Justice League Unlimited #6 – Mark Waid/Christopher Cantwell, Writers; Travis Moore, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Last issue set up the events of “We Are Yesterday”, as Inferno was revealed as the Legion of Doom – but not the one of the present day. This was then followed up in the first chapter, as it revealed Grodd as the mastermind of the whole affair, united with his past self and recruiting the villains from across time. But how exactly did he get so powerful that he could turn time himself to his advantage? Simple – he’s not using his own powers. They’re supplemented with the powers of Martian Manhunter, whose psychic abilities went missing with Absolute Power. As Grodd uses his new abilities to rip through the Gorilla City defenses and escape, he seeks out allies – but finds that they’re lacking. Some are reformed, like Luthor or Sinestro, while others like Joker have become too crazy to work with. So he starts pulling them from the past – along with getting an ally from within the League.
We knew Air Wave was a traitor to the League from the start, as the young time-displaced hero seemed particularly torn up about his role as a mole. But it wasn’t clear just how messed-up this was, because this kid isn’t a willing traitor – he’s been brainwashed and gaslit by Grodd for months now, as Grodd uses his abilities to convince the boy that the League is an enemy of humanity, and that they know he’s dying from chronal sickness and aren’t interested in helping him. This is one of the most evil things we’ve ever seen Grodd do, and it’s all the worse because it’s so personal and intimate. This issue doesn’t actually advance the plot much, as we’re still at the same point we were at the end of last issue, but it adds some truly essential context to the story that adds a lot of stakes to the overall story. This will continue into an oversized annual, where we’re headed for a truly epic battle of past vs. future.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
