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Justice Society of America thread |
Nate
Posts: 1099
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Joined: 29.07.05
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| Posted on 06-12-2006 23:22 |
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This thread will be for dicussing the newly relaunched JSA title. To start, here is my review to #1:
JUSTICE SOCOETY OF AMERICA #1
REVIEW:
Of all the books I was focusing on when I got back into comics, JSA was never one of them. Sure I could've started the title when OYL was happening, but at the time I couldn't afford another title on that week and JSA left my mind. That didn't mean I wsn't able to see them in the other books I had. Wildcat was in Catwoman, Mr. Terrific and Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern, were in Checkmate. Hell, even those people and many others were in the JLU animated show. There was no way not to avoid them. When I heard JSA was ending, while it was close to 100 of the issues, and relanuching in a similar fashion as JLA was to Justice League of America, I felt I should now jump on and get the book. It maybe for an arc for a beginner, but with this team having a large fanbase, I should still attempt to be part of it. Now let's talk about the new first issue to J....I mean, Justice Society of America.
My first impression was: wow this was actually pretty good. Liek what Batman says, the JSA is a family and you have that. And its funny too.
This issue has three plotlines. The first is the main one: the team being reformed. The second is the murder of Mr. America's wife and daughter. And the third is the the troubled Wildcat and the Golden Age Flash with the Golden Age Green Lantern wanting to help him. Mr. America's family was drugged and the person responsible is a gun-for-hire named Catalyst. As a father, he has lost what he loves and is taking it hard and using it against the one who did it. As for the JSA's big three, Wildcat doesn't consider himself a father figure and doesn't want part in making the JSA a family. He considers himself built for fighting, but not the family stuff. The surprise ending for him is sure to challange him and change his mind.
That's the second and third plotlines, I did not forget about the first. Most of this issue was the recruiting of momebers for the team. This was where the interesting, fun stuff happened. The first was Liberty Belle and Hourman getting Damage. His recruitment was quick as it seemed he didn't want to join at first but when Hourman and Liberty Belle started joking around and telling him where the car was, he was in. That was quick. The second recruitment was Power Girl and Mr. Terrific getting the new character named Maxine Hunkel, who is granddaughter to the original Red Torando. She has Atypical Depression and I read what that is, and Maxine doesn't seem to have that. It must be because she can defy gravity. Another thing about her is that while she may not have alot of friends, she doesn't have a problem with it at all. She also talks a little too much, which made me laugh at the panel where Power Girl and Mr. Terrific are like "wha..." when she talks alot in front of them. The third recruitment is Starman thanks to Stargirl and Dr. Mid-Nite. Starman has a newly designed costume thanks to Ross, but the cracatre hismelf hasn't been revealed. All that is known is that he livs in a hospital because he kept on hearign voices. Geoff Johns sais this Starman would be different and he was right.
Basically by the end of this book, unlike what's going on with Justice League of America, the team is already set up and formed. I should be saying "mostly formed" because not everyone on the Ross cover appears in the issue.
Overall, this was a great book. The Story, the art, everything about it. After I read it, I wanted more. And that alone tells you that I'm getting the second issue when it's released. Which also means you should get this book as well. While the plot seemed a little light on things, the outcome of the book and the entire set up for the future issues is huge. THE TEAM IS SET! Get this book!
RATING: 8/10
You don't get it, boy... this isn't a mudhole... it's an operating table.
(crack!)
And I'm the surgeon.
- Batman - The Dark Knight Returns
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RE: Justice Society of America thread |
Darknight
Posts: 1010
Location: NW Arkansas
Joined: 26.06.05
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| Posted on 12-12-2006 20:59 |
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This was a pretty good start. I liked it better than the first few issues of Justice League because it felt like more happened. Set up is good, but I also read comics for some action.
I am unsure as to how long I will stick to this title. I have never been that big on the Society in the past, and the family stories, while fun, can get a little old. I will give it a few issues before making a final decision.
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RE: Justice Society of America thread |
Nate
Posts: 1099
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Joined: 29.07.05
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| Posted on 26-01-2007 22:38 |
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Sorry for being so late.
JUSTICE SOCOETY OF AMERICA #2
Writer-Geoff Johns
Penciller-Dave Eaglesham
Inker-Art Thibert
Colorist-Jerony Cox
Letterer-Rob Leigh
Cover Art-Alex Ross & Dale Eaglesham
Editor-Stephen Wacker & Eddie Berganza
PLOT:
After a deadly arrival at their new headquarters, the JSA must discover who's hunting down their descendants. Will the youngest member, Cyclone, be the next victim?
REVIEW:
I never read JSA before the new #1. After I read issue #1, I was very pleased at how well the book went, the characters and the team in general. I liked this book and I was glad I didn't start at One Year Later. At the issue 1, I knew this was totally different than JLA. JLA took a few issues for its team to be formed while it only took one issue for JSA. That was enough to say that this "Justice Team of America" of the Society was different than the League. Now on to the second issue.
This time after reading the first issue, I knew what to expect. In this issue, things move along quite nicely. Wildcat meets his son Tom. I was expecting the stantard "Dad?" "Its me, I'm your father (not getting all Empire Strikes Back)" "You can't be. What the hell have you been?" That sorta thing. But it doesn't turn out that way at all. Instead, Tom knows his father was Wildcat and they meet and goes along quick and painless, as in it works well in the end.
The case of Mr. America's death starts from the JSA. Starman gets a nervous breakdown that causes him to lose control of his own powers and causes artifical gravity to happen and almost ruins the crime scene. The whole point was that he doesn't like murder, which is why that happened. You can tell that this Starman may not be with the JSA if this is gonan happen, or be a superhero to begin with and continue his therapy. He's not the only one, new girl Maxine felt the same and wanted to leave. And just like me, I felt she was gonan leave for a bit then come back. But like before in this book, I was wrong again. She worries about not fittign in the JSA, and after some words with Stargirl, she's fine and goes off to work on her costume with Stargirl's help. Again, quick but works out fine.
Now one of the things that appears in this issue is another "what's going on?" moment. In #1, we saw a shot of the Kingdom Come Superman. In this issue, behind Starman is the new superhero generation from Kingdom Come. If I managed to get this issue on the week it came out, I would pondering, but since I got it and did this review late, what has happened since does help me with the Kingdom Come scenes or what what we saw on the last page of #1. The Kingdom Come must mean two things of the Post-Infinite Crisis DCU and whats to come. Either a) Kingdom Come is the ultimate future to the Post-IC DCU and both JSA and the next event (shown on Newsarama on 1/25/07) proves that. Or b) one of the many elements from the past DCU eras that have made it in the DCU following Infinite Crisis is the multiverse (I should say that was revealed by Didio in Week 37 of 52). Those are my theories.
Overall, this issue was another good one. Geoff Johns is doing a fine job with this title and I can't wait for more. By #2, we already know that JSA is different than JLA, not by characters but by story and movement.
RATING: 8/10
What's in store for next issue: Nazis, we hate those guys! Hawkman returns, a stunning revelation about Damage, and Maxine Hunkel chooses a code-name: Cyclone!
You don't get it, boy... this isn't a mudhole... it's an operating table.
(crack!)
And I'm the surgeon.
- Batman - The Dark Knight Returns
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RE: Justice Society of America thread |
Nate
Posts: 1099
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Joined: 29.07.05
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| Posted on 16-02-2007 21:58 |
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JUSTICE SOCOETY OF AMERICA #2
Writer-Geoff Johns
Penciller-Dave Eaglesham
Inker-Art Thibert
Colorist-Jerony Cox
Letterer-Rob Leigh
Cover Art-Alex Ross & Dale Eaglesham
Editor-Stephen Wacker & Eddie Berganza
PLOT:
REVIEW:
With the first two issues down, I was all prepared for issue 3. Issue 3 is the second to last issue of the starting arc "The New Age". I guess the main reason why JSA's first arc is quicker than JLA's is because JLA is serious while JSA, while being the same, plays more of the fact that the team is a family and they do add comedic moments without in a way ruining the experience.
Maxie gets her costume and calls herself Cyclone. Since she is a girl at heart, it makes sense for her to try and find the right superhero name if she will be fighting with the JSA. The fight at the Heywood family concludes as Hawkman fights off a Neo-Nazi and his group called The Fourth Reich. That group was actually pretty nasty and show that they have no remorse. I mean one of them, Blitzkrieg, run through a woman and her daughter and vaporized them. Nate Heywood is attacked but instead of beign turned into metal, he absorbed it. So I guess he still is a super-powered person. Sandy arrives and after a talk that invovles the mothers of both Liberty Belle and Star Girl, the team goes off. Again, like I said above, this is a family team. And I like I said in my previous reviews for this title, these things happening quick weren't bad.
And we do find out who is the one who is killing the heroes. And I don't want to spoil for anyone who hasn't read this yet, but since we're dealing with a superhero team that debuted in the second world war, think a villian who actually fought the JSA in the Golden Age and has ties to the Nazis.
Continuing like the first two issues, we get another Kingdom Come reference. At first I thought Swastika was a Kingdom Come character because of his likness. It actually wasn't, the person I was thinking about was 666. They do look alike though. Instead, the only reference we get here is when Wildcat is hurt by our villian (again, I won't tell because it will spoil), his son, Tom Bronson, transforms into a beast that looks like the Kingdom Come version of Wildcat. Guess he is like his father for one, and thats our only reference to Kingdom Come. Although, when Sandy was about to talk, Starman was signing "Mr. Sandman". Once he stopped, he said "52!". So I think that counts as another title reference.
Overall, this issue was another good one. Geoff Johns is doing a fine job with this title and I can't wait to read the last issue of the introduction arc to JSA. However, unlike the first two, it seems this issue was toned down since the last issue is, what I believe, gonna be bigger. So because of that, my rating reflects it.
RATING: 8/10
What's in store for next issue: The JSA fight off those who want their legacies dead. And a new member!
You don't get it, boy... this isn't a mudhole... it's an operating table.
(crack!)
And I'm the surgeon.
- Batman - The Dark Knight Returns
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RE: Justice Society of America thread |
Nate
Posts: 1099
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Joined: 29.07.05
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| Posted on 22-03-2007 14:51 |
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JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #4
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Dale Eaglesham and Ruy Jose
Cover by Alex Ross
Variant cover by Eaglesham
Edited by Eddie Berganza
PLOT:
The families of legacy heroes have been targeted by an evil force set out to end their bloodlines. Now our members find out how close to home tragedy is as their leader stands revealed. And the new mystery member set to join the Justice Society will surprise everyone — especially the members of the team!
REVIEW:
So here it is, the conclusion to the first arc of my new favorite series: JSA. As I stated in the reviews, starting with #1, I never read JSA, although I still knew about who was who. Then by the first three issues, I enjoyed the series and loved how they were handled and the arc was very interesting. I'm always ready for more. Now here is issue number 4.
And what a finale it is. Everything that has been building up since issue #1 finally hits in this issue as we get a two battle royale with the JSA and the Nazis, and Wildcat I & III vs Vandel Savage. The fights were extreme at times, big for the JSA's side and too close for Wildcat's side. The theme with the JSA was still there: family. And it does come out even in the fights like Atom Smasher going nuclear, which Liberty Belle gets hit by accident, but instead of there being a feud between Hourman and Atom Smasher, all is forgiven in the next two pages. Thats what makes the JSA different from the JLA: one is a family and the other is more of a strike force, as said in issue one of this series.
Speaking of family, thats what the whole plan behind this was. Vandel Savage reveals that he considers himself to be history itself, as he says that he did everything from making fire, to having the north win the Civil War to Hitler being in power. But once the JSA came in World War II, it ruined his plans. So his plan was to kill off the remaining members so the JSA wouldn't exist. But as Wildcat says, it wasn't the bloodlines that made those continue the names of those superheroes, but those who decided to continue the symbols. So that explains the backfire of Savages' plan. And one thing of development: Wildcat's son is the newest member of teh JSA.
Overall, this was a fun issue that was so good. With the arc done, it is time to go to bigger things. And y'know what? If there is one thing I have to say, its that I cannot wait for the next issue. Why? What else: a JLA/JSA team up. I never read one so this will be exciting. Plus, the ending leads to that crossover as there seems to be another team that will be joinign those two. A....future...team.
RATING: 8.5/10
Next Issue: this series crosses over with JLA in a 5-part JLA/JSA team up arc!
You don't get it, boy... this isn't a mudhole... it's an operating table.
(crack!)
And I'm the surgeon.
- Batman - The Dark Knight Returns
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