Welcome back to the Society Pages, a new 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. After starting in on “JSA” last week, this week we are also going to recap the first half of Geoff Johns’s other book at the time, starring a member of the JSA. And so, without any further ado, let’s dig into “Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.!”
Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0-8Cover by Lee Monder
Written by Geoff Johns and James Robinson
Penciled by Lee Monder and Chris Weston
Inked by Dan Davis and John Stokes
Colored by Tom McGraw, Carla Feeney and Heroic Age
Lettered by Bill OakleyCollecting [the] series that kicked off Geoff Johns’ DC career and introduced Courtney Whitmore, the Star Spangled Kid! When Courtney discovers her stepfather was the sidekick of the Star-Spangled Kid, she begins acting as the all-new Star-Spangled Kid! He retaliates by donning an 8-foot suit of armor to keep her out of trouble, and adventure ensues!
“Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.” – and boy is that a terrible thing to have to type out over and over again – is notable for a few reasons. First of all, this represents Geoff Johns’s first solo ongoing gig at DC. It is also a book that very much has its own tone and, despite being connected to “JSA,” feels nothing like that book.
The title reflects the youth of Courtney Whitmore, aka the Star Spangled Kid, both in its visuals by Lee Monder, and the tone of the title. It’s not quite equal parts high school soap opera and superhero comic, but it’s not too far removed from that. The book works quite hard to give Courtney a full life, and the book never feels like it is just waiting for the action to begin. Courtney’s life is entirely different than it was a few months earlier: new stepfather, new town, new superheroic responsibilities. The series tries to balance all of this, while still being a part of the overarching DCU.
Johns and Monder take great strides to paint Pat, Courtney’s stepfather and the man inside S.T.R.I.P.E., through his stepdaughter’s eyes. Pat comes off as a square, stuffy, and, though harmless, a bit of a buzzkill. I really enjoy the lengths the creative team goes to in illustrating that S.T.R.I.P.E. is not exactly a great help. Sure, he can pack a wallop, but the suit is constantly malfunctioning or damaged, and I don’t think there’s a single instance in the 9 issues I read where it really accomplishes what it sets out to do.
The title also does that classic ‘new series’ trick of bringing in lots of guest stars, from Starman in the #0 issue, to the Marvel family in a ‘Day of Judgment’ crossover to Young Justice for an arc, and in issue #8, most of the DCU’s heavy hitters. What is interesting is how few “JSA” characters show up. I’m sure that Johns felt that the titular book would give them enough time to interact, but Pat is not part of the Justice Society anymore, and it would be nice to see him interact with his generation of heroes more often.
Overall, the series is nicely developed, and allows Blue Valley to re-establish itself as an unique setting within the DCU. But as enjoyable as “Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.” was, let’s get to the main course.
Continued belowJSA #6-15Cover by Stephen Sadowski
Written by Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer
Penciled by Marcos Martin, Stephen Sadowski, and Buzz
Inked by Keith Champagne, Michael Blair, and Buzz
Colored by John Kalisz and Heroic Age
Lettered by Ken LopezHeroes of the present and legends of the past come together to form the Justice Society of America! Now honored as heroes, the new JSA continues to endure the trials that made the Justice Society heroic icons. But as heroes continue, so must evil. Once again, the JSA is called upon to save the planet from malevolent forces that may threaten the very fiber of the universe! This collection has our heroes confronting the return of the Injustice Society, a darkness-consumed Obsidian and the time-shattering threat of Extant!
Issue #6 is when Geoff Johns replaces James Robinson as co-writer of “JSA,” and the change is noticeable in two ways early on. First, most the pop culture references from the 40s are dropped pretty quickly; the characters in a more generic tone, which has its pros and cons. But it is the characters themselves that really show the difference in Johns’s run. Issue #6 brings Black Adam into the title, Obsidian shows up an issue later, and the greater DC Universe keeps popping in. Robinson seemed quite content to build up the JSA from within, but Johns wants to make it clear that they are an essential part of the overall DCU.
He does this by expanding the team with Mister Terrific and Doctor Mid-Nite, both of whom were established elsewhere, bringing in strands of “Zero Hour” with Extant, bringing Metron, a New God, into an arc, and making the DEO and the Blackhawks part of the overall fabric. The book, under Robinson, felt a lot like “Starman,” where it was clear that Jack was part of something bigger, but the book was, more or less, just telling the story of Jack and his friends. “JSA” felt similar in that way, but under Johns, those walls fall down almost instantly.
That’s not to say that there aren’t really good or important character moments, or even dedicated issues to nothing more than development. ‘Wild Hunt,’ the tenth issue, is a Wildcat solo story that seems to be a primer for new readers as to just what he’s all about. Of the three ‘veteran’ JSA members, he was the least used around this time, as both Jay Garrick and Alan Scott had been used in their legacy characters’ books. The issue is fun, and gives Johns a chance to establish ‘his’ version of the character.
There’s a brief, two-issue story involving Kobra that works really well as an Atom Smasher spotlight story. In this story, Kobra brings down an airplane that has Al’s (Atom Smasher) mom on it, and his grief and anger threaten to turn him into a murderer. He’s one of the most effective characters early in this run, and so it was really surprising to see him, along with Hippolyta, Starman, and Hourman all depart at the end of issue #15. This seems like Johns re-structuring the team into something that is more interesting to him; Hippolyta seems like a very clear Robinson inclusion, as was Jack Knight, obviously. Hourman still had his ongoing series at the time, but Atom Smasher was a real loss to the team and the book.
Both Doctor Mid-Nite and Mister Terrific are dropped into the series with little fanfare, in a good way. Both characters are given minimal introductions, and allowed to acclimate in to the team without too many ‘whatever, new guy’ moments. Both are quite useful in their initial appearances, and there’s not too much time spent on why they joined, or why they hadn’t up to this point.
But the major thrust of this run is the Obsidian arc, ‘Darkness Falls,’ and ‘The Hunt for Extant.’ ‘Darkness Falls’ fills. the reader in on Alan Scott’s personal life, with a re-introduction of Jade, who had been a part of Ron Marz’s “Green Lantern” run, and Obsidian, who takes the spotlight here. Obsidian is a tough character to talk about at times, because his ‘villainous’ ways are often blamed on his mental illness. That’s present here, and while he is manipulated, it can still read a bit insensitively.
‘The Hunt for Extant,’ on the other hand, is all about the past. We see a few dead characters, like Sylvester Pemberton, the original Star-Spangled Kid, and Dawn Granger, aka Dove, pop up in the fight against Extant. Extant, formerly Hank Hall, aka Hawk, is the reason for the death of the Atom, Doctor Mid-Nite, and Hourman in “Zero Hour.” This gives the issue a serious heft and gravitas, as not only are these characters fighting for their lives, they are also fighting for their fallen friends’ lives.
Johns is sure to give all of these stories a tether to DC’s history, which is a trend he won’t abandon as his career continues, nor will his love of ‘rehabilitating’ forgotten characters. The machinations of how both Obsidian and Extant are defeated aren’t exactly groundbreaking, but both arcs do their jobs quite well. It is clear that this volume, collected under the ‘Darkness Falls’ title, is where the book begins in earnest, with Robinson’s first arc feeling more like a continuation of a prologue than a steady first chapter.
That’s not to knock his work on “JSA,” it is just clear that Johns had a different idea for the title, and establishes it quickly, and with purpose. He also, despite them sharing a common character, clearly has a different tone in mind for “JSA” and as he does “Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.,” and even for Courtney herself. While she’s still acting like a 16 year old in “JSA,” she is more respectful and amenable to direction from her teammates, rather than her stepdad.
Next week, we will see Johns wrap up “Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.” and return to #10’s Injustice Society in ‘Injustice be Done.’
