Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Collected Editions) #9

by Tim Seeley, Freddie E. Williams II (Illustrations)

He-man teams up with Batman to fight against...Superman in Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe.

Believing He-Man and the Masters of the Universe defeated, a robotic impostor has seized control of Eternia--but not for long! After freeing his kingdom from this strongman's rule, Prince Adam learns not everyone is pleased to see the pretender deposed--but Adam knows the value of freedom. So when heroes from another dimension ask his aid in deposing a superhero turned dictator, he agrees.

Teaming up with Batman against the Superman of the Injustice universe, He-man and his new allies face dangerous and familiar enemies in a battle where no world is safe! From author Tim Seeley and artist Freddie E Williams II comes Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe. Collects issues #1-6.

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

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 2020

About the author

Tim Seeley is a comic book artist and writer known for his work on books such as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, The Dark Elf Trilogy, Batman Eternal and Grayson. He is also the co-creator of the Image Comics titles Hack/Slash[1] and Revival, as well as the Dark Horse titles, ExSanguine and Sundowners. He lives in Chicago.

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually was not expecting much from this comic. Even the art work I saw at the front if it I did not think I would like it, but I loved it.

I grew up on He-man and loved the more mature series that came out recently. The crossovers have been great, and the Eternia War was awsome. This was the best of the cross overs so far.

Everything I was worried about was not an issue the art work that I was not crazy about fit the mini-series/TPB perfectly. Even though I followed the Masters of the Universe series, I have up on Injustice very early on, so I did not have any real hope for Injustice 2.

I liked the continuit of of the MOTU series. The previous crossovers were mentioned, and the secrets discovered then, were remembered now. I really liked the link between Clark Kent and Prince Adam. There are great fights and lot of brutal action. I really like Adam proving his worth and proving himself worthy of is power as opposed to Superman abusing his.

There are deaths in this series and legacies broken. If this fits into the Injustice continuity I am not sure where they go from here. The would still fit into MOTU and Eternia War coming later.

An awesome book. I loved everything about it. The artwork is great, great story and plots all characters were done perfectly. Every issue/chapter starts with the cover of the issue. At the end instead of a cover gallery it is actually a sketches and character art designs. This is a great book, and a must have for fans of either franchise. I am incredibly impressed.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprisingly pretty decent. The over the top He-Man designs fit well with the over-armored Injustice world. Bringing in Jack Kirby's Fourth World as well and those goofy character designs fit perfectly. I've always wondered if He-Man was inspired by Kirby's Fourth World characters. They're similar. Freddie Williams seems to be the go to guy for DC and their intercompany crossovers these days. He drew the 3 Batman / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossovers as well.

[Sud666 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope not going to do it. After a long time I finally find something putrid enough to DNF. This is tragically bad. Poor artwork, lame story, goofy plot. I survived two issues and it just was too terrible. maybe someone out there will like it. I am not that person.

[Deepu Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good fun read and I loved he man with other heros

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Freddie Williams’ art style REALLY suits the bulging anatomies of He-Man and company, and seeing the DC characters in a similar style is entertaining as well.

As for the story? Well, it’s a crossover featuring the Masters of the Universe toy line. How much can one expect? I thought the Prince Adam/He-Man dichotomy was well handled, but where was Battlecat???

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really a guilty pleasure, and it probably puts a wrap on DC's Injustice Universe (and frankly from a couple of online reviews I've seen the Injustice series ranges from average to above average-your mileage may vary).

I mean for me the concept that Superman would lose it, because of stress, etc., makes sense (see Mark Waid's Irredeemable for a pretty good take on the concept). That many, if not most, heroes would flock to his banner is also no surprise.

But , if Supergirl, Shazam, etc., the ones who could go toe-to-toe with the Big Red S are not available who can stand up to Superman?

The use of the tie-in with the old toy line isn't a bad idea, and Seeley is probably underrated by many for being an entertaining writer. Part, of what I liked here, int the limited number of issues was that he tried to to give some depth to the characters. That matters, because a writer should want the reader to invest in the conflict's outcome.

Prince Adam, aka He-Man, has doubts about his quest and he does go on a journey to resolve those questions. His companions, those who are warriors first, remind him that this is war, and that there will be casualties.

This isn't art, but I think you can read this and have some fun and nostalgia moments (depending on your age).

[Pritam TheBookAddict · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 star for wonderful artwork and almost 70 % of the story. After that story is become all jumbled and ending doesn't satisfy much.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://youtu.be/KPXtzXVjvYs

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book went in the exact direction that I thought it would before even opening the cover, and I’m not mad about it! This was a fun read diving back into the MOTU world and the world of Injustice. Freddie E. Williams II couldn’t have done a better job to fit this book with his art style. Beautiful art throughout this one blends these two worlds so well together.

[Jon Huff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a huge fan of the Injustice storyline. I’m over evil Superman as a concept. The MOTU stuff is good. I’m not a 100% into the art style, and think it actually looks better in black and white. It gets muddy with the colors. There’s a lot of fun here, though.

[Ming · Rating 2 out of 5]

This... was not the ending I thought the Injustice universe conflict was going to go with, for sure. I've not been reading the MOTU comics, even though I'm vaguely familiar with the characters. It felt messy and confusing, though there were some fun moments.

[Sebastian Song · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big fight, bigger fight, biggest fight.
Wait what happened? A mega crossover of action figures slugging it out in the name of Good vs Evil. What a rush... storyline, you ask? Why bother much?

[Will Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't familiar with the Masters of the Universe, so this volume didn't do it for me.

[Sean Goh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda meh crossover featuring characters with no subtlety in their names (the kid's toy background is showing). The injustice universe is a generally fun one though so that helps.

[Wolverinefactor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is terrible and I didn’t realize this was the ending of Injustice, I thought it was a random spinoff 🤷‍♀️

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

They let him come back for more? yikes.

somewhat better premise but then it crapped the bed at some important parts.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing makes me happier than to see a story brought to life that so closely resembles all those "figure wars" I used to have as a kid. (A "figure war" is where you have a friend or family member over and they bring their action figures. You mix them with yours, then take turns picking teams, then have a huge battle royale, usually over the whole living room or basement.... I could talk about my fun memories for hours.)
Taking two amazing fighting franchises and mixing them together like this will make any nostalgic reader happy. But... the story is excellent as well. Highlights:
- He-Man overthrows Faker (evil He-Man clone) to reclaim the kingdom, but people seem to be upset. Faker was able to get lots of things done, but the people only continue to see indecisive Prince Adam rule instead of their beloved He-Man, and now they know they are the same.
-Searching for new fighters to help in their battle against Superman, Zatanna and Swamp Thing have come to Eternia and they want He-Man on their side (Superman and the Regime have already added Skeletor and Evil-Lyn). Expressing his longing to the Sorceress to see the homeworld of his mother, He-Man decides to join the Insurgency, taking Teela and Orko with him. As a gesture of good faith, Cyborg and Swamp Thing stay behind to help protect Eternia.
- As He-Man explores Earth, he is discouraged to find that it is not the wondrous land his mother spoke of. In fact, he ends up saving a young girl from a suicide attempt. When Bane shows up to arrest the girl for her attempt, He-Man overpowers him and takes his Kryptech Armor, knowing he can use it to help infiltrate the Regime base.
- All is not well in Eternia, for Darkseid has invaded (of course he has...). He is searching for the Anti-Life Equation (always) and believes it may be inside Castle Grayskull.
- Damien (now leading the Insurgency as Batman) mounts a rescue mission to save Batman (Bruce Wayne). The mission is a success, but it causes a battle to begin between Superman and He-Man. He-Man has a strong advantage, being that his powers are magically based.
- Darkseid reaches Castle Grayskull and begins using the Soul Syphon (kind of looks like an Infinity Gauntlet with no stones) to open the castle gates. Once the gates are open, Skeletor, who has come back to Eternia with He-Man left on Earth, is able to use the power of Shazam to fight against Darkseid. Since he is using the power and wasn't given it freely by the wizard, Skeletor is unable to defeat him.
- The battle between Superman and He-Man is a stalemate. When He-Man mentions Darkseid is taking over his home realm, Superman proposes a truce between Insurgency and Regime to help save Eternia. The invasion is stopped when He-Man is able to trap Darkseid in the Eternian Orb of Power. However....
- Superman sees his opportunity and takes control of both the Soul Syphon AND the Power Sword. He wants to use the magic to go back in time and save Lois, but comes to the realization that things will still go bad, and so he goes on a rampage. Prince Adam (can't be He-Man without the Power Sword) steps up to fight Superman, and as he is about to lose and be killed by the Man of Steel, Adam is transported to meet the wizard and is given the full power of Shazam. Superman is defeated and the Regime is overthrown.
- Aftermath:
1) Superman goes with a Black Rider to find a universe where Lois still is, to try to atone for his sins
2) Batman and all the heroes rebuild Metropolis
3) The lady who was saved from a suicide attempt earlier becomes the new Shazam, but calls herself "Queen Marvel".
4) Atrocitus teams up with Hordak and they take over Apokolips with the newly formed "Hordak Corps" (this still makes me laugh and smile)
5) Skeletor has vanished, but will certainly return in the future.

As for now (probably until they decide to make Injustice 3) I will accept this as the true end to Injustice. Really had a blast with these two sets of characters together. Excellent read, and though wordy at times, was very fast.
High recommend.

[Jan-Ives Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Because the world is supposed to be fixed and perfect, but it’s colder and crueler than ever.”

Finally an answer to the question no one asked. Who would win in a fight between Superman and He-Man?

Batman (Damian Wayne) and the resistance travel to Eternia to recruit He-Man in the fight against Superman, who has taken over the planet Earth and things have gotten Minority Report bad, and people are prosecuted for thinking about committing a crime.

They return with He-Man and he soon leaves the base to wander about as he tries to get a feel for the world of his mother’s birth. He encounters Regina Taylor who tries to kill herself because the Thought Police seek to arrest her because she was contemplating suicide which is a crime. There are some other good moments in the story. One such scene shows Darkseid comparing himself to Superman. His comparison is that Superman desires control; when Earth is brought to heel he will seek out other worlds and universes to “save.”

There are similar characters who find themselves teaming up: Moss Man and Swamp Thing. Man-At-Arms and Cyborg. The Sorceress and Zatanna. Orko was even kinda cool.

The art threw me off. I had a hard time putting my finger on what was wrong. The storytelling and paneling were well done. I think the problem was the pencils and inks. Somewhere in the process, the characters looked heavy. Not fat, mind you. But the thick lines gave a weighty feel to the art.

Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe isn't bad, but it isn't good. It is, however, unnecessary.

To anyone wondering: I don’t think this Elseworlds crossover is canon.

by Tim Seeley, Freddie Williams III

[Raphael Maiffre · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Injustiça vs Mestres do Universo" começou as ser lançado em 2018 se estendendo até 2019 em um total de 6 edições. Aqui no Brasil a obra que é escrita por Tim Seleey (Nightwing: Rebirth) com ilustração de Freddie Williams II (Godzilla vs Mighty Morphin Power Ranger) e cores de Jeremy Colwell (Batman vs Tartarugas Ninja) e Andrew Dalhouse Godzilla vs Mighty Morphin Power Ranger), foi lançada em capa dura compilando todas as edições pela Panini.

Até pouco tempo eu não conhecia o vasto universo de "Injustiça", apenas via o jogo sendo falado aqui e ali. Depois fui assistir a animação que adapta os eventos do primeiro game e logo em seguida me aventurei nos quadrinhos e descobri uma história tão rica que faz parecer o longa metragem animado nada menos que um aperitivo amargo.

Enfim. Nesse "universo de possibilidades" de histórias me deparei com o crossover em questão que traz o campeão de Eternia para lutar contra a tirania de Superman e seus seguidores. Uma mistura que em um primeiro momento pouco me pareceu convincente, mas dando uma chance é mais que um fan-service, encaixa direitinho com a proposta de "Injustiça" e faz parecer que o Príncipe Adam e seus amigos já eram parte daquela história desde o príncipio.

Confesso que foi o traço do Freddie Williams que me fez conhecer a obra, estou em uma campanha de ler tudo que ele ilustrou. Ver He-Man lutando contra o Superman e Darkseid contra Esqueleto em grandes paineis é realmente de encher os olhos. A escrita de Seleey é envolvente com pequenos mistérios sendo plantados em cada edição que são solucionados de forma eficiente. Vocês não estão preparados para o desfecho!

[Jae Tanaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Injustice vs Masters del Universo tiene todo lo que le puedo pedir a un tebeo de superhéroes: hostias como panes, épica, tíos cachas (buenorros) y tías buenorras (y cachas). Y Masters del Universo y héroes DC, claro. Hasta la fecha, y exceptuando los minicomics de la linea MotU vintage, Freddy Williams III hace la mejor representación de los héroes y villanos de Eternia que he visto nunca, con esas anatomías masivas que recuerdan un poco a los mazacotes de McGuinnes. Williams respeta al 100% los diseños de los juguetes de los 80, y demuestra que con arte se puede hacer que el diseño más loco (Snout Sprout, por ejemplo) quede de puta madre. A nivel argumental se encuadra en una linea de acción alternativa de Injustice (que es una de las mejores cosas que le ha pasado al Multiverso). Obviamente no es Watchmen, ni pretende serlo, ni lo necesita. Es un tebeo de hostias, y punto. Mención especial a la traducción, que respeta los nombres españoles de las figura.

En definitiva, un puto MUST.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book finish for 2021! I enjoy the Injustice storyline and I love Masters of the Universe, so grabbing this one was a given. This book is all six issues of the comic put together, so I was able to get the full story for this series. I do feel like I need to go back and read some other Masters of the Universe stuff to get a more complete picture, but this works on its own too. Prince Adam ends up recruited to help fight Superman, who happens to have a previously suspected dead Skeletor working for him. We see a battle on Earth and one on Eternia happening at the same time. When Adam left to help on Earth, Cyborg and others stayed on Eternia to help protect in his absence. Darkseid showed up, so that was a good thing. There's an expected big battle to start wrapping the story up. Seeing Adam and Superman going at it was neat. Adam still has the humanity/hope that Superman lost. I thought that this was a good story. Not super deep, but better than I expected it to be, plus the art is good.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This wasn't explained for readers who don't follow the games, but supposedly one of the alternate endings for the Injustice 2 video game has evil Superman winning and conquering the world using technology from Braniac. This series picks up the story at that point.

It's a little strange to me to do an intercompany crossover about such a specific storyline point (that's not even part of comics) but once you get past that you have a decent crossover. We get a pretty good ending that wraps up a lot of loose ends. It's interesting to see all of the MOTU characters interacting with the DCU characters.

I really loved the Injustice comic line, but at times it was hard to follow because the storylines in the games tied into the comics and it feels like you miss a lot of the story. Which technically, you do. However, I've never played the games and still found the comics entertaining so knowledge of the games isn't entirely required.

Overall a good series, even if this this crossover did feel a little overdone.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a keen He-Man fan, so of course I had to pick this up.

I really liked the art style! I also appreciated the juxtaposition of Adam/He-Man and Clark Kent/Superman, and the exploration of how their apparently powerless alteregos are in fact essential for their hero aspects to work. I wasn't expecting such a clever way to tie the main protagonist and main antagonist.

This might have earned the volume 5 stars if not for two issues. First, the second half of the volume felt muddled, to the point that I reached the end and wondered if future volumes of either series would bother to acknowledge the events or just hand wave it by saying it all happened in universes parallel to the ones we are familiar with. Second, the level of gore was off-putting... He-Man is no stranger to struggle, war or death but I draw the line at ripping Two-Bad in half on the page.

Overall, interesting if imperfect crossover.

[Mainak Sankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just epic! One of the greatest story arcs DC has ever produced - the INJUSTICE saga finally comes to a closure (I think so) and it happened at the hands of He-Man!

Who would have thunk??

The art however leaves me a bit disappointed. I thought that the original art style of Injustice was superior to what we have here.

Story line wise it is a fitting finale (again, I think so), with all your favorite characters from Eternia and DC Universe (technically, Eternia is also a part of DC Universe) back for one grand and final showdown. It is not a full spoiler, but we do see 4 absolutely MAJOR characters die.

Story: 5/5
Art: 3.5/5

[Richard Pulfer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more. Tim Seeley is generally a dependable writer and the art is pretty awesome.

That said, there's a lot happening in this book between the conflict between the factions of Injustice, the Masters of the Universe and Darkseid. As someone who knows just enough about Injustice, I thought it was a little too much to keep track of.

That said, there's plenty of good character beats for both sets and the story did keep me interesting.

But as such, I'd only really recommend it for completionists of both universes - not because it's bad, but because it definitely helps having prior knowledge of Injustice and He-Man.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually these universe cross-over events are lame as heck, but this was a hot bag of nostalgia I couldn't resist. For an hour or two I got to play in my childhood toybox and it was a lot of fun, kind of expected The A-Team or Knightrider to pop in at any moment. Seeley juggles a lot of characters and back story without getting too convoluted and Williams II art was brawny and detailed enough to bring life into these bulging action figures. If these characters colliding appeals to you then this is an event comic that actually does what it says on the tin.

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

A continuation of the Injustice Series that followed the original. In this story, Superman had regained his regime after defeating Brainiac. The Resistance, lead by Batman travels to Eternia seeking He Man's help in defeating Superman and overthrowing his regime .

Both He Man and Batman must contend with also dealing with Skeltor and Darkseid who have similar agendas and don't want to share their power with anyone. It was also nice to see the interaction with the characters from both universes.

My only complaint is the artwork that could be better. I enjoyed the writing.

[Muhtasim Khan · Rating 1 out of 5]

WAIT... HEMAN??? I thought He-man and the universe masters took place in, "Our reality," where Superman was still the good guy and original Batman, wonder woman and the others formed the justice league. There was even a short comicbook series a few years ago where He-man's friends and the league met up with each other.After this bloody timeline the people of this universe(injustice universe) will stop believing in super heroes

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never have played the Injustice game, nor have I even finished reading the tie-in comics....but, absolutely enjoyed this crossover! If you liked the DC Universe vs Masters of the Universe crossover, chances are you'd like this also.

Just one question though...is this canon to DC's Masters of the Universe line? I'm just wondering since Masters of the Universe crossed over with the new 52 DC earth, but it wasn't mentioned.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love comic book crossovers, no matter how silly they may seem. I've never actually read any Masters of the universe comics before this-my only knowledge of them is from 35 years ago when I watched the cartoon as a kid. Injustice has been a very good and consistent series based on a video game, and the story here is okay. I just find that I don't care for the art a whole lot, nor the characters from MOTU. Still, it's somewhat fun, perhaps a bit dark for kids.