That’s a pretty great cover illo from Leonardo Romero, it’s a shame we don’t actually have any members of the Justice Society of America on it. Ah, connected covers, what can you do? Does anyone actually sit down with all the issues and stare joyously at the big picture? I tend to like them only if each section has a mix of goodies and baddies.
Still, it is a good shot of the Injustice Society members, and the pinks are lovely. I did a double take on seeing ‘Ragnarok Part One’ emblazoned under the logo, I thought we were well into the storyline… and yes indeed, inside it’s:
Someone’s asleep at the wheel.
Not Jesse Quick, though, she’s fully alert as she flies with husband Hourman in search of the missing Dr Mid-Nite.
The awkward moment develops into a conversation they’ve apparently needed for some time about the state of their relationship.
I beg to differ, Rick Tyler, I’ve read the strip you and Jesse had in JSA: All-Stars back in 2010, you were very much in love.
And then they find their medical metahuman colleague Beth Chapel.
Meanwhile, over at the trap.
The heroes have been taken by surprise, but an instant later the shock is on the other foot as Hawkman, Hawkgirl and the latest heir to the Kid Eternity mantle ‘port in from another part of Hell.
That one attack has Wotan and co beating a swift retreat, meaning JSA leader Jade, owning her authority for the first time in several issues, decides the heroes will join Dr Mid-Nite and co.
Hang on, though, there are members yet unaccounted for.
Ooh, it’s all go as the Ragnarok story finally nears its conclusion. It really is about time we saw the JSA getting its act together, given half the team has been in the hero game for almost a century, and that’s what we get here. Kudos to writer Jeff Lemire for giving us a nice balance of character and action this month, even though I’d have loved one big battle scene full of interesting verbal exchanges.
I did enjoy the insight into why Red Lantern Ruby, a JSA-er for about three minutes a couple of years ago, has joined the bad guys; she’s an idiot.
And there’s a good moment for junior Dr Fate Khalid Nassour, who’s been missing his haunted helmet, courtesy of the unseen ghost of the previous incumbent, Kent Nelson.
The only real off-note is that Hourman and Jesse Quick scene – it works as a nugget of soap but really doesn’t match what we saw not only in their own strip, but in many issues of the early Noughts JSA series. All Lemire would have to do would be to have both acknowledge they were deeply in love but, for whatever reason, have grown apart.
I’ve no complaints about the art of illustrator Diego Olortegui, which is packed with people yet somehow attractively airy. All the heroes and villains look good, with standouts this issue being Kid Eternity and Dr Fate. The page with the bulk of the heart to heart is far more interesting than a talking heads two-hander has any right to be. And the touchdown of the JSA’s Steel Eagle plane is tremendous, helped by the vibrant colours of Luis Guerrero, who also does standout work on the cliffhanger splash. Letterer Steve Wands, as always, has the words on the page looking great, his distinctive dialogue font being a real asset.
All in all, this is a pretty satisfying chapter of a story that’s going on far too long – I envy the readers who will experience it for the first time in a collected edition.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
I think of it as part one of a two part finale. Like… the season is twelve issues long, but the finale is two of those twelve. Works for me.
As always, I’ve been enjoying the ride. This first storyline is a long one, for sure, but I feel like I’m getting my money’s worth each month. I don’t feel like any issue was treading water or just there to pad out the story. Having said that… some of these villains are still cyphers to me. They aren’t much more than faces in a villainous crowd and with 12 issues to play with, we should be getting a little more as to their individual motivations and such.
I honestly don’t remember much of Jesse and Rick’s previous story. That’s the downside when the JSA has been out of commission for… how long has it been? Ten years? Regardless of how much in love they may have been portrayed, I can buy them drifting apart in the time that the series has been in limbo.
But HOW GOOD IS IT to see the team coming together. I’m loving their reactions at being reunited. Seeing them all work together to come up with plans and look out for one another is pretty sweet!
I’m hoping that even though the next storyline is set in the past, that we still get framing sequences or some element that allows us to check in with the current characters. It would be a shame to see them all get side-lined again in favour of a times past story.
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Murray, your positivity is a wonderful thing. I see your point about this as half of the final two issues, but that just shows again that Lemire is writing a trade paperback rather than a series in which ever instalment is a satisfying nugget.
Well, apart from the fact you’re finding the monthly chapters satisfying!
I don’t remember a lot of details about the Liberty Belle/Hourman back-ups, but I do recall that they were well into each other, and there was a frenemies set-up with Icicle and Tigress.
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How stupid do Wotan’s teammates have to be to think bringing evil elder gods to Earth can end well for anyone? It might appeal to Johnny ‘I can do anything the plot requires’ Sorrow would enjoy because he’s nihilistic except when the plot demands otherwise. I read the Jesse and Rick stuff too and I don’t mind the split, especially if Jesse leaves the book.
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I’d be OK with Jesse going, I’ve never got over the shenanigans in Jay Faerber’s Titans. I wonder if Firebrand Danette has any great-granddaughters.
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I’m fine with Rick and Jesse splitting, if it comes to that… but I’d also like to see them try to patch things up. They really were super lovey-dovey in those early Johns/Eaglesham issues of the JSA revival.
This series really started to come together for me when I reread the first 7 or 8 issues in a bunch. Until then, I felt like I was getting too little of every plotline, and too much time between them. But all at once, it was easier to keep everything in my head and I appreciated it a lot more.
That said, I’m really looking forward to shorter storylines — though I’m sorry to hear the first one is a flashback to the 40s. Nothing against those guys, but that’s four more months of no forward progress on our modern-day cast. I wish the flashback story could run concurrently as a miniseries, or would be released bi-weekly, or something. Ah, well. Leaving us wanting more isn’t the worst thing.
As for the cover, I feel like this might have been initially designed as a wraparound for a double-size issue? That way, the villains would be on the back and the heroes would be on the front. But hardly anyone does wraparound covers anymore, so probably not.
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Love the double cover speculation. Rob, and confirmation that these issues read better as one big superheroic lump. A second JSA book for the flashbacks would be great, this series needs to be looking forward to help the JSA feel less like a nostalgia act.
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