In the aftermath of the DC K.O. event, the Justice League is dealing with getting the world back to something resembling normalcy.
Which is kind of a tricky thing to do:
- When the planet was nearly completely evacuated.
- Those that didn't get evacuated were preyed on by demons from Hell.
- Darkseid showed up and devastated the planet.
- And all that is here is still here because Superman used the power of King Omega (AND Alpha) to re-write time and reality.
- And for all that, Darkseid's attack was merely an opening round. The worst is yet to come.
- And Superman is missing.
- And Batman still can't find his socks in the morning.*
It almost seems like just another day in the DC Universe when a couple of super villians, Tarpit and Girder, appear to be trying to destroy a bridge in Keystone City.
Stargirl, Air Wave and Kid Flash (Wallace West) are dispatched to stop them but the civilians on the scene intervene. Tarpit and Girder are actually stabilizing the bridge to keep it from collapsing.
Once the bridge crisis is in check, Tarpit and Girder give the Justice Leaguers an earful. Before the King Omega Tournament, super villains were rounded up and zapped temporarily into the Phantom Zone.
Tarpit and Girder think that was bogus. They assert that super villains had a stake in saving the Earth and having their chance at redemption.
Batman is monitoring this interaction. He knows that Superman's defeat of Darkseid was a mere holding action, that Darkseid will attack Earth again and will be stronger than ever.
Batman also knows that the Justice League will need EVERY hand on deck to counter that threat.
Batman has a lot to think about. With Superman missing, he needs guidance and counsel and seeks the input of two Justice Leaguers who have wisdom bestowed by the gods.
The topic: amnesty for super villains.
SIDE BAR: Hey, we're calling that guy with the wisdom of Solomon "Captain Marvel" again?
When both DC and Marvel were pushing their respective versions of Captain Marvel into the movies, DC opted to not call him that. Sobriquets like "Shazam" (even though it meant he never could say his own name) or simply "The Captain" were run up the flagpole but nobody saluted.
Look, the guy Billy Batson transformed into by saying "Shazam!" has been Captain Marvel since 1939 and calling him anything else never made any sense.
Yeah, Marvel has their own Captain Marvel and DC's concession to that is not to call their version that on the covers, just in the interior stories and art. And that I think is enought!
Hooray for Captain Marvel being Captain Marvel again.
OK, back to Justice League Unlimited.
Props to writer Mark Waid for dealing with the aftermath of a big event by addressing the logical fallout and consequences of such an event.
And kudos to broaching the idea that the super villains taken off the board before the KIng Omega Tournament resent being excluded from fighting for their planet.
Even Batman sees their point and from a practical standpoint, when Darkseid makes his inevitable follow up attack on Earth, the Justice League is going to need everybody on board.
So the amnesty plan is a daring idea but one born of necessity. It is also fraught with risks. Like how perpetual ego maniac Lex Luthor threatens to screw up things. Like Luthor would denigrate himself to accept someone else's so called amnesty.
Interior art for this arc is by Clayton Henry, giving the ridicously overworked Dan Mora a break. Henry has a clean bold line that works well with a variety of character styles.
I will note that Mark Waid does seem to be spending a lot of time playing clean up for big events elsewhere in the DC Universe and I look forward to see Waid and Justice League Unlimited getting to a storyline for this title and not in support of someone else's project.
Next week on the Spinner Rack: Make Mine Marvel AND Destination DC! It's a new titanic team up of Spider-Man and Superman!
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