Issue #3 of the current Justice Society of America series is finally here and is helping to move things along, but you will also find yourself with some questions and quite the cliffhanger. We are treated to two artists in this issue for some fantastic flashbacks that will help new readers discover who Per Degaton is, and for the modern segments, we get to see who is part of the JSA, post-Dark Crisis. There is some emotional torment for the characters that make for great entertainment, great guest stars from all across the DCU, and the stage is set for quite the showdown. Let’s dive into the new issue to see how it carries the New Golden Age of DC Comics forward.
One of the fun things about this new Justice Society of America series is the variant covers. We are treated to a JSA variant of that team by one of the artists of that series, Stephen Sadowski. That line-up and his art are some of the best nostalgia bits for fans, and it is great to see him drawing more, and on his social media, he mentions that he will be doing more down the road too. The opening art is by Jerry Ordway, and I love that he is on this book handling the flashbacks – having two different artists cover the different eras of the book adds depth to the difference in periods. In Ordway’s section, we are treated to some wartime heroes of the DCU, and I was shocked to learn of Sgt. Rock’s death and relation to WWII.
This issue moved things along at a better pace than previous issues. I like that Huntress, Helena Wayne, finally meets up with the modern version of the JSA; Geoff Johns uses that as a great way to introduce his post-Dark Crisis line-up and explain some of the characters’ returns back in Doomsday Clock. This was a welcomed bonus regarding the returns of Beth Chapel’s Doctor Mid-Nite and Yolanda Montez’s Wildcat. This makes me very interested in the event as I wonder if it was just Johns capitalizing on the publication schedule or if their return was changed to fit that schedule. Along with those explanations, Helena’s assessment of the characters was excellent and hinted at other “JSA-ers” being saved.
Mikel Janin and Jordie Bellaire get to play on the stage big time in this issue. Janin covers the modern-day interactions and gets some great action scenes as the modern JSA fights a league of Bizzaros. While Geoff Johns used that segment as Helena’s views on the JSA members, this is where the art shines to showcase their powers. The part with Jay Garrick’s Flash is highly energized and has a funny reference to Action Comics #1. Bellaire’s colors are a fantastic way to make superpower effects look bold and dynamic. While this issue features more and moves things forward, I was not looking forward to another cliffhanger ending, but I will admit that it has a promise of an action-packed next issue.
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