Justice League Unlimited #9
Kevin Rossi
Recap
In the aftermath of the devastating events of We Are Yesterday, the Justice League is reeling from the Legion of Doom's wrathful rampage! But no time to rest for the protectors of our planet, as the secrets unlocked during their time-crossed duel have brought our heroes face-to-face with a mysterious Quantum Quorum, who has reason to fear that all of creation might soon come to an end. It's the next big step on the path of the All In saga in the epic epilogue to We Are Yesterday!
Review
Justice League Unlimited #9 – written by Mark Waid, drawn by Dan Mora, colored by Tamra Bonvillain, and lettered by Dave Sharpe – is the epilogue to “We Are Yesterday” storyline which found DC heroes scattered and displaced through time. Waid continues to demonstrate why he is one of the best writers working today by juggling so many iconic characters while maintaining a sense of purpose. Highlights in this issue include the sporadic narration from Red Tornado, a constant presence in this series, as well as Mister Terrific and Blue Beetle attempting to save Air Wave, who appeared to be obliterated into nothing in the aftermath of the last issue. Mister Terrific’s dedication and emotional response to the loss of Air Wave is an emotional high of the issue, which makes the outcome that much more powerful.
The bulk of the issue deals with the time-displaced heroes attempting to stop Grodd. At the same time, Time Trapper and Alpheus the World Forger try to extract the remaining omega energy from Grodd. Dan Mora’s work in this issue is absolutely impressive and shows that Waid puts full trust into Mora’s talent. On top of drawing so many iconic characters, there is plenty of action in this issue, yet Mora completely avoids panels feeling cluttered or busy. Tamra Bonvillain’s collaborations with Mora are always incredible, but her work in Justice League Unlimited #9 feels as essential to the storytelling as the art. Her palette choices do a lot of the heavy lifting in this issue, shifting tone and urgency with surgical precision that clearly captures the emotional stakes. This issue and current arc deal with omega and cosmic energy ripping apart time, which can be incredibly hard to capture. Within all of the chaos that Mora is wrangling, Bonvillain uses color to guide the reader through it all. The same can be said for the lettering by Dave Sharpe. Sharpe’s lettering keeps up with the art and ensures that the reader is taking everything in while capturing the urgency and havoc happening in the issue.
Final Thoughts
Justice League Unlimited #9 skillfully maintains and builds on the momentum from the last issue. The climax to "We Are Yesterday" left some serious implications about the future of the DC Universe, and while things aren’t any clearer after this issue, it is clear that it is going to be exciting and fresh.
Justice League Unlimited #9: All Tomorrow’s Parties
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 7/107/10
