Justice League Unlimited #5
Scheduled to arrive in stores: March 26, 2025
Cover date: May 2025
“Justice League Unlimited”
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Dan Mora
Cover: Dan Mora
Variant Cover: Nathan Szerdy, Mark Spears, and Salvador Larroca
1:25 Variant Cover: Dan Jurgens
1:50 Variant Cover: Gavin Guidry
International Women’s Day Variant: Jenny Frisson
Reviewed by: JP Rocha
The issue kicks off at a G20 Summit in Sydney, Australia. Impulse, The Flash, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Star Sapphire, and Green Lantern are tasked with peacekeeping, protecting the world leaders from a potential Inferno attack. The JSU team also has some international support from Thunderlord. Impulse, however, is unimpressed.
The whole summit, delegates, and JSU alike are teleported to a hell-like dimension. Meanwhile, the Watchtower team of Mr. Terrific and Red Tornado are left shuffling to find where they disappeared to. Making matters worse, the rest of the heroes on Earth are spread out, fighting off other Inferno threats.
Back in the hell dimension, the JSU struggles to fight off the monsters while trying to lead the delegates to safety. The problem with the delegates is that there are twenty leaders and no followers. This forces the JSU to spread itself too thin, resulting in casualties, including Green Lantern!
Flash apologizes for Bart’s lack of teamwork skills because of his impulsive nature. However, Impulse is observant and identifies an Inferno plant disguised as a diplomat. The problem is the plant has J’onn J’onzz’s telepathic powers and uses that to erase any memory Impulse has of this discovery.
Between saving heroes and diplomates alike, Flash is able to focus long enough to find a solution to get out of the hellscape. With everyone inside a protective bubble built by Star Sapphire, Flash pushes that bubble. Vibrating it to another dimension because any place is better than here, right? Well, no, because the new dimension they find themselves in is the Phantom Zone. Fortunately, Supergirl recognizes where they are and pulls the protective bubble using the Lasso of Truth to the door that leads to the Watchtower.
Story – 4: If you are missing Justice League Unlimited, it is past time to jump on board. This issue ends the first arc but is easy to follow, even if this is your first. The next arc is a crossover with World’s Finest. But what does that mean? If you are not keeping up with World’s Finest, it takes place in DC’s past. Robin is a young Dick Grayson, and of course, Superman and Batman are younger as well.
As this is the end of an arc, it is the big reveal issue. We finally learn who Inferno is. We also get insight into who received Martian Manhunter’s powers due to the events of Absolute Power. However, Inferno’s origins are still a mystery as Waid leaves little doubt about whether the members of Inferno are from this Earth or even this time.
Rarely in modern comics is there great use of panel-to-panel storytelling, but Waid is a master storyteller. At the JSU control room, Mr. Terrific, Red Tornado, and Air Wave are trying to figure out just who Inferno could be. The panels cut between Mr. Terrific and Air Wave just right. We see the back of Air Wave to know he is there, but do not see his face, as Mr. Terrific makes the ironic statement, “Someone somewhere has answers!” The statement is unknowingly ironic, and the panel design is intentionally sinister, for as we know, Air Wave is working for Inferno.
Art – 5: Dan Mora’s art is great as we are taken from dimension to dimension. The “Ultimate” team book, this means that Mora gets to give his take on characters all across the DC Universe. One of the most extraordinary showcases of style is showing us the inner workings of Impulse’s brain. Bart’s thoughts are images, not words, taking a cue from the character’s earliest days. Mora gets to draw the more cartoony style Impulse was known for. This is used to great effect as Bart realizes that one of the G20 delegates is sticking out like a sore thumb. Mora’s panel-to-panel storytelling shines as he cuts from shot to shot, as Impulse puts it together.Cover Art – 4: The main cover layout, while not a panel right from the issue, it feels that it is. The art is great as it features the Legion of the Doom. It is just not a dynamic cover.
There are variant covers by Nathan Szerdy, Mark Spears, and Salvador Larroca. The Nathan Szerdy features Hawkgirl and Zatanna. The Mark Spears is a hyperrealist variant featuring Superman and Flash running in Space. The Salvador Larroca has a cool Hall of Doom, with the Legion of Doom rising from the dark swamp. The characters cannot be differentiated except for Grodd, who looks like a generic silverback gorilla.
There are two Incentive Covers: Dan Jurgens (1:25) and Gavin Guidry (1:50). Both of these covers are better than the three variant covers. The Jurgens cover features Superman with Blue Beetle, Star Sapphire, and Fire and Ice. The Guidry cover features the Superman Family with Superman in the front, hovering in space between Earth and the Watchtower.
The Jenny Frisson International Woman’s Day Variant is a great character spotlight of Wonder Woman.
Check out the Mild Mannered Reviews contents page.
