JSA Classified #12

May 22, 2006

Quick Rating: Good
Title: The Fall and Rise of Vandal Savage Part Three

It’s Vandal Savage versus Green Lantern – for the last time?

Writer: Stuart Moore
Pencils: Paul Gulacy
Inks: Jimmy Palmiotti
Colors: I.L.L.
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover Art: Paul Gulacy
Publisher: DC Comics

In a way, I’ve been slightly disappointed in this series. One of the cool things about JLA Classified is that the creative teams have permission to go to any era of the Justice League, but in JSA Classified, the book is rooted in current continuity. For the world’s first superhero team, that just seems like a wasted opportunity. On the other hand the current arc, featuring a dying Vandal Savage plotting revenge against his greatest foe, the Golden Age Green Lantern, has been a pretty darn good one.

Savage, dying, remembers a fateful encounter with own daughter as Alan – who recently lost his own child – races to confront the villain with an old friend. Savage, however, has been around for millions of years, and even as he faces his final, imminent death, he’s got something up his sleeve.

Moore has done a pretty good job with this arc. I’m a big fan of Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern for those embroiled in the endless Hal/Kyle debate, and it’s nice to see him get something of a spotlight. However, he’s still technically the antagonist this issue, as the focus is squarely on Vandal Savage, one of the most interesting villains in the DCU. Part of me doesn’t believe they’ll actually kill him off, but then, they haven’t even finished counting the bodies from Infinite Crisis yet, so what would one more be?

Moore’s story is fine, but I’m slightly disappointed in Paul Gulacy’s artwork. He doesn’t quite have the right sensibilities for the sci-fi and magical aspects of the two lead characters – the panels look somewhat awkward, and the revelation of a monster towards the end isn’t as grotesque as it should be – the creature winds up looking like a cross between X-Statix’s Doop and Mr. Potato Head.

Overall, this has been a solid arc weighed down by less-then-stellar artwork. Gulacy, to my liking, is better suited for street-level characters like his run on Catwoman.

Rating: 7/10

JSA: Strange Adventures #4

November 15, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: All in Color For a Dime

His offer to humanity rejected, Lord Dynamo attacks!

Writer: Kevin J. Anderson
Breakdowns: Barry Kitson
Finishes: Gary Erskine
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Peter J. Tomasi
Cover Art: John Watson
Publisher: DC Comics

Lord Dynamo had a simple offer to mankind – medicine, technology, art, music… enough to advance the human race immeasurably. And all he wanted in return was Green Lantern’s ring and Starman’s cosmic rod. Mankind was ready to give it, too, until Johnny Thunder made an impassioned plea to save his friends. He won. He convinced them.

But Lord Dynamo doesn’t take rejection very well.

I’ve really enjoyed this series. The Justice Society of America in World War II is one of the most fertile storytelling environments in comics and Kevin J. Anderson has done a fine job with these characters. He knows them, he understands them, and he’s doing interesting things with them.

This is clearly Johnny Thunder’s series, with the book focusing on him and his job as the JSA historian and his aspirations to be a writer. If there’s one flaw in this issue, it’s how Anderson sets up a lot of the drama around the fate of a certain character. Look, this story takes place in the past and it’s not an Elseworlds. We know the fate of these characters already. There’s not that much drama to be had there.

Kitson and Erskine do pretty good work on the artwork, although not quite as strong as Kitson does when he does full pencils himself instead of just breakdowns. John Watson’s cover, however, is simply beautiful. He captures all of the characters in a dark moment for them. I’d hang this cover on a wall.

I’m really digging this title. I can’t wait to see where it goes. And I hope Anderson has a few more classic JSA stories in his future.

Rating: 8/10

JSA #60

April 12, 2004

Quick Rating: Excellent
Title: Redemption Lost Part One

An old evil returns, a Spectre wrestles with his own demons, and all heroes tackle matters of faith.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Don Kramer & Tom Mandrake
Inks: Keith Champagne & Tom Mandrake
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Ethan Van Sciver
Publisher: DC Comics

Geoff Johns jumps into some surprisingly weighty issues in this issue. Dr. Mid-Nite, Mr. Terrific and even the staunchly scienfitic Atom (who seems to be a part-time member of the JSA considering how often he’s popped up here lately) all wind up talking rather openly about prayer, religion, faith and redemption. Dr. Mid-Nite is struggling to solve the murder of one of his many operatives while Terrific and the Atom search the timestream for the lost Hourman. It’s a strong story that doesn’t shy away from very frank discussions of religion, and it is to Johns credit that he discusses all sides of the debate without maligning characters who believe in the Church or chilling those who don’t. It is, simply put, a story that is very respectful of different philosophies, and that’s something that is sadly rare.

That said, it’s still a superhero comic and we still get plenty of action. The first Hourman seems to be throwing himself back into the superhero game to keep from having to think of his time-lost and possibly dying son or the wife that believes he is already dead. The Spectre, for his part, is in real trouble, something that isn’t easy to do with a character that powerful, and it is his story that propels this first issue of a new story arc.

Kramer and Champagne do a very good job on the artwork. In some of his earlier issues, Kramer’s work was kind of sketchy and struggled to fit the characters. He seems to have overcome those hurtles. A big plus in the art side, however, is the three-page prologue featuring the original Spectre and Mr. Terrific, drawn by Tom Mandrake, perhaps the best Spectre artist ever. When I saw the green ghoul’s entrance on page two, I had to flip ahead to the credits to make sure it was him. It was a welcome surprise and made this issue even more fun.

It isn’t easy to weigh action and spandex with discussions of God and the afterlife, but Geoff Johns does it beautifully. Month in and month out, this is the best superhero comic book on the stands. This month is no exception.

Rating: 10/10

JSA: Strange Adventures #2

September 13, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Ray Guns and Bug-Eyed Monsters

Lord Dynamo makes an intriguing offer to the people of Earth – and Johnny Thunder prepares to chronicle it.

Writer: Kevin J. Anderson
Pencils: Barry Kitson
Inks: Gary Erskine
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Peter J. Tomasi
Cover Art: John Watson
Publisher: DC Comics

The second issue of this World War II-era Justice Society adventure wasn’t quite as strong as the first, but it gets saved by a very good twist at the end.

Johnny Thunder has a new job – the official chronicler of the JSA in the pages of Amazing Stories magazine. As he’s having a story conference with the “real” writer he’s paired up with, a zeppelin of Nazi cyborgs swoops in for the attack, and the JSA goes on the offensive.

It sounds like a goofy premise, and the story itself is kind of goofy as well. Fun, but still goofy, and the fight scene in the first half of the book is a bit clichéd, but later Lord Dynamo, the evil genius who planned the attack on the team, makes the people of the planet Earth a very tempting offer. What he offers to Earth gives you a pretty good idea of his origins (if he’s telling the truth), and what he asks in return is pretty clever, something that can really be milked in future issues and propel the story forward.

Barry Kitson is great, one of the best superhero artists working in comics today, and on projects like Empire he’s shown a lot of skill at science fiction concepts as well. (I am literally giddy that he and Mark Waid will be taking over Legion of Super-Heroes in a few months.) This is a book that combines Kitson’s strengths – Anderson has created a very good mixture of old-fashioned superheroics and classic pulp fiction sci-fi elements, and if there are better artists to get that feeling across, I just don’t know who that is.

I didn’t quite love this issue as much s I did the first, but Anderson redeemed himself towards the end and he should be able to go even further in the next four issues. The JSA in World War II, when done right, is some of the most fertile storytelling ground in comics, and there’s lots of room here to grow.

Rating: 7/10

Hawkman (2002 Series) #23

January 1, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title:Black Reign Part Two

The Justice Society visits Hawkman in St. Roch for his birthday, unaware of the violent actions their former teammates are taking in the middle east.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Rags Morales
Inks: Michael Bair
Colors: John Kalisz
Letters: Bill Oakley
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: John Watson
Publisher: DC Comics

The JSA/Hawkman crossover continues, and the only people likely to be disappointed are Hawkman fans. This is a fantastic issue, but the title character is barely in it – this would have been a stronger issue if DC had printed this as JSA #56 and that issue as Hawkman #23 – granted, Hawkman isn’t in that issue either, but neither is anyone else in the JSA, and it would serve as a stronger prologue.

This criticism is only valid for people who read only Hawkman and not both titles, however – people reading both, or even people who only read JSA and are only getting this issue for the crossover, will have nothing but praise. The team goes down to the city of St. Roch (a veiled New Orleans clone) during a time of “celebration” (it’s Mardi Gras, folks). Johns uses this setting to give us a peek into the personalities of many of the characters — Wildcat loves it, Green Lantern is uncomfortable and Dr. Mid-Nite tries to help people who may not have realized they needed help. There’s a great subplot with Hourman talking to his late father, the first Hourman (via a device that will allow him one hour total to speak to his father in a time-pocket before he dies). We also get very good scenes with Power Girl, Stargirl, Captain Marvel and the Flash. Even Hawkman gets a good scene – the only problem is that, in his title, his moment doesn’t come until the very end. Oh, but what a moment it is.

Rags Morales is a fantastic artist, and he gets a lot of great scenes in this book – including Hawkman’s brief battle with a nameless old man trying to make himself into a supervillain and an absolutely fantastic last page. It’s a terrible shame that Morales will be leaving this title soon, and one can only hope DC has an artist with half his talent lined up to take his place.

I’m deducting one point from the overall score because I feel this book may let down Hawkman fans – but fans of both titles, like myself, should add a point and not hesitate to pick it up. It’s great superhero storytelling.

Rating: 7/10

JSA #55

December 7, 2003

Quick Rating: Excellent
Title: Be Good For Goodness’ Sake

The old guard of the Justice Society pays a Christmas Eve visit to an old friend.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Leonard Kirk
Inks: Keith Champagne & Wade Von Grawbadger
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino & Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics

I love this comic book. I love this more than my next 30 minutes of oxygen. I would buy a bushel of this book and give it out as Christmas presents if I thought everybody I knew would get what makes it so great. This is one of the sweetest, most joyful comic books I have read all year, but the only people who will get it will be people like me, who love the old-school, Golden Age superheroes more than anything else, who thinks of Allen Scott and Jay Garrick as the definitive Green Lantern/Flash team, and who misses those characters who have faded into the background.

Green Lantern, Flash, Wildcat and Hawkman spend every Christmas Eve visiting an old friend, once a comrade-in-arms, who has been sadly absent from the DCU for far too long. I can’t tell you the identity of this friend without spoiling the issue, but suffice it to say when I realized who it was, I literally cheered. And I don’t care if I am the only one.

This is a beautiful, self-contained, one-issue story that every JSA or Golden Age fan needs to read.

Leonard Kirk makes a fill-in return to the title he sadly had to depart four issues ago, and for my money, he’s always welcome back. He draws the classic heroes better than anyone in the business these days, and if a new creative team for Hawkman hasn’t been decided on yet, the editor should take a long, hard look in Kirk’s direction.

I can’t say enough good things about this comic book. JSA, month in and month out, is one of the most solid superhero titles on the market. This issue is a Christmas present for fans who remember a time when heroes were pure and innocent, when “grim and gritty” had not yet become part of our vocabulary, and when the silliest of concepts made for the purest of spirits.

Rating: 10/10

JSA #54

November 9, 2003

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Virtue, Vice and Pumkpin Pie

The Justice Society and Justice League again try to enjoy a Thanksgiving without incident. It wouldn’t be much of a story if they succeeded, would it?

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Don Kramer
Inks: Keith Champagne
Colors: John Kalisz
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino
Publisher: DC Comics

In a sort-of-sequel to last year’s JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice graphic novel (which is not required reading for this issue), the two superhero teams, along with several members of their extended families, again come together in the hopes of a peaceful Thanksgiving dinner. Johns takes a real chance in this issue, splicing scenes of straight comedy in with scenes of real character development and progression of several subplots. It makes for a highly entertaining read. Some scenes, such as the interaction between Impulse and Jakeem Thunder (this issue clearly takes place before the current Teen Titans series, which is a little odd since Johns writes both books, but that’s a minor quibble) are laugh out loud funny. Some, like Stargirl’s reaction to the seating arrangements, make you smack your forehead in exasperation.

Some are just really good – Dr. Mid-Nite’s confrontation with Black Canary, the obvious attraction between Hourman and Jesse Quick… the big plus this title has over its sister book, JLA, is that Johns is the sole custodian of most of these characters, and therefore has much more freedom to develop them as characters, delve into their personal lives, and tell really great stories. Even with that particular handcuff on him, this book makes me wish DC would give him a crack at the regular JLA title.

Kramer’s artwork is good, but seeing the artwork of the original Virtue and Vice team of Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino on the cover makes you wish they could have done the whole book. Their work on Arrowsmith these days is spectacular, and they really should be full-time on a major title.

Holiday-themed comics always run the risk of becoming too schmaltzy. This one doesn’t. It just tells a good, sweet and solid superhero comedy.

Rating: 8/10

JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice

July 30, 2005

JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice (DC Comics)
by David Goyer, Geoff Johns & Carlos Pacheco

For superhero neophytes, here it is in a nutshell — the JSA were the first superhero team ever. These days it is comprised of elder statesmen like the original Flash, Green Lantern and Wildcat guiding younger second-generation heroes like the new Star-Spangled Kid and Mr. Terrific. The JLA made up of the current superhero top dogs, featuring Superman, Batman, the current Flash and GL and the like. In this tale the two teams gather for what they hope will become a Thanksgiving tradition, only to have their celebration thrown into turmoil when members of the two teams are possessed by the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. (You’ve heard of `em, right? Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Pride, Envy and Greed?) The possessed members dispatch their teammates and go on a rampage, leaving the others to try to free themselves, save their friends and find out who’s behind this madness.

While a knowledge of DC Comics continuity helps, it is by no means a necessity to read this book. Goyer and Johns have written brilliant interpretations of the JSA for years now, and in this book they prove they can handle the JLA as well. Not only that, they can balance the two teams, giving each hero his or her moment in the sun, and utilize and develop not one, but three villains (not counting the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man) in a story worthy of the best these teams have to offer.

The artwork by Carlos Pacheco is brilliant. Superman looks strong, Captain Marvel looks innocent, every hero and heroine is perfect, and the double-page spread near the climax of the reunited heroes storming into battle is something I’d frame and hang on any wall.

This book is the best these heroes have been treated in years. Here’s hoping Goyer, Johns and Pacheco grace us with another one soon.

Rating: 9/10

JSA: Strange Adventures #3

August 14, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night…

Johnny Thunder has a new job –to tell the world the exploits of the Justice Society!

Writer: Kevin J. Anderson
Pencils: Barry Kitson
Inks: Gary Erskine
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: John Watson
Publisher: DC Comics

Any time we delve into the World War II-era adventures of the Justice Society of America is a good thing, and acclaimed science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson does a nice job setting up a really clever series. Johnny Thunder is a fan of pulp magazines, such a big fan that he’s been writing up the adventures of the JSA and submitting them to Amazing Stories only to meet with rejection after rejection… until the editor sees his sales slip and thinks the real-life tales of the JSA may be just what the magazine needs to win their audience back.

Meanwhile, a few nasty characters in Gotham City try to take over the airwaves of a APEX radio, unaware that Green Lantern is the engineer there. GL and Starman take on the villains in a dandy little fight sequence sure to satisfy people who get a little bored by the middle segment.

Not that I expect anyone to be bored – the idea of Johnny Thunder trying to write pulp science fiction is a hysterical one and Anderson executes it very well. He peppers the comic with references to real magazines and real writers, which helps to ground it a bit, but also gives the issue the same sort of flair that many of the current Julius Schwartz DC Comics Presents specials have.

Barry Kitson is one of the most solid superhero artists out there, and he does a fantastic Justice Society. From the nasty monster they fight in the early sequence of the book to Green Lantern and Starman’s fight, this is a energetic comic, made even better by fantastic coloring work by Hi-Fi.

Some people may not care to delve back into the Golden Age, but I’m not one of them. I love stories like this, I love the classic Justice Society, and I love the fact that Anderson and Kitson are doing them so well in the first issue of this miniseries.

Rating: 8/10

JSA #59

March 8, 2004

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Time and Time and Time Again

Degaton joins the Justice Society on a time-bouncing trip through their lives.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Sean Philips
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Ethan Van Sciver and John Kalisz
Publisher: DC Comics

After three issues of messing around with Hawkman, JSA is back with a fantastic done-in-one issue that progresses the storylines of nearly every member of the team and sets up a lot of things for the future.

Degaton, a time-traveling villain the older members of the JSA have faced in the past, returns to torment the various heroes over the course of one day, teasing them with horrific descriptions of their futures and, in some cases, their past. Everything gets covered in this issue — Flash confronts Captain Marvel over his relationship with Stargirl, Dr. Fate makes an important decision due to the return of his wife, and Hourman desperately searches for a way to pierce the timestream himself to rescue his son, who traded places with the old man after being critically injured in the “Black Reign” storyline.

The things Degaton says are chilling – while he most certainly can’t be considered an unbiased, legitimate source of information, if the things he hints at are even partially true then Geoff Johns has some incredible storylines in the works over the next few years (and there is enough packed into this issue to last a few years). The last scene is particularly heartrending, and I for one hope that it doesn’t end that particular storyline, because it’s been a favorite of mine.

One thing that isn’t at the top of the game in this issue, however, is the artwork. It’s surprising to say this about a book where all the pencils and inks are done by the same person, but it’s wildly uneven here. It looks as though Sean Philips was inked by a half-dozen other people – some scenes look like clips of a Bruce Timm animated series, others resemble Sal Buscema’s art, and some are just kind of sketchy and rough. It gives the reader the impression that the issue was done rather quickly, and doesn’t serve it well.

The art isn’t terrible, though, and a fantastic story makes this a must-read issue for any JSA fan – and if you haven’t been reading this book, this is the issue to come on board. The future, as they say, is now.

Rating: 9/10