Our story opens in 1951, when the Justice Society of America disbands rather than reveal their civilian identities during the ‘Unamerican Activities’ hoohah.
Ten years later, a shady figure individually approaches three former members, all of whom are bored as full-time civilians. There’s Ted Grant.
Rex Tyler, Hourman.
And, Dr Charles McNider, the former Dr Mid-Nite.
So, the spook has two out of three of his targets, and shortly afterwards Rex and Ted are waiting for him at Gotham Harbor before flying across the Atlantic. He explains their assignment.
Dr Mid-nite has relented having realised he was likely approached because the agent will need medical help. Soon, they’re in the air, wondering why they’ve not been told their target’s name.
After parachuting into Russia, they find the unknown operative and yes. Yes they do know him.
Well, this is a change of pace. I’m not sure it’s a change of pace I want, given this seems to be the penultimate issue of the current run, but here it is. When writer Jeff Lemire said a couple of years ago that he was planning to punctuate big storylines with Starman-style Times Past stories I was all for it, but it turns out this will be the one and only, as Lemire has moved on.
Mind, if others would have been as dull as this one it’s no great loss. Pages and pages are spent showing us post-JSA lives of boredom, such as Ted Grant getting out of bed, feeding the cat, walking down the street. A page of Rex Tyler silently clockwatching follows one that established perfectly well that life had lost its spice. The pace is beyond leisurely.
And quibble wise, how is Charles McNider seeing patients… literally, seeing patients in broad daylight? The man can see only in darkness.
Plus, given the good guys are told ‘No one can ever know we sent masked men into enemy territory’, why do they change into costume the minute they’re behind enemy lines?
This issue is a bit of a sausage fest, I realise Hippolyte would be back on Paradise Island by 1961, but couldn’t Black Canary have been tapped up for the mission?
There is a nice gag about Tyler Chemical’s latest product.
The art by Teddy Kristiansen has a quirky appeal, though the quality is inconsistent. The set-up pages are much duller than the later scenes, as if even the artist is a bit bored. Compare the shot of heroes jumping out of a plane to Rex Tyler sitting in his office looking like a ten-year-old child. Kristiansen does draw some nice period buildings, though, and his use of colour is lovely at times.
Steve Wands give us nice calm letters, as ever, and regular series artist Diego Olortegui’s cover is rather winning.
So, not the most exciting of issues, it reads like an exercise in ensuring we don’t miss the series too much when it’s gone. The art adds interest but I can see it putting off some readers. I fear this JSA run is going out with a whimper.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
i really liked this issue. One of Lemire’s best on “JSA”.Good set up and dialog. Characters spoke distinctively from each other. The plot held my I’ve liked many stories over the past decades that fill in the gaps of JSA history.
I’ve been following Teddy Kristiansen’s career in American comic books off and on since he illustrated & colored Tarzan stories for Malibu Comics, way back in the early 1990’s. Then some “Sandman”, and “Batman: Black & White”, among others.
The guy’s a master. And I’m cool with him not trying to pander to an audience or follow any popular trends, as long as he’s being true to the best of his impressive abilities that adhere to some fine disciplines of art. And I see that in this issue.
I definitely want to read this arc to its conclusion.
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I agree with Tim. The artwork is top notch! I loved it (although, to your point, Mart, maybe Teddy got bored with the endless set-up pages as well).
I liked the story well enough, and I’m always a sucker for any kind of Times Past tale. But this story needed some editting. Surely the “gathering of the heroes” scene could have been four or five pages shorter so that we could have focussed more on the interaction of the three main characters? Or advanced the story a little further and then had a different cliffhanger?
As for whether this arc is a weird one to end the series (presumably), I mean… the whole series has been paced weirdly. Twelve issues for the first storyline, then six issues for a jump back to the past, then four more set in the present, then another two set in the past. It’s hard to get momentum with this kind of back and forth.
Which isn’t to say I haven’t enjoyed the stories. I most certainly have. They’ve been great stand alone tales. But there isn’t any connective tissue that pulls the whole series together. The tales set in the past aren’t having any kind of impact on the stories told in the present day. And a chunk of the cast are either shuffled off or vanish between the two stories told in the present. It’s a weird weird weird little series.
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I thought this was the best issue of the series so far!
and to be fair we already had another issue set during the five days of World War II and an entire arc set at the beginning of the GSA‘s career. So this isn’t the first time he’s done something times past like.
I’d like to see black Canary, as well, but there’s nothing really awkward in this issue. I think it’s been established that Dr. McNider could practice during the daylight. I know back in the infinity Incorporated days the JSA would see him in the daylight.
-Matthew Lloyd
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I agree it’s good art. I disagree that its appropriate for the JSA. A clandestine mission, yes, but add the JSA and you need more bombast and gloss. The story is just plain boring to me. It was so thin on plot, Bob Rozakis could have used it all in an eight page back up and had room for another page. Maybe it’s best the JSA goes back into limbo with this. I have to wonder why writers bother with new set ups for the team when the next writer never uses them and they get cameos if anything in between. Next time, skip the drawn out set up and give us story while the book lasts. Oh and stories set in the JSA’s long, long, long history just drives home that in present day these people are all over one hundred and don’t even act or look like they’re fifty. Either borrow Sivana’s supendium or return Earth 2 and set the time frame for when they were actually in their forties. The Karkull thing was a very loose bandage and hasn’ worked since Crisis.
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“I fear this JSA run is going out with a whimper.” – I’m not sure Lemire’s to blame. He had made it clear publicly that he had at least 2 years/24 issues mapped out. I don’t recall if he’d actually specified how many issues, but I remember that after the first 12 parter he had the origin, a Spectre-focused storyline, then the current “times past” tale in the works.
The big question is why isn’t DC continuing the book with another writer/creative team? We also don’t know how this went down. Did Lemire plan all along to move on after 2 years? Would he have stayed a bit longer if DC had wanted the book to continue? What if DC had said, “Look, we’ll give you 4 extra issues to go out with a bang if you have a cool storyline…”? When Lemire announced he was leaving a few months ago he did say he did not know what DC’s plans were…
All in all I think Lemire’s tenure holds up well when compared to other creators who succeeded Geoff Johns. We got an extended origin story for the JSA. We got some signficant character development when it comes to two of the longest-serving members (Wildcat). We got a 12-issue epic, with a cool flash back tale. And we’re getting a 2-part post-Golden Age tale, which is pretty rare, right? Has anyone else explored what JSA members were up to between retirement and re-merging from retirement?
Maybe Mark Waid can figure out some sort of JSA-centric storyline for “Justice League Unlimited” just to keep the characters out there? Maybe there will be another relaunch post-“Absolute Crisis”, preceded by some sort of Crisis-centric special or miniseries previewing the new creative team? Or maybe, as I mentioned a few weeks ago in another post, we’re at a point where DC isn’t quite sure what to do with the JSA?
-Brian
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I don’t think there’s any doubt that DC doesn’t know what to do with the JSA. I don’t think Lemire did either. This “Secret Society “ idea is his strongest idea in the series.
That would be a great place to go with the JSA. Explore those intervening years, especially since there are more of them now.
For the present the JSA can exist with as guest stars around the DCU.
Or maybe pair it down…just a few characters dealing with the current era as the JLU has sort of taken over the mentorship of new heroes.
-Matthew Lloyd
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