REVIEW: Justice League Unlimited #19

Justice League Unlimited #19, “Amnesty: Part One,” examines the ramifications of the unification of heroes and villains as the Villains Amnesty story arc officially begins. The issue comes from the extraordinary creative team of master superhero writer Mark Waid, artist Dan Mora, colorist Tamra Bonvillain and letterer Ariana Maher.

In the last issue, we saw Lex Luthor leak the story of the century without Batman, Wonder Woman or the rest of the JLU leadership knowing about it. Their best-laid plans for easing the world into the amnesty idea were obliterated by Lex’s sneakiness. I still don’t know why they thought they could trust him. He has always proven that he is only interested in looking out for himself and his goals, usually at the cost of others. It’s a great storyline, and it’s just the beginning. Villains are being fleshed out in ways I had not considered, as well as the superheroes we know and love. Before we examine this very interesting issue, let’s look at these amazing covers.

The standard cover by Mora is big, chaotic, and cinematic. The Brainiac Queen dominates the image as she appears to be reassembling herself, surrounded by wires, cables, and mechanical parts. It gives the cover a creepy sci-fi edge, making her look broken, rebuilt and extremely dangerous all at once. With Lex Luthor looking intense in the background and Batman watching from the shadows, the cover sells the idea that this is not just another villain’s return. This feels like the rise of a serious threat, but it was a misleading cover.

The variant cover by Nathan Szerdy shifts the tone completely with a stylish and elegant image of Fire and Ice. The split between Fire’s green tones and Ice’s cool white and blue side makes the cover visually striking without needing a big action scene. It is calm, beautiful and character-focused, highlighting the contrast between the two heroes while still making them feel connected.

The variant by Mario “Fox” Foccillo brings pure anime-powered excitement with The Flash/Wally West and Green Lantern/Kyle Rayner. This cover feels like DC superheroes going full Dragon Ball-style Super Saiyan, with Wally surrounded by lightning and Kyle charging forward with glowing green energy. It is bright, explosive, and full of motion, giving the issue a fun, high-energy option for fans who love action-heavy covers.

There are also variant covers available by Bruno Redondo, Kevin Wada, Carlos D’Anda and John Giang.

Mora always delivers excellent, cinematic artwork. This issue moves like a movie, taking place mainly in three locations: the Watchtower, outer space and Fort Mayer, Utah. With Bonvillain’s colors and Maher’s letters, the creative team’s synergy flows from panel to panel and page to page. There are a lot of characters, but it’s easy to follow who is who, what they are saying and how they feel about this new villain amnesty program. Also, the notes throughout the issue help you catch up on anything you might have missed in past issues or other comics.

Waid is such a gifted writer and has a way of giving us just enough of one scene and setting before moving on to another without it feeling forced or unnecessary. Dialogue isn’t wasted, and everything connects from one setting to the next. Speaking of dialogue, Waid gives Batman such an awesome line about not being in the same room with Lex that had me chuckling so hard my wife had to ask me what I found so amusing.

An entire issue without one mention of Superman, and I didn’t even mind. He’ll eventually be back, but in the meantime, I’m excited and enjoying learning more about the villains in the amnesty program and how the world feels about it. I also enjoy seeing how badly Batman is being irked by Lex. If Batman could get rid of him, he would, but he knows the best way to keep his eyes on Lex is to have him in the program.

(10/10) Justice League Unlimited #19 is full of memorable and jaw-dropping moments, including that Batman line I mentioned earlier, a creepy scene with Starro, an inspiring scene with Dr. Neal Emerson, a.k.a. Doctor Polaris, and two “oh crap” moments: one because of Guy Gardner’s irresponsibility and a frightening one involving Air Wave. We also get more points of view from villains and heroes about the amnesty program.