Justice League Unlimited #5 – Mark Waid, Writer; Dan Mora, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Mark Waid has been telling one of the fastest-paced books in the DCU in this title, with a cast of dozens, and it all builds to this issue – which gives us a lot more information about Inferno. The League’s most important mission so far is to guard the G7 summit, which brings most of the world’s leaders to one place. Flash, Impulse, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Star Sapphire are the advance team, which allows Waid to write Impulse – who he co-created – again. As Bart’s attention span gets the better of him, the other heroes keep an eye on the VIPs – but it’s all for naught, as an unknown effect transports the heroes and their charges to an unknown demon dimension where they immediately come under attack by Lovecraftian horrors. And around the world, Inferno takes advantage of the chaos by attacking key nuclear plants and dams to plunge the world into chaos.
I was a little worried about how Impulse was being written, because it’s really well past time for the YJ generation to still be treated like kids. But Waid knows what he’s doing, and while the character is goofy, he’s also a lot smarter than anyone gives him credit for. That level of attention allows him to notice something no one else does, and get closer than anyone else to the mystery of who’s pulling the strings. But alas, if it was that easy, it wouldn’t be a comic book. Inferno has many tricks up its sleeve, and is always one step ahead of the heroes. And so Bart winds up without the knowledge he needs, and Inferno escapes to make its next move – revealing infiltrators and traitors everywhere within the League itself. This book is crossing over with Waid’s other title next month for a crossover, and the ending reveals that this isn’t just going to be a battle with villains – it’ll be a battle with time itself.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
