Boy howdy. A lot going on here.
As JSA hurdles towards the overarching climax from the first arc, issue #5 begins to wrap up subplots.
JSA #5 continues the tone set in previous issues. Action, character development, secrets revealed, new threads to pull – all packed into one monthly comic book. As Collier Jennings so eloquently stated in his review of JSA #2, this series is a lot to take in.
Every part of the fractured group is represented in this issue, which is different from previous issues where certain characters, like Dr. Mid-Nite in issue #4, were spotlighted.
Hawkman and Hawkgirl continue their trek through the hellworld. Dr. Mid-Nite is still escaping from the Injustice Society. We find out where Obsidian is…somewhat. The Injustice Society finally starts the beginning of the end of their big plan. I enjoyed the new character in the story, introduced as a tease in issue #3, and her choice of dialogue and how a member of the Injustice Society reacts to the rumor of a person with her traits.
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The quick pace makes for a breezy read with how often the comic shifts to different sub-stories, but themes and character development are relegated to the background. Lemire packs as much as he can into each panel and word bubble, but there isn’t enough real estate to make them meaningful.
The themes and character development simmering under the surface are interesting, too! I am enjoying this larger theme of the old ideologies that shaped the JSA clashing with the new age need for conflict. JSA feels very Kingdom Come and fits perfectly into the world they are building. I am on the outside looking in when it comes to the lore of JSA, and some of the moments didn’t have that emotional ‘oomph’ for me since the comic hasn’t provided enough context of what gives them weight. Selfishly, I want more of that, but understandably, character moments are tough to bring to the forefront when running concurrently next to an action movie.
It takes a village to create the world that this creative team has put together. JSA has a Golden Age feel with modern storytelling. Each Injustice Society member has their own unique speech cadences and vocabulary, but they never feel out of place or too campy to take you out of the story. Luis Guerrero’s colors lean more into what would look interesting and help complement the page, such as the skin tones of the demons, which is a Golden Age staple. There is a balance, and the pendulum never swings too far in either direction, which is a testament to the effort put in by Lemire, Olortegui, and Guerrero.
Olortegui keeps up with Lemire’s speedy storytelling. The action scenes are full of dynamic poses and motion. As with the writing, these panels are jam-packed, and he effectively keeps the panels and pages from being overwhelming with a seamless panel flow that makes for an easy reading path. During the quieter moments, Olortegui used over-expressive body language to convey emotions, which I found to be a smart choice. They are doing in two to three panels what other teams would normally use a page or two to show and can’t afford to lose any momentum with subtlety.
Because no review is perfect without a contradiction, I spent many words speaking to the issue being filled to the brim with words and panels, but issue five ends with a lovely, foreboding two-page spread and then a simple, fun splash page.
JSA #5 is a fun piece of the first arc of JSA. The climax inches ever closer, and I can not wait to see the culmination of the soon-to-be interwoven storylines.
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