Justice Society of America #3 – Geoff Johns, Writer; Mikel Janin, Jerry Ordway, Artists; Jordie Bellaire, John Kalisz, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This title has been plagued by major delays from the start, which has certainly hurt the momentum—but not enough to detract from how compelling this third incarnation of Geoff Johns’ most long-running title is. I’m not sure if the issue is Mikel Janin’s highly detailed art, but if Janin is not able to make the deadlines, the creative team has found an innovative solution—bringing in different artists to illustrate segments set during different timelines. Janin’s segments more directly follow Huntress in the future and present, while the guest artists show how other players factor into it—this month, iconic DC artist Jerry Ordway taking us back to World War II as Sgt. Rock and Easy Company go up against one of the JSA’s deadliest enemies—Per Degaton—and accidentally give the Nazi mad scientist his path to unlimited power in a fast-paced and intense segment that kicks off the issue.
Meanwhile, Huntress knows there’s only one way to potentially save her JSA—and the JSA as a whole—and that’s by going back to the present with the help of Dr. Fate. It’s great to see Johns set this version apart with a more diverse team. While the mainstays including Stargirl, Green Lantern, and Flash are all present, there are some surprising new faces—including the Beth Chapel and Yolanda Montez versions of Dr. Midnight and Wildcat, who gained new popularity when they were reintroduced in the Stargirl TV series. There are a lot of excellent little character beats as this new Huntress—the third version we’ve seen in the last decade—meets the younger versions of her future teammates and the heroes who created the legacy, but there is an intense sense of foreboding over the whole thing. This is the best Per Degaton has been used as a villain in a long time, and this series is definitely worth the longer waits.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
