In this review of Justice League Unlimited #23, simmering tensions boil over as misunderstandings lead to unnecessary infighting. Meanwhile, the Justice Gang’s space adventure unexpectedly levels up.
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #23
Written by MARK WAID
Art and Main Cover: DAN MORA
Variant Cover: BRUNO REDONDO, NATHAN SZERDY, CATHY KWAN, JESSICA LUNA, JOSÉ LADRÖNN
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 9/23/26
This review contains spoilers
Justice League Unlimited #23 begins on the planet Dronnda, where Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl and Metamorpho attempt to repel an attack from a band of aliens set on stealing a sampler container full of all of the JLU’s powers. Despite a broken hand, Gardner puts up a solid defense, while his teammates fare much worse. Gardner realizes too late that the attack was a distraction to steal the power set from the unconscious Mister Terrific.
Unfortunately for the Dominator, Terrific is wide awake and powered up after absorbing the entire JLU power set. Terrific makes short work of the aliens, including longtime DC villain Kanjar Ro. Meanwhile, at the damaged former swamp-based headquarters of the Legion of Doom, Giganta urges fellow “reformed” villains Lobo, Harley Quinn, King Shark and Cheetah that they should pool their knowledge of future events (a side effect from DC K.O.) as collateral to keep on the JLU’s good side.
The proceedings are being secretly monitored by several members of the Justice League, including Ray Palmer (The Atom). Back in the swamp, Giganta and Lobo come to blows as the others square off before Lex Luthor arrives to shut things down. Level-headed Lex goes off on the others, enraged that their meetup is in the Hall of Doom as they are all being tracked by the JLU.
Giganta objects, but Batman and several other heroes crash the party, leading to more mayhem. Both Lex and Batman are not up to speed and assume that Giganta and the others are scheming against the JLU. Back in space, Mister Terrific scans Kanjar Ro’s mind and discovers who hired the alien bounty hunters. Terrific heals his teammates and sends them packing.
Back at the Hall of Doom, Jay Garrick, Shazam and Zatanna contend with Giganta and the others as Bats and Lex trade punches and epithets while attempting to psychoanalyze each other. Shazam brings the battle to a halt with a bolt of magic lightning so that the heroes can hear them out.
Justice League Unlimited #23 ends back on the Watchtower as Ray Palmer storms off, convinced that Giganta and the others are planning something evil and he needs to stop it.
Analysis
Justice League Unlimited #23 continues the series’ trend of assembling small, diverse character groups and forcing them to work together despite their differences. This includes Giganta and her fellow DC K.O. villains. Writer Mark Waid cranks up the heat as long simmering rivalries begin to boil over. The Batman and Lex Luthor battle (shouting match) was a long time coming, but for once, Lex wasn’t in the wrong.
In fact, both Lex and Batman jump to conclusions, just assuming that their reformed proteges are planning some sort of villainy. Granted, meeting up in the Hall of Doom isn’t a smart choice, but it’s nice that Shazam has the…Wisdom of Solomon and gives Giganta a chance to explain herself.
In Justice League Unlimited #23, Batman lets his “mask” slip, allowing emotion and prejudice to override strategy and logic, revealing his conflicting feelings about the amnesty program while trying to simultaneously honor Superman’s wishes. Why else would Bats go into a fight uninformed and half-cocked? The man is the ultimate planner. Also, why is Ray Palmer suddenly acting paranoid?
Meanwhile, the Justice Gang’s (who didn’t see the 2025 Superman movie) space adventure gets cosmic as Mister Terrific levels up to deal with Kanjar Ro’s gang of alien bounty hunters. Terrific’s demeanor and casual use of immense power against his enemies starts off at a ten, so unless he dials back, things might just get worse after discovering the mastermind behind Kanjar Ro’s team.
Dan Mora’s art always improves the quality of a comic story and Justice League Unlimited #23 is no exception. Between the dynamic action, the face offs, the dramatic close-ups and Terrific’s imaginative use of his borrowed superpowers (one wonders what he might do with a Green Lantern ring), Mora’s artwork is in your face, drawing readers into the story and illustrating his deft skill of arranging multi-character panels in an engaging manner.
Final Thoughts
Justice League Unlimited #23 provides some payoff with a major Batman/Lex Luthor showdown, and Mark Waid’s script pushes forward several intriguing plot threads as Dan Mora’s art continues to dazzle.
