A mysterious transmission signals not only the first round of DC K.O., but a new mystery for the League! Can Mr. Terrific and his team of time-tossed heroes dig up the truth? Your Major Spoilers review of Justice League Unlimited #12 from DC Comics awaits!

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #12

Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Editor: Paul Kaminski
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 22, 2025

Previously in Justice League Unlimited: As the K.O. tournament begins and the transformation of Earth grows more dire, a strange signal is detected at the heart of darkness at the core of the planet. Mr. Terrific must put together an elite Justice League squad of the most powerful time-displaced heroes from We Are Yesterday to unravel the mystery, and this mission is a one-way ticket. Get ready for a mission to hell and (hopefully) back!

THE TERRIFIC TEN

While the biggest and the baddest are off fighting in the DC K.O. tournament, the other members of the massive Justice League team are working to protect and evacuate darn near everyone on the planet. That’s a difficult enough proposition without idiots doing idiotic things, like robbing a bank. But when The Atom and Batgirl try to stop the Polka-Dot Man from emptying the vaults of Gotham, they find a very cinematic (as in, “suddenly powered like the cinematic Polka-Dot Man from The Suicide Squad“) surprise waiting for them. Mister Terrific puts two and two together and discovers that the answer is 666, surmising that the villains’ power-ups and resulting senseless destruction resemble the events of Underworld Unleashed. With the possibility of demonic intervention offering not only power, but safe haven in Hell for the villains, Mister Terrific gathers a team of time-lost heroes (Aquaman during his hook hand era, Tim “Batman” Drake from Future’s End, the 31st century Doctor Fate from The New Golden Age, Kingdom Come Green Lantern, the 853rd century Owlwoman from DC 1000000, Power Girl of pre-Crisis Earth-2, Electric Blue Superman, a yellow ring-slinging Guy “Warrior” Gardner, and Gold Hawk of planet Andrino, an incarnation of Hawkman) and gives them the straight truth about their existence.

Then he tells them the good news: They may not be the authentic heroes, but they might still be able to make a difference in the battle for the soul of the planet.

THEY MEAN IT LITERALLY

Perhaps the most impressive thing that this comic achieves is making the plight of these heroes feel meaningful and human, despite the story telling us that they’re just sort of temporal echoes. Watching Guy Gardner try to find the woman he loves is moving enough, but we also witness Aquaman getting a glimpse of his future in the form of his daughter, with the added detail of showing us that the death of Arthur Curry, Jr., is still in continuity. Power Girl, for her part, has a few words of wisdom for her future self, while Gold Hawk, Owlwoman, and Doctor Fate have to deal with the reality that their worlds no longer and/or do not yet exist. (It’s not as unifying a sentiment as you might think.) All of it combines for an engaging, character-driven story.

Dan Mora’s art is absolutely wonderful throughout this issue, opening with the chaotic crowd shots of a worldwide evacuation, and only getting more impressive from there. The final image of the story is a full-page splash of Hell itself, rivaling the most terrifying image of the underworld I’ve ever seen. (That, by the way, is the last ten minutes of The Black Hole, Walt Disney Pictures, Rated G. It messed me up when I was 9, and the echoes are still in my mind today.)

BOTTOM LINE: JUST PLAIN EXCELLENT

One of my bigger complaints about so many modern crossovers is the lack of a central perspective, a book that makes it clear that the day-to-day life of Prime Earth is being affected by the various crises. Justice League Unlimited #12 is that book for the latest crossover, showing us the big picture without losing focus on the plots native to this book, sending the Terrific Ten off on a Dirty Dozen-style suicide mission, and keeping my attention with every panel, earning 5 out of 5 stars overall. This is a Waid/Mora production, so I honestly don’t know what reason anyone might have not to read this comic, but if you need another reason? It is excellent.

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