Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Justice Society of America (spoilers!)

I liked how Mr. Terrific looked for the younger version of Karla at the end.

I am still in JSA's corner (but not All-Stars). I usually don't post here because I am penalized for subscribing and get mine two or three weeks after y'all have read it.
I thought dividing the team was supposed to enable greater characterization. So far there has been no justification for having two Wildcats on the team/s except that it appeals to some Kingdom Come fans. I am a KC fan, but there has to be a literary reason for introducing Wildcat II, Judomaster, Lightning, Magog, and Amazing Man. Unless something can be done with them send them to Outsiders for charater development.
I don't know if there is a point to the future Nazi storyline, but I have enjoyed it. I'm glad to hear the Obsidian will get some attention.

I have dumped JSA ALL-STARS (the extra dollar and barely so-so backup were killing me), but am still enjoying JSoA.

In fact, I really enjoyed the Nazi dystopia story.

Looks like a new creative team is coming aboard in October.

Read about it here

Like most comic story lines these days, the JSA Nazi Days of Future Past story was easily 1 issue too long, perhaps 2. The penultimate chapter was a long, drawn out rather boring and predictable fight, with the only unexpected charm coming from the treatment of Superman, who's not even a JSA character. The epilogue/reset issue had some good stuff with Obsidian, but I'm not sure it was enough to make a good book. Just having Obsidian talking (and making a pretty good gay joke) and not being a black hole/egg shouldn't be confused with actual characterization. And I'm sorry, but as others have pointed out, the baseball stuff at the end makes NO sense! Obsidian, who grew up in Milwaukee and lived in LA, is a TWINS FAN!?!??! And perhaps even worse -- Alan Scott, who's childhood goes back to the 1920s and 1930s, is a METS FAN?!?!?! The Mets were founded in 1962!?!?! How could the Scott family ALWAYS have been Mets fans!?!?! This is just another example of writers wanting to say a particular thing and grafting that thing onto an inappropriate character. It seems a small thing, but the small things are what supposedly good writers are supposed to be the best at! Blech. I'm dropping the book. J Rob is writing the JLA/JSA crossover, and I'm banning him from my comic book money after the New Krypton epic fail. I can't believe it, but I'm dropping JSofA. I will read All-Stars tonight and decide their future as well, although I've actually kind of liked the book. It's had the family feeling that JSofA has lacked since Johns left.

Oh, I don't know. I was a Saints fan for decades, and then the Panthers came along. I've been a fan ever since. Sometimes its nice to get in on the ground floor of something and be able to enjoy the ride with them. It's one of the reasons I couldn't be a Yankee fan, so much history before I was born.

Well, that and the fact that they're damn yankees.

Teams named after animals > teams not named after animals. It's totally scientific fact.

It's how I choose my teams for fantasy football every year. 'Steelers vs. Falcons? Falcons! Raiders vs. Lions? Lions!'

I'm on the fence about All-Stars. On the one hand, it has characters I love, especially with Atom Smasher. It has good Infinity, Inc. vibe, meaning a connection with a past and a tradition, but not old and musty. But the writing just doesn't do it for me. The characters aren't distinct enough. In the most recent ish, Cyclone is angling for some hot King Chimera action. That's fine, but it kind of came out of left field. And Johns created Cyclone as a hyper, fast talking whirlwind, and a kid. Now, she's all zen and sensual. Wat up wit dat?

JSA/JLA x-over = ugh!

I know I'm in the vast minority, but I was actually liking this until Jade and Obsidian merged.

That's just... wrong.

I know I'll be relieved if Molly Mayne-Scott survives this crossover. We've seen her as Mrs. Scott and in simulcrum as Harlequin. Changes to Alan have been mentioned. I just have a sick feeling that she's in the crosshairs as I type this. Hopefully, I'm being paranoid, but in a year that's seen Tempest, Damage and Kid Eternity (all favorite characters of mine of varying levels of obscurity) stupidly killed, I'm a tad jumpy whenever I see a character I like appear after months of limbo.

The JLA/JSA crossover does seem to be dragging on and on. I'm old enough to remember when they were an annual event- and were really highlights in the JLA title.

But they didn't take up four or more months of the publishing year. I wish the crossover would become an annual event- but would be confined to one issue in each title. If the story in a given year really warranted more space, there'd be a JLA/JSA special.

Hard to trade paperback package? Print a TPB every two years and include a reprint from the Golden Age or from the history of whatever 'third' team is invariably featured.

ML, you have the right of it. Use the annuals to tell this story- fewer chapters, same number of pages, and it doesn't bog down either title too long.

Honestly, the story had me interested. But this week's chapter was disappointing on all fronts. Almost all... good to see Doc Midnight not playing surgeon for a change.

Yeah- that was great. The good Doctor needs to interact with more characters- even though I do love his scenes with Mr. Terrific. It'd be fitting if his saving Starman led to them becoming friends. Mikhail needs some friends who aren't gorillas and it'd be kind of fun to read about the very grounded Pieter Cross associating with a bisexual space alien.

That was the best part of the issue for me too. Man, is he underused.

Hadn't heard about Kid Eternity.

^ Ditto. Last I heard, Kid Eternity had just been kdnapped by The Calculator for some reason or other. Has he been killed off now too? That sucks if so.

Re: Doctor Mid-Nite - For no particular reason, I used to find this character really "eh"(*) and whenever it seemed a JSAer was about to quit/get killed off, I always hoped it would be him doing the departing. But without really noticing it, he's quietly crept up on me and become one of those characters that I now feel offers a very unique and much-needed dimension to the DCU (especially his 'super-hero MD' angle) - and one I'd hate to ever lose.

Geoff Johns gets a lot of crap on this site for some reason, but (even though he didn't actually create them, I know) in Mr Terrific and Dr Mid-Nite I feel he's given us probably 2 of the best new additions to the DCU of the 90s/00s.

(*) Not the original though - I always loved him.

In BATGIRL, Calculator killed KID E after using him to continuously summon his son, Marvin.

As in Marvin and Wendy and the Wonder Dog. The DCU versions of the annoying tagalongs to the Super Friends. :rolleyes:

You know the drill- middleweight (or lower) villain has to be proven to be more badass, so somebody in a costume has to die. At least in this case, it was badass and batshit insane. Not that that makes up for much.

I sorta hope KID E comes back really pissed off (after all he was originally killed in the 1940's and 'again' in JSA #1) and is a temporary villain for the TEEN TITANS. I kind of hate them now.

The growth of Dr. Mid-Nite and Mr. Terrific were two of the things that made JSA so special in the first place and they remain two of my favorite additions to the DCU in recent years. Ostrander's introduction of Mr. Terrific II in the Spectre was great but it was quick in an 'don't blink or you'll miss it' way; Matt Wagner's Dr. Mid-Nite mini was a bit more firm of an introduction and really excellent.

But Goyer and Johns really deserve all the accolades in the world for adding them to the JSA, which helped firmly plant them as major parts of the DCU and in my mind, help bring the JSA itself to the next level (as opposed to numerous other attempts at relaunching the JSA). John's continued use of them throughout the years is one of the high points of his various series.

(Also, I know in the past I've been critical of Geoff, but I've always maintained he's a great writer and I've liked him; I think at worst I said he's just not one of the 10 best writers in comics right now, as many fans like to say).

For the JSA right now, I can't even bring myself to read the current crossover with the JLA yet. I've decided to drop JSA All-Stars completely and will stick around on JSA to see what Guggenheim has to offer. I've loved the Justice Society since I was a kid and loved the JSA since it's relaunch in the late 90's so I really want to keep enjoying the series! I hope Guggenheim can get things back on track.

I want this page!!

Art by Kollins, I may have to at least give the issue a looksie at the shop. Also, could they just do the issue in B/W using his pencils?

OK, that's just gorgeous.

Anybody still reading? I read 44 and 45 last night.

I am SOOO glad that awful JLA/JSA crossover is done.

I am LOVING the new direction with Guggenheim (I hate to shoe my comicbook ignorance by not knowing, but I don't) and Kollins' art is SUPREME.

I hate to say that since Johns left the book, it really hasn't been the book it was before. Like him or love him, he has the touch to keep those old pulp characters alive. Problem is, he's got so many ideas, the older guys tended to get lost in the shuffle. That was my only complaint with his JSA stuff.

I honestly expected more from Willingham. I hadn't read Sturges before, but heard good things about him. I'm willing to give Allstars a chance, but it needs to get much better in both art and story soon. Real Soon.

As for JSA... I'll give Guggenheim a chance, I really will, but the book needs a massive upgrade real fast, and as an old time (for a 43 year old) fan, thats a little sad.

I have mixed feelings about the most recent run-- I think the writing and art are fine, and the plot direction might even be more than that.

But I miss the bigger cast and whatever subplots were brewing underneath. I realize that there's a fanbase that only wants to see the surviving GA JSAers (Jay Garrick Flash, Alan Scott GL and Wildcat) but I'm not one of them. I *do* want to read about those characters, but amongst the newer characters. ALL-STARS isn't giving me that.

After a few months away, I read a few of the most recent issues of Justice Society. A lot better than I recall the other post-Johns stories and on some levels the trimmed down cast is nice for the character focus. Really love the Jay Garrick spotlight of late. Not sure if I'll be sticking with the title every month, but I'll check in on it.

JSA All-Stars, though, I had a hard time getting into. Which is a shame because I love a lot of those characters, but something about the title has never resonated with me. I think on principle I've had a hard time with it because the concept of the old guard teaching the new guard was a big appeal for me since the Johns JSA relaunch back in ...1999 was it? No offense to Power Girl and Hourman as the All-Star teachers, but taking all the young guns (except Lightning) away from the veteran team was counter-productive to me. Just my two cents though.

Well, I just read the interview with Guggenhiem and I gotta say I'm really not a fan of the old "tear'em down, build'em up", having seen it toooooo many times before. it rarely works, and generally just leaves things torn down for years.

I love the team so I'll most likely stick it out, but I don't have any really hopes.

Well I finally read the JSA special that dealt with Magog and found it a snoozefest. Probably reading it after his most recent turn in JL Gen Lost was not wise.

I probably should have trusted my instinct to remove it from my pull, but the 'Reading with a Flight Ring' guy on Facebook gave it a thumbs up.

I'll stick with the current JSoA book (which I have enjoyed) and just continue to ignore any of the giants and specials from now on.

I'm debating picking JSA ALL-STARS back up when the price drops to $2.99. We'll see.

I don't think I contributed to last year's "Comic Review Month", but I'll throw my hat in this year with Justice Society of America #46. I will put it in a spoiler, just in case.

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">
I hate to be negative, but I'm really not liking the way this beloved title is heading.

Dark n' gritty just doesn't work for the JSA. Like the Legion, the JSA stands for hope. Alan and Jay are just out of character here.

And then Obsidian appears and just wants vengeance, yet again. I understand he's upset about his dad being attacked, but isn't he supposed to be over that "angry young man" business? Isn't he supposed to be half of the DCU's well-adjusted gay couple?

Then Lightning, apparently the last remaining female character in the JSA proper, dies. Now, I seriously doubt this is the kind of death that sticks (they seldom are), but it seems totally meaningless.

Maybe I'm just not getting it, but this "Supertown" arc is just not working for me.

I love these characters. Last year's "Fourth Reich" storyline was one of the best I've read in recent years. There is so much potential yet to be mined from this group, but for right now, it's not there. The original super-team deserves better.
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