Jeff Lemire and Diego Olortegui begin the “Götterdämmerung” storyline in JSA #9, which is actually a continuation of “Ragnarök,” as evidenced by the German title of the same word. Picking up where “Ragnarök” left off in JSA #6, JSA #9 finally begins to deliver some answers to the previous arc’s biggest burning questions:
Where did Jakeem Thunder and Obsidian end up? Why did they both end up in the same place despite different circumstances inducing their comas? When is the JSA going to find out they’ve been infiltrated by Johnny Sorrow? Why did Scandal Savage join the Injustice Society? These are all questions that are at the forefront of JSA #9, as the villainous team’s plans begin to finally take shape.
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One thing that works really well in JSA #9 is how evenly divided each storyline is in the form of a “chapter” so that each character gets their moment to shine. Beth Chapel and Scandal Savage engage in a fight about legacy, Jakeem and Obsidian work together to figure out what dimension they ended up in, Alan Scott has a heart-to-heart with his daughter Jade about leadership, and Khalid Nassour tries to ease Yolanda Montez’s self-hatred over an impulsive kill that she feels tarnished Ted Grant’s legacy as Wildcat. This format helps keep the storyline character-centric without losing sense of the plot.
The plot is another thing that’s well-structured throughout JSA #9. Not only is Lemire continuing to build on the threads he established since JSA #1, but the individual story arcs are finally starting to converge at a point – more specifically, every individual team member is now finally catching on to the Injustice Society’s plot, which catches some of them completely off guard. This helps to raise the stakes as the Justice Society begins to realize they have been played by their greatest enemies in a rather insidious way.
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Another thing that works really well is how the Injustice Society’s plot is revealed, which is building on the events of the standalone story featured in JSA #8. Not only does it more strongly connect the two storylines, but it showcases an effective use of a “flashback episode.” In this case, the standalone story set in the Justice Society’s past serves to contextualize the Injustice Society’s larger goals.
Instead of plotting to overthrow the Justice Society the way former ISA member, Per Degaton, attempted to do in Geoff Johns’ and Mikel Janín’s recent JSA run, they’re actually plotting an invasion. They’re also counting on these otherworldly invaders eliminating their enemies for them so that they can move on to the next part of their plan. This continues to build on Lemire’s use of other dimensions to challenge the Justice Society heroes in new and exciting ways.
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While JSA #9 has many solid character moments that fans will find engaging, one development that sticks out as an odd choice is the reason that’s established for Scandal Savage joining the Injustice Society. This is largely due to the fact that her motivations do not align with the character’s history or development from her Secret Six days under Gail Simone. While Lemire appears to be building off of her mini arc in the 2023 Batman event, Gotham War, her role in that event also contradicted where her character left off in Simone’s New 52 Secret Six run.
The last time fans saw Scandal in Secret Six, she was living happily with her two wives and was even expecting a baby. Since then, there’s been no follow-up to what her life has been before Gotham War to explain her sudden heel turn. The other development that strikes as odd for Scandal in JSA #9 is her being upset about being “defined” by the legacy of her father, Vandal Savage. Father issues have never really a driving force in Scandal’s past storylines, at least not beyond her acknowledging her father. This is largely due to the fact that the Secret Six has been – by all accounts and purposes – her found family.
While Scandal’s OOC characterization raises more questions than answers, JSA #9 remains a solid read for the most part. This is largely due to the Injustice Society’s storyline largely building momentum, and because Lemire finds ways to give each major JSA hero their moment in the spotlight. Another thing that makes JSA #9 a highly engaging read is the artwork by Diego Olortegui, which continues to be highly expressive and conveys very fluid motion. His panel layouts also help guide the eye in a way that gives the story a natural flow. All in all, JSA continues to be a must-read comic in everyone’s DC pull list.
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