Justice League Unlimited #10 review

So now that We are Yesterday is literally yesterday’s news, we return to your regularly scheduled Justice League Unlimited programming

Uh, what’s that? We have another event coming up? And the League will be a part of it? Including this issue? So it never ends?

Well at least the content makes me feel like its “Unlimited”

If there seems like I have a lot to say about this issue, it’s because there’s a lot going on in this issue. We address the fallout from We are Yesterday, we are addressing the overall Darkseid plot, and we have multiple heroes involved to do it. A bit of praise early on, I like that there is an overall attempt to maintain a degree of continuity among all the titles. For example, Niles Caulder’s appearance in this issue is mentioned in last week’s issue of Titans. And we get an editor’s note stating that Superman is going to deal with the events in Superman #28 after his meeting with Batman and Wonder Woman. We even get a mention of Geo Force killing Ra’s al Ghul in Shadow War (Remember Shadow War? Someone at DC does). This juggling act of continuity cannot be easy to manage but it is much appreciated. Not only does it make it easy to track, but it helps with immersion…

…which brings me to my complaints with the plot. First let’s talk about the conversation between the Trinity about Air Wave and the Legion of Doom. Batman states that the Air Wave event proves that they rushed recreating the League and as a result should not only vet any new members but do extensive background checks on their current ones. Wonder Woman mostly agrees with Batman but feels that they shouldn’t be as extreme (and like a really centrist doesn’t offer any actual solutions). Superman defends Air Wave’s unique situation, and by extension the rest of the current membership, and says they need to be trusted.

Here’s the issue, Superman is wrong and there’s no defending his actions in this issue. Yes the Air Wave situation was a unique case but checking up on him might have caught Grodd’s influence earlier. He defends the League by saying how they came together to defeat Grodd, but they were all taken out by lasers shot at them by mostly dudes with regular reflexes and needed the help of time traveling versions of themselves to help them win. And they have constantly needed external help throughout this series, like calling in Tefé Holland to help them against Inferno. And, most damning of all, when Batman says that Clark’s too trusting, Superman says that he gave Jason Todd a Robin costume. Which isn’t even a low blow, but plain stupid if someone thinks about it for five seconds. As a matter of fact, having Batman go behind their backs and do the background checks via Red Tornado (btw he’s basically an AI who happens to generate wind now, isn’t he? No longer an Air Elemental trapped in an Android body? Ok, just checking) seems to be an attempt to make Batman look worse in this argument. Not to mention, we have seen so many variations of this fight between the Trinity before (Infinite Crisis and Justice League of America vol 2 #0 comes to mind), this one comes off as weak in comparison. Every comic is someone’s first, but those who choose to stick around will eventually pick up the older stuff, y’know?

As for the Darkseid related stuff, his Legion carves an Omega symbol into Time Doom Trapper Day’s chest, and he ends up on the Watchtower. This leads to the League trying to save him with the help of Niles Caulder before his time powers decay their HQ into dust…with them on it. Meanwhile, a team of Leaguers go to Markovia to investigate an Apokoliptan firepit and encounter a giant hand (Colossal Boy? Didn’t see a Legion ring on the fingers). And finally, Mr. Terrific talks to that Parademon from #2, who explodes into little baby Parademons who swarm Michael.

Now, Mark Waid is a gifted dialogue writer (ignoring the Superman stuff above) and he does his bit to make each Leaguer sound unique in what little panel time they get. Some like Natasha Irons debating whether they should save Doomsday are very in-character. Some like the new character Cadejos (who is really popular online and I must say I’m a fan as well) get dialogue that gives them some characterization. And some like Power Girl are just quippy sigh but it’s not distracting. 

Look he’s based off a Central American myth, is a giant werewolf with chains and is on fire…how do you not love that?

However, this issue has way too many things going on for me to discern if something is the main plot, a sub-plot, or a one-off. Cutting down on some of them maybe would have helped, especially since the number of people in the story is so vast, the cast keeps changing each issue.

Finally, Dan Mora’s art is, as always, amazing. As are Tamra Bonvillain’s colors. And let’s just say they are doing a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to the final score of this issue.

Recommended If

• You are collecting every issue of the ongoing Dark Legion saga
• You wanted to read about the Trinity having a moral debate. Again
• You wanted to see more Cadejos. I know I do.

Overall

Justice League Unlimited #10 is caught between the middle of the We are Yesterday and Darkseid Legion plots. As someone who remembers the last time that a Justice League title ended up becoming an advertisement for other things happening in the DC Universe, let’s hope we don’t end up walking down that path again. The dialogue, minus Superman’s, attention to continuity, and artwork do enough to ensure that this issue isn’t a slog to get through. But the plot is ready to burst like Mega Victreebel and is seemingly barely held together by the loosest of vines.

Score: 7.5/10

Disclaimer: DC comics provided advance copies of this comic for review purposes.