Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Zero: The Complete Collection (Injustice: Year Zero

Injustice: Gods Among Us - The Complete Collection #0

by Tom Taylor, Rogê Antônio (Illustrator), Cian Tormey (Artist)

The beloved series INJUSTICE is back--with a prequel! INJUSTICE: YEAR ZERO!

Before Superman, Batman, or the Justice League were household heroes, there was the JSA! But when a secret begins to unravel within the JSA, will it lead to the unraveling of the heroes we know today? Is there a traitor within the ranks of our heroes? Or is someone hiding something that could ruin every DCU superhero forever? No one is safe in INJUSTICE: YEAR ZERO!

Collects Injustice: Year Zero #1-14.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Batman, Fantasy

153 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 12, 2022

About the author

Once a professional juggler and fire eater, Tom Taylor is a #1 New York Times Bestselling, multi-award-winning comic book writer, playwright and screenwriter.

Well known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel, Taylor is the co-creator of NEVERLANDERS from Penguin Random House, SEVEN SECRETS from Boom Studios and the Aurealis-Award-winning graphic novel series THE DEEP. Taylor is also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Deep animated series, four seasons of which is broadcast in over 140 countries.

He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED (Shadow Awards Winner), NIGHTWING (nominated for 5 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL (GLAAD Award Nominee), INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, SUICIDE SQUAD, EARTH 2 and BATMAN/SUPERMAN as well as Marvel's FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, X-MEN: RED, DARK AGES and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. Taylor is also the writer of many Star Wars series, which include STAR WARS: INVASION and STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES (Stan Lee Excelsior Award winner). Taylor has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics.

He can be followed on twitter @TomTaylorMade.

Reviews

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joker being Joker!

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw a Year Zero comic pop up for the fantastic Injustice: Gods Among Us series, I thought, "Boy, DC is really milking this." However, Tom Taylor does it again. The Joker finds an amulet that allows him to take over someone's mind and he uses it to ill effect, targeting the Justice Society. Taylor does a terrific job of weaving this into the later story, showing why Superman and Wonder Woman don't trust Batman when it comes to taking in Joker. There's also some great stuff here with Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy and the cycles of abuse Harley she goes through with the Joker.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a little cheesy at times, it's a really fun read with plenty of action and character moments. Whilst I'm firmly in the camp of 'The Joker is overused', it works here, especially when it comes to aiding in Harley Quinn's development.The level of chaos created makes for a high stakes, fast paced, conflict-centric story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

[Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was actually incredible, I loved that! And the good thing is, even if you're not into The Injustice Universe, you could still read this and enjoy it for what it is. Sure there are a bunch of wink-wink Easter eggs that hint to what's to come for the heroes and villains, but at its core it's just a nice contemporary JSA/JLA crossover, honouring the past and setting up the future. I really enjoyed the art too; It has a very Jorge Jimenez style and I'm curious to see what else Rogê Antônio has done since.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally got around to this one and it reminded me immediately why I loved the Injustice series so much, and particularly Taylor's time on it.


'Mistah J' is especially devious, chaotic and cruel in this series...but even he has some standards!

[Trike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this pop up on Hoopla and thought, “How can even the great Tom Taylor pull off a prequel to the astonishing Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year One?” Brilliantly. This is so good it’s almost impossible.

Taylor hooks into all the things that happen in IGAU and explains away any small questions anyone might have, but honestly they weren’t even things I’d considered. Such as, “Where is the rest of the Justice Society in all this?” I just assumed most of them had passed away, since they were all born between 1870 and 1920. Turns out most of them are still around due to time travel and other shenanigans. Which sets up the central conflict of this book: a mind-controlling amulet is used by the Joker to kill people. Which also handily explains why Wonder Woman and Superman fall out so hard with Batman in IGAU: Year One — we see exactly how bad Joker can be, and why he should be executed.

Not only does Taylor deftly link to the existing series, he also tells a cracking good self-contained story. It also has plenty of humor in it, and some of the humorous scenes do double duty: they’re funny in and of themselves, but there’s also darkness behind them because you know what is going to happen to all these people.

The art by Rôge Antônio and Cian Tormey with colorist Rain Beredo is also flat-out terrific. Pure, clear storytelling with plenty of style when the story ramps up. This should be the template for every artist to follow.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty much a prequel to Injustice and it starts off with the amulet of Apophis being tracked down by the hawks and then its re-emergence and the JSA fighting it and burying it in the ocean and then its eventual coming up again thanks to an old man named Andre who tells this to the Joker and the Joker wants this power and he enlists the help of Black Manta for this and then its him slowly going on the warpath to hunt down the heroes of JL aka JSA and one by one we see them all fall and then the final confrontation when he becomes transformed to the agent of chaos and its him vs JL/JSA but he also made some JSA members disappear and its a fight and one of the best Superman moments ever but he has some even more sinister plans which lead right into Year one perfectly! This was a great story and just shows the dangerous-ness of the Joker and the JSA being slaughtered was wow.. something and like good moments but also great moments for some characters in particular Alan, Harley and Ivy and Clark and Lois! The art was decent but overall a cute=bloody little story before the main Injustice series!

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and well done but probably unnecessary back story to the back story.

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1 - 4.5/5
#2 - 4/5
#3 - 3/5
#4 - 3/5
#5 - 4/5
#6 - 4/5
#7 - 3/5
#8 - 2/5
#9 - 4/5
#10 - 3/5
#11 - 3.5/5
#12 - 4/5
#13 - 3/5
#14 - 2/5

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

O quadrinho de Injustiça, na sua primeira versão, foi uma ótima surpresa quando era escrito por Tom Taylor. Depois, quando passou a ser conduzido por Brian Buccelatto, o nível caiu absurdamente. Assim, Tom retornou para o Volume 2 de Injustiça, que não acompanhei. Resolvi pegar este Ano Zero porque além de envolver a Sociedade da Justiça na trama, também mostrava o estopim da trama que levou o Coringa assissinar Lois Lane e tornar Superman em um tirano. A história de Ano Zero e, para variar, como é típico de Tom Taylor, os personagens são exstremamente bem caracterizados e bem desenvovidos. Os desenhhos do gaúcho Rogê Antonio e de Cian Tormey parecem estar em sua melhor fase, conferindo à história em quadrinhos um visual incrível. O enredo, apesar de um tanto clichê, é bem desenvolvido e respeita mais a mitologia dos personagens da DC do que alguams histórias desses heróis que se passa em sua realidade tradicional e cânone, seja ela qual seja agora. Um quadrinho descompromissado e divertido que vale a sua leitura.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this journey back into the Injustice universe. I wasn’t sure how a backstory to the main plot would play, but Taylor knocks this one out of the park. Injustice comics are just really good!

[Lucas Savio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Taylor manda bem na construção de um superman incorruptível, só estou um pouco cansado da utilização do coringa e da harley no relacionamento abusivo mas entendo que por passar antes de tudo ainda tem essa representação e por conta do final dela não curti muito mas entendo por conta do ano um. A arte está muito boa e o roteiro bem encaixado e empolgante além de ser um quadrinho bem representativo por utilizarem o lanterna Alan scott oque é bem legal também!! Vale a leitura se é fã de injustiça

[Chris Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great lead-in to the injustice storyline (which is one of my favorites) and helps explain some important plot points down the road. It is also an excellent study in empathy, connection, and chosen family. One thing I love about Tom Taylor’s writing is how the humanity of these superheroes comes through in very relatable and often humorous ways.

He also finds ways to weave in meaningful moments of representation. When Superman provided comfort to Green Lantern Alan Scott’s partner Jimmy, I teared up. The inclusive exchange between them was beautiful.

[Pochodnia fandomu · Rating 4 out of 5]

to Tom Taylor, więc wszystko, co od niego się wymaga, to jest, ale musiałam odjąć jedną gwiazdkę, bo pozostaje ten gorzki posmak tego, co przyjdzie. Wiadomo, że injustice Superman jest kompletnym ooc, ale przez to ten uwu Superman w tym roku zerowym bije aż za bardzo po oczach.

[Bingus Boingus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. It also gets bonus points for btas suit harley

[Jose Marquez Castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🌟

[Cory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t aware this book existed but finding out was a welcome surprise. I really love the original Injustice run, it is one of my all time favorite series. I was kinda concerned that they were doing too much with the Injustice license and it would be watered down. But seeing Tom Taylor come back to write gave me hope, and that hope I had was affirmed once I started reading. This book was really well written and feels like a really well done prequel to the original series. I feel the dialogue and plot lines in this, really align with the original and don’t feel conceived to make a new story, they really feel genuine and true to the original series. I personally really enjoyed the addition of the JSA as I am a big fan of the team and it was good seeing them get a spotlight in this book, along with the team dynamic they had between the new heroes. The art was done by a different team in this, than the original series but it still felt close enough to remind me of the original series. This book was very well done and a great addition to the injustice universe and I would highly recommend it.

8.8/10

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Zero: The Complete Collection

The Joker located an ancient amulet with the power to allow the wearer to enter a person's mind and decides to use it to wreak vengeance on Batman by attacking his friends in the Justice Society of America and the Justice League. Much to his frustration, the power will not work on Superman because he is incorruptible, but Joker learns of Superman's vulnerability in his love for Lois Lane.

Taylor's prelude to the 'Injustice: Gods Among Us' storyline starts well by providing the reason for the Joker's actions which led to Superman's dreadful change. The artwork is good and the use of shadow is well thought out. The plot has moments of intense action and scenes of tender intimacy, with readers aware that an era is ending in the most terrible of ways.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Tom Taylor winner! This is how you balance a huge cast whilst keeping this fast-paced and fun. It’s funny, it’s dark, it’s heartfelt, it’s gory. It’s Injustice!

Get on it.

PS, the art is also great. I really love the style.

[Parker J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean...I'm a sucker for the Injustice universe what can I say?

[Norbert Balogh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zúzós, színes-szagos amerikai cucc. Történeti előzmény az Injustice-hoz, és teljesen szórakoztató volt. Néhány szál elsőre feleslegesnek érződött, de a végén ezekre is gondoltak írás tekintetében.

[Huda Al-Mossalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite I think

Was hilarious

[Rishabh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, if you are reading this without any idea of the other Injustice books, then go ahead and continue reading it till you finish whole of Injustice Series, including the ones which follows this.
However, if you are reading this in order, then assuming you have literally read all of this epic comic series, the let me tell you, "Please do not expect the same hype/excitement/epicness/emotions/state-of-art from this one, like you did from the other books of this epic series.

Now, considering this as a sequel to everything, it sets up a good storyline of how Joker manages to understand the loophole of turning Superman into devil from a god. Also, this shows the typical anti-hero character of Harley Quinn and if you have read other Injustice books, then you might know how she becomes a good ally of Batman.

Some cool thing from the writer which you'll get - Action packed stuffs of JSA/JL fighting together; Joker's dialogues and his character development as the god of chaos; Superman's struggle to be human.

Some unnecessary things from the writer which you'll get - Inclusion of World War 2 and the killing of Hitler (not needed at all) storyline. I mean, this could have been set up in a much different way.

Some things missed by the writer that could make this more intriguing/epic, like the other sequels - Relation of Batman with his son; More of Superman and Batman regular conflicting ideologies, in their conversations which eventually gets sorted.

Now, overall art was pretty good and I liked it and thats it! Happy reading :)

-Rishabh. (instagram @rishabhxart)

[Terry Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some might argue that when the book is set in an alternate reality, and the stakes are so very low, the book's impacts are lessened.

Taylor proves absolutely otherwise.

This prequel volume, covering 14 issues before Injustice began is nothing short of awe-some.

Perhaps what elevates this beyond Marvel's Ultimate universe and countless other alternate reality tales is how close this book feels to the standard timeline.

It's just a tick or two off from the regular beat, and so you so quickly forgot that this isn't the main storyline.

And with that, Taylor revels in the opportunities to write something truly incredible.

His work with The Joker here is, possibly, some of the best I have ever read of the character. Period.

And his characterizations of Batman and Superman are so finely etched and well mapped out that I was racing to read the next issue.

Sterling stuff that you should read too.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love the injustice universe and this was a really good prequel.

[Andrew Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Legacies have the potential to become a bad joke passing on from one homicidal jokester to the next. Or to set up an environment of inspiration for heroes from generation to generation. This tale immediately starts out with great words against tyranny and how it begins with words of promise that the people want to hear, denouncing the censoring of criticism instead of embracing it. The irony is how so many in the comic industry, among other mediums, tend to gravitate towards this exact landscape of an echo chamber and promote virtue-signaling ideas that would censor dissent and criticism of their ideas of being empowered. As the story plays out, it becomes a cliché of Batman and Superman's legacy and history being an object of critique while the toxicity of Harley and Joker, along with Ivy forcing herself on others, becomes one of empowering the mentally/emotionally unkept. DC villains are honestly written now as toxic psychopathic men and healthy fighting women with an honorable cause to chase after. The older era of bad men and women versus good men and women is muddied to accommodate modern ideas of identity, ideas that seem to shallowly address something that deserves deeper dives. The legacy of classic comics seems to inspire heroism more while the legacy of modern comics seems to exhibit self-pain, cliché, and mental instability. Here, the horror of Hitler's conquest (akin to Poison Ivy's call to change the environment to her liking and Joker's desire to be powerful) is rewritten to accommodate the effects of the Amulet of the Lords of Chaos. As if the war wasn't humanity battling itself, good and bad, with people who really experienced the trauma and torture, but instead being orchestrated by an ancient Egyptian amulet that possesses whom it will. Hitler, in this version, didn't kill himself because his mentally unstable power trip had come crashing down and he knew he would be punished greatly, he killed himself because a Nazi spirited possession of Adolf's mind. The art of Rogê Antônio and Cian Tormey is good, the star of the show here. Tom Taylor's story has some interesting points and some lackluster moments, and he can clearly enthrall the reader. I'm not familiar with Wild Cat, but the older era feel of Gotham and noir and pulp detective stories were the better part of this with him and Batman, in contrast to the more modern fads incorporated, and to sum up ever-changing legacy where what once was becomes redefined for the newer crowd, with Wikipedia's own edits: "Modern depictions of Wildcat show him to be a rowdy, tough guy with a streak of male chauvinism, leading to frequent clashes with the relatively progressive Power Girl, as well as exploring some of the character's insecurities."

[Brunò · Rating 4 out of 5]

English/Spanish review:

Hey I thought DC had enough from milking Injustice tits and then I saw this prequel and said oh shit stop it. But oh surprise this was really good.

Joker got his hands on an amulet that permits you to control people,and ends up targeting the JSA. This is a perfect set-up for the rest of the series. There's a lot of hints about the future. WW and Superman not trusting Batman with Joker is the best for me. And this Joker is pretty different from what I am used to. He's not that crazy here and more of as manipulative bastard. Cool take,especially with what's coming to Harley.



Felt really sad about the JSA.

Español:

Che,pensé que DC estaba harto de ordeñar las tetas de Injustice ydespués vi esta precuela y dije no mierda basta. Pero,oh sorpresa,esto está re cheto.

Joker consiguió un amuleto que le permite controlar a las personas y termina apuntando a la JSA. Esta es una configuración perfecta para el resto de la serie. Hay muchas pistas sobre el futuro. WW y Superman no confiando en Batman con Joker es la mejor para mí. Y este Joker es bastante diferente a lo que estoy acostumbrado. Él no está tan loco y es más como un hdp manipulador. Buena toma del personaje,especialmente con lo que viene para Harley.



Me sentí muy mal por la JSA.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wydawało by się, że wraz z piątym tomem pomysł na całą serię już się wyczerpał, zresztą seria - choć warta uwagi, zaczęła się "pogarszać" wraz z kolejnymi odsłonami. Taylor postanowił więc uderzyć z innej strony, zapodając nam fragment tej epopei jeszcze przed tym, jak Joker wmanewrował Supermana w zabicie ukochanej osoby, co go potem poprowadziło w kierunku tyranii.

Tutaj cofamy się nieco wstecz, kiedy Jokerowi taki pomysł nie wskoczył jeszcze do główki, choć łotr jest tutaj wiodącym czarnym charakterem. Tylko, że ma nieco inny cel. Jest nim pewien artefakt, który wprowadza zamęt wojenny, pozwala przejmować jaźń innych ludzi i nadaje moce nosicielowi. W tle przewija się jeszcze motyw przemijającego pokolenia, w postaci Justice Society. I to ich obrano sobie na cel...

Mamy tu kilka przebitek, które pokazują działania dawnych herosów w przeszłości. Ktoś straci życie, bo w wersji DC Taylora nikt tak naprawdę nie ma immunitetu i dzieje się zazwyczaj sporo, choć tutaj nie ma takiego zaangażowania emocjonalnego, chyba że u starszych komikso-maniaków. Mnie to nie ruszyło, omawiany tom choć niezły, tak naprawdę jest nieco odgrzewanym kotleciorem.

Wszystko to ze względu na pewne ograniczenia, które wynikają z późniejszych wydarzeń, co nie pozwala się rozkręcić fabule na naprawdę zaskakujące tory, a operować w pewnych granicach. Lekka lektura i przy okazji jedyna pozycja, której potrzeby posiadania za bardzo nie odczuwam. Nie zmienia to faktu, iż spełnia swoją rolę i zachęca do sięgnięcia po resztę serii.

[Victor Orozco · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having read the previous volumes of Injustice Gods Among Us Years 1-5, I didn't think there would be anything more to the story, but then this collection had to be made, and I just had to take a look.

In the year before Superman's downfall at the hands of the Joker and the Joker's triumph of that downfall, a tribute ceremony is held for the heroes of yesteryear for the Justice Society of America. While this goes down the Joker manipulates a fellow inmate in Arkham into telling him the location of a great power that the Joker finds and uses. Unfortunately, he is not in control any more as this great power is that of a powerful Egyptian god that wants revenge against the Justice Society. With the League doing its part to save the Society, it all leads to an ending with most of the Society members killed, but something far worse looms, the Joker having felt the corruption in Superman. He knows his greatest weakness is his tether to humanity, Lois Lane.

What a waste! I expected something far cooler, but this was boring as heck. I was not too fond of the characterization of characters in both Justice League and Justice Society, I despised how they worked Harley Quinn. Nothing that supported the story as much as the other books did. Never again am I reading this.