Justice League Unlimited Dark Heart

[Dionisio Sechser]

Welldunno why but when i pick Dark Heart as in my nickname never thought of carebear the reason i choose it cause of Justice league xD there is an robot/alien thing call the dark heart which is where i pick up the nickname for me xD but yeah i wouldn't do any care bears wallpapers to begin with, that show give me the creeps just like mlp g3.5 eewwww

Welcome to Adventure(s) Time's 156th installment, a look at animated heroes of the past. This week, an escalation in Justice League Unlimited's ongoing Cadmus story arc and a clever usage of a classic, yet tiny, DC superhero. And if you have any suggestions for the future, let me hear them. Just contact me on Twitter.

Originally airing on December 11, 2004, "Dark Heart" comes from writer Warren Ellis and director Dan Riba. Given Ellis' sensibilities, it's not a huge surprise this is the episode that leans closer to dark science fiction than traditional Jack Kirby-inspired slugfests. That said, "Dark Heart" also happens to feature more Leaguers in action than any previous episode.

"Dark Heart"'s premise has a war machine built by aliens now going haywire. With its original enemies dead, the war machine drifted to other planets and fulfilled its programming -- consuming and destroying all life in its way. We meet this beast in the Nevada desert, where it's positioned on a mesa, not so far away from three neighboring towns. Massive, spider-like robots emerge from the construct and consume the area.

The military fails to contain the threat, which means the stars of the show are called in. This episode introduces General Wade Eiling, soon to be a major player in the show's defining storyline. Eiling's voiced by J. K. Simmons, known by this point as one of the greatest actors to portray blustering bigmouths, thanks to his role as J. Jonah Jameson in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films -- and yet, Simmons wasn't overly active as a voiceover performer in this era. Casting him as General Eiling was a genius move on the producers' part.

The interplay between Eiling and the League is a highlight in an episode not content to coast on a cool concept and an endless sequence of well-animated superheroes unleashing their powers on some Giger-esque monstrosities. When the heroes (truly an army of them) are unable to stop the aliens' advance, the Justice League Watchtower's previously unrevealed Binary Fusion Generator is called upon to burrow a trench around the mesa and give the surrounding towns time to evacuate. We're told the cannon has "the punch of a small nuclear weapon," news that doesn't rest well with General Eiling.

The premise behind Unlimited was to use every DC superhero the producers had contractual access to in stories that hop across various genres. Centering "Dark Heart" on a menace that can't be stopped through physical means might come across as a cheap contrivance to wheel out the Atom for his spotlight episode, but this is honestly a fantastic use of the character. Visually, the Atom immediately stands out, thanks to the subtle polish added to the blue of his costume, inspired by Alex Ross' portrayal of the Atom in the Justice miniseries.

It's Batman who suggests the League call in the Atom, alias Professor Ray Palmer, as the alien tech is reminiscent of developing nanotechnology. There's a quirky introduction sequence that has Palmer inside a petri dish, fighting for his life against a nano-bot monster that's, from his perspective, larger than an automobile.

After arriving in Nevada, he discerns that the alien beast can utilize any form of matter to replicate and repair its army, making this physical fight a futile effort. Their only option is for the Atom to enter its structure and destroy its core programming. So, while dozens of heroes are straining their powers to the limit outside, it's the tiny guy who's going to save the day.

Inside, Atom deduces that if the monstrosity's "Dark Heart" is destroyed, its robot army will lack the raw matter needed to stay operational. Fitting the episode's theme, simply hitting the war machine's control panel won't do the job. Noticing the tubes that feed into its heart, the Atom then squeezes the main arteries, clogging them with fluids. The arteries rupture, creating a flood that consumes the construct. With no incoming directives, the robotic drones deactivate.

The episode's final moments feature the screen dissolving from the war machine's remains to an image of a military helicopter. This is not an unintentional move on the producers' part. Under General Eiling's orders, the war machine's remnants are confiscated for military study. When Wonder Woman asks why, Eiling gives this blunt response: "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because it turns out that the Justice League has had a secret space-based weapon of mass-destruction all along. And we're going to be talking about that someday, believe me."

The revelation of the Binary Fusion Generator cannon, coupled with "Starcrossed"'s Thanagarian invasion and Superman's previous stint as a brainwashed soldier of Apokolips, provides justification for the government's Cadmus conspiracy. To the show's credit, the antagonists are given a defensible point of view. Any responsible defense agency would be foolish not to have contingency plans in place, given the capacity of an organization like the Justice League. (And let's not forget their numbers have swelled from seven to several dozen in only a few months.)

"Dark Heart" is also careful to show the nobility of its heroes, however. The space cannon isn't even used to physically attack the mindless alien menace, but is instead utilized to create a trench that will enable civilians to reach safety. The issue isn't black or white, and that ambiguity will fuel some interesting conflicts.

June 2003's Justice League Adventures #18 shares a similar big picture idea with "Dark Heart" -- a bizarre alien threat has arrived and the only hero who can haul the Justice League out of trouble is the diminutive Atom. "Evano the Terrible" comes from writer Stan Berkowitz, scripter of numerous episodes of the television series, and penciler Chris Jones, one of the best comics artists to work in the DCAU style.

The comic was published during the Justice League cartoon's original run, before the Atom had officially debuted in this continuity and the League's roster stayed at only seven members. Guest stars would routinely appear and have stories based around them, and this issue does feel as if it might've worked as an introductory episode for the Atom. (Although the ending is a little sillier than Justice League tended to get in those early episodes.)

While the Ray Palmer we'll meet in "Dark Heart" works at a Boston-based university, here he operates the "Palmer Institute" in Coast City, traditionally the home of Green Lantern. (The established comics lore has Palmer working at Ivy University in New England's fictional city of Ivy Town.) Palmer has summoned every Leaguer, except for Superman. Only five are present in the story's cryptic opening, however, as Green Lantern was preoccupied and unable to answer Palmer's call.

Palmer's first act upon meeting the League is to zap them with his ray gun. When the team awakens, they find themselves trapped in a strange land and targeted by heavily armed alien creatures. Meanwhile, Superman runs across Green Lantern and both try to discern what on earth Palmer wanted.

Berkowitz establishes his mysteries quickly and, before any answers are given, has Palmer reappear as the Atom and aid the League against the alien army. Eventually, we learn that the shrunken Justice League are inside Superman's body, which has undergone an invasion of microscopic aliens. The Atom had previously picked up the aliens' communications and arranged to have the League situated inside Superman to fight the incursion of the tiny green men.

Having learned that their hated nemesis is a simple toy collector, the aliens vow to find new purpose in life, the League is restored to their true size, and the Atom establishes himself as a reliable League ally. No hints of an impending showdown with governmental powers, here.

"Evano the Terrible" is an admirable self-contained comics story. There are numerous mysteries, moments for each hero to use their unique abilities, and a twist at the end. It's also a story that hinges on having its dramatic buildup subverted by the big revelation, a cute joke that might irritate some readers.

"Dark Heart" has some of the same beats, and the same standout hero, but is clearly coming from a different place. One isn't necessarily "better" than the other; in fact, both play to their mediums quite well. The done-in-one format of the all-ages Adventures comics lends itself to twist endings and an ultimate restoration of the status quo. The ongoing, weekly nature of Unlimited allows for season-long arcs, a storytelling technique the creators embraced in this era, inspired by shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Perhaps the heroes will emerge triumphant at the end, but it's also entertaining to watch them squirm over the course of a year-long, escalating conflict.

It's admirable how well both stories fit their formats, actually. One presents a sunny ending and a promise of new adventures, while the other hints at an impending doom for the heroes. The tones couldn't be more different, but both stories work, a testament to the cleverness of their respective creative teams.

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