“The others claim to need you. Let them hear you. Speak from your soul. What have you there?”
After the events of last issue, the Terrific Ten has become seven, and worse is still yet to come as they are forced to brave the River Styx of Greek mythology. Topside, the Justice League’s B-team continue to search for Neron’s army of Earth’s remaining while the Watchtower crew deals with a deadly energy crisis in their unprecedentedly gargantuan base.
The book’s central plot around the arc’s namesake team remains the most engaging part of the story, with Waid’s love of mythology on full display as they journey deeper into the underworld. Charon, the Styx’s legendary Ferryman, is present the entire issue and makes for a truly unique companion for our heroes, and also a smart way to drive smaller character subplots forward. Of course, this starts with the cost of their journey across the river, for which the cost is something meaningful to each character. While most of the characters are able to give away something of physical value, two of them are taxed with greater moral sacrifices than what feel worthy to give.
These two characters are Mr. Terrific and Superman Blue. Unable to pay the boat tax, Charon opts for moral values instead, almost nulling their essence in the process. For Terrific, he is liberated of his dedication to “fair play” for everyone, and Superman is stripped of the very hope that makes him the symbol he is. On the one hand, both of these are bold in their own rights, with the former undoubtedly promising even more interesting developments regarding Terrific’s tenure as JLU leader. The latter shows a simple yet heartbreaking moment where without his hope to push forward, Superman is filled with despair in the pits of hell.
This Superman is only a temporary being that will fade, but the image is lasting and really helps to sell the harshness of the journey. However, Terrific’s sacrifice, though very interesting in concept, also feels neglectful in the fact that his T-Sphere’s are not present nor even acknowledged as a potential price. Far from a dealbreaker for narrative intrigue for who we know will be the only survivor of this perilous journey, it still is a rather distracting oversight.
As for the plots above ground and in space, there is not much to speak for. It is reiterated that the Watchtower’s power is being pushed to its limits in aiding the Earth’s survival efforts, and that young heroes such as Kid Flash and Mary Marvel are on the prowl looking for Neron’s villainous army. While yes it can be said that the plot is being pushed forward, it consists mainly of exposition with very little in the way of character work, serving mostly as a break in the story from the arc’s main focus. Knowing that this is a secondary story in what is already a tie-in for a larger event doesn’t make the presented stakes particularly interesting.
As for the art, Mora and Bonvillain nailed the opening as far as we’re concerned. The dark and eerie atmosphere becomes amplified with the reveal of the Terrific Seven discovering that they’re walking on a floor of agonized faces. Bonvillain’s coloring creates the effect of negative space as a reaction to Superman Blue lighting up the page, and from here it shows very admirably how much the two artistic creatives love the setting of Hell as their focal point.
Additionally, Charon’s design is fantastic, though the look of the face is admittedly a bit unusual. We definitely understand having to build something more unique than a skeletal reimagining of the Greek Ferryman but the slit in the middle is somewhat distracting. Other than that, this interpretation of Charon is reminiscent of the figure’s beautiful design in Supergiant Games’ popular roguelike Hades, which is fitting since Absolute Wonder Woman takes similar liberties with that aesthetic.
We don’t usually have any issue with Mora’s background work, however the B-Plot following the young Leaguers is quite uninteresting visually compared to the main visuals surrounding the Terrific Seven A-Plot. Namely, there is a church and a graveyard that appear rather generic by the standards we hold for the art team. Though it’s not shoddy work by any means, it does once again illustrate that the underworld portions are easily the most engaging and fulfilling aspects of this arc.
With all said and done, Justice League Unlimited #14 is yet again another solid entry in the hit ongoing, but is held back by chunks of exposition and some overlooked details to be as truly great as most issues have been so far. But one thing it does share with the rest of the series is that it continues to tease and showcase things that are to come, and those things, like always, have real potential to be very interesting going beyond DC.K.O. With the prices that have already been paid, let’s hope the toll is worth it.
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