Justice Society of America #8 – Geoff Johns, Writer; Mikel Janin, Artist; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: As Geoff Johns winds down his time at DC Comics, he’s weaving a compelling multi-generational saga here that brings his run on the JSA full circle. Huntress, stuck in this timeline, is determined to recreate the team she lost in her timeline. The problem is, that’s mostly villains. Some, like Icicle, are willing to reform. Others, like Solomon Grundy, are very different from the versions she knows. And then there’s Red Lantern, aka Ruby Sokol—a young Russian woman who inherited the power of her long-dead father and is now hunted by the government. She’s killed multiple people in her search for her father, who she’s convinced is alive, and Alan Scott considers her an enemy—so strongly that it’s clear there’s some hidden story there we’re not being let in on. And so, before Huntress can approach Ruby to try to change her, Alan heads over to Russia.
Obviously, this is a story that will primarily play out in Tim Sheridan’s Alan Scott title, as we’re learning more about the Red Lantern with each issue, but Johns created the concept of the character in Stargirl: The Lost Children, and he’s weaving a complex spy thriller out of it. The conversation between Alan and Ruby in a Russian bar hints at a hidden past between Alan and the original Red Lantern. At the same time, the other JSA members are investigating a crime spree by the son of the Harlequin—who may have ties to one of the biggest stories Johns has ever written. And the ending reveals who one of the hidden figures watching the JSA is, and it hints at the return of some of the biggest players missing from the DCU right now. This is a wildly ambitious comic, sometimes so much so that it’s hard to keep track of everything, but it’s quintessential Johns in the best way.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
