Justice League Unlimited #2 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 #2 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
As the Justice League grapples with the ramfications of the Atom Project, a strange alert brings the team to the jungles of South America…and a horrific discovery. Can the elite Justice League strike force save a village from total slaughter? Plus…the mystery of the Darkseid heir deepens, and dissension in the ranks forces Batman’s hand.
Review
Oh boy are things about to get complicated for our newly reformed Justice League. After a gripping first issue, Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s latest offering hits comic book stores today and finds the League backed in to a corner against a familiar foes whilst one of their own struggles with their new normal.
When last we saw the League they were converging on Costa Rica where some kind of alien shenanigans was causing children to disappear. Batman and Blue Beetle appeared to have stumbled across a nest whilst Superman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the team was kept busy elsewhere. That first issue balanced out reintroducing the Justice League post-Absolute Power whilst still setting up a number of plot threads for future storytelling. This month, Waid is focussing in on that main storyline, continuing to tell the story of the mission in Costa Rica alongside some rather shocking consequences for a core member of the team.
That’s not to say that Justice League Unlimited has suddenly lost balance. This is only the series’ second issue and so Waid is still laying the groundwork for stories to come. With Team Atom in Singapore working on fixing lost superpowers we find the series’ most interesting subplot continuing to percolate in the background. But the strength of Waid’s ensemble storytelling is what stands out most when looking at the book as a whole.
On the ground in Costa Rica things are moving pretty rapidly. Waid is wasting no time in revealing that the League is up against Parademos. A plot point which raises a lot of questions on its own. With Darkseid off the board thanks to the DC All In Special who could be pulling the strings of these mindless monsters? That in itself is a major part of this issue which takes the legacy of the Parademons in an exciting new direction allowing them to exist somewhat separate of Darkseid. Waid it’s messing around. As the group on the ground breaks in to teams there is plenty of action required in order to bring the mission to a satisfying conclusion. In many ways Justice League Unlimited ends up feeling like an episode of the classic Justice League cartoon with the story being told in two parts. The end of issue #2 isn’t exactly cut and dry, but it does complete the story of the Costa Rica mission.
It’s great to see J’onn taking the lions share of the story weight this issue. Waid hones in on J’onn, pairing him with Dr. Occult offers up some interesting storytelling opportunities. Part of the fun of this newly reformed League is seeing characters share the page for the first time in this continuity. Richard Occult challenges some of J’onn’s perceptions of himself and how he’s seen by wider members of the group. Finding common ground gives J’onn a chance to open up about where his powers currently lie following Absolute Power, it’s the first sign of trouble in a book which weaves its way to an exciting and unexpected conclusion. There’s a really satisfying ebb and flow between the larger plot points and Waid’s character work. It fits satisfyingly under the band of the Justice League title, allowing for natural conflict within the team concurrently with their high stakes mission.
Once again our MVP is Dan Mora. His artwork is electric at the best of times. But when he’s paired with a writer like Waid, someone with whom he has a strong working bond, then the results are dynamite. Every moment just oozes life from the page and is a joy to read.
Verdict
A strong and compelling follow up issue of DC’s brand new Justice League Unlimited series. Waid and Mora yet again prove how seamlessly writer and artist can work together when both are on the same page with a gripping story to tell.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
