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.
This week, we get the first major ‘event’ of the new volume, where the newly rechristened “Justice Society of America” crosses over with the newly rechristened “Justice League of America” for a crossover event with reverberations a thousand years in the future. Let’s dig into ‘The Lightning Saga.’
Written by Brad Meltzer and Geoff JohnsCover by Alex Ross
Penciled by Shane Davis, Ed Benes, Fernando Pasarin, and Dale Eaglesham
Inked by Matt Banning, Ed Benes, Sandra Hope, Fernando Pasarin, and Ruy José
Colored by Alex Sinclair and Jeromy Cox
Lettered by Rob LeighTwo of DCs biggest crews of superheroes–the Justice League of America, featuring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and more–and the Justice Society of America, including Hawkman, Wildcat and others join forces in this stunning graphic novel! The JLA has discovered that several members of the Legion of Super-Heroes from the 31st century are in the present. With the help of the JSA, Superman and his team must track down all seven Legionnaires to discover why these heroes of the future have traveled back in time!
First, a note about the construction of this event. This was the height of fill-in art at DC, a ten or so year period where the solicited creator was often times not the person who actually wound up on the title. At this time, with both of these titles relaunched with superstar teams, it is baffling to me how DC could allow a five issue crossover with four pencilers on it. I totally understand if the “Justice League of America” and “Justice Society of America” would have separate creative teams, but only Ed Benes pencils more than a single issue here. And, it should be noted, these are not stylistic decisions, where each artist is put on the single issue that best suits their talents. And so, while there is a lot of good art within these pages, there’s not a lot of consistency throughout the event.
This is also a catalyst for a few different events in the DC Universe. Geoff Johns would use the Legion of Super-Heroes appearance in this crossover to bring them back into continuity for him to do a pair of stories to somewhat reset the Legion, both in the pages of “Action Comics” and then the “Legion of Three Worlds” (faux) tie-in to “Final Crisis.” It would also contribute to ‘Thy Kingdom Come,’ the next JSA arc, which would involve Earth-22, the Earth that Mark Waid and Alex Ross’s “Kingdom Come” is set on. We’ll be dealing with the start of that next week.
Unfortunately, it also leads into “Countdown to Final Crisis,” but the less said about that, the better.
There are few stories that involve such a wide swath of DC characters, from the original costumed crimefighters of the JSA to the future heroes of the Legion. This also allows anyone, with any level of familiarity with these characters, to follow along. Legion books can be bogged down by continuity and a thousand members, but this keeps the roll call light, with seven Legionnaires and a few decoys/important missing members. Each team has 9 or so people represented, and while 27 heroes is nothing to sneeze at, there’s enough marquee players and context given that it’s not really a problem.
Because the crossover shares two writers, there is even more inconsistency than just the artistic shuffle would account for. Meltzer, a successful novelist, is a polarizing figure in comics circles. His “Justice League of America” is full of lots of good ideas, but oftentimes some very poor execution. Specifically, he seems to have no idea how to write any of the non-JLA characters. His Wildcat – a man who fought Nazis in the 40s – is making sly references to Star Wars, specifically the Special Editions and the Greedo shooting first fiasco. His Legionnaires are all reduced down to one specific trait, and appear especially flat. Compared to how adeptly Johns handles all of the characters, it’s a lopsided contest.
Continued belowBut again, the ideas in here are so much fun. The combination of these three teams should be enough to get even the most jaded DC fan excited, but Johns and Meltzer up the ante by creating a truly unique story that features one of the most fun and unexpected twist endings of the modern era. The returning character, in hindsight, makes perfect sense, but Meltzer plays his cards very close to the vest in the final issue. When the realization hits, it is a fantastic moment for all three teams.
The fact that the Legion are coming into this as antagonists is never glossed over, but they are also never treated as villains or involved in slugging matches with the others. Too many times, these events turn into ‘which team would win in. fight?’ shenanigans, but Johns and Meltzer never go there. Instead, the teams spend time learning from each other, inspiring each other, and all trying, in their own ways, to do what is right.
This crossover points to a DC Universe that is allowed to have multiple teams, multiple timelines, and a publishing line that is unafraid to mix them together. DC has not committed to a line that featured all three teams since 2011’s “Flashpoint” re-set the table for the New 52. These issues, flawed as they may be in parts, reminds the reader that the DC Universe was around before they were, will exist long after, and is all the better for it.
One of the best things I can say about this event is that it makes me want to take a break from my JSA reading to follow the Legion’s adventures for a bit. But, dear reader, I couldn’t do that to you. So next week, we’ll be reviewing “Kingdom Come” and “The Kingdom,” ahead of starting on the JSA event ‘Thy Kingdom Come.’ Confused yet?
