So, after a rather enjoyable detour focusing mainly on the Martian Manhunter, I’ve come around to this premise of every superhero being on the League. There’s certainly potential here if the creative team uses the heroes creatively, if what happens in this series isn’t contradicted by stuff happening elsewhere, and if everything comes together just like it did in the last issue (also, let’s not forget the amazing art by Dan Mora). Does this issue continue that streak?
We see the main storyline being addressed in this issue…kind of. We still don’t know much about who Inferno is (literally, we don’t even know if they are human), except for the fact that, like their namesake, they like to set fires a lot. As for their inside man, we find out that AirWave has nowhere to go and is living in the Watchtower (c/o of the Question), which might be the reason he’s working for them.
If that does not sound exciting to you, that’s because it really isn’t. Inferno might as well be wearing top hats and twirling their mustaches, considering the way they are written (though admittedly, now I want to see Dan Mora draw that). So far, these mysterious villains have failed to be menacing on any level. The only reason they are a threat is because the plot needs them to be a threat. Now, this is coming from someone who has read a lot of stories about these heroes overcoming greater odds, but I think even someone picking up a comic for the first time would feel a certain lack of tension upon reading this issue.
Speaking of the heroes that show up in this issue, I’ve been keeping a spreadsheet of the heroes deployed on the field by the Watchtower for each mission that gets primary focus. While we start with a similar number to the last two issues, by the end, we have 16 of them in the field (well, a few may be MIA). A lot of the heroes end up fading into the background and not doing anything to solve the problem outside of struggling for a few panels just so that we know they are there. I don’t want to jump the gun and say that this makes this issue bad, but it is a step down, and the cracks are starting to show.
Also, we have four pages dedicated to The Atom Project, which I find interesting. Not only are we wasting pages on something that already has its own series at this point (though I did like how Mora draws Plastic Man), but the depiction of the project in this series has been different from how Ridley has been depicting it in the spinoff of the same name. I’ve also been reviewing The Question: All Along the Watchtower, and the difference between how Renee acts in the two series has been staggering (admittedly, I like how she acts here more than she does in her own solo). And that’s kind of a recurring theme of all the spin-off/attached books coming out alongside Justice League Unlimited — Titans shows us how the ranking system affects lower-level heroes (also, the fact that there are tiers in-universe baffles me), Black Lightning has Batman act as if his fellow “core member” Black Lightning is a threat, Challengers of the Unknown has the Challengers treated like janitors, not privy to information actual Leaguers would get. What I’m trying to say is that when every other series treats the expanded League as detrimental, how long will it be until the premise of this series starts to feel like forced optimism?
Of course, the biggest draw of this series continues to be the artwork of Dan Mora. And as I will eventually run out of words to praise the man’s work, I’ve decided from here on out, I’ll point to my favorite scene or panel and tell you why I liked it. So, for this month, my favorite piece of Dan Mora artwork is…
(Art critic voice activated) In this piece, the artist has attempted to simulate the feeling we had as children when we accidentally touched a tray of freshly baked cookies without an oven mitt and tried to soothe our burnt fingers. If only we had Superman’s Arctic breath…
Recommended If
- You love Dan Mora’s art
- You’re invested in the Inferno storyline
- You’re a Doctor Occult fan (he’s getting a lot of love in this series)
Overall
Justice League Unlimited #3 is a drop from the previous two issues. While I hesitate to call it bad, the writing is too simple at times and unable to elevate a rather lackluster plot. Dan Mora's stellar artwork carries the issue, but that only goes so far.
Score: 7/10
