JSA #22 – Jeff Lemire, Writer; Diego Olortegui, Artist; Luis Guerrero, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Jeff Lemire is wrapping up his time on this book in only a few issues, and his last big storyline ends this issue – the fate of the Spectre. The avatar of God’s wrath has been seeking a new host, ever since Jim Corrigan moved on, and now it’s seemingly found one – in Yolanda Montez, the grieving, violent second Wildcat out to avenge her father. She’s sought out Queen Kobra and plans to kill her for revenge, but Obsidian is able to get through to her and convince her to back off, letting the Spirit of Vengeance go. There’s just one problem with that – if she won’t kill for the Spectre, someone else will, and as soon as it lets go of Yolanda, it heads into the most ruthless person nearby – the villain. Without Corrigan or another host to rein it in, the Spectre has a simple function to perform, and it doesn’t particularly care if it’s connected to a good person when it does it.
Meanwhile, the team of Kid Eternity, Dr. Fate, Stargirl, and Jakeem Thunder are off in 1940, trying to convince Jim Corrigan to come back and join with the Spectre again. But what they find isn’t exactly the 1940s, and it’s not exactly Jim Corrigan. This segment is a lot quieter than the tug of war over the power in the presence, but no less effective, and it gives them the clue they need for who needs to hold this power. The resolution is a little telegraphed, but it’s a solution that works really well and comes with a whole host of new potential stories that I hope someone will use to their maximum potential once Lemire leaves. He’s done a great job of combining the old-school JSA members with the new Infinity Inc. crew, and creating an era of the JSA that feels a lot more high-stakes than past ones. This franchise has had a pretty great streak of creators since its last revival.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
