Justice League Unlimited #2 – Mark Waid, Writer; Dan Mora, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: So far, Mark Waid has not only kicked off the best Justice League title in many a year, but he’s revolutionized what the idea of a Justice League can be. This team is less a standard team than a collection of almost all the heroes in the DCU, and that’s allowed him to bring in heroes who you would never think to add to the team. There are so many great plots here, including the ongoing mystery of Inferno and the lost powers. The latter gets a new development when it turns out that the Atoms have been working on a device to recapture the powers and give them back to their rightful owners. This allows Atom Smasher to get his powers back from a Singaporean criminal – but not without serious pain. This story will dovetail back into the upcoming The Atom Project miniseries, which is a great way of giving these less-hyped titles a huge platform right out of the gate.
The main plot has Batman, Martian Manhunter, Mary Marvel, Wonder Woman, and Doctor Occult on the trail of missing children in Costa Rica – who now include Blue Beetle, who disappeared during the scouting mission. This leads to a fascinating conversation between J’onn and Occult, with the two finding common ground and long-past roots, as well as J’onn confessing a shocking secret about his powers. The reveal of the source of the attacks – lost Parademons stationed on Earth after the death of Darkseid – is very clever, and the villain’s motivation is a great example of how a character can have a sympathetic excuse while still not being in any way excused or less monstrous. But it’s pretty clear that the issues that are building with J’onn are just getting started, and this book might be the most direct continuation of Absolute Power in the line yet – no surprise, given the creative team.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
