We go from one reveal to the next, which helps make what we learn about how powerful the Amulet of Apophis is much more effective.
This meeting with the Justice League and Justice Society also worked to gave us a chance to learn more about the latter team in this Injustice DC Universe. Taylor has done a good job in developing this version of the Justice Society and their history as a team during World War II to explain a lot of things. The revelations about the Amulet of Apophis and how they weren’t able to destroy it added history to this new item we are seeing Joker use.
The sense of urgency in both teams words further elevated how big of a threat Joker is right now. Which made the quick appearance that Joker had with Dinah Drake even more unsettling. As soon as we learn that Joker already had control of Dinah Drake you knew something bad was going down. It created an anticipation for whenever Dinah Drake would flip that switch and turn on the Justice League and Justice Society. It being done so quickly made you realize how Joker has complete control of what is currently going on in this story.
Cian Tormey compliments all of Taylor’s dialogue throughout Injustice: Year Zero Chapter 11 very well. During the emotional opening scene between Joan Garrick and Barry Allen, Tomrey is able to bring you into how both characters are feeling as they deal with Jay Garrick’s death together. He also did a good job showing us what the Justice League did to find the information on Joker’s actions that made the investigation move quickly without us missing anything. The impact of Dinah Drake’s Canary Cry was also well done to show powerful she is and add great concern for who will survive this attack.
The Bad: Nothing.
Overall: Injustice: Year Zero Chapter 11 is another strong entry in this series that has expanded the history of the Injustice DC Universe. Tom Taylor and Cian Tormey wasted no time in showing the impact Jay Garrick’s death has on Barry Allen and the direction of this story. The ending with what Joker is able to accomplish created greater interest in how the Justice League and Justice Society will be able to defeat the Clown Prince of Crime.
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