REVIEW: ‘Justice League Unlimited’ Issue 10

Justice League Unlimited Issue 10 is published by DC Comics and written by Mark Waid, with art by Dan Mora, colors by Tamra Bonvillain, and letters by Ariana Maher.

As a dying Time-Trapper lies on the Watchtower floor, the team starts to get pulled apart from the inside.

This chapter is divided into segments, which is the only real way to tell stories with such a vast cast. The opening of Justice League Unlimited Issue 10 is a direct tie-in to Superman Issue 29. It’s actually taking place after, and the mortally wounded Time-Trapper is the result of that. There are many members of the League trying to treat him.

In Markovia, the fictional country ruled by Geo-Force, the ground is opening up. These parts are explosive and frantic, requiring immediate attention. But there are also plotlines running beneath the surface. These are bubbling away, causing cracks of their own.

The Trinity (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman) have a heated debate about how they’re recruiting heroes and the widespread approach that the whole comfort of this series was built on. It’s starting to spread discontent from the top down, and that makes the foundations shudder. The entire team then looks unsafe and vulnerable.

And then it becomes clear that another threat has been on the Watchtower all along, just waiting for an opportunity. The pace is very rapid and pressurized from the beginning, with something unsettling running throughout. It’s an action-packed comic, but there are also little additions of horror.

The vast array of voices in Justice League Unlimited Issue 10 is truly its strength. It’s inclusive and busy, but there is also a fire selection that functions as its brain. It’s the first interaction between the Trinity in this whole series, and it’s one of discomfort and unease. Mark Waid writes the different viewpoints with expertise, understanding the characters perfectly.

Batman is reclusive and suspicious of everyone. For him, there are too many unknowns in the team. Superman is welcoming and forgiving, embracing the heroes and their contributions. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman is stuck in the middle, trying to douse the rising heat in the room. The leaders ‘ disjointedness explains why things are so chaotic elsewhere.

There are many great moments and dialogue from other characters. With Time-Trapper, a combination of science and medicine is required to keep him alive. Whereas in Markovia, there’s an energetic team-up. It’s great to see Geo-Force as he’s often an underrated hero with some fascinating qualities. Both his powers and his regal status make him a standout among others in the League.

The art is terrific. Both the conversations and the physical confrontations have a severity to them. The first pages show Time-Trapper (who, as a reminder, is Doomsday) getting brutalized by the Legion of Darkseid. The reactions from the heroes attending to him give a taste of what happens if you touch his wound. It causes rapid ageing, as Mora demonstrates on Flash with a fantastic sequence.

In Markovia, the selection is powerful and amazingly designed. The newest and most captivating of the group is Cadejos. He’s beastly, flaming, and friendly. And it’s also intriguing because there isn’t anything to punch, just a ferocious geyser of molten magma. There’s so much fun to be had within the comic, enjoying the various possibilities.

The colors are magnificent too, highlighting the power and lively energy of the Watchtower and the heroes. There is a constant mixture with dozens of heroes dotting around. But Bonvillain also harnesses extreme yellow and red for the intensity of the magma, and a more sickly green in the cells to suggest danger. The lettering always makes the conversations easy to follow, with rare but effective uses of sound effects.

Justice League Unlimited Issue 10 brings everything to a boil. The tension and threats are coming from everywhere. From within the Watchtower, from the Earth’s core, and the time stream. These stories are all being spun in a way that they’re intensifying each other. It means that it involves as many superheroes as possible, and it may just pull the whole team apart.

Justice League Unlimited Issue 10 is available where comics are sold.