The New Golden Age of DC Comics continues, and we finally get to see Degaton go up against this modern version of the Justice Society of America. Last issue, we were left with a cliffhanger as Degaton arrived to kill off this team, and this series has been building up that confrontation. Many pages have been devoted to Degaton’s slaughter of these heroes, and from the preview, you can see it doesn’t stop. How wild is it to see that image of the original JSA broken and defeated at their first meeting? Luckily the art and action continue as Geoff Johns teams with Mikel Janin and Jerry Ordway to give us this new installment.
I know the wait between issues is a bit much, so for those reading the issues as they come out, the recap by Huntress will be helpful to catch things up and put us in the fight. The opener with Deadman, Detective Chimp, and Madame Xanadu is fun, and I love the quick teases we get from the scene. I am curious about where the teasers come from. Can they be from the magic in Xanadu’s place, or does the snow globe have more power than we know? Either way, I am excited to see what will come from mentioning Eclipso, Sandman, and the Witch Girl.
I was surprised at how fast the issue went. The big confrontation with Degaton and the JSA lasted only eight pages, and I hope that is not the end of their story for this arc. Their showdown has been building since the New Golden Age one-shot, and I felt cheated for this to have gone so quickly. Not to sell it short, as there are some great scenes from it, and the way Huntress narrates through it is fun, but it would’ve been more epic if it had gone a long distance. There are some interesting reveals from what happens to Degaton, and I hope there is more exploration of where he goes. I am curious about the year and how many others are there too.
The better parts of the issue are the parts before and after the battle. I like getting some character interaction and building, especially with Doctor Midnite, Elizabeth Chapel, and Wildcat, Yolanda Montez, and how their new resurrections have tied in with the recent Lazarus Planet event. It will be interesting to explore more of Huntress and Power Girl’s friendship. I know continuity is out of sync right now, but I don’t believe these two versions know each other well, or at least from Power Girl’s perspective, as she isn’t from the same time as Huntress. The end page will cause some chatter online as it is a wild moment and meeting.
While it was a fast issue, it did help to push the characters forward and drop some new plot lines for future stories. I appreciate those new ideas, but would prefer a more vital conclusion to previous plot lines as it would help make things feel complete. There are so many “spinning plates” that it is hard to remember everything happening. The shared spotlight did help and is much needed – this is a society of heroes, after all. Hopefully, after the next issue, Huntress’s story can conclude, the team can get more of a focus, and maybe some of those Watchmen elements can be revisited and resolved.
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