Essentially a continuation of “Justice League,” “Justice League: Unlimited” is a continuation of the earlier series that features DC Comics’ premier super-squad but with some important differences like a wider range of characters and a subtle format change that encourages increased continuity and mostly does away with the two-part episode configuration that characterized the earlier seasons. Despite the box’s title, both Season One and Two are collected on the four DVDs that include all 26 episodes and some nice featurettes about “JL:U” and its philosophical departure from the original series. Viewers will recognize an eclectic mix of voice talents including Mark Hamill, Jeremy Piven and Michael Ironside (who portrays a truly kick-ass Darkseid). The animation is solid but fairly unremarkable; it’s the innovative writing that truly makes this series special.
The primary conflict running through most of the story-arcs involves the strained relationship between the League and those they are sworn to protect. People are understandably uneasy about an army of super-beings orbiting the world in a high-tech space station. This situation becomes exacerbated when it’s revealed that the League has a space-based nuclear beam weapon. The resulting geopolitical intrigue spurs the government to form a top-secret organization called The Cadmus Project, which operates under the time-honored axiom that absolute power corrupts absolutely. The implicit goal of this project is to prepare a response initiative for the day when the Justice League decides to seize power.
The early episodes are a bit too Wonder Woman laden, but even her forays are sometimes worthwhile, specifically when she has to tangle with a pantheon of petulant Greek gods. Later episodes become stronger as the show hits its stride. The Flash has some fantastic one-liners and becomes an unlikely savior. Heroes like Green Arrow and Batman, because they lack augmented powers, have an empathy with humanity that the mightiest among the JL can never really achieve. They provide a nice counterbalance to the League’s borderline neo-con agenda.
It’s said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the future of this comics-based world stands on a knife’s edge. References are made to an alternate reality, where Superman kills Lex Luthor and the newly anointed “Justice Lords” set themselves up as godlike rulers of humanity. As the episodes progress, this alternate reality begins to look more like an inescapable destiny. One that many a comic geek would like to call home.
