Justice League Unlimited #1 is written by Mark Waid and published by DC. Artwork is by Dan Mora, colours by Tamra Bonvillain and letters by Ariana Maher. Main cover art (left) is also by Mora.
Justice League Unlimited #1 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy now from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
The Watchtower rises! The Justice League is back and bigger than ever! In the wake of Absolute Power and the DC All In Special, Darkseid’s death has triggered a massive power vacuum in the DCU, and Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman must unite like never before and expand the Justice League to encompass every hero championing the forces of good in the face of incredible evil! As our heroes work to uncover the mystery of the dark lord’s successor, Ray Palmer’s Atom Project triggers a race between hero and villain to control the fate of metahuman abilities on planet Earth, which threatens to destroy everything the League has built. Worlds will live, worlds will die, and a surprise is waiting in store on the last page…Do not miss the dawn of the new era of justice—it all begins here!
Review
It’s been a little over two years since DC published a Justice League title. But after disbanding and allowing the Titans to step up and protect Earth, the flagship team is returning today under the watchful eye of writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora. With an expanded lineup and a brand new Watchtower, DC’s All In initiative is betting big on the success of Justice League Unlimited.
It’s clear coming in to Justice League Unlimited #1 that everyone is aware there’s a lot riding on this series. In the wake of Absolute Power everything has changed in the DCU. Now more than ever Earth-Prime needs protecting but in doing so it has an ambitious mission statement to live up to. Good job the series has heavyweight talent like Waid and Mora behind it then…
Right from the opening splash the creative team is working to establish that this isn’t simply the classic lineup regrouping for a new story. As a group of League members arrive in South Africa in the middle of the disaster we’re presented with a mix of faces new and old. It immediately sets a precedent which aspires to live up to a truly inclusive and global team of heroes. The classic trope of opening during the mission before stepping back in time to see how the team arrived at that moment works well. It allows Waid to show off some of the spectacle but without the pressure of keeping it up for the entire first issue. There’s still plenty of room required to establish the first arc of the story which, again, pulls focus from the team’s classic lineup.
Our window in to the Watchtower and the world of the new Justice League is Air Wave. A little known character from Austin, Texas, whose stock is about to skyrocket following his part to play in the South Africa mission. It makes perfect sense to arrive at the Watchtower in this way. Waid quickly sweeps us up in the excitement and confusion as Air Wave first arrives on the station. We get to feel his excitement as he glimpses plenty of the A-list heroes for the first time and it nimbly communicates just how awe inspiring it is to suddenly be in the Justice League’s orbit. Having the Flash Speedforce you around the Watchtower also happens to be a perfect storytelling device for a super heavy, quick-fire round of exposition.
There’s a wonderful familiarity and relatability to Air Wave’s situation. I might not have super powers of my own but I can certainly relate to being thrust in to a situation where I feel out of my depth. Interviewing big comic book creators at SDCC anyone? Waid neatly taps in to all of those feelings within Air Wave and reflects our own experiences back at the reader for an instant connection.
News soon comes to the Watchtower about the incident in South Africa and a team is picked to face off against a potential new terrorist group known as Inferno. Our point of view shifts temporarily back to the group seen in the opening pages. Superman, Wonder Woman, Star Sapphire, Black Lightning, Kid Flash and Firestorm are the first wave sent to deal with the attack. It opens up the story to a level of action which feels appropriate for a Justice League book. Though the POV shift is momentarily confusing, Air Wave is soon asking to be placed in to the action. You see, what Waid wants to make clear is that Justice League Unlimited is underpinned by these characters need to do good. Where he could have focussed on Superman and Wonder Woman destroying the Inferno tech, Waid instead chooses to highlight Star Sapphire, Black Lightning and Air Wave saving a young soldier’s life.
It’s a similar approach to humanising the Justice League to what worked so well for Tom Taylor’s Titans. What will be interesting moving forwards is seeing if this approach pays off. The Titans are inherently smaller characters known for facing off with street level (and sometimes demonic) characters. So keeping them grounded, even as they took the place of the Justice League, was natural. Based on this first issue it’s a solid approach to making the Justice League a more relatable team so I hope it continues to work well.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the spectacle of Justice League Unlimited #1 and forget that this issue has to setup an ongoing arc for the next few months. Waid pulls a fun cliffhanger to round out issue #1 which plays on the entire fabric of the issue. Having witnessed this new League in action, the ending is a more than solid jumping off point to thrust the narrative forwards.
Waid’s frequent collaborator Dan Mora brings his usual incredible visuals to the book. There’s very little which can be said other than that Mora continues to be – alongside Jorge Jimenez – one of the greatest artists working in comics today. Colourist Tamra Bonvillain is the perfect partner for Mora and together Justice League Unlimited looks incredible.
Verdict
With Mark Waid at the wheel, Justice League Unlimited #1 is a sturdy relaunch for DC’s flagship title. A strong sense of character sits neatly alongside a suitably epic story. All heightened by the incredible artwork of Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
