The Justice League Watchtower has been invaded by the Legion of Doom. The heroes who noticed the incursion have been banished, and as for the rest…
The good guys are no pushovers but they’ve been taken by surprise by a Legion of Doom from years ago, the Gorilla Grodd of today having recruited them with chronological energy leeched from young hero Air Wave before he was blasted into infinity.
Very soon there’s just one Leaguer left to face the wrath of Grodd.
Presently, the psychic simian explains his ultimate goal
And at various points in the past, stranded heroes hear a hint of hope.
Hmm, I wonder who that could be. And which member of the Legion of Doom could possibly be about to betray Grodd?
OK, so there are predictable moments in the latest chapter of Mark Waid’s crossover between Justice League Unlimited and World’s Finest but to me that only adds to the fun. I want a presumed dead hero to throw a spanner in the works of Grodd’s carefully curated caper. I’d be disappointed were one of the biggest egos in the DCU take to being a lackey.
Who doesn’t enjoy seeing Elongated Man refuse to be intimidated by Grodd; heck, as a former regular visitor to Central City he likely sees Grodd as just another Rogue. Ralph is in a bit of a pickle as we say goodbye to him this month but I expect he’ll be OK.
I’m glad Waid is leaning into his Unlimited set-up, letting lesser-known DC heroes get the spotlight. This time, as well as Elongated Man, we get some Ultra the Multi-Alien action; Ok, he’s not a JLU member… yet.
Translating Waid’s words to the page is Travis Moore, whose name is a guarantee of slick storytelling and fine figurework. His expressions are top-tier too…just look at pouty Pythoness, she’s going to be trouble for Grodd. I’m sure. Probably a disguised Enchantress or some other heroine. Maybe a visiting Legionnaire.
Whatever the case, she’s nicely coloured by Tamra Bonvillain, as is everyone and everything else in the comic. So far as specifics go, I’m quite tickled by the colourful crown Grodd is sporting, it’s like something a little girl would bring home from Claire’s Accessories. If I remember rightly, it boosts his mental powers while making him look lovely.
Ariana Maher letters, and as usual, does good work throughout – or ‘Grodd work’ in the case of the bad guy’s cheerfully lumpy font.
Dan Mora’s cover is part of one massive illustration spread across JLU and WF. It’s Ok but as a unit of entertainment, not the most satisfactory work by Mora.
With the crossover not yet over, the issue closes on a lovely splash page promising fun ‘time is broken’ shenanigans in next month’s JLU. If I could time travel through a Darkseid portal to read it now, I would.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
Let me start by saying Mark Waid’s name on anything to me equals quality and I’m so so so glad he’s finally back at DC and don’t want to take that for granted. He’s also just a nice guy/great spokesperson for the DCU and comics in general. Met him at a convention last year and he was so gracious.
BUT while I have found “Justice League Unlimited” entertaining, I’m not loving the concept of an unlimited Justice League. When this title was announced initial artwork showed a really fantastic/interesting core group – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Star Sapphire, Ray Palmer Atom, Black Lightning, Captain Atom. Had these first 7 issues focused on them, with other heroes/specialists popping in and out as needed, I’d be very happy. And it would give Waid a chance to show off some of the character work he excels at.
This doesn’t feel like a Justice League book and I don’t think the structure suits Waid’s immense talents. It should instead be titled “DC Universe Unlimited” because every issue is pretty much a new grouping of heroes/characters. We got a whole issue focused on Swamp Thing’s daughter, for example, who isn’t a regular member. And an underdeveloped subplot involving Martian Manhunter who was never even advertised as a key character. Meanwhile if you were hoping to read about Captain Atom and Ray Palmer here you need to instead buy their miniseries. Doctor Occult appeared to be a main player – LOVE Waid used him – but was soon sidelined. And it appears with the recently announced “Justice League Red” that anyone hoping for a Red Tornado character arc will have to purchase that title. And while I agree it’s nice to see Elongated Man in action, it’s likely this is another example of “give a random hero a few panels/bit of dialogue” and then shuffle them into the background. I loved Waid’s “Brave and the Bold” team-up series from about 20 years ago. That’s not what I want in a Justice League book.
On the other hand, I don’t need a League that reads like Chris Claremont’s “X-Men” either with all the drama/soap opera (which I enjoyed, by the way. No insult to Claremont or his fans intended.) But I want to spend some time each month with a consistent gathering of characters and watch them work together/bounce off each other. Morrison’s “JLA” was all about action and big ideas, sure, but there was at least some characterization in how the “Big 7” – and then add-ons like Oracle, Steel, Huntress, Orion and Barda – worked with each other issue after issue. This current grab bag approach – let’s see who shows up in THIS issue of “Justice League Unlimited” – means Waid has little opportunity to do some of the great multi-issue character work he’s displayed over his career like in “JLA: Year One.” In an early interview, for example, he spoke about enjoying pairing up newbie Star Sapphire with veteran Black Lightning. It sounded great – like there would be an ongoing sublot about Sapphire learning how to be a hero. But instead it was for a few panels in one issue.
I also am worried that “Justice League Unlimited” exists solely as a bridge connecting “Absolute Power” with whatever the major Darkseid/Absolute DC event is rather than its own thing that will have staying power. I’m gonna go back to Morrison’s “JLA” – sure he had to play in the shared universe of that time, but there is a timelessness to his run because he was allowed to tell relatively stand alone stories. This current version of the Justice League just feels so anchored to the “All In” era. Will we ever get stories/story arcs by Waid that are just entertaining, stand-alone tales of the Justice League thwarting villains/crises of Waid’s own design, independent of any other events/titles/miniseries?
The combo of Mark Waid, the Justice League, and the entire DCU sandbox on paper sounds amazing. But “Justice League Unlimited” at this point just isn’t quite working for me.
-Brian
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Thanks Brian, that was fascinating. I certainly see your points about the nature of this League. I think I’ve mentioned in previous posts that its unlimited nature makes it unwieldy, which equates to unsustainable. I’ve always assumed this is, not necessarily a team to bridge events, but a couple-of-years deal. That being the case, I’m enjoying the cameos, and really don’t mind seeing little of the big name members.
The thing is, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman Woman’s relationship has been the focus of so many stories that I’m glad to be away from it for awhile… it would be so refreshing to have a team in which the Big Three organising members, the folk with the photographs, were, say, J’onn J’onzz, Firestorm and Zatanna… classic Leaguers who don’t get as much respect from the rest of the supehero community as the Big Three.
Fingers crossed that the next incarnation of the League is written by Waid, and is a tad more classic in shape.
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I’m not necessarily calling for a “Trinity”-centered JLA. But I think the book is missing something when there is not a core group of members for Waid to focus on/bounce off each other/interact with guest stars. Like I said, I was really looking forward to the mix that appeared in the initial promotional images for this title and seeing how Ray Palmer, Star Sapphire and Captain Atom fit in. Heck, I’d be happy if Dr. Occult was a regular, too, given how well Waid has presented him. Waid is an excellent writer and I know its fun for readers – and probably him as well – to have all these different heroes flitting in and out of these pages. But something just feels “off” to me half-a-year into this new Justice League title. Even having Airwave as our perspective/outsider character was too short-lived. Maybe I’m just feeling like the book needed to get settled, find its groove with a few story arcs, THEN get involved in this “all hands on deck” fight against the Legion of Doom. Maybe an initial 2 or 3 issues with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Dr. Occult, Elongated Man, Blue Beatle tackling a menace, then an issue or 2 with Batman, Martian Manhunter, Dr. Occult, Star Sapphire, Black Lightning and Shazam tackling another, and so on with the mixing/matching, THEN have your big Legion of Doom faceoff. And that gets back to my other complaint that “Justice League Unlimited” seems to be a cog in the push to the next big event or events rather than something Waid has the luxury to take his time with. The bulk of this first half-year was the slow reveal of the Inferno group, which ended up being the Legion of Doom, and now we’re in the thick of THAT fight, which is all tied in to the death of Darkseid from the “All In Special.” And solicitations indicate more Darkseid-based fallout in the months to come. I’m just not all in on “All In” at the moment. If Waid/DC editorial wanted a “Justice League Unlimited” then my ideal is give Waid the keys and let him tell big, fun stories that are NOT tied to any line-wide crossovers/events. But maybe those days are long passed in the comics publishing industry…
-Brian
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Beautifully put, Brian. Your version might well be the better series. Again, I don’t see this version of the book lasting more than a couple of years, I just hope that when the All In promotion is over it doesn’t align with whatever the next big thing is. As you say, let it be its own book.
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Also … POSSIBLE SPOILERS maybe?……
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… anyone have any thoughts on what’s up with Captain Cold’s face mask? I don’t think he has ever worn one so not sure about that design choice. It’s been bothering me. Maybe I’m overthinking things here but perhaps Cold is not whom he appears to be and there is a surprise reveal coming up before this is all over?…… That is just a wild guess. But Waid is so good with continuity I feel like an odd costume choice like that is not an error but intentional.
-Brian
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Having moaned about that mask in an earlier review I’d certainly go for that storyline, Brian!
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