Welcome back to the Society Pages, a column that looks back at the ‘modern’ history of the Justice Society of America. The main thrust of this column is to look at “JSA” and “Justice Society of America,” two ongoing series, written for most of their runs by Geoff Johns.
We are getting into the home stretch for this batch of ‘Society Pages’ installments before we break for the summer – and the return of ‘The Chronicles of Shazam’ – so we are digging into a couple of JSA/JLA team ups, and a batch of “Hawkman” issues.
JLA/JSA Secret Files and OriginsCover by Carlos Pacheco
Written by Geoff Johns, David S. Goyer, Rick Veitch, Jim Beard, Rich Hedden, and Dan Curtis Jackson
Penciled by Stephen Sadowski, Dietrich Smith, Clement Suave, Phil Winslade, and Kelly Yates
Inked by Andrew Pepoy, Sean Parsons, Serge LaPointe, Phil Winslade, and Mick Gray
Colored by Tom McGraw
Colored Separated by Digital Chameleon
Lettered by Kurt Hathaway and Comicraft“HOME AGAIN.” Tempest’s child Cerdian looks on through his confused infant eyes as Atlantis struggles to survive without her true King, Aquaman. Red Tornado, Flash (Jay Garrick), and Superman team up to stop a flash flood in Ohio, but the Man of Steel and the Fastest Man Alive seem to have ulterior motives in “STORMCHASERS!” Simon Stagg is being haunted by the ghost of Metamorpho in “THE GHOST OF STAGG MANOR!” All this plus profiles of some of the team’s newest members, allies and more!
This was a bit of a mixed read for me, as there are plot points from both issues of “JLA” and “JSA” in here, obviously, but all of the stories work well enough, and the ‘main’ story, a Captain Marvel-themed one, is really the important story here, as it brings together the pieces that’ll be used in “JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice,” so let’s cut the crap and get right to it.
[That said, this, like many “Secret Files and Origins” books, was a lot of fun.]JLA/JSA: Virtue and ViceCover by Carlos Pacheco
Written by David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns
Penciled by Carlos Pacheco
Inked by Jesús Meriño
Colored by Guy Major
Lettered by Ken LopezOver the years, different incarnations of the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America have fought together to safeguard the world against all types of threats. Celebrating this camaraderie, the two teams decide to get together for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. But when the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man possess different members of the teams, their festivities are abruptly ended. Featuring Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and the Flash, JLA/JSA: VIRTUE AND VICE presents a team-up of epic proportions as three generations of heroes taken on the wickedness of Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Pride, Envy and Greed.
PUMP THIS INTO MY VEINS.
I absolutely adore a JSA/JLA team up and, due to the big chunk of issues I read last week, this actually falls somewhere in the middle of those issues. This is the first Thanksgiving gathering of the two teams, and it manages to go far worse than the one we saw in “JSA” #54. This story sees Despero and Johnny Sorrow unleash the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man (or Seven Deadly Sins, depending on which version you’re familiar with) from the Rock of Eternity, each of which gloms onto a hero: Captain Marvel (gluttony), Power Girl (lust), Mister Terrific (pride), Batman (anger), Dr. Fate (sloth), Plastic Man (greed), and Green Lantern (envy).
This leads to my least favorite thing in comics, which is heroes fighting other heroes, but Johns and Goyer do a really good job of making it not feel like anything more ‘serious’ than what it is. We aren’t seeing long simmering tensions at the root here; they are all friends, some of which happen to be possessed. This story is also practice for Johns to sharpen his tools for the colored Lantern Corps, as his Plastic Man is essentially Larfleeze.
But this comic also uses a lot of the more interesting locations in the DCU, whether it is the Limbo that the JSA spent ‘centuries’ in between 1987 and 1993, or Dr. Fate’s tower, or the Luthor-led White House. This period of DC was a really nice combination of legacy and new ideas, and so you see stuff like President Luthor in the same pages as the JLA Watchtower on the Moon, and it feels, to me, like the most ‘complete’ era of DC Comics. There were very few things, save the actual multiverse, which felt missing from this era. Ever since “Flashpoint,” there have been a number of properties that always felt abandoned or forgotten about, but this feels incredibly robust and complete.
Continued belowCarlos Pacheco does such a wonderful job representing the classic looks of this multitude of characters. In this era, it felt like some artists couldn’t accurately render either the classic looks or the ‘modern’ looks, and so half the characters would look out of place. Pacheco has no such struggles, and he does incredible work with the action sequences. This is a pretty straightforward book, in terms of layouts and page construction, but Pacheco nails just about every sequence, even those that feature 20+ unique characters. This is good work from the (then) upstart artist.
Nothing of too much consequence really comes from this, except that it appears that now both teams know that Billy Batson is Captain Marvel, which was a pretty well kept secret at this point. The sequence that reveals his identity is a wonderful one and, along with Hourman telling the Flashes how to save the day at the White House, is among the best in the book.
“Hawkman” #15-22Cover by John Watson
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencilled by Rags Morales, José Luis García-López, Scott Eaton
Inked by Michael Blair, José Luis García-López, Ray Kryssing, Mark McMurray
Colored by John Kalisz
Color Separated by Heroic Age
Lettered by Ken Lopez, Bill OakleyHawkman and Hawkgirl have lived many lives over the centuries, all ending in a painful death. As the mystic Highwayman comes to St. Roch, seeking to claim Hawkmans tortured soul, its a deadly battle for survival. But first, the Winged Wonders must survive a revenge-seeking Thanagarian Hawkwomanand then a confrontation with the powerful Black Adam.
This period of “Hawkman” really serves a very specific purpose, which is further draw a wedge between Carter and Kendra, while continuing to smooth the Hawk-status quo post-“Zero Hour.” The first few issues are all about Shayera Thal, the Thanagarian Hawkwoman from the “Hawkworld” series interacting with Carter and Kendra. Shayera is one of the more interesting remnants of the pre-“Zero Hour” continuity that still was active in this period, especially due to the fact that Katar Hol, her partner in crime, was combined with Carter into the ‘Hawk God’ in “Zero Hour.”
Rags Morales also does the impossible in these issues, in that he drawns Shayera in a way that doesn’t make her look like a cast member of Designing Women, which is how she was presented through the early 90s. Morales is so damn talented, and he does incredible work throughout these issues, but he especially excels in making Shayera feel like part of this world. There are so many opportunities for Shayera, even today, but she’s been sparingly used since this issue.
There is also a lovely José Luis García-López illustrated issue where Carter goes to visit his old home in Germany, in one of his many lives. This sets up the idea that Carter is trying to make peace with his past, instead of recreate it, which is also reflective of how he is with Kendra. This continues in a Scot Eaton-penciled issue where Carter and Black Adam clash over an archeological dig in Khandaq. Again, Carter is trying to not fall into his old patterns, even if that is what his old friend Adam wants for him. I particularly loved this issue, as it presents Black Adam as an incredibly compassionate leader, but also a ruthless one. This is when Adam starts to become one of the most interesting DC characters.
But the real meat of this collection is in the “Headhunter” arc. While that villain doesn’t do anything all that memorable or interesting on his own, it sends Carter on a rage-filled backslide. No longer is he able to build a new life, or even chase after his ‘good’ old life. Instead, he is a rage monster who cannot be tamed, and he basically accepts his role as an angry savage.
This will likely play into ‘Black Reign,’ the upcoming “JSA” / “Hawkman” crossover, which will wrap up this spring’s Society Pages. Read all about that next week, and thanks for being a part of this column!
