REVIEW: Justice League Unlimited #1

Justice League Unlimited #1 is the start of the highly anticipated series by Mark Waid… well now the wait is over and I am very pleased to announce that it was absolutely worth waiting for.

But before we get into the issue itself, let’s take a look at the covers. The main cover is by Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain and it features a look at the brand new Justice League line up and also shows the return of the Watchtower! We all know that Mora has an incredible knack with each and every character he works on and this cover is no exception, with Superman front and centre.

The variant by Yasmine Putri is incredibly detailed and teases just who the big bad of this story arc might be… none other than Darkseid! The detail and shading on the Trinity look great and the layout of the cover is very unique and intriguing.

Jim Lee’s variant is nothing short of fantastic, as always, he really has brought his A-game to this cover. There is a real classic vibe to this as we see our heroes bravely look to the skies, almost triumphantly. I always love seeing Lee’s take on these characters, so seeing his take on this new lineup was a great way to bring in the first issue!

As this is a first issue, there are a TONNE of incredible covers, so be sure to lookout for the covers by; Daniel Sampere, Andy Kubert, Howard Porter, Ed Benes, Simone Bianchi, Dave Wilkins and Edwin Galmon:

Justice League Unlimited #1 kicks off in incredible fashion, whilst we are used to seeing a Justice League… I don’t think we have ever seen one operate in worldwide fashion like this, this is an army of Justice as opposed to the usual 6 or so members. What I love about this concept is that we are going to see some rather unknown superhero names take some limelight here and it is so welcomed. It is also great getting to see them interact with the usual Justice League members and with so many characters, writer Mark Waid handles that perfectly.

It’s all hands on deck as new members come into the mix in the midst of a mission, meaning there isn’t much time to catch them up and they are quite literally having to learn on the job. A large number of casualties have been detected in South Africa and upon their arrival, the Justice League start to guess the reasoning behind it and who is behind it after the encounter materials they have not come across before.

This mission really does show the best of the Justice League and shows exactly why each member deserves a place within the team. It’s also a great way of getting to know who these characters are and not only that but showcase just how much you can do when you work together. Despite the odds, they save EVERYONE, not just the majority and I absolutely loved that moment between an injured soldier and some newer members of the League. Though it seems the League should be a little harsher on their entry policies, as we get a glimpse of what they are about to be up against.

Meanwhile Batman and Blue Beetle investigate a call to Costa Rica, which almost starts a fairy tale style story featuring a creature snatching children in a forest. As it stands we don’t yet know how these two missions are connected, but you can absolutely colour me intrigued.

The artwork by Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain is just pure comic book goodness. It’s detailed, meticulous and incredible vibrant, which is exactly what I expected of a comic book of this calibre. This issue pretty much features every kind of atmosphere you can imagine, excellent action sequences and even emotion and every little aspect is executed perfectly.

(9/10) Justice League Unlimited #1 is an excellent first issue that will have you hooked from the first few pages. This is style of League we have never seen before.. a literal army and if there is a villain that is worthy enough to take all of them on, there’s going to be some great action in the issues to come!