JSA All-Stars 17 and 18

JSA All-Stars #17
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie Williams III

This book and the main JSA book really could have benefited from having those boxes explaining each character that shows up like they have in Legion books. It is very helpful and would bring in new readers. That being said, story-wise I enjoyed this issue as a man named “The Prince”shows up claiming he comes from an alternate timeline where he is a member of the Justice Society and no one believes him but the last panel makes it look like he is telling the truth. I can’t say I enjoyed the art of Williams III here which is still too cartoony for my tastes and for this title.

JSA All-Stars #18
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie Williams III

This is the final issue of JSA All-Stars in which the Prince is revealed to be extremely powerful and almost destroys the world before being defeated by Roxy. Who luckily survives! But other than that it wasn’t really that great of an ending and I imagine it was rushed due to a surprise that the series was ending. I have to say that Sturges created some great characters in this run and I hope to see them elsewhere in the DCU.

Roxy Forever

JSA All-Stars #16
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie E. Williams II

 

Um I loved this issue! Roxy has quickly become my favorite thing to come out of this book – well tied with Anna Fortune and I was worried about what would happen to her with this book ending. Well sure enough we flash forward to the 852rd century and she is still around helping Hourman Matthew Tyler out. Awesome! There were a lot of great moments here. The art still bugs me sometimes though.

All-Stars 14 and 15

JSA All-Stars #14
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie E. Williams II

 

I am really falling in love with the character of Anna Fortune! I can’t wait to learn more about her. It was great to see the Robot Hourman – Matthew Tyler – again! I loved him in JSA and I really miss him. What a great character. This storyline already has grabbed my interest.

JSA All-Stars #15
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie E. Williams II

 

I am not sure what that ending implied? But I suppose it’s important that she says “Weird Skin”. Still enjoying this arc so far and the Puzzlemen are quite – well – literal.

Memory Wipe

Power Girl (Volume 2) #19
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Sami Basri

 

I liked that the JSA All-Stars actually believed Power Girl about Maxwell Lord. I mean she is their proven leader and they would have no reason to doubt her – I feel like a lot of writers would have went there though so I am glad Winick did not. It’s too bad even PeeGee forgets about Lord soon after. One thing that kind of bothered me is that Power Girl was a member of Justice League Europe and probably didn’t have many adventures with Fire, Ice, and the rest of Justice League America but I can buy that they had a few. Anyways, this was a really good issue as Winick has really made the whole Generation Lost plotline pretty epic and the surprise success of the brightest day line. We need to see Terra soon though.

Bones

JSA All-Stars #13
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Howard Porter

 

This was a crazy goofy end to this arc as everything gets set right – the clones are real girls who have been altered to look like Cyclone by nanites and all get set back except well, Cyclone has the wrong bones…weird. Power Girl decides not tell her. It was all well and good and fun nothing really else to say about it.

Cylone Clones

JSA All-Stars #12
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Howard Porter

 

Maxine is powerless and finds herself walking into a still powered version of herself in her dorm room – and they don’t know who the real Cyclone is. I have no idea what is going on here but it was an amusing issue especially if you are fan of Cyclone like I am. Not much else to say about it.

False Infinitors

JSA All-Stars #11
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie E. Williams II
Co-Feature by Jen Van Meter
Art by Travis Moore

Meh Sturges’s writing is still good but I am annoyed with Williams’s art again. Why draw Huntress into the group shot of Infinity Inc when she doesn’t fucking exist in modern continuity?! Does this book not have an editor? That kind of stuff really annoys me because I am a fan and I can get it straight why can’t the professionals. Plus I am not a huge fan of Williams’s art to begin with. The relationship between Atom Smasher and Anna Fortune as well as King Chimera and Cyclone are really great though and I am still enjoying the story if not the art. The back-up was much better how adorable is it that Icicle and Tigress had a baby together!

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.

Blood Aflame With The Light Of The Sun

JSA All-Stars #10
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie E. Williams II
Co-Feature by Jen Van Meter
Art by Travis Moore

 

The main story was okay as it was really just the battle with these Paradoran Gods with some fun lines like “My blood is aflame with the Light of the Sun” haha. But other then that I feel like the plot really isn’t moving forward. I certainly don’t believe Power Girl is in any bit of trouble as the cliffhanger tried to make it seem. The back-up was good as usual.

Blasts From The Past

JSA All-Stars #9
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie E. Williams II
Co-Feature by Jen Van Meter
Art by Travis Moore

 

So the redhead from last issue was Brainwave from Infinity, Inc. I did not see that coming. This book is fantastic now I hope Sturges stays with it. I am afraid with his writing partner Willingham leaving the main JSA book Sturges won’t stay on this book long but I could be wrong. I love all the shout out to Infinity Inc, as it is a great use of continuity even though I have never read that original series. The romance between King Chimera and Cyclone is really interesting and I would like to see it continue to bloom and Anna Fortune is still a kick ass new character. The back-up continues to entertain as well.

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.

Mystery in Parador

JSA All-Stars #8
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie E. Williams II
Co-Feature by Jen Van Meter
Art by Travis Moore

Our heroes travel to fictional Parador to figure out why the one-time normal gang that the Infinitors used to fight has now become god-worshipping cultists. I liked all the reference to the days of Infinity Inc as it is an era that is rarely talked about. Hourman, Atom Smasher, and Power Girl were all members of that team and I completely forgot that. King Chimera apparently lost a lover once and that makes sense especially in the context of last issue where he cared so much about how Judomaster felt about Damage’s death. Williams’s art did not bother me at all this issue and I think it really worked for the first time since this series began. I guess he just needed to improve. Ann Fortune is still interesting as hell – she is apparently from the past somehow. In the back-up the villain behind everything seems to be the Professor’s son. Hmm.

Rest In Peace Damage

JSA All-Stars #7
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie Williams II
Co-Feature by Jen Van Meter
Art by Travis Moore

 

The main story focuses on Judomaster – a character who really hasn’t had a lot of focus. She is dealing with the death of Damage during Blackest Night – I liked it although it didn’t seem to be that different from the letter sent from beyond the grave stories told in comics past. It was great to see former Titans at Damage’s funeral – because DC seems to have forgotten that Damage was also a Titans at one point. I loved seeing Argent too! The Liberty Belle and Hourman back-up goes along with its Indiana Jones like themes – pretty good stuff.

The Defeat of Johnny Sorrow

JSA All-Stars #6
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie E. Williams II
Co-Feature by Jen Van Meter
Art by Travis Moore

 

The first arc of this series comes to an end with this issue and I must say looking back on it, I think it was a very cool arc. Albeit, I am not sure how Johnny Sorrow was defeated? What exactly did King Chimera do to him? That confused me. I liked that it was revealed that Sorrow was posing as Atom Smasher so at least now we don’t have that weird romance between Stargirl and Atom Smasher but it created the drama that Atom Smasher knows that Stargirl fell in love with a false version of him. Next issue will deal with the death of Damage during Blackest Night – I hope he gets a good send-off. Also, is Ann Fortune joining the team? I sure hope so. I actually rather enjoyed the Liberty Belle and Hourman back-up this issue as they continue their quest with Tigress and Icicle and have an indiana Jones-like adventure. We even learn that Hourman and Liberty Belle are planning on trying to have a baby. I like that he wants to get off Miraclo completely before they conceive. Good stuff.

Who is Anna Fortune?

JSA All-Stars #5
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie E. Williams II
Co-Feature by Jen Van Meter
Art by Travis Moore

 

I think this was the best issue of this book to date. Sturges really ups the ante with the character interactions and crazy fun concepts. I love that this Anna Fortune – whoever she is – has spells contained in little capsules! The budding romance between Cyclone and King Chimera, as well as Stargirl and Atom Smasher (Although she is much younger then him it’s legal in my state), and a hint of something between Sand and Power Girl. The subtle realms are so strange and exciting I wonder what exactly is going on there. Good issue. The back-up with Liberty Belle and Hourman has them split into boy and girl teams with Icicle and Tigress which made for some amusing banter. I liked it a lot even though I have kind of forgotten what happened before this issue.

Name Changes

JSA All-Stars #4
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie E. Williams III
Co-Feature by Jen Van Meter
Art by Travis Moore

 

The main story was okay. This book is certainly not as good as the main JSA book and I still think Williams belongs on a different book. One thing I found to be annoying was that Power Girl would even send this team to fight the King of Tears. She is not that dumb and she could have called in the other JSA members, why are they acting like the other team hates them or soemthing? It seems strange out of the blue. That being said, I didn’t dislike the issue, the story has potential and I wonder what is really going on. Why is Atom Smasher in the subtle realms? Plus I liked the idea of Tom going by Tomcat instead of Wildcat. Now only if we could get Alan Scott to go by Sentinel again. The Liberty Belle/Hourman back-up was decent enough, nothing to praise or complain about there.