Of all the classic covers DC artists turns to again and again to homage, Adventure Comics #300 is one of my favourites. Sharing the Silver Age 80pp Giant one panel per character format, it’s a delight.
So while artist Mikel Janín gets points for good intentions, the execution of JSA #10’s cover is disappointing. The Ben-Day dot effect is interesting, but that was always an interior pages thing, and where are the name tags? Saddest of all, instead of gorgeous primary colours we get more of the drab bathroom hues Janín has made this series’ signature.
Inside, things are a lot brighter as the storyline centring on the JSA’s weirdest membership drive ever continues. At the behest of the latest version of the Huntress they’re adding supervillains to the team. Crooks joining the good guys isn’t a new thing, it goes back at least as far as the second Avengers line-up, when Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were three quarters of Cap’s Kooky Quartet. Later, Rogue joined the X-Men and survived the experience. The difference between the Marvel kids and JSA recruits Harlequin’s Son, Red Lantern, Salem and Solomon Grundy is that the former came to a team and pleaded to have a chance at doing good. The latter, though, are being jostled onto the JSA purely because they’d joined up in Huntress’s now-gone alternate future. It’s lunacy.
This month the JSA are hoping to sign up centuries-old bad guy the Gentleman Ghost. He’s not keen.
That orange blob, turns out it contains one of the JSA’s most powerful foes. And an ill-timed attack from one of the new guys frees the demon.
Another fresh face – Mordru, a young 31st century wizard determined not to become the evil old mage he’s predicted to be – tries something drastic.
The play pays off – with Gentleman Jim Craddock returned to life, comic book logic puts paid to the escaped threat as well as the Ghost’s ghouls. As for Hawkman, his reincarnation reflex soon has him back on fighting form and in a new uniform – but he’s not happy.
Carter Hall wants Mordru out, and who can blame him? The team votes, and the result brings a flash from the future.
It’s the Legion of Super-Heroes, the close-to-classic version whose adventures were so rudely interrupted by the Brian Bendis team. Or, as it now seems we can refer to them, the shortlived Brian Bendis team. I’m willing to bet this is the LSH going forward, given the lukewarm reader reaction to the last series. Well, that explains the cover, and while I’m delighted they’re back, this comic is crowded enough already with characters – we’ve seen barely anything of the classic JSA-era in this run. The introduction of the Huntress, the integration of the lost sidekicks, the interaction with the new recruits… Green Lantern, the Flash and the rest are barely there. The opening three pages of this issue are given over to the Legion of Substitute Heroes, for no obvious reason. Now, I bow to no one in my admiration for the Subs, but their scene adds nothing to the bigger picture.
I probably sound a tad grumpy, but it’s not that I didn’t enjoy this issue. I did. The Mordru move was thrilling and shocking and likely to have big consequences. The brief return of an old villain was a fun surprise. And who expected ever to see the Gentleman Non-Ghost? The structure of the issue works and the dialogue is strong.
But knowing there are just two issues left in this limited series makes every plot strand introduced one more that’s likely to go unfinished. Because this is a book written by Geoff Johns, who tends to seed story points he intends to address way down the line, and it’s known that this is his DC swan song, for now at least. He’s going to need a very big bow to tie up all these threads. Also, he uses far too many splash pages – this chapter has eight inarguable splash pages and spreads, and several more with massive panels. It’s a waste of space.
Will Johns nail the landing? Nothing to do but wait and see. And wait, and wait, given Justice Society of America #11 isn’t due until the end of August and #12 sometime before doomsday.
Meanwhile, we can at least pore over the lovely art by Mikel Janín and Marco Santucci, which is always dramatically direct. Especially effective is the dissolution of Hawkman, but every moment of the fight scene is effective. The murky Gentleman Ghost battle is marvelous. And the super-clean look given Mordru sells the idea that this is a purer than usual version of the longtime Legion foe. It’s obvious two different artists are at work, but it doesn’t harm the book.
Neither does the fact that we have three colourists – Jordie Bellaire, Ivan Plascencia and John Kalisz. There’s a single letterer and it’s the brilliant Rob Leigh, who does an especially gorgeous job of crafting the issue’s title, ‘The Gentleman’s Game’. I only wish I knew what that was referring to… the Ghost’s gambit? A duplicitous Mordru? All ideas appreciated!
Anyway, I had a good time with this issue. Roll on August (fingers crossed).
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
not sure if that’s supposed to be Lu in the back, but I noticed no Jan, Cham or Tellus. Also, Mysa bound the elder Mordru inside her. That’s got to feel awkward.
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Now, who was it you thought might be Lu, the lady in purple in front of Gim? I think that’s Harmonia Li, I could never get a handle on her.
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There’s some wonky colouring on the Legion page, but I’m pretty sure, based on the sweep of the hair, that that character is Lu (as opposed to Harmonia). Also… why include Harmonia when none of the other new characters introduced at that time are included. Geoff Johns has a very specific idea of what the Legion should look like and Levitz’ New 52 additions to the team don’t fit in with that vision.
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Good point, I’m sure you’re right. Murray.
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Brek and Lydda are both full Legionnaires now so why do the Subs even care?
I like Salem, Red Lantern, whatever name Molly’s kid uses, and Mordru. The rest can leave.
BTW, if the Legion comes from a future where Mordru joining the JSA causes a disaster, logically if they stop it, they will have no future to return to as that’s what happened to Helena. Not that I expect logic from Johns, just him not understanding what makes a hero a hero. At least there hasn’t been gratuitous blood and gore yet.
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Don’t bring logic into it!
I have no idea why the Subs are in this comic.
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This sounds disappointing given how long the gap between this issue and the last one was. As a rule of thumb I usually abandon a series once the delays start piling up, both because I find that deeply annoying and because it often reflects behind the scenes issues that indicate qualitative problems. Based on what’s here I have no regrets about ditching this, nor am I particularly broken up about Johns leaving DC if this is how he’s going out.
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I am rarely that strong, I just wait and wait. But I’m very good at dumping rubbish like Power Girl.
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I wanna love this series but the huge delays are killing me. I feel like I missed some issues… I can’t remember what issue it was but there was a whole thing with Dr. Midnite and Wildcat that seems to be resolved in this issue
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Hey there, anonymous. You’ve missed nothing. Johns introduced the hint of a subplot with Dr. Midnite and Wildcat a couple of issues ago and then has done nothing with it. Presumably somehow… inexplicably they’re alive. And they have a dark secret about something. Which may or may not come up in the next two issues.
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It’s genuinely bewildering.
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This issue was… eh? shrug. More of the same. A middle of the road story involving time travel shenanigans that occasionally happens to include some JSA members talking (again) about redemption and second chances.
The artwork is definitely not my cup of tea. Static and dull. The costume designs and colouring choices for these characters? Terrible.
Martin, you have far more faith than I that this will be the Legion going forward. I suspect that when (if) this series finishes it will be quickly forgotten or ignored. I suspect that DC has no idea what they want to do with either the JSA or the Legion at this point.
The Bendis Legion has appeared as recently as Green Arrow in a story written by Joshua Williamson who certainly seems to have the favour of DC at the moment. That says to me that any version of the Legion is still on the table. Especially if the Bendis version is still on track to be turned into a cartoon (but to be fair, I don’t think there’s been any news on that front for a long while now)
I’d really like to enjoy this book, but Johns has never been particularly adept at books with a large cast of characters. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t had plenty of opportunity to write team books (just that I personally find he has a difficult time juggling a large number of characters and plots). And this series is literally littered with a legion of characters… none of whom really have any sort of story or interesting thing happening around them.
Bring on whatever comes after this series already.
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I wish DC would use the sci fi time travel theory that these Legions are all alternate timelines and which one you visit or visits you has to do with current events enabling that Legion on that day.
BTW, Huntress could go home if she travelled back in time to before her future became impossible and travel forward to it from there. I hope no one ever reads this comment who works in comics because I’d like this Helena to stick around. I’ve always loved pre-Crisis Huntress the best. It took decades for Bertinelli to grow on me at all and post-Flashpoint Huntress is a hot mess.
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Oh, I forgot about the Bendis Legion in Green Arrow, but that’s probably for the best. I’m being super-optimistic about this Legion, just putting it out there and hoping it sticks, but they are so much more recognisable as the Legion that the amazingly designed but very faffy Bendis/Sook people. I can never accept that Shaggy Rogers IS Element Lad!
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I might be in the minority, but I’d like to see the return of the Bendis version of the team (Shaggy Element Lad included). So so so much untapped potential there. In some regards the Bendis version was very much a silver age throwback… lots of colourful characters with just the barest hint of personalities and subtext. The next time they appear, I want us to jump them right into the late bronze era where we are fleshing those characters out and giving them meaty stories and adventures.
None of which means, I’d be opposed to seeing the retroboot back. But we all know that they’re always going to be on the table, so I’m content to explore some of the newer versions a little longer before we jump back into the old and familiar.
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That’s fair enough. I honestly don’t understand why some version of the team isn’t seen regularly, surely they have more of a built-in audience than Speed Force, whose comic is unreadable.
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Great review . This book never ceases to surprise me . It’s just so wild and chaotic . Recently it was revealed and I think John’s confirmed that there’s going to be ongoing that this miniseries was just setting up and you can feel it. To be quite honest it feels like three books could come out of this. It’s an insane book but I like it. What would help me enjoy it more is if they officially tell me that somethings happening next but I’ll cross my fingers.
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I’m with you all the way, and I also heard something else was planned. I just wish DC would announce it, it’s like they don’t do publicity outside of San Diego any more.
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it’s great to see the Legion again! I only wish the next issue wasn’t coming out in the 30th century.
Hopefully they’ll announce a more permanent home for them at San Diego.
As for the JSA, it’s hard to get excited for them. Between all the villains, and the Legion appearance, they always seem to be guest stars in their own book. This thing looks gorgeous a lot of the time, but it has zero momentum. That said, I’m in it till the end.
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Much of my love for this book has been the nostalgia factor. It is a reminder of 20 years ago when Johns’ was still a fairly new writer penning tales of the modern JSA and my life felt a bit simpler. I also love how there is an editorial reference to “JSA #50” as well! When was the last time you saw any DC book refer to a years-old storyline? But I do agree with critics that the wait between issues is absurd and it would also be nice to spend more time with the main team given they were off the shelves for over a decade. This book sometimes feels like “alternate universe Huntress and her amazing friends” rather than the “JSA.” But I also appreciate that Johns, maybe just to keep things interesting for himself, wanted to add a bunch of new characters and to push the concept of the JSA forward. The villain angle isn’t a bad idea. I’ve said repeatedly that I also think DC is failing here when it comes to marketing. If readers had a clear indication from the company about the future of the title/team now that Johns has moved on from the company it might feel less ephemeral. It almost feels like Geoff Johns is writing fan-fiction at this point because we really have no idea if any of this will stick/be followed up on in an ongoing series or just shelved. I’m fine if this is some one-off. It will be filed away with all of my other Geoff Johns/Justice Society books. But it really would be nice if DC or even Johns would talk more about what’s next.
And yes, I too have been wondering about the Doc Midnight/Wildcat subplot. It looked like Eclipso was the next foe on the horizon. But it’s hard to see that happening over these final 2 issues. Although I suppose if the Legion subplot is wrapped up in #11 we might get an Eclipso throw-down in #12. Again, the fact the current issue referred to the big Eclipso storyline from “JSA” makes me think that’s where Johns is going…
-Brian
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Ah, you speak so much sense, Brian. And a million points for ‘alternate universe Huntress and her amazing friends’. Gosh doesn’t she look dull in the current costume, like a saveloy.
I wonder what the JSA would be like now if DC hadn’t cancelled the Johns series. Mind, he did leave and we were reduced to Alan Scott flying around inside a boiler unit, so perhaps the cancellation was for the best.
And yep, a bit of publicity as to what’s next would be wonderful.
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I like to imagine the Earth where Crisis never happened but I do it in semi-real time, with the oldsters with only the weak Karkull excuse gone and the Infinity Inc group the old guard shepherding the new youngsters.
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I want to read about that Earth 2. And on Earth One Diana is having adventures with Steve and Etta and Glitch, but is forever forgetting them because Hippolyta mindwipes her every time she visits.
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