I won't lie; I loved He-Man as a kid. I collected all the little comic books that came with action figures, I used to take Moss-Man and hold him up against a moss covered rock wall near our childhood home and thought "wow, he really is like moss," and remember being ecstatic when my brother and I got Snake Mountain for Christmas. My parents still have all of our toys, and my brother and I can't wait to share it with our daughters someday.
So when I saw the Seeley/Williams II/Colwell new mini-series Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe at the local comic books store last Wednesday, I was ecstatic. Purchase made!
Most who are reading this know the background of the DC Injustice mythos. If not, a quick summary is as such:
- Superman impregnates Lois Lane, and is ecstatic for his new family to begin
- The Joker gasses Superman at some point with a hallucinogen agent
- The hallucinogen causes Superman to believe his pregnant wife, Lois Lane, is actually Doomsday
- Superman mistakenly takes his wife and unborn child into the planet's orbit and kills them both
- Upon learning of the Joker's deception, Superman punches the Joker through the heart and kills him
- A new Superman is "born", wherein he decides to use his powers to eliminate all evil in the world
- Alliances are created, and the Insurgency against this new regime is (no surprise), the Batman
The premise of the current comic book continuation of the Injustice mythos is that Superman has defeated the Batman. With assistance of Brainiac's captured technology, Superman, Wonder Woman, and other supporters of the new world order have enslaved the brain of Bruce Wayne. This technology not only humiliates Superman's former ally, but forces the Bat's powerful brain to be used for strategies in preventing future crimes. The goal? To utilize this new "Black Oracle" to make the world, and the multiverse, a "safer" place.
Warning : Spoilers are Most Certainly Ahead
To set the story in place, we quickly realize that the DC Universe exists congruently to the civilization of Eternia, the kingdom of Grayskull, Prince Adam, and the home of He-Man. We quickly learn that the true He-Man has been replaced for three months by an impostor: Faker. Faker is mechanical robot who looks and acts exactly like He-Man. During this absence, Faker has brought justice to Eternia. Much like Superman on Earth, Faker is aggressive in preventing war and crime. Justice is swift and severe; future invasions of Eternia are prematurely avoided, and the populace enjoys this new, fake Prince Adam/He-Man. What's the point of being the most powerful man in the universe if those powers don't prevent crime and war at all times?
Prince Adam of course disagrees, and states that his power should not be used to treat dissidence with death and torture. This statement made to his people after the thrashing of Faker by He-Man's Battle Cat is observed by none other than Lady Zatanna, who is on a scouting mission from planet Earth. A few panels later, we see the "Batman" led Insurgency on Eternia courtesy of the doorway of the Green. This group includes Swamp Thing, Green Arrow, Harley Quinn, Cyborg, and Starfire. After a brief fight, the Parliament of the Green restore order and conclude that He-Man is indeed needed to fight Earth's Superman. The key to the defeat of Superman, the current Batman states, is the use of Eldritch energy, or the use of magic. He-Man's sword, the Energy Blade, is such an item.
Throughout the issue, we also learn that Skeletor was deposited for dead on Earth at some point in time, yet was rescued by Superman. We also see a new type of weapon employed by Wonder Woman that is used to kill those who present a possible resistance to the Superman regime (who looks a bit like Teela). This weapon is used to kill a young boy with the name Freddy Freeman; thanks to Skeletor's knowledge of Eldritch energy latent items, Wonder Woman collects his "Shazam" type sneakers.
If all this isn't enough for one issue, we then learn that the Darkseid crew also arrives on Eternia, with the infamous Black Racer killing the scout Zodac as he attempts to fly back to warn his home planet. Confused? Me too, but let’s review, because it is an interesting concept and setting up for some interesting narratives:
The Score Card Thus Far
- Superman and Wonder Woman have enslaved Bruce Wayne and his Bat’s intellect to attempt to prevent future crime on the planet Earth
- Superman’s one weakness, aside from Kryptonite, is Eldritch energy
- Skeletor, now employed by Superman, has the ability to “find, determine, and collect” objects rich with Eldritch energy
- A “new” Batman, who in this Universe is possibly Damian Wayne, is returning to Earth with He-Man, Teela, Green Arrow, possibly Moss Man, Harley Quinn, and Orko
- This new Batman is aware of the Superman's concern regarding magic
- Cyborg, Swamp Thing, and Starfire are positioned on Eternia to protect the benign Sorceress and the planet’s population
- Darkseid, the Black Racer, Steppenwolf, and company have currently arrived to Eternia and possible killed the scout Zodac
Personally, I can’t wait to see Swamp Thing take on Darkseid, but the real show down will be Batman and He-Man.
As mentioned before, this is an interesting concept. The Bat has been tamed, Superman appears ready to take his dictatorship to the next level, and Insurgence has been forced to recruit the realm of He-Man. I've read a lot of political commentary on this stating that Superman is the equivalent of current POTUS Donald Trump, but I'm not sure how a video game released in 2013 has anything to do with that. I'm personally more interested in seeing who the new Bat is, how Shazam figures in, and how/if Superman is finally dethroned. Good stuff, and I look forward to issue #2.