Injustice 2 Comic Explores Events In Between The Games

Injustice 2 is headed to a game console near you this May. Last year, it was announced that Tom Taylor--who wrote the majority of the original Injustice: Gods Among Us comic series-- would be writing a new comic series before the game's release. Taylor wrote the majority of the original Injustice: Gods Among Us comic series. The upcoming comic takes place in between the two games, and we took the opportunity to talk to Taylor to find out what we can expect.

The new series debuts on April 11 digitally, and the first print issue goes on sale May 3.

GameSpot: Where does your story pick up in relation to the first game and comic series?

Tom Taylor: Injustice 2 begins soon after the first game. Superman and his regime are in prison. The world is reeling. Batman is picking up the pieces. And a big threat is growing. The world will soon be in so much peril that Emperor Superman would look like a safe option.

Who can Batman turn to for help in fighting evil?

We don't want to spoil too much, but he still has some allies. Harley Quinn is there for one. And, if you've seen some of the recent announcements, then you'll know there are characters like Black Canary and Blue Beetle who will have large roles to play. There are also a lot of other heroes who haven't been seen in the comics or the game yet.

Can Superman really be kept locked up?

That's a very good question. Superman is not an easy force to contain, and there are still people out there on his side. You'll find out the answer very soon.

Can you tell us anything about the new Suicide Squad we'll see?

This is a larger Suicide Squad than we've seen before. And, after a familiar set-up, something happens early on that turns the very concept of the Suicide Squad on its head. This Suicide Squad is more formidable than anything we’ve seen before.

How closely do you work with NetherRealm and Ed Boon in mapping out your stories?

We're building one big crossover universe here. One continuity (with, admittedly, a couple of small changes for the game). I was sent the game script early on to work out how to play off it and build towards it, just like with Injustice: Gods Among Us. And so much of what we did in the first comic series has informed the second game.

The second comic series is a really big, ongoing story, so I had to come up with a long game plot with some big shocks and turns to explain where the characters are at when we see them in Injustice 2. Ed Boon and I met in San Diego last year, and I let him know some of my early ideas and twists, including something we'll see early on with the Suicide Squad. He grinned ear-to-ear when he heard it.

Editor Jim Chadwick and I also keep in constant contact with Shawn Kittelsen, one of the main writers of the game. Shawn, Dominic Cianciolo, and the other writers have done such a great job with Injustice 2. I can’t wait to play the story mode. Shawn is always excited by what we're planning, and any time I come up with something that’s too 'out there,' he generally says to go for it and (jokingly) says they’ll just have to find a way to incorporate it in Injustice 3.

The comics and the games are like different chapters of the same massive story. I don’t think any of us knew going in what a collaborative universe we’d end up building together.

What are you most excited about with this project?

I'm just excited to be back in this universe, and working with Jim Chadwick, Bruno Redondo, Mike S Miller, Rex Lokus, and everyone at NetherRealm Studios again. I had to leave to work on my TV series, The Deep, and that's still going, and doing well, but I never wanted to go. I love these characters and the freedom we have here in our very own DC Universe. We can tell the most shocking or ridiculous or funny or emotional stories without restraint. As a writer, there’s nothing more exciting than that.

Injustice 2 #1 goes on sale April 11 online and in stores on May 3. Injustice 2, the video game, is on sale May 16.