Settling In Monument Point

Justice Society of America #49
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Scott Kolins

 

I was a tad dissapointed with the conclusion of this Supertown arc. We new that Jay Garrick was going to the mayor of Monument Point from the beginning/ There real only surprise here was Alan Scott’s new costume (Which I like by the way) and the return of some of the other JSA members. We still don’t know anything about the new characters like Red Beetle but she acts like an old friend when she addresses the JSA. I guess I just want to know who is a part of the team now and who is not.

A Hell Ya Moment

Justice Society of America #48
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Scott Kolins

 

And just when things couldn’t have got any worse for the JSA and Monument Point – the calvary arrives in the form of the All-Stars and other heroes! I suppose this is how the All-Stars will reintegrate with the main book (their own book is getting canceled) and it was a great moment – a definite hell ya moment and I can’t wait to see them kick Doctor Chaos’s ass!

Finally The Whole Roster

Justice Society of America #46
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Mike Norton

 

After being annoyed at the first few issues of Guggenheim’s run, I am happy to say I enjoyed this issue a lot. I think because he actually included all of the current JSA as Obsidian and Mr. America finally show up. The cliffhanger is obviously not what it says it is. I highly doubt Lightning is dead, but I don’t know about the Mayor. Much improved.

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Justice Society of America #43
Written by James Robinson
Art by Jesus Merino

 

This epilogue to the JLA/JSA crossover was pretty damn amazing for a filler epilogue. It is basically a meeting between Obsidian and Alan Scott as they discuss the new world the Statheart is building on the darkside of the moon and how it has become a haven for magical beings of the DC Universe. We get so many obscure name-drops here and one thing I love about Robinson is how he not only brings in obscure old silver age characters but also modern ones too. He respects the entire DC Universe and not just pre-1984 characters like most of the DCU writers now-and-days. Heck we even learn the Monolith is on the moon now. The moments between Alan and Obsidian are great – I loved how Alan asked about Todd’s boyfriend and how happy he is they are still together. I finally understand why Jade and Obsidian can not be near each other and we learn about possible consequences of it – I love Merino’s huge spreads showing these possible events. This city on the moon will be interesting to explore in the future.

Much Better Than The Lightning Saga

Justice League of America #48
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley
Co-Feature by Robinson
Art by Pow Rodrix

 

This is the conclusion of the JLA/JSA crossover that began here and continued here, here, and here. I can’t say I was disappointed with the end of this per say because it was such an epic story. The perfect type of no-holds-barred story that should make an JLA/JSA crossover (And a hell of a lot better then the freaking Lightning Saga) but it left me a little confused as to how Jade fixed everything and why Obsidian and Jade can’t be near eachother anymore. But anyways, I loved every page and loved the moment where the League comes together and realizes they truly are the Justice League now and nothing can stop them. Jesse Quick officially joins here but Jade does not. I suppose she will  next issue. And the back-up was okay too.

The Greatest Green Lantern Working With The League Again

Justice Society of America #42
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley

 

This is part 4 of the JLA/JSA crossover that began here and continued here and here. Action-packed it wasn’t filled with as much plot and great moments as the previous parts – I found that to be a little disappointing but Robinson is still whipping up a fun-filled adventure here and I can’t wait to see how it concludes. Kyle would never be so eager to kill Alan Scott- even if the Guardians thought it was for the best.

Order And Chaos

Justice League of America #47
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley
Co-Feature by Robinson
Art by Pow Rodix

 

This is part 3 of the JLA/JSA crossover that began here and continued here. Oh hell ya Kyle Rayner shows up here! It is great to see him in a JLA book again and they even use his old Green Lantern Logo text! That brought joy to my fanboy heart. As for the entire issue, I felt like the plot didn’t move as quick as it could have and we are at a kind of stand still. I wonder why Doctor Fate is the one holding the JSAers hostage and not the starheart? The narraration boxes also got kind of annoying in this issue where they haven’t bothered me the last few. Maybe Robinson is overdoing them a bit. This story is still as epic and fun as a JLA book should be though and I can’t wait for the next chapter. The back-up actually ties into the main story as now that Red Tornado has been remade nearly indestructibel by Cyborg, he is effected by the starheart. (I mean he is an elemental of the Wind – of course he would be effected, I am surprised I didn’t think of that before)

The Epic Continues

Justice Society of America #41
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley

 

This is part 2 of the JLA/JSA crossover that began here. Part 2 of this epic was just as awesome as the first. Once again Robinson utilizes the DC Universe to the fullest by bringing in obscure characters and such who would have been effected by the starheart. This is a lot of fun and I am having a blast reading it. Bagley’s art is gorgous, it is definitely the best work he has done at DC. I liked how Robinson even had the all-stars appeared because it was beginning to look like the main group never checked up on the all-star group. And the little tidbits such as a meta-ranking scale Mr. Terrific refers to called the “Hoshi scale”. Probably named after Doctor Light. Brilliant. The only thing I thought was strange was the flirtation between Lightning and Mr. America. Isn’t Lightning underage? Weird. It was also great to see Miss Martian and I loved how scary she was in her white Martain form. I can’t wait for the next part!

Shield 9 and 10

The Shield #9
Written by Eric Trautmann
Art by Marco Rudy
Co-Feature by Brandon Jerwa
Art by Michael Avon Oeming

The Shield teams up with the JSA in this issue as Baron Gestapo and new villain Dragonfly attack Happy Harbor. Having him team up with the JSA seems so obvious I am surprised I never thought about it. This was pretty good and it makes me sad the book is ending. I could see The Shield as a member of the JSA. The Fox gets his superhero name in the back-up but decides to give up being Tokyo’s hero only to find his girlfriend murdered. It was rushed but this back-up is still very strong, especially when compared to the previous Inferno back-up.

The Shield #10
Written by Eric Trautmann
Art by Marco Rudy
Co-Feature by Brandon Jerwa
Art by Michael Avon Oeming

Baron Gestapo is defeated along with Dragonfly in the final issue of this series. It is too bad that the Mighty Crusaders isn’t going to be an ongoing because I think it would be more successful then these solo books. I hope the Shield sticks around in the DCU as it has been fun following his adventures. In the Fox back-up the Dragon’s Head is defeated and the mentor is revealed as a villain, it looks like the Fox will be returning to America after this – perhaps as a Mighty Crusader. This was a great back-up.

Happy Ending

Justice Society of America #40
Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Jesus Merino

 

The timeline is restored in this uplifitng issue. Willingham has Mr. Terrific warn the team of the coming attack by the fourth Reich and Obsidian is restored. I loved the moment where he jokes that he is “cured” of being gay to his Dad and the reaction on his Dad’s face – priceless! I gotta hand it to Merino for that use of facial expressions. I like how everything was explained and now the timeline has Obsidian involved in fight with Mordru and we are finally brought to the present time and the start of the JLA/JSA crossover. This was great stuff and I hope Willingham returns as writer after the crossover because his run has been excellent so far. I loved the moment where Mr. Terrific gives the little girl the college fund! And it looks like he is now dating her mom.

Attack Of The Starheart

Justice League of America #45
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley

 

I am sorry but anyone who hates on this book should be beaten. This is a hundred times better then Meltzer or McDuffie’s runs. Robinson utilizes the DC Universe to the fullest and brings in characters and concepts you would never expect. I love it! Dick is the perfect leader for the League and I love Starman and Congorilla and Donna’s happiness. I wonder how long before Jade realizes that Batman isn’t Bruce? She doesn’t know yet right? Robinson does an excellent job of explaining the history of the starheart…although I never knew that it was sentient I do not think. This could be very interesting. I like how he said the Guardians bottled up Black Energy with Green to create the starheart so that is why Obsidian and Jade have different powers. Supergirl’s fight with Power Girl was probably not needed…it seems like they are always fighting and I do not know that I necessarily want her on the team, but I don’t dislike the idea of her joining either. This was great stuff and I can not wait to see where it goes next. Oh and Bagley’s art is pretty great here too.

The Jade Meteor

Justice League of America #44
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley

 

I still think it is mega-strange that they changed the line up after two issues. That is annoying but I do like the current line up and look forward to seeing Jade, Jesse Quick, and Supergirl join the team. Starman’s new look is hot and awesome! Much better then the long hair and trench coat thing he had going. It is great to see Donna Troy all happy. She needed this and I hope she stays in the League for a long time to come. I didn’t expect the meteorite to contain Jade considering she just was on Oa with Kyle how did she end up trapped in a meteorite? I guess we shall see. Robinson’s run continues to impress me.

Future

Justice Society of America #37
Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Jesus Merino

 

The JSA versus the fourth Reich once again in this issue. Seriously this book is just as good as it was under Johns if not better. I love Merino’s art and Willingham’s characterization. The idea of the Fourth Reich is such a comic bookey concept you can’t help but love it – all of these old Archie Comic villains being brought to life is cool too. The Shadow of War is a particularly cool looking villain. I am not sure where this is all going, I am sure that this future can not come to past. It was definitely cool to see a grown up Jaime Reyes though.

I Am Happy For Donna

Justice League of America #43
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley

 

Not really sure why DC had certain members like Starfire and Mon-El join just to leave one or two issues later…kind’ve bad planning on their part but oh well I am enjoying Robinson’s run so far and this is no different. I loved to see Donna and Congorilla feeling so happy to be on the League! It’s refreshing to see someone be excited about it for a change. Donna needed to find her place somewhere and I like that Robinson is giving it to her. Please keep her around for a while. Did Donna always have a lasso though? I will have to look that up. I love that Starman is staying in the book and I think this cast really works so far. There was a lot of action and characterization – in fact really the perfect balance for the league. The narration boxes are utilized much better then Meltzer ever did and hey at least everyone has code names. There were some minor continuity troubles – this takes place after Blackest Night yet Green Arrow acts like J’onn and Aquaman are still dead. Not to mention Black Canary should have been in that flashback scene as well but those are just minor complaints in what was an enjoyable issue.

Forced Split

Justice Society of America #33
Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges
Art by Jesus Merino

The team splits into two teams this issue after defeating the villains who attacked and destroyed the Brownstone. I still feel the split is forced even though the JSA did fail at this mission. All-American Kid turns out to be the evil villain Kid Karnevil which was a cool twist. We still don’t know who was behind the attack from the villains or why Kid Karnevil wanted Obsidian in egg-form so this really wasn’t a conclusion, but it was a fun ride, even if the split seems forced. But the question still remains: where the fuck are Atom Smasher, Sandman, and Jakeem Thunder?!

Interesting Way To Start A Run

Justice Society of America #29
Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges
Art by Jesus Merino

This was certainly an interesting way for Willingham and Surges to begin their run on this title. Hell I don’t even care if Mr. Terrific is really dead, he is an annoyingly overused character anyways. (I am sure a lot of people will hate me for saying that but it’s how I feel), I just hope that Obsidian doesn’t turn out to be the bad guy here. That has been done too many times before and we don’t need another gay villain, especially when there is a conservative writer on board this series. The best thing about this issue has to be Merino’s art. I think he is a worthy successor to Dale Eaglesham. I would have also liked to see Power Girl…you know…act like a leader. But it’s not like Johns wrote her like she was the leader of this team either. The new characters, All-American Kid and King Chimera are interesting and I look forward to learning about them.

Nothing Special

Justice Society of America #27
Written by Jerry Ordway
Art by Ordway

You know you would think after writing this title with Johns in the last arc Ordway would know to draw Judomaster as an Asian women, you can blame her hair on the colorist but she definitely did not have Asian features here. I am not sure who the threat is that they are facing. The idea of spirits that hate America is kind of lame but it might work. We shall see what the next issue brings. Otherwise, this was an okay fill in issue. Nothing special.