One of the year's most anticipated new comics hits stores today. Justice League Unlimited sees DC's greatest superteam fully united and operating at full strength after being disbanded for several years.
The new book, which comes from the all star creative team of writer Mark Waid, artist Dan Mora, colorist Tamra Bonvillain, and letterer Ariana Maher, is big, bold, colorful, and a perfect jumping-on point for new readers, with the simple (but appealing) premise that the League is open to any superhero who wants to join. Basically, this is a comic about all your favorite characters working together to tackle epic, world-threatening problems.
But what actually happens in the new issue? And who on Earth is Air Wave? Let's get into it all after the requisite spoiler warning...
What happens in Justice League Unlimited #1
The first issue crams in a lot of characters. Seriously, almost all of DC's big hitting characters feature here, including Superman, Wonder Woman, and Flash, as well as the likes of Black Lightning, Star Sapphire, and more. But our viewpoint character for the issue is a relative unknown: Air Wave, who played a pivotal role in the Absolute Power event when "the living wi-fi signal" (thank you Nightwing) helped expose Amanda Waller's villainous rant and broadcast it to the world. He's our fresh eyes on a tour of the Justice League Watchtower as we see this diverse group of characters come together in times of crisis.
The specific crisis in this issue is the arrival of a mysterious new enemy: a shadowy group known as Inferno. They're operating some unmanned war machines in South Africa, raiding a mining town for its supply of precious Iridium. The League immediately set about dismantling the machines and helping the survivors – in a sweet moment, Black Lightning and Star Sapphire, with the help of Air Wave and Superman, find a way to heal a mortally-wounded man and reunite him with his wife.
Meanwhile, in Costa Rica, Batman and Blue Beetle are investigating the appearance of "winged, taloned" creatures that are kidnapping the local children. As the two heroes investigate, they find a forest full of what look very much like Parademon eggs...
With the situation in South Africa under control, the League return to the Watchtower, their mission seemingly accomplished – though the shadowy figures behind Inferno leave Superman an ominous message threatening to take over the world. Still, it was a good day's work, especially for Air Wave who comes out of this looking like a really promising new recruit – that is until a final page reveal. Yes, it turns out that Air Wave has his own plans, and they involve killing the Justice League!
Who is Air Wave?
Air Wave is actually a character with quite a bit of history, even if he's never been a big name.
The original Air Wave, Larry Jordan, was a Golden Age hero created in 1942 by either writer Mort Weisinger or Murray Boltinoff – it's unclear which of the pair came up with the character – and artist Harris Levey, working under the name Lee Harris. Larry debuted in Detective Comics #60 and recurred in that title several times over the following years before fading into obscurity.
The Air Wave moniker was revisited years later in January 1978's Green Lantern #100 by Dennis O'Neil and Alex Saviuk, with the introduction of Harold Jordan, Larry's son – and a cousin to Hal Jordan. He briefly went by the name Maser, but changed back to Air Wave and became a reserve member of the JSA. Although Harold was killed in Infinite Crisis, he was later resurrected as a Black Lantern.
The DC Rebirth-era version of Air Wave offers a fresh take on the character, with a new green suit. Although he doesn't say his name in the issue, Waid has previously confirmed that this is a young Harold Jordan, and his ability to transform into radio waves thanks to his suit is still intact. As we mentioned above, he was instrumental in taking down Waller, but now he appears to have turned traitor for reasons, as yet, unknown.
Inside the new Justice League Watchtower
If you've been following some of the other recent DC books then you'll have already seen the new Watchtower. Still, JLU #1 gives us a handy recap of its locations and abilities.
Taken on a tour of the facility by the Flash, Air Wave briefly visits the Golden Room, a meeting place for the Justice Society, followed by the Robin's Nest – the Watchtower's communications center, overseen by Red Tornado's consciousness. As we saw in The Question: All Along the Watchtower #1 last week Renee Montoya is currently acting as the station's head of security (and seeking out a murderer, though that doesn't come up at all here). The Atom Project, meanwhile, is working to restore the powers that were lost in the wake of Amanda Waller's scheme and we catch a glimpse of the Challengers of the Unknown at work. There's a lot going on in the new Watchtower and it's already become one of the most important locations in the DC universe.
Justice League Unlimited #1 is out now from DC.
Mark Waid reveals how Justice League Unlimited will be the nexus of DC All In.
