I am having an affair...

...on Marvel with DC.

 

Pair with: The Acacia Strain - Time and Death and God

Let's back up a bit. If you have ever met me, you more than likely know I enjoy comic books. More specifically, you probably know that I pride myself on reading almost exclusively Marvel comics. Save for the few odd comic book staples like Watchmen, or a three way crossover between Army of Darkness, Jason and Leatherface, it is a rare occasion that I venture away from the mind-bogglingly large and in-depth universe of Marvel. It was the first comic book company I ever got into, some of the first superheroes I ever connected with personally, and is just so absolutely fucking dense that I could spend my entire life just reading a single character and never get bored. Needless to say, I absolutely love Marvel.

Now, back to the 'other' guys. I have never been a fan of DC. Never really cared about the characters. They seem like their powers are either way too much (Superman, Wonder Woman), extremely bland (Aquaman, The Flash), or are almost exactly the same as a Marvel character (Green Arrow, The Flash, Darkseid). In no way am I saying DC ripped off Marvel (I know they rip each other off plenty) but I never wanted to bother reading about another universes entire history just to read a character I thought sounded interesting and was also similar to another character in a universe I am already familiar with.

However...

I have just started reading Injustice: Gods Among Us published by DC. I sat down to read one, maybe two issues and ended up breezing through the first 12. Now these comics are rather short. Maybe that's a DC thing, or maybe it's just for this particular story arc, but short comics aren't necessarily a bad thing. Each issue has tons of action and the story telling is incredibly fast-paced. This could prove to leave out more intimate details, but I will have to comment on that once I've finished. And I will finish it. Also, I have always viewed Marvel as more 'raw' and 'brutal'. They've held this image by breaking with the Comics Code Authority back in 2001 and having different sister companies like Marvel Knights and MAX which write materials intended for teens and adults, respectively. But holy shit, Injustice: Gods Among Us is intense!

Seriously, though. This series is very quickly turning me into a fan. And all of those characters I thought were too one-sided, 3-dimensionally kicked me in the fucking face.
 

Musical Pairing

With all the talk of gods and brutality, I think it's only fitting for this comic to be paired with the band The Acacia Strain. More specifically, their song "Time and Death and God" from their album Death is the Only Mortal. Brilliant album if you're into the chunky, breakdown heavy style they have. Just like this series, the songs starts off with a bang, completely crushing your ears until it trails off into the ambient guitar work. Use this time to visit your Fortress of Solitude and reflect on the repercussions of your actions. Once you've finished, venture back into the hard-hitting world, and don't be afraid to say a few things that might rub a few people the wrong way. End everything the way ol' Superman would: brute force.




Now for the good shit!

 

*SPOILERS*

You want to talk about fast-paced and brutal? I mean, the Joker gets chest-fucked by Superman's hand while a horrified Batman looks on. When does this happen? Oh, the second goddamn issue. I won't even go into detail about Aquaman summoning what was thought to be a myth, or the wannabe supe' that gets man-handled by Superman. Seriously, look at this picture and tell me you don't want to read this shit.

You probably thought "chest-fucked" up there meant "titty-fucked", didn't you?

Well, with that picture fresh in your mind, I really need to get back to reading this series. I will update once I'm done with my final thoughts about it and where I may possibly go from there.