“Ghost in the House”
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artists: George Perez (p), Bob Wiacek (i)
Publisher: DC Comics
Who says you can't go home again? The return of Paul Levitz to the title of writer has been long overdue. And you know what...? He's still got it. I know Levitz is incredibly busy in his “day job” as President & Publisher of DC, but DC needs to find a way to get him writing on a more regular basis. There's a little rust, but he has not lost that knack for dialogue. And then he gets to write the “real” JSAers, too, which makes this the perfect comeback.
Appropriately enough, Levitz has the current version of the JSA represented by Power Girl and Ma Hunkel. I say appropriately because Levitz wrote PG during her earliest 1970s All Star Comics years, and Ma is a creation of Sheldon Mayer, a creator I know for a fact is Levitz's all-time favorite. It also shows in his writing how much he enjoys these two characters. And not only does he get to write those two, but he also gets to write Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The originals.
The scenes with PG and Ma serve as bookends to the main story, a story that takes place in 1951 right after the JSA has disbanded. A story that does indeed feature the Earth-2 version of the JSA, as told by Lois Lane via a notepad. In reading Lois' notes, Ma is understandably confused as to why Superman and Batman are in 1951. With some urging from PG, she just trusts in what she's reading. And what a tale it is….
What is it? Well, I'm not going to say. This is a story that should be savored and not ruined by a mere review. All I'm willing to reveal is that it involves the three heroes mentioned above, as well as one surprise appearance of a current JSAer, battling the Gentleman Ghost. This story proves without a doubt that DC can publish a title such as this, as long as the creative talent is on par with this one. It truly felt like going home to me. Some may complain it moved too slowly or there wasn't enough action, but then they're not trying to enjoy the story. This particular story is not about “all our action,” it's about these heroes. Their time may have passed, either in years or because some Crisis 20 years ago, but they're still heroes worthy of our respect. Levitz treats them as such. Plus, it's a damn fun read.
Joining Paul Levitz on this issue is George Perez and Bob Wiacek. Personally, as much as Perez is probably the perfect artist for this story, I wish that Wally Wood were still around to have inked this. THEN it would have been truly perfect. As it is, Wood passed many years ago, and it falls to Wiacek to ink Perez. As with everything he does, Perez does a gorgeous job. Not only does he draw with his typical style, but he also “adjusts” it to draw Batman in the 1950s style, while still keeping it like his own. At first glance, it seems a little out of place, but it does fit the story. Also, I hope Phil Jimenez takes note as to how Perez draws Superman and Lois Lane in this issue, especially the “S” shield.
As I said in the beginning, you can go home again. To me, this issue represents all that has been missing in the DCU, and DC Comics in general, of late. I certainly hope that post-Infinite Crisis that we see more stories like this one. And let's also hope that Paul Levitz finds the time to write more often!
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