“We Are Yesterday” Part Two
Writer: Mark Waid, Christopher Cantwell
Artists: Travis Moore
Color Artist: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Review by Bryant Lucas
After years away, the Legion of Doom reforms but this time with time-travel on the brain in this month’s Justice League Unlimited #6.
After acquiring the psychic abilities of the Martian Manhunter, Gorilla Grodd begins executing a masterclass in manipulation. His target? Air Wave, a young, time-displaced hero desperate to belong. Through a cocktail of illusions, telepathic gaslighting, and fabricated medical crises, Grodd convinces the boy that the Justice League has abandoned him. By the time Air Wave learns the truth, he’s already become Grodd’s pawn—feeding intel to the reborn Legion of Doom. What follows is betrayal, revelation, and a gut-punch of a climax that paves the road to all-out war between two super-teams.
Monkey Business and Mind Games
Mark Waid and Christopher Cantwell deliver a script that’s equal parts psychological thriller and superhero blockbuster. The emotional core—Air Wave’s naive yearning for acceptance—grounds the issue’s cosmic scale. Grodd’s manipulation of the young hero is deliciously insidious, never overplayed but methodically constructed, panel by panel. The reveal that Grodd fabricated Air Wave’s illness is as heartbreaking as it is narratively satisfying.
Waid excels at writing villainous intellects, and Grodd is in top form—an orator with a god complex and a laser-focused endgame. The dual narrative structure (past plot setup and present infiltration) clicks seamlessly, and the script’s final act manages to both devastate and escalate without losing its emotional weight. If there’s a critique, it’s that the Justice League themselves feel more reactive than proactive—but given this is Grodd’s issue, it’s a forgivable tradeoff.
Gorilla Warfare: Illustrated
Travis Moore’s pencils are nothing short of phenomenal, perfectly capturing the tonal duality of the issue—tragic manipulation and superpowered spectacle. Grodd’s expressions alone could sell the entire plot: arrogance, faux empathy, menace, and betrayal rendered with subtle brilliance.
Tamra Bonvillain’s colors elevate the book even further. Grodd’s psychic illusions are laced with neon psychedelia, making the mindscapes visually distinct and narratively vital. The fight scenes, especially the cosmic splash pages and final showdown spreads, pop with kinetic energy and crisp detail.
The visual highlight? Air Wave’s tragic realization scene—his green-and-yellow palette literally exploding with emotion as his trust shatters. It’s superhero melodrama at its most effective.
Conclusion
Justice League Unlimited #6 masterfully balances a tight psychological character arc with explosive team-based conflict, setting the stage for a massive supervillain uprising. With Grodd at the height of his powers—both psychic and narrative—the story elevates itself above standard crossover fare.
Final Verdict: Don’t monkey around – Buy the book.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
