Justice Society of America #1 – Geoff Johns, Writer; Mikel Janin, Artist; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Geoff Johns has been writing the JSA and adjacent characters for over twenty years now, and even more impressively, this is the third relaunch he’s been involved in! Of course, this one may be even more significant as this is finally the return of the original superhero team to DC continuity after the events of the New 52. It’s been a complicated time—and it’s about to get even more complicated. Spinning out of the events of The New Golden Age #1, this story focuses on Helena Wayne—the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, and seemingly not the same one we followed in Tom King’s work. The implication here seems to be that she’s adopted a short time in the future, and that in eight years Batman will be murdered—and she will eventually follow in his footsteps. But the Justice Society she eventually puts together to honor him is composed of villains, and she has a tense relationship with team leader Power girl.
But things only get more chaotic from there, as Huntress and her motley crew of reformed villains—including JSA mainstays Gentleman Ghost and Icicle Jr.—soon get pulled into a major new mystery. Khalid Nassour, the Doctor Fate of this timeline, has gone missing—and his eventual fate is discovered and raises more questions than it answers. We saw a mysterious villain stalking the JSA through time in the previous one-shot, and when he strikes here, it’s clear just how dangerous he is. It doesn’t seem like we’ll actually be following this version of the JSA for long, as Huntress soon finds herself catapulted into another time and place. This works brilliantly in connection with the recent Stargirl: The Lost Children #1, as the answers about exactly what happened to the Justice Society start becoming clear. This may be a very busy issue, with a little too much going on, but it’s a classic JSA issue as he returns to the first franchise he impacted.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
