11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The New Series Starts Off With Heart AND A Bang!, January 6, 2008
This review is from: Justice Society of America Vol. 1: The Next Age (Hardcover)
Geoff Johns is one of the hardest working writers in the DC Comics universe. Especially now that the universe there contains 52 worlds, some of which have yet to be explored. But he's the guy I'd definitely want taking me on the tour.
Johns has a gift of seeing the iconic heroes, a way of peeling down through decades of stories about them, to strip them to their bare bones. Once he's hit bedrock, he rebuilds them in exactly the way they were originally created and somehow brings them into our world and our NOW in ways we haven't seen before. He can take a hero that's been around for generations and introduce him or her to today's readers in a way that makes those readers think the heroes were just created for them now.
I've followed his runs on the Flash and Hawkman, and now in the pages of Green Lantern. But the greatest achievement Johns has ever done, in my humble opinion, was bringing the Justice Society of America to pre-eminence to comic book fans everywhere.
I loved his run on the previous volume of the book. I have all the copies in monthly magazine format as well as graphic novels. He's lately reintroduced the JSA once again in JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA: THE NEXT AGE.
In this latest series, spinning out of the events of the year-long event known as 52, Johns once more brings his considerable talents to the re-envisioning of the JSA. The first graphic novel of the new series contains the first four issues of the new monthly title. We get to see old favorites (the Alan Scott Green Lantern, Jay Garrick Flash, and Wildcat - who has been one of my personal heroes for a long time) as well as get introduced to new heroes/heroines.
Johns revisits the JSA's history to give us Cyclone, the super-powered granddaughter of Ma Hunkle, the original Red Tornado, a new Wildcat (with surprising twists), and even a new Steel (though we don't get to see the culmination of that origin story in this graphic novel). All of these heroes fit perfectly with the old favorites Johns has lined up.
I've loved the JSA from the first time I saw them crossover from Earth-2 back in the pages of the 1960s Justice League comic book. Not all of those heroes were revamped and reintroduced to the world in what has become known as the Golden Age of comics. Mr. Terrific, Hourman, and Dr. Mid-Nite - as well as others - never found their way to Earth-1 except to visit.
In the early pages of this graphic novel, Batman tells Flash, Green Lantern, and Wildcat that the JLA wants to help the JSA rebuild. As Batman points out, the JLA has always been something of a strike force or weapon, while the JSA has always been about family.
It's wonderful touches like that simple declaration that keep bringing me back to the JSA and to all of Johns's work. I've never read a comic of his that I didn't like. Story and character always work well in his scripts, and no one plays more fairly with the history of even the most long-lived heroes.
The plot in this graphic novels focuses on the rebuilding of the JSA with new blood while at the same time learning of the attacks against the families of heroes. The action is fast, violent, and bloody, with a number of deaths within the architecture of the story. Johns doesn't take any shortcuts, and he makes the violence - so he says - as real as he can because readers want to feel like they're living in hero worlds.
Johns's words and Dale Eaglesham's incredible artwork kept me turning pages, and wanting more when I'd finished. The story switches back and forth among several of the characters, and Johns conveys those different narrators skillfully. But he's definitely aided and abetted by Eaglesham. The panels are beautiful to look at, and they push the story forward with exquisite pacing. With a book dedicated to introducing new characters to readers, there are a lot of dialogue sequences that could have dragged in the hands of a less skilled artist. Johns trusted Eaglesham enough to make it all work, and he does.
I enjoyed this graphic novel a lot, and I can't wait for more. I hope that Johns and Eaglesham have a long stay on the title. I can't wait to see what they do next, because they've opened up a ton of possibilities.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Geoff Johns does the JSA justice..., January 5, 2008
This review is from: Justice Society of America Vol. 1: The Next Age (Hardcover)
All I can say is...WOW. These are the greatest JSA stories I have read since the All Star Squadron in the eighties, and it's WAY better than any superhero fare out there at the moment. Johns and artist Dale Eaglesham have captured the spark of the JSA that made it such an appealing title ever since it debuted in the 1940's and was revitalized years later. It requires no backtracking or Wikipedia searches if you are a newcomer to the Justice Society (unless you become a fanatic like me), and old-time fans will find familiar characters as well as new ones here to enjoy along with numerous villains from the team's past. In this slim but excellent hardcover collection the team's roster includes classic characters such as Hawkman (my favorite!), Wildcat (my second favorite), Green Lantern (Alan Scott), the original Flash (Jay Garrick), Dr. Mid-Night, Hourman, and Power Girl (arguably not a brand new character, but she wasn't around in the forties). The new members are Damage (related to the original Atom, but with actual explosive powers), Stargirl, Mr. Terrific, Cyclone, and a host of others that have been hinted at but have yet to make appearances. Even though it only includes four issues of the series every issue gave me more than my money's worth, as the creators use congested storytelling and tight panels with a lot of narrative info and the occasional large spread to highlight a particularly gruesome action scene. The central story revolves around the murders of JSA family members and the overall plot against the society itself, initiated by one of their most feared enemies (a bad guy who can literally 'stand the test of time', hint, hint). Along the way various side stories blossom from the main storyline when Wildcat makes a startling personal discovery that affects him profoundly, while crippled sportstar Nathan Heywood (spoiler coming - watch it!) develops 'nerves of steel,' so to speak. In conclusion I would have to say that every page surprised me with something shocking or revelatory, and isn't that what everyone wants when reading a comic book? Rest assured that this hardcover has it all - epic battles, dramatic revelations, tear-jerking moments as well as truly EXPLOSIVE scenes. Buy it - nuff said.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The JSA reborn, September 29, 2007
This review is from: Justice Society of America Vol. 1: The Next Age (Hardcover)
After the cataclysmic events of Infinite Crisis, the Justice Society of America (AKA the world's first superhero team) disbanded. Now, after taking on former member gone rogue Black Adam in World War III, the JSA is back together again. Original Flash Jay Garrick, original Green Lantern Alan Scott, Wildcat, Hawkman, Mr. Terrific, Power Girl, Hourman, Liberty Belle, Dr. Mid-Nite, Sandman, Stargirl, Damage, Cyclone, Starman, and Obsidian make up the new lineup of heroes, who unite just in time as someone is hunting down blood descendants of former and current members (not to mention paying intelligent homage to Mark Waid and JSA cover artist Alex Ross' Kingdom Come). Superhero writer extraordinaire Geoff Johns (Infinite Crisis, Green Lantern, Flash) is back at the helm of JSA, and be glad he is. Johns weaves a nice, twisty plot while he re-invigorates some old heroes and villains for a new DC universe, which only furthers the notion that he's one of the best mainstream superhero writers, well, maybe ever. Dale Eaglesham's art is plenty solid as well, but what really hurts Justice Society of America: The Next Age is that it's way too short. This hardcover collection only features the first four issues of the relaunched series, and by the time it ends, you'll be drooling for more. That aside, the JSA is back and better than ever, and with Johns at the helm, the possibilities are endless.
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