Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Dale Eaglesham (p), Ruy José (i)
Publisher: DC Comics
The newly reformed Justice Society goes after the IVth Reich with varying amounts of property damage ensuing. Meanwhile, Wildcat and… err… Wildcat go toe-to-toe with DC’s resident Neanderthal, Vandal Savage. Once it’s all over, it’s time to appoint a new Chairman and welcome a new member.
Johns’ first arc on the revamped Justice Society comes to its close. Overall, it’s a satisfying ending to a satisfying story. Unfortunately, though this issue opens pretty well, it loses some of its impetus as it goes along. The villains are one of the reasons behind this. Hardly developed beyond “ve are Nazis, ya? Unt ve vill kill amerikaners!,” there’s not much to these guys, who turn out to be not only a bit generic but also rather stereotypic. I know it makes some kind of sense to have this new incarnation of the team have their first confrontation against the ideological heirs of the original team’s first adversaries from back in the forties, but even the powers these guys have come from the generic superteam manual; except for the guy with the dragon, I like that! They don’t pose a real threat to the Society either and are taken down in a textbook by-the-numbers manner. Some are obviously so crap that the writer doesn’t even feel the need to show us how they’re defeated.
Vandal Savage commissioned the slaughter of the Justice Society’s families because they’ve always interfered with his plans to shape the future. Sounds reasonable. But it isn’t. We’re talking about the Justice Society here. I’m a relative newcomer to the DC Universe, but even I know that the Society has ties to most heroes under the sun. He’s bound to able to knock off a couple of their loved ones, but, as happens this issue, how long did he seriously think he could go about doing this before they came down on him like a ton of bricks? Or rather like a speeding fire engine. As The Flash points out, the mantles of some previous members have been taken up by people who have no family ties to the originals whatsoever, so killing the families isn’t going to mean there are no more heroes in the world to stop him. Speaking of other heroes, what about the League? The Outsiders? The Titans? For a guy who’s lived for thousands of years and boasts about his cunning, he sure can be short-sighted.
What makes this issue worth reading isn’t the plot or the fights with the neo-Nazis, it’s the characterisation of the new members. The first genuine surprise came after only three pages. I like the new Wildcat. I wasn’t at all sold on him by the end of the previous issue and found his transformation at the end of it completely uninspiring. This issue however, I really warmed to Wildcat’s newly discovered son. I still think there are some flaws in there, but I’m willing to give him a shot. The same goes for Cyclone, who is depressingly optimistic, and Starman. He’s another character who I was unsure about, but his line of “you see it too? I thought it was just me”, upon discovering there actually is a dragon in the sky, alone is almost enough to win me over.
All in all, I like the look of this new Society and do have hopes for the future. Except for one thing. Could someone please explain to me how the hell Power Girl is a good choice for the new Chairman? Chairwoman. Or is the PC version Chairperson nowadays? Never mind. The point is, why? As I said, I’m far from a DC historian, but is there anything in this character’s history that suggests she can coordinate and lead the largest and arguably most powerful assemblage of heroes in the world? Maybe Johns thought it was time to have a female leader, and in that context I guess there’s not much choice. Having said that, Stargirl almost seems a more logical choice for the role.
Dale Eaglesham provides some solid art that does justice to most of his incredibly large cast. It can’t be easy to really give an individual identity to all these guys. His Wildcat II is a rather neat design, if indeed it is his. I also want to see more of his Sand and get a peek at Damage’s ruined face. Unfortunately, there are a couple of sequences that aren’t all that clear. Most of them involve the two Wildcats struggle with Vandal. The very first panel of the issue took me several moments to figure out, and he inexplicably switches from dagger to sword in his right hand from one page to the next. The Wildcat heritage obviously comes with the gift of the gab; Tommy manages to crack wise whilst hanging through a smashed windscreen, and Ted has time to dish out combat advice whilst getting whacked in the head with a car engine. The epilogue is also rather puzzling. I guess I’m looking at an outbreak in Arkham (how many loon houses are there in Gotham?) but beyond that I have really no idea what’s going on.
This issue is a good end to a decent re-introduction to DC’s first superhero team with some new members who already show potential. Unfortunately, the direct threat to the heroes is never very real, the evil mastermind’s plan is as leaky as a sieve and the identity of the new Chairperson is utterly baffling. But the issue is still enjoyable, and though I initially wasn’t thrilled by the idea, I’m now looking forward to the Society/League crossover over the coming months.
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