REVIEW: Justice League Unlimited #9
As it would happen, there are loose ends to tie up from We Are Yesterday, and that’s what Justice League Unlimited #9 does. We last left with heroes and villains from all across time at the Watchtower after Grodd’s attack. How exactly long will they stay? How will they get home? And what does this mean for the DC Universe now? The answers are all here, and the end to one satisfying arc.
Dan Mora brings the Trinity of DC face to face with some familiar faces -Doomsday Time Trapper and The World Forger Alpheus. With the Monitor and Anti-Monitor missing, their presence seems to indicate that DC may be moving to another Crisis event of some sort. Grodd is there as well after his defeat. What makes this cover is the setting. It’s nowhere. Literally, it’s an illuminated spot amidst a black void. Only questions arise from this cover.
When I went to see Superman in IMAX last week, the theater was handing out the first issue of All-Star Superman with an exclusive cover. Frank Quitely’s variant brings it full circle with an illustration of the cinematic Superman that his illustrations and Grant Morrison’s writing inspired.
Tiago da Silva’s variant is a wicked reminder of why Martian Manhunter doesn’t dwell on The Joker when using his powers. Reading his mind or becoming him is taking the endless madness and chaos that is Joker onto himself, which is too much for anyone to bear. Not only are there faces that seem to be phasing in and out, but the textures of their respective clothes, too. The motion blur indicates frantic shaking as he loses control. His dark, gritty art style executes this scene in a way no other artist can.
Other variants are available this week from Felipe Massafera, Travis Moore, Derrick Chew, and Nimit Malavia.
Grodd’s attack has left space-time in shambles as heroes and villains from across DC’s recent history have converged on the Watchtower. Time is also making attempts to reset itself, with some characters blinking back to their normal time. This is also happening all over the world with heroes having to distance themselves from their counterparts to keep time from further fracturing, as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are away. However, Mr. Terrific defies that and works with a past version of himself to bring back Air Wave after his disappearance, which he partly blames himself for. But before his past self can reveal how to do it, he is sent back to his time. Leaving Mr. Terrific and Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) to find out for themselves.
Time Trapper and the World Forger arrive as more heroes phase in and out of the current time. In simple terms, Grodd made the space-time continuum sick with Omega energy, and now the universe is being quarantined. Time Trapper reveals that the answer or cure could be extracted from Grodd, but that would kill him. Naturally, the Justice League isn’t too thrilled about it and leaps to the villain’s defense, hoping to find another way. But as the time quakes continue and more heroes continually get swapped out, it’s hard to say what the next course of action would be.
In a comic book full of different faces, Mark Waid gives the focus to Mr. Terrific to wrap up his emotional arc in which he deals with losing and trying to find the young hero Air Wave, who was tricked into helping Grodd attack the League. The calculated genius finally shows emotion and frustration with himself when he is usually so sure of everything. Waid also includes the Batman-Superman fusion from the pages of World’s Finest as well as faces, including Time Trapper, from the current Superman comics. Bringing in the World Forger is a bold and welcome choice-he was unforgettable in the 5th Dimension story. Letters are by Dave Sharpe.
Dan Mora has done it again, loading single panels up with as many iterations of characters as he can and translating it all to a big confrontation. Tons of Supermen, Batmen, and more continue to make appearances from their more recent 30-year history. I can’t stress it enough, and I mention it again, we have new Batman-Superman fusion panels and illustrations. Even though the crossover is over, this still very much feels like a World’s Finest expansion. Other cool graphic effects include the time quakes-the last panel on page 15 has a cool collage of various Superman and Batman characters as time seems to echo. Colors are by Tamra Bonvillain.
(8/10) Justice League Unlimited #9 is the epilogue that I didn’t know I needed, with a satisfying Mr. Terrific arc and crossing over from the pages of World’s Finest over to the pages of Superman. It also plays as a prologue to a possible new Crisis event.
