In this review of Justice League Unlimited #17, the King Omega event is over, but the threat from Darkseid still looms, leading the remaining JLU members to consider replenishing their ranks with some shocking additions.
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #17
Written by MARK WAID
Art by CLAYTON HENRY
Main Cover: DAN MORA
Variant Covers: BRUNO REDONDO, BRIAN BOLLAND, KEVIN WADA, STEPHEN BYRNE, DAN MORA, LEIRIX
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 3/25/26
This review contains spoilers
Justice League Unlimited #17 begins in the country of Bialya where hostages are freed from captivity by the Justice League’s newest members: former villains Lex Luthor, Giganta and Starro?
Cut to 72 hours earlier, directly after the events of the King Omega tournament as Red Tornado and Blue Beetle witness as the Earth repairing itself from the ravages of Apokolips. Elsewhere, Air Wave, Kid Flash and Mister Terrific watch the Omega Rift vanish and the unexpected return of most of the contenders from the King Omega event, (Superman is missing).
The celebration is cut short as the former contenders begin to grapple with the dark glimpses into their respective futures. Three hours later, Batman and Wonder Woman address the JLU, warning them that the King Omega event was only the first threat from Darkseid, and that another is fast approaching. Captain Atom explains that each fighter’s glimpse of the near future portends another end of all things, if the team does not work together to stop it.
Red Tornado alerts the team that several villains escaped from The Phantom Zone and are currently wreaking havoc in Keystone City. Air Wave, Kid Flash and Stargirl arrive to find Flash rogues Tar-Pit and Girder amid a collapsing overpass full of civilians and immediately attack them, only to discover that they were trying to save the people.
The Rogues read the heroes the riot act, arguing that they weren’t given a chance to make amends before the universe nearly ended, and that this is their chance to help. Batman and Wonder Woman debate about the impending return of Darkseid in an even more powerful form, and enlist Captain (Marvel) as they enter The Phantom Zone. Batman attests that the Zone should be as much about rehabilitation as confinement.
Justice League Unlimited #17 ends as Batman consults the Captain and Wonder Woman (and their mythological wisdom) in deciding whether the JLU should recruit the villains who participated in the King Omega event for the next crisis, and whether they should receive full amnesty for their past crimes.
Analysis
Justice League Unlimited #17 has the difficult task of picking up the pieces from the various plot elements surrounding King Omega, making the story feel fractured and uneven. The issue’s narrative unfortunately suffers as a result, with the requisite rebuilding of alliances, necessary exposition and shifting of character roles that comes after any major crossover event.
Writer Mark Waid valiantly struggles to juggle the various running plotlines and character reveals without a central focus. Batman and Wonder Woman’s return is hailed with immediate leadership disputes, while they grapple with the after-effects of the King Omega contest.
Waid has headlined previous DC crossovers (Lazarus Planet) so he knows it’s part of the job, but that doesn’t help that Justice League Unlimited #17 is primarily exposition laden filler that recaps the recent K.O. event while setting up another looming threat from Darkseid.
The time lost heroes (The Terrific Ten) from “We are Yesterday” are gone, having sacrificed themselves on their dangerous quest through Hell. Now some DC heroes have glimpses of an foreboding future, while Batman and Wonder Woman have yet to divulge how that ties into Darkseid’s (next) impending return.
Former supervillains are given a chance to serve the public good by joining the JLU, especially after some of the heroes were called out for attacking Flash rogues Girder and Tar Pit, believing that they were endangering civilians rather than saving them from disaster. (The Phantom Zone appears to have a revolving door). The Phantom Zone sequence complicates matters as Batman mulls amnesty and rehabilitation.
Artist Clay Henry does an admirable job filling in on Justice League Unlimited #17, having had ample practice drawing DC characters for the better part of the past decade. Henry’s few action shots are memorable including the returning King Omega contestants bursting out of the boom tube, Henry populates the panel with dozens of familiar characters (although seeing Swamp Thing in a heroic jumping pose is a change of pace for the typically earth-bound protector).
Henry nails the heavy-lifting of the various talking-heads scenes, whether on the Watchtower, in the Phantom Zone or on Earth, while also providing an effective visual short hand for readers to glimpse each hero’s vision of the future without bogging down the story.
Final Thoughts
Justice League Unlimited #17 is a noble effort that inform readers while providing setup for the next story arc, but without a coherent character focus, it functions as little vignettes. The writing and art are above average but not quite the series’ typical high-quality. The issue is still a good catch-up for readers interested in what DC has planned for Next Level.
