“It isn’t…for me…you coalheart. It’s for her.”
The Justice League have only been back for three issues, and they haven’t stopped running since they hit the ground. The enigmatic group known as Inferno strikes their most devastating blow against the team yet, all the while continuing to lord their secrets over them. Meanwhile, the Atoms attempt to return Plastic Man’s powers to his own body, but things don’t turn out quite as expected. Even as they get closer to the truth about this super-terrorist organization, the answers are still just out of reach amidst the misdirection and foreshadowing.
Justice League Unlimited #3 opens cold with the Question’s daily rounds of the Watchtower, where she comes dangerously close to discovering Air Wave’s secret: that he’s going to kill the Justice League. This point is a connection to the main arc plot that has stayed on the back burner for the last couple issues, though little has been done with it beyond telling the audience that this character is going to do something bad. While the mystery is certainly intriguing and Air Wave’s young and naive persona would definitely enhance whatever his twist will be, there could be more show than tell. Thankfully, the young “hero” has rejoined the central narrative at a pivotal moment in this opening arc and will no doubt be key to the climax.
DC
Like previous issues, this one is quite action heavy – not to mention gorgeous thanks to the continuously improving superstar team that is Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain — but it breaks to spend time once more with Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi and their Atom Project, this time to switch Plastic Man and Phantom Girl’s powers back into their respective bodies. This four-page scene takes the time to both clue up a plot thread from the Terrifics series a few years back (made better by Mr. Terrific’s strategizing the League teams from the Watchtower) as well as tease the Atom Project spinoff miniseries, and undoubtedly tugs at the heartstrings. However, one can’t help but feel like this B plot is somewhat out of sync with the A plot in terms of pacing, only being there to set up the spinoff. Mark Waid has previously said that JLU is designed to set up storylines for new books, so this is far from a dealbreaker, but this tragic scene feels somewhat awkward in how it fits into the story.
In respect to the overarching story, which is the battle against the Inferno, the pieces at play are all set up nicely and clues are slowly coming together without yet giving away too much regarding their origin and motives. Mr. Terrific is the vehicle of the main plot as he oversees the heroes on the ground, while also analysing the mysteries of their adversary. I would say this use of his genius makes him the MVP of the issue, which keeps the story straight without showing the entire hand. Having said that, in part due to the previously mentioned B plot, this one does feel slightly convoluted in comparison to the previous two, though not to confusing extents. There also appears to be room for Dr. Occult to be a key player on the team for this arc, which also begs the question of just what role he and Martian Manhunter will play in the battle against the Inferno.
In conclusion, Justice League Unlimited #3 gives readers a lot to enjoy in spite of some minor issues here or there with the Atom Project B plot. Waid’s scripting always holds promise however, so hopefully with the next installment he will manage to balance the pacing between plot lines more smoothly. Though a lot of it is still setup, there are enough moving gears to make this a sleek, action packed superhero serial with plenty to enjoy and intrigue with.
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