By Ashley Gibbs

The world is in shambles after Superman’s Regime took over by force only to be defeated by Batman, now Bruce is trying to rebuild things, but there are other forces working against him. Injustice 2 #5 serves as an introduction to Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle but focuses more on his mentor and predecessor Ted Kord. It’s an interesting story and also a rather sad one, and while I’m not well-versed in either character, I felt this issue did a good job of presenting both of them to me, and I think fans of the characters will also enjoy the writing.

As an alternate reality, the world of Injustice is known for being more violent and taking certain liberties with characters. While I can’t compare this version of Ted Kord to anything since I’m not familiar with him, Jaime did seem to act like what I know of him though he isn’t the focus here. The events of the story seem to serve as a good stepping stone, introducing why he’s on the game’s roster this time around. Batman is trying to reshape the world, and he needs Ted Kord’s help, along with other people, but Ra’s Al Ghul has other plans finding the world to be a failure and in need of a reset. While Ra’s has never come off as particularly sane before, this version of him seems to be more of an eco-terrorist than usual. While I don’t mind this part of me doesn’t care because I know the game itself has more pressing threats as the main story, though I do know this all leads up to that. However, besides that my favorite part of this issue was just a nice story of friendship in a world full of death and loss.

The artwork is great, full of details, expressions, and color. There are some violent moments they are never over the top. This good work that helps tell the story well-showing reads the anger and shock characters deal with as well just the simple moments that can easily get lost. I appreciate that in a world where everyone knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman he still lurks in the shadows and has an ominous presence which is expressed very well visually throughout the issue as he surprised not only Kord but the President of the United States. However, my favorite part was the humor of Kord putting back on his costume since he’s clearly a bit past his prime.   In such a dark story getting a chuckle from a superhero, belly is very welcomed.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a Blue Beetle focused issue since I’m not a big fan of the character, mainly due to not knowing much about him. But Injustice 2 #5 gave us both generations of the hero in a well-written story that doesn’t seem shoehorned into the current plot. The actions that took place here will help keep the story moving, Batman now knows that Ra’s Al Ghul is a player he needs to contend with and Jaime Reyes has now been dragged into this fight as well. So far every issue in this series has left me wanting more and looking forward to the next issue which is a good feeling when reading a comic book.

Score: 5/5

Injustice 2 #5
Writer: Tom Taylor
Layouts: Bruno Redondo
Finisher: Vicente Cifuentes
Colors: Rex Lokus
Letters: Wes Abbott
Publisher: DC Comics