Justice League Unlimited #2 Review

• Written by: Mark Waid

• Art by: Dan Mora

• Colors by: Tamra Bonvillain

• Letters by: Ariana Maher

• Cover art by: Dan Mora (cover A)

• Cover price: $3.99

• Release date: December 25, 2024

Justice League Unlimited #2, by DC Comics on 12/25/24, finds the Justice League grappling with a different kind of alien invasion. Meanwhile, Martian Manhunter admits a painful secret.

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Is Justice League Unlimited #2 Good?

Recap

When last we left the expanded cast of superheroes in Justice League Unlimited #1, an away team saved a group of civilians during a catastrophe. Meanwhile, Batman and Blue Beetle uncovered a nest of alien eggs in Costa Rica. The issue ended with one of the newest JLU members, Airwave, struggling with his role as a saboteur.

Plot Synopsis

In Justice League Unlimited #2, a second team of Leaguers arrives in Costa Rica to aid Batman and Blue Beetle with their discovery of an alien egg farm. What types of aliens are we dealing with? Parademons. Lots and lots of parademons.

Superman arrives via Boom Tube with Star Sapphire, Wonder Woman, Mary Marvel, Dr. Occult, Martian Manhunter, and Black Lightning. As soon as they step out, the scene is engulfed in assorted sizes of parademons. A battered Batman emerges from the jungle to direct the team to split up where their strengths are needed most.

Wonder Woman and Mary Marvel head back into the jungle to isolate the alien egg farm. Superman, Batman, Black Lightning, and Star Sapphire remain to fight the parademons. Dr. Occult and Martian Manhunter depart to find the kidnapped children.

In brief asides, we learn the Atoms have figured out how to restore powersets to their original heroes. Stargirl and Mr. Terrific continue their search into the mysterious Inferno group who made their deadly debut in the last issue.

Back in Costa Rica, the split teams make progress while learning more about each other and their current predicaments.

Wonder Woman and Mary Marvel decide to rip out a plot of soil underneath the egg farm to fly the whole lot into space. During their task, Mary learns what the Greek and Roman pantheons do and don't have in common.

Elsewhere, Dr. Occult and Martian Manhunter finds the source of Costa Rica's troubles is the first sentient parademon, sent to Earth years ago by Darkseid to watch over the egg nest as a backup. Time on Earth has made the sentient parademon desperate, so it developed a plan to kidnap children as an offering for Darkseid in the hopes that the offering will be enough to let it come home.

The issue ends with the Martian Manhunter taking out his frustration on the sentient parademon. Through the dialog and fight, Dr. Occult deduces Martian Manhunter was affected by the Absolute Power switching in ways he hasn't admitted until now.

First Impressions

Justice League International #2 is a super-quick read that gets the job done, hinting at possibly interesting things happening behind the scenes, but the big surprises from issue #1 get surprisingly little attention. Writer Mark Waid hits readers with a gut punch at the end of the last issue but chooses not to build on it, opting instead for a fairly standard action fest.

How’s the Art?

It almost goes without saying that Dan Mora is one of the best artists on DC's roster. Superman, Batman, and all the members of the JLU look their absolute best, and the Atoms get a costume upgrade which looks pretty snappy. That said, there are a few scenes toward the latter half when Martian Manhunter and Dr. Occult work their way through a dark cave that looks slightly sketchy.

What’s great about Justice League Unlimited #2?

Mark Waid's central concept about a sentient parademon who takes matters into its hands to find a way back to Apokalips is just the kind of adventure the JLU was made for. Every hero has a moment to shine, and the sentient parademon's realization that Darkseid is dead adds an element of tragedy to give the issue emotional weight.

What’s not great about Justice League Unlimited #2?

Justice League Unlimited #2 reads like an episode of the acclaimed cartoon in comic form, but what's missing is the connection to an over-arching narrative. As noted above, the big gut punch that Airwave has a secret mission to kill the JLU does not make any progress or provide clarity. Is Airwave's mission connected to this mysterious Inferno group? Why did Inferno choose to attack in the previous issue? What does Inferno want? If Airwave isn't connected to Inferno, what's the reasoning behind his mission?

There's nothing wrong with having an episodic series that inserts little nuggets to maintain the connective tissue with a larger arc, but we need nuggets that are bigger than grains of sand. File this one under "A good one-off but a poor follow-up."

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About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts

Justice League Unlimited #2 delivers a tragic tale about an alien who makes the wrong choices at the wrong time. Mark Waid's script reads just like a classic JLU cartoon episode, complete with heavy action and emotional weight, and Dan Mora's art is top-notch. That said, Waid doesn't capitalize on the wow moments from the first issue, so the reading continuity is lacking.

7.8/10

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