Justice League Unlimited Vol. 1

Justice League Unlimited

by Mark Waid, Dan Mora (Artist), Tamra Bonvillain (Colorist)

The League is back and bigger than ever, as writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora helm the flagship series of DC's bestselling, new-reader-friendly All In initiative!

In recent years, the Justice League had disbanded--but now, following the events of the DC blockbuster event Absolute Power, the World's Greatest Super Heroes are a team once again--and opening the doors of their Watchtower headquarters to heroes from across the DC Universe!

Following the death of the ultra-powerful super-villain Darkseid, a massive power vacuum has been triggered, and Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman must unite like never before and expand the Justice League to encompass every hero championing the forces of good in the face of incredible evil! DC fans will thrill at watching never-before-seen configurations of heroes--from the iconic to the obscure--taking on the biggest threats in the universe!

As our heroes work to uncover the mystery of the dark lord's successor, Ray Palmer's Atom Project triggers a race between hero and villain to control the fate of metahuman abilities on planet Earth that threatens to destroy everything the League has built--unless a traitor in their midst destroys them first!

Do not miss the dawn of the new era of justice in the first Justice League story in years!

This volume collects Justice League Unlimited #1-6.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Batman

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 2025

About the author

Mark Waid is an American comic book writer widely known for shaping modern superhero storytelling through influential runs on major characters at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Raised in Alabama, he developed an early fascination with comic books, particularly classic stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, whose imaginative scope and sense of legacy would later inform his own writing. He first entered the comics industry during the mid 1980s as an editor and writer for the fan magazine Amazing Heroes, before publishing his first professional comic story in Action Comics. Soon afterward he joined DC Comics as an editor, contributing to numerous titles and helping shape projects across the company. After leaving editorial work to focus on writing, Waid gained widespread recognition with his long run on The Flash, where he expanded the mythology of the character and co-created the youthful speedster Impulse. His reputation grew further with the celebrated graphic novel Kingdom Come, created with artist Alex Ross, which imagined a future DC Universe shaped by generational conflict among superheroes. Over the years he has written many prominent series, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Superman: Birthright, bringing a balance of optimism, character depth, and respect for comic book history to each project. Waid has also collaborated with notable artists and writers on major ensemble titles such as Justice League and Avengers, while contributing ideas that helped clarify complex continuity within shared superhero universes. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has supported creator owned projects and experimental publishing models, including the acclaimed series Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which explored moral ambiguity within the superhero genre. He later took on editorial leadership roles at Boom Studios, guiding creative direction while continuing to write extensively. In subsequent years he expanded his involvement in publishing and digital storytelling, helping launch online comics initiatives and advocating for new distribution methods for creators. His work has earned numerous industry awards, including Eisner and Harvey honors, reflecting both critical acclaim and enduring popularity among readers. Throughout his career Waid has remained a passionate student of comic book history, drawing on decades of storytelling tradition while continually encouraging innovation within the medium. His influence extends across generations of readers and creators, and his stories continue to shape the evolving language of superhero comics around the world today through enduring characters imaginative narratives and thoughtful reinventions of familiar myths within popular culture and modern graphic storytelling traditions.

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The new Justice League is truly unlimited in that all heroes are now members of it. This gives a lot of opportunities for interesting team-ups. There is a good mix of heroes that are experienced Justice League members and ones that are new to it, and it is nice to see the veterans give a helping hand to the rookies. That kind of kindness and teamwork is uplifting and is a good change of pace from the angst of many other superhero teams.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waid and Mora collaborate again to bring us a fast paced Justice League revival that feels extremely grand scale with its huge ensemble cast and world ending threats. There's too much going on to really focus on the characters and their dynamics. However, for those who enjoy a simple big bad vs. fan favourite faces, this does the job. Overall, it looks great and provides some decent entertainment for a 'set-up' volume.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Justice League got a lot bigger! Really good start to this series.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it was first announced DC Comics was bringing back their flagship superhero team with Justice League Unlimited, I was immediately reminded of the awesome Bruce Timm-produced animated series of the same name during the mid-2000s. After two seasons of the Justice League cartoon, which solely focused on a team of seven, Unlimited would shift the format by expanding the team with a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, which allowed for many kinds of adventures that could focus on one singular hero or a particular group.

Based on this comic that continues the collaboration of the World’s Finest team Mark Waid and Dan Mora, Justice League Unlimited doesn’t quite capture the magic of that cartoon, despite the attempt. Following the events of Absolute Power and the DC All In Special, the holy trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman must unite like never before and expand the Justice League to encompass every hero that will reside at their new Watchtower headquarters. With the new League being split off into various groups to resolve any conflict or disaster from around the world, the heroes must come together to fight a new organisation known as Inferno.

Over the course of five issues, Waid is juggling so many characters that it ends up being the main problem of this series. As much as I can appreciate Waid for including the most obscure characters like Doctor Occult teaming up with popular ones like Martian Manhunter, the series or at least this storyline could have benefited more by just focusing on a handful of heroes so that we can get a team dynamic. There is even a whole subplot about the two Atoms Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi crafting the world’s first superpower reallocation and backup system as a way of everyone getting their powers back after the events of Absolute Power, though it want to see more of this, go read Justice League: The Atom Project.

Waid’s strength as a writer here is when he focuses on the little moments, such as the introduction of Harold Levey/Air Wave who serves as a gateway character as he is inducted into the League and given a tour around the Watchtower by the Flash. Considering that Martian Manhunter has always felt like an outsider, even among his Super Friends, Waid takes the character in an interesting direction where he is not quite as powerful as he was before. While you do get the heavy hitters like Superman and Batman, more focus on the obscure players would have given this book a more unique perspective.

With the huge number of characters sprinkled throughout, it feels like an excuse for Dan Mora to go unhinged with his art. Considering his busy schedule where he draws more than one issue monthly, it is shocking that Mora brings so much detail to his work where almost every page displays a particular superpower, while his panel layouts serve as crazy transition points for when we are in a new setting, whether it is space or another dimension.

While there is enough to like from the few intimate moments to the eye-popping art, Justice League Unlimited is prioritising the spectacle as well as the major story beats that is not only setting up subsequent issues, but what is happening in the wider DC universe as part of the DC All In initiative.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start to the Justice League Unlimited series. This book contains the first five issues of the series.

Love the artwork, on that note I love where the interior artwork is as good or better than the cover artwork. In the story, I especially liked how they managed to give so many characters a chance to shine considering the size of the cast.

The Justice League is back. Bigger and better than ever right? Unfortunately, they have some problems heroes who have had their powers swapped or lost. Also with everyone being a member, it opens the door for infiltration.

For me, there are any number of ways individual series can be launched. They are already looking at the first crossover. I was worried the characters might get lost in the shuffle however I think they managed to give the character the spotlight perfectly. The book finishes with a huge variant cover gallery.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3 stars

I really enjoyed this. Old-fashioned superheroics with the added twist of the JL’s new ‘Unlimited’ setup, which was great. Waid, Mora and co. really delivered with this one.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Justice League Unlimited marks the return of the Justice League after a two-year hiatus, and it's quite fun! But it definitely could be more.

Essentially, nearly every single person in the DC Universe is now working under the "Justice League" to solve problems, which makes the Watchtower a very, very busy place. This also helps give a lot of smaller characters time to shine, or even medium-sized ones like Swamp Thing. There's excellent art and fun interactions, but the all-too-typical return of the "Legion of Doom" made me groan so loud. Give us something fresh and new for the League already!

A 3 out of 5.

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good start to this series! 3.4 🌟

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know nothing about DC superhero teams, so I'm approaching this title with a completely open mind, simply because DC is riding high in terms of quality and innovation at the moment.

What can I say? It seems pretty classic to me—big threat, Machiavellian plot, team spirit, all that stuff—but it has the merit of being well constructed and very well illustrated by Dan Mora (with colours by Tamra Bonvillain).
Waid's talent is well established: a quick and well-organised introduction, quick reminders of the other series in the new line, good pacing. The great architect is holding the fort.

Probably not the best series of the year, but an enjoyable read.

[Gavin Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Terrific pog

[Arianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is remarkable in that it manages to juggle an enormous cast of characters without ever creating confusion as to what's actually happening and who is involved.

Unfortunately, there is not much more to it. The character work involves maybe two people (Air Wave and the Martian Manhunter), with everyone else just punching and fighting and shouting orders at each other. The stakes are extremely high at points but everything is resolved quite quickly.

The trope of a new and mysterious evil force that is way too powerful compared to what heroes are used to deal with is not very interesting. The reveal of what this force actually is brings the story back to familiar territory and opens a lot of questions.

I noted before that a Justice League with this reach could turn dystopian really quickly, or at least dismantle the very reasons why it needs to exist (barring extraterrestrial threats) too fast. The book quickly proved me wrong on this point by showing that heroes will continue to be as incompetent as the story requires of them, even if they have Earth under constant surveillance.

It seems unlikely that a story with this scope, with so many smaller stories spinning out from it and such a gigantic number of characters, could be pulled off for a long time. I will be able to tell as I continue reading.

One of my most unpopular comic book opinions is that Dan Mora's art is soulless and unappealing, so I don't have that going on for me as a reason to appreciate this comic book, although Bonvillain's coloring is nice to look at.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun start to the revamp for JL after ABSOLUTE POWER.
the interesting part will be to see if they do continue to use a wide range of heroes...and not just relying on the big three.

[Odo · Rating 3 out of 5]

7- out of 10

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brisk bunch of fight scenes, overloaded with characters and calamity. Some fun concepts, though. I’ll hang around for more. 3.5 stars.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Justice League and Avenger books are all pretty much the same. Lots of heroes, world-ending threats, and usually an evil team that is the antithesis of the good team. It's an old formula, but one that's hard to make totally boring.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Думаю, що багато хто зачекався на повернення Ліги Справедливості у всесвіті DC. Марк Вейд і Ден Мора беруться за неї і створюють Безмежну Лігу Справедливості, яка має чим здивувати і зацікавити.

Після подій Абсолютної влади світ супергероїв опиняється у стані крихкого балансу. Відроджена Ліга не просто повертається, вона розширюється до небачених раніше меж. Супермен, Бетмен і Диво-жінка вирішують відродити Лігу Справедливості, але вже в новому форматі — відкритому для всіх героїв, готових стати на захист добра. Відновлена Вежа Спостереження перетворюється на справжній хаб, звідки команди героїв вирушають розв’язувати кризи по всій планеті й за її межами.

Окремою сюжетною лінією в арці стає протистояння з новою загадковою організацією «Інферно». Це не чергові лиходії з гучними промовами, а холодно розрахований ворог, який б’є по найвразливішому — самій планеті. «Інферно» навмисно провокує екологічні катастрофи по всьому світу: руйнує цілі регіони, дестабілізує держави й змушує Лігу реагувати одразу на десятки криз. Для нової, Безмежної Ліги це стає першим справжнім випробуванням на міцність. І ми дізнаємося чи здатна команда з десятків героїв діяти як єдиний організм, коли загроза виникає всюди й одночасно.

Звісно малюнок Дена Мори. Кожен випуск буквально вибухає енергією: динамічні бої, сміливі композиції, різноманіття сил і місцевостей. Навіть при величезній кількості героїв сторінки не виглядають перевантаженими. Навпаки, вони живі й кінематографічні та якими хочеться насолоджуватися.

Так, серія робить ставку на масштаб і заділ на майбутні події, це фундамент для нового етапу DC. «Безмежна Ліга Справедливості» читається з відчуттям, що попереду ще більше хороших історії. А для нових читачів і давніх фанатів це впевнений, яскравий і дуже оптимістичний старт.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Justice League is back, bigger and better. This first volume leans hard into the first half of that assertion: "bigger" = "all the world's heroes are now on the team." Look forward to some random team-ups! A-listers and D-listers finally together, battling a new fire-focused foe, Inferno.

The action is huge and thrilling, especially with Dan Mora's artwork. We're seeing planet-threatening events, which feels appropriate for the Justice League, but also a bit overwhelming for an ongoing series. All of the Amazon is on fire... but don't worry, the fire is out and the jungle is restored. All in one issue!

It's hard to keep track of any one character, but the stray character moments do hit the mark. This first volume nicely sets up an ongoing series (predictably, Inferno is just the Legion of Doom in disguise) and also makes me interested in the myriad spin-offs. Really checking all the boxes here, reminds me of Jed MacKay's Avengers run.

[AChristianNerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0
This comic is absolutely incredible!! I haven't read any previous ones for this series, but by itself, it tells you everything you need to know.
Seeing the whole League together again is so emotional. The writers knew what they were doing, giving them all times to shine in personality and power. The incidents leading up to this series are still affecting everyone, which is such awesome worldbuilding.
This felt like visiting old friends. Seeing their care and love for each other, an even more well organized teamwork, and seeing so many generations of heroes work together. And some redeemed villains?? I would've never guessed!!
So well written, such a perfect art style. These writers and artists really understand the DCU and what the fans love about its characters. Loved seeing some less frequent league members get some well-deserved time front and center.

Ps. I grew up with the 2000s Justice league and Justice League Unlimited timmverse series, and this is the closest I've found to that level of care for eachother as a family and team in the comics

[Ángel Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ya, llegados a este punto, me da igual lo que hagan: Mark Waid y Dan Mora son el mejor equipo creativo de cómics de súpers en la actualidad. La idea está guay, también: todo súper medio qué y que le apetezca, puede pertenecer a la Liga de la Justicia, y ya está. Cada uno tiene su rol; Question investiga; los Beetles son expertos en tecnología; los magos hacen cosas de magos; los Desafiadores de lo Desconocido exploran; los seis grandes son los seis grandes... y así sucesivamente. Todo muy chulo, muy luminoso, muy de la actual DC.

Y, seamos serios, ¿quién en su sano juicio puede preferir los Vengadores a la Liga?

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of the right hero for each job reminds me of the Avengers a few years ago, I think when Hickman first started writing it. I like the opportunity it presents for seeing some of the less-common heroes in action, and for the unexpected team-ups it creates.

[Tim Goodings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty fun, Dan Mora is the new look of DC Comics to me, so I'll gladly see as many superheroes as he wants to draw. One thing I realised is how breathless this story felt, with not many establishing panels, pacing feeling a little off kilter to me. You don't get much of a sense of how much time things are taking unless it's explicitly stated in a caption. Is it over days? Weeks?
The Airwave subplot ultimately seems to have come to nothing so far, but the Martian Manhunter one is the most interesting part of the story.
An underwhelming reveal as to the identities of Inferno, but this was diverting and entertaining enough otherwise.

[Alex Sarll]

In the wake of yet another crossover mess*, many of Earth's heroes (though obviously not the most marketable ones) have had their powers lost or scrambled – and when I say 'lost', I mean that in the geographical sense: there's one scene with errant powers being tracked across the map as if they were an errant pizza delivery. Not that this is properly explained, obviously: a footnote tells us it's being hived off to its own side-series, even if it then keeps on intruding on the main action here. Anyway, to push back against this, the Justice League has now expanded to include all Earth's heroes, hence the Unlimited. When the cartoon did likewise, it entered its best phase, each episode zeroing in on a small and often surprising cross-section of characters, and producing a series of wonderful character pieces in various veins which also built to tell a larger story. When the comic does it, on the other hand, it's apparently an excuse to take the cluttered, everything plus Kitchen Sink Man storytelling of a bad summer crossover and apply it to an ongoing series, characters popping up for a page or two like the mere sight of them is meant to be exciting without any consideration of giving them a cool moment, or even much understanding of some of their powers and purposes: of all the Metal Men, how the hell is Gold a good choice to send into an inferno? That stuff is malleable at room temperature! And Constantine, who (a couple of Americanisms aside) was used so well in his recent crossover with Doctor Strange, is here back to flinging flashy hexes around like a cut-price version of him. Nothing has space to breathe, or land; the few attempts at character work feel entirely generic. The last time I read Waid on the League, nearly 30 years ago, he was filling in for and then following Grant Morrison's run; it wasn't on a par, but Morrison's run was the joint best the title has ever been, and Waid's didn't fall embarrassingly short. At the very least it read like an actual story, not the over-caffeinated trailer cut of this farrago. About the best I can say is that, while I'd obviously rather Waid and Mora were still doing the Shazam book instead of having been given the poison chalice of this promotion, at least when the Big Red Cheese briefly appears he is still being addressed as Captain.

*If you're fed up of my DC reviews including this note, I assure you: not half so fed up as I am of reading comics which necessitate it.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The colours on this book are making it difficult to read.

Undermining the writing and art with a murky palate and muddy panels. In addition to it just looking absolutely awful it’s impossible to see what is going on in some pages and difficult to understand which characters we are suppose to be looking at - not what you need on a team book.

The whole thing is such a distraction and manages to make Mora’s art look bad, which is impressive given the calibre of the artist - he’s doing 2 monthly books just now and his art on Superman looks great. Because he’s been given a competent colourist.

Someone at DC editorial must see this, this is basic stuff to get right.

Other than that the story so far lacks direction and focus, not Waid’s best work but I trust him to settle into a rhythm.

Pointless if they don’t sort out the problem with the colours.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art and colours are outstanding. They're the reason to buy this book.

The story is fine, I do enjoy the bigger cast so lots of characters get a moment. Mary Marcel and Diana were great in issue 2. DR occult had some time to shine. There still was a lot of Batman, that can be toned down.

The reveal of who are Inferno was very disappointing. Mr Terrific, or Red Tornado, one issue earlier call out it can't be these characters for specific reasons ; turns out it is those characters after all.

I understand they wabt to promote Question and Atoms' books, but felt a little unnatural to the way the dialogue forctgen is shoehorned in to refer to their own books. The cameos were fine. Maybe a few too many.

[Luke Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to be a teacher and this is like handling a class of 35 students. You can’t possibly cover all you can how you’d like. A team book where the team is absolutely unlimited. It goes as you’d expect, change is constant, the POV is unstable and there’s no focus with such a wide field of vision. I like Waid’s writing and he’s been hitting it out of the park on other books this year. Just not this one.

[Sarospice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is all set-up for the next storyline which you'll want to read because hello Legion of Doom. we get some fun combos of heroes in the same panel but no one really works together and mostly no one uses their powers. waid, you're better than this.

[MannyLikesPie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the beginning, not so much when the legion shows up but it’s fun

[Sem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine overall but nothing more, and perhaps it's saved somewhat by the fact that I read the first two issues of "Hush 2" before this and that book is, uh, a real easy act to follow.

[Kamen Rider Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinamente toda esta época de DC está llegando con todo me encanta esta serie y amo todo lo que está haciendo

[Mariano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Divertido. Pero hay que dejar de robar con el "villano misterioso con capucha" viejo.