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

Thanks, Rocky. I see I made the right choice quitting Justice Society.

I may re-read the Bronze Age JSA trades and the first three Goyer/Johns JSA trades.

JSA ALL-STARS #14: I like Roxy, the computer hologram. But she's getting more panel time than many of the members. I'll forgive that if she gets Tyler, Hourman III, as a scene partner more often. That kind of 'time travel loopiness' is just fine with me.

I also like Steel and Tomcat as friends. This was touched upon when they were both introduced, but hasn't been reinforced since. Hmmm- Steel's sad face after his acquaintance kissed him- he didn't physically feel anything, right?

Off on another artifact search? Isn't that what
people didn't like about the Hourman/Liberty Belle/Icicle/Tigress back-up? Not me- I liked the story... though definitely not because of the 'McGuffin'.

Arthur Pemberton doesn't engage me as a villain yet. In fact, I forget he's around from issue to issue.

Who else thinks his daughter's going to emerge as the new Star-Spangled Kid? Or Skygirl?

More Sand! (Or is that Sandman? Let's deal with what we saw in that JSA 80 page special last fall...)! Let Obsidian in! I guess he's going to be in JSA proper, though. Bring back Brainwave! How about a team-up with the Freedom Fighters?

I’m catching up on JSA because I can hardly find it readable anymore. I thought #45 (and I realize from Rocky’s post I’m an issue behind) was an improvement but still has a long way to go. It involved a secret mission back in WWII featuring Jay & Alan in Libya which had moments of being interesting but then had a moral conflict between the two that seemed incredibly cliché and forced. Meanwhile, the rest of the issue had a very dark tone focusing on despair and the downside of superheroics that didn’t really make the issue any fun at all.

Guggenheim touches on probably the single most boring controversy in comic books—the property damage super-battles cause. Do any readers even care about this a little anymore? How many times have we seen this? How many times has Superman had to explain himself to crowds because of this? It’s annoying more than anything.

Scott Kollins does a pretty good job but the coloring in the issue is very dark. Kollins spends too much time having the facial expressions of the heroes either angry or scared—he does both of those expressions well but when that’s all we see all issue, it reminds me of the worst of the early 90’s Image/Marvel days.

Guggenheim is a writer whose work I’ve generally found “meh”. He’s had a few good Spider-Man stories but that’s about it. I was hoping that he could turn things around though because honestly, JSA hasn’t had a really GREAT story since before Levitz ended the first run (even Geoff’s relaunch was mediocre at best). I’m not sure how much more mediocre to bland JSA I can take; I love these characters and want this title to be great but hey, I want a lot of things that aren’t happening.

Meanwhile, JSA: All-Stars remains one of the few DC Comics I thought was so bad I actually dropped it (I’m talking in the same category of Dangerous Dan Didio’s Outsiders). Luckily I blocked that sloppy artwork and nonsensical writing from my memory.

I'd much prefer if both teams were folded back together before both titles inevitably get cancelled with the normal deaths of 2-3 members that will go with that.

Hmm. I read # 46 tonight and really thought I enjoyed it, but after reading Rocky's post I can see what he is talking about, and it makes me question my enjoyment of the issue.

Things are looking dark at present but I do not think they will stay that way. I'm going to stick with it-- I mean, I too loved the 4th Reich arc and it was VERY very dark. I think the dawn is coming.

Also, I'm totes digging the artwork.

Following up on JSA, I read #46 last night and did think there was a bit of improvement over the last issue. Things are very bleak here, but I’m hoping this will change—if it hasn’t in 3 issues, then that’s a huge problem.

The inclusion of Blue Devil was a welcome surprise and I hope he sticks it out as a part of this title for awhile. I would like to see him interact with Dr. Fate, who I was also glad got some good screen time.

What really made this issue stand out was the artwork by Mike Norton, who showed off some really great skills. It looked a lot like Frances Manupal, and that’s a huge compliment. It could use some brighter colors however—I realize the dark tones are meant to enhance the story but I’m finding it a bit annoying.

I don’t expect Lightning to be dead in the slightest but if she is, I’ll be the irrationally pissed poster many would expect.

Well, the latest with the "Dark Alan Scott" cocoon didn't do much for me. I love that Jay is getting spotlighted, but the "epic, Grand Team" feeling is gone, now almost long gone since Johns left.

Willingham did okay, but it didn't seem like he quite had it right. Guggenhiem, while having an okay idea, is following a path I don't care for as I mentioned above.

There is a, and rightly so, majesty to the grand old team that Johns got. Others are just telling stories and plugging in the team of "x" it feels like.

JSA ALL-STARS #15: The Puzzlemen are truly bizarre. Did the sentence "We appear to be in limbo, boys." really merit a double-page spread? In DC's sucky (IMO) new story-length? And a four page meeting? The fight scene really only has room to highlight Atom-Smasher and the weirdness of the puzzlemen.

I'm kind of fascinated by them- give 'em a bit of individual personality and I'd love 'em! They remind me of Marvel monsters that I never heard of and found out they had a handful of stories in the pre-Fantastic Four days!

Lorna Pemberton awakes at issue's end, so presumably, her situation will take center stage next month.

I know I'm tired of the magic men who are behind the goings-on-- their 'stooges' are 10,000 times more interesting than they are.

I want more interaction among the teammates! During fights, yeah- but out of them, too. And not in meetings! Or, better, not *only* in meetings!

This title has characters I love- some among my favorites in comics, but they're little more than glorified cameos.

JSA 47:

I'm still into the Dr. Chaos storyline and am really digging the artwork!!

I may have to check this out again if Danny is on the team now.

I like Blue Devil.. but is he really a JSA character?

I liked this team better when it was all about *legacy* and every one on its roster had some connection to either a previous member or some other Golden Age character.

Geoff Johns was the first to break that tradition (in modern times) with the introduction of the useless and redundant Lightning, and now Blue Devil is just another random hero added to the list.

Soon the JSA is going to become like what the JLA was in the 90s - that ugly time when every super-hero and their cat was a member. Talk about wiping the lustre off what was supposed to be "The World's Greatest Heroes". IMO that team still hasn't recovered since.

And now the JSA has all these randoms on it, two average-selling books and, by the sound of it (I'm not a current reader/buyer), not much direction.

I'd like to pick this book up again one day but the creative decisions of the last few years (much like JLA, Titans and Outsiders) just keep pushing me away.

What has happened to DC's team books anyway? They used to be all I bought. Now I don't even flick through them in the store.

This is my post on the DCMB's about the JSA.


Has JSA lost its way?


I'm beginning to think so. With so many stellar characters introduced and then seemingly lost in the books, with what amounts to (in my opinion, natch) the generic "Plug in a villain or villain group and go" from the last year or so, we've lost a lot of what made the book so good.

Before, we had tight stories with a lot of character focus. And while now we are getting a bit more of some of the golden agers like we wanted, it seems as if its at arms length from the resurrection that brought things back to the forefront with the Robinson/Goyer/Johns start lo' these many years gone past.

What's happened to Sand? Where's the brownstone? How bout the other characters like Ma?

I liked the idea of the split with the groups. Unlike some, I still do, and I see Allstars getting better in many regards. But the main title seems adrift. I dont' have any real connection to Jennifer, and I would like one (despite the stripping of BL's established history to put her and her sister into existence.

alan is obviously being shifted towards the kingdom come version, but I thought that worked so much better as a possible elseworld, now shifted into the hyperverse or whatever. I personally could have stood for Supes to remain with the team, but it was a nice sendoff.

don't know what the outcome of BD is gonna be, but I miss Carter and Sheira in the group. Wildcat just seems to be there. Mr. Terrific has apparantly adopted the old Wildcat storyline... And while the new villain is tough enough... I'm not feeling the team. it could be any old team out there facing these guys, it seems.

the JSA has always held a specific place. Maybe Geoff was the one that could filter that old standard and modernize it the best. But right now (and I am NOT a fan of the old "tear'em down and build'em back up at all, it fails far too many times and can lead to longterm poor quality of work as people keep throwing things against the wall to see what will stick in the readers interest ie: Aquaman, Hawkman, Titans, JL, GL, Flash and on and on and on and on and on.

Justice League used to be the powerhouses that handled the cosmic threats to the planet. Justice Society was always the Grand Old Guard from the age of the Greatest Generation. The conducted themselves in a manner that left no doubt that they got the job done with the minimum of muss and fuss, they didn't whine and kevetch like so many of the newer teams. They are the Standard By Which All Others Are Measured.

And right now,the only one living up to that seems to be Flash.

Just my thoughts.


I have to say that after a rocky start, I'm beginning to dig Allstars. Its coming together better than JSA is right now.

I just found all my old all-star squadron books, as well as some old legion books I didn't know I owned. Fun reading this weekend.

Guys I have a question.

I recall an issue of Starman that was a flashback story of Ted Knight, reminiscing about a situation where the JSA was incapacitated to some extent, and Dian Belmont led a group of the significant others the JSA had (girlfriends, wives, etc.), in specialized costumes based on the Society members.

Does anyone have any scans from that issue?

oh groan... i loved that issue!!! i think somewhere around #60 to 70....??? wow..that was a long time ago.

#69.

I remembered it was in the Grand Guignol trade paperback when I borrowed it from the library.

ah!! found it!! its #69!

here's the link -

http://www.comicvine.com/starman-gr...-reborn-renewed-and-remembered/37-78383/

maybe you can try to scan that cover from the link that I left here?

Well the scans I was looking for are of the Substitute JSA. For future commissions.

I'm still very much into JSA.

The current storyline has been VERY dark, but I think we just saw a big bright 500-watt bulb go off on the final 2-page spread!

*THAT* is how to do a 2-page spread and make it WORK.

I'm pretty sure this is based on a real JSA story in the Golden Age where this actually happened. Don't have the issue # of All-Star Comics handy.

This is the cover to the Starman issue -

http://www.comics.org/issue/98128/cover/4/

#50-- I liked Jay's comments about 'Legacy heroes' . I think that phrase and what it implies has gotten way out of proportion in regards to some readers' expectations for JSA membership.

Still not enough about these new members-- who, why, what... as in Who are they? Why are they there and what do they add? I'm not saying they shouldn't be there or that they don't add-- I just don't know squat about any of them, aside from Blue Devil and Manhunter.

Who is Red Beetle? And Dark Knight? Did I miss something? When did they join?

I'm guessing in JSA ALL-STARS, which I dropped during my purge of $4 titles?

1 issue to go. I'm enjoying the final sotryline and am thoroughly enjoying the involvement of the Challengers of the Unknown as well.

Nope Lash, I've read all of All-Stars and these new heroes never appeared there. I still have no idea who they really are!