JSA #54

Virtue, Vice & Pumpkin Pie

Geoff Johns Writer
Don Kramer Pencils
Keith Champagne Inks
John Kalisz Colors
Heroic Age Separations
Jared K Fletcher Letters
Stephen Wacker Assoc. Editor
Peter Tomasi Editor

Our cover by Carlos Pacheco shows the JSA and the JLA gathering around a table like a happy family for a Thanksgiving feast. And this isn't just a sentimental, fun holiday cover. This actually happens in this issue. With one exception: Wally West. I'll talk more about his conspicuous absence at the end.

Our story opens at the headquarters of the Justice Society of America in Manhattan, where the JSA and JLA have gathered together for the first time since the Virtue and Vice even that saw Despero and Johnny Sorrow nearly conquer the world. Everybody's in a good mood and excited to celebrate Thanksgiving, except for Batman, who spends the entire issue worrying that something bad will happen.

Representing the Flash family are Jay and Joan Garrick, Bart (still as Impulse) and the de-powered Jesse Chambers. Bart complains to Jay about having to wait so long to eat, noting he could quickly grab some KFC right now. (I love this joke, because in the future, Impulse will literally appear in a KFC comic.) Jay encourages Bart to try to socialize with the other heroes and warns him that he'll steal his speed if he doesn't slow down.

Bart and Jakeem Thunder find each other, and although they have met before, it was only briefly, so Bart needs to be reminded of Jakeem's name. Turns out they both live in Keystone City, but go to different high schools. Bart says his school "totally blows," which earns him a reprimand from Jay. So Bart improves his language, saying he doesn't like it. Jakeem actually swears when talking about his school, and when Jay yells at Jakeem, Bart gives him a thumbs up.

Eventually, dinner is served. Stargirl (formerly known as the Star-Spangled Kid) is upset at having to sit at the kids table with Bart and Jakeem, complaining that Captain Marvel is the only real kid in attendance. Bart and Jakeem don't make Courtney feel any better by bragging about being able to eat mashed potatoes through their nose.

Jay proposes a toast, but before anyone can begin eating, a blue and red alien suddenly teleport into the middle of the room, destroying the table and all the food. They announce themselves as Kulak the Sorcerer and the Warlock of Ys and claim they'll crush the Justice League and rule the world. But then they realize they're outnumbered 10-to-1 and don't stand a chance. With the villains defeated very quickly off screen, our heroes order pizza and Mr. Terrific allows Batman the satisfaction of saying he was right.



This was a nice, light-hearted comic, giving our heroes the rare chance to just hang out and relax. Bart goofing off with Jakeem was a natural pairing, although I feel Geoff Johns had both of them acting way too young. I don't think there are many 15-year-olds trying to eat mashed potatoes through their nose.

Now for the Wally business. The Flash #200 ended with Wally reporting on Bart having joined the Teen Titans and Jesse losing her powers, right before he makes a deal with the Spectre to have the world forget about the Flash. So this comic had to fall within a very narrow time frame after the conversation Wally had with Jay about Bart joining the Teen Titans, but before Bart spends his first day with the team, because he ended that night as Kid Flash. It's pretty weird, but it does almost, sort of work, continuity-wise. The ironic thing here is that Geoff Johns is the writer of all three books, so you'd think he would have made everything a bit clearer. Instead, it feels like he kind of painted himself into a corner with Wally's story.

Next time, we'll continue Bart's first day as Kid Flash in Teen Titans #5.

JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice

Writers: David S. Goyer • Geoff Johns
Penciller: Carlos Pacheco
Inker: Jesús Meriño
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Guy Major

Cover Penciller: Carlos Pacheco
Cover Inker: Jesús Meriño
Cover Colorist: Guy Major

Frankly, I find this cover a bit boring. The top part shows some of the top members of the JLA — Wonder Woman, Atom, Superman, Green Lantern, Batman and Flash. The bottom has some JSA members — Captain Marvel, Doctor Fate, Mr. Terrific, Sentinel and the first Flash, Jay Garrick. Keep in mind that this represents only a portion of both of these teams, as they had fairly massive rosters at this time. (At least I consider those rosters massive compared to what I'm used to from the New 52 and beyond.) Anyway, my main complaint with this cover is that is implies a battle between the Justice League of America versus the Justice Society of America. And that is not at all what this book is about.

Virtue and Vice is a 94-page prestige-format book featuring dozens of characters. There's a lot going on here, but Impulse only shows up in one panel, so I'm going to give this the briefest of recaps. The story begins with the JLA and JSA deciding to start an annual tradition of having Thanksgiving together. Everything's going great until Captain Marvel, Plastic Man, Green Lantern, Mr. Terrific, Batman, Doctor Fate and Power Girl become possessed by the Seven Deadly Sins of Man, which are usually safely locked away at Shazam's base, the Rock of Eternity.

The possessed heroes turn on their teammates, throwing a handful of them into various prisons before  heading out to wreak havoc in the world. The remaining members of the JLA and JSA team up to try to figure out what's going on. To make matters worse, there's an epidemic of insanity spreading around the world, forcing all the rest of Earth's superheroes to try to quell riots across the globe. And this is where we see Impulse, fighting one such riot in New York, alongside Robin, Wonder Girl and the Red Tornado.

As you can see, this story perpetuates the error from the Secret Origins issue that forgot Red Tornado is no longer working alongside Young Justice. Anyway, to make a long story short, we find out the main villain behind all this is a powerful being named Johnny Sorrow, who teamed up with the ghost of Despero and enlisted the aid of a psychic from Apokolips called Doctor Bedlam (not to be confused with the Bedlam we've seen Young Justice battle several times). Johnny Sorrow imprisoned the wizard Shazam, releasing the Deadly Sins to possess the heroes. And Despero possessed President Lex Luthor to throw off the reader, I guess.

As interesting as the setup is, I found the the conclusion a bit wanting. After a brief pep talk from Dr. Mid-Nite, Batman is able to shake off the Sin of Anger through sheer willpower, I guess. Batman tells the others that Captain Marvel is the key, so Green Arrow shoots Wonder Woman's lasso around his neck, forcing him to say his magic word, which returns his powers to Shazam, who promptly entraps the Seven Deadly Sins again. Green Lantern and Sentinel capture Johnny Sorrow and use his powers against Despero, saving Lex Luthor and the world.

It's not a bad story. Just a bit disjointed and with an all-too convenient ending. But there was definitely a lot of fun here. It's always neat to see heroes turn evil, and this time, they weren't just generic evil, but different shades of evil — anger, lust, envy, sloth, etc. And this issue did include the DC version of the demon Surtur (although he was much cooler in Thor: Ragnarok).

Next time, we'll do an issue with a bit more Impulse, Young Justice #52.

JLA/JSA Secret Files & Origins #1

Stormchasers

Jim Beard / Writer
Clément Sauvé / Pencils
Serge La Pointe / Inks
Kurt Hathaway / Letters
Tom McCraw / Colors
Digital Chameleon / Seps

Cover by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Meriño, with color and separations by Guy Major. From time to time, DC will attempt a horizontal cover, but they never fully commit to the idea (just like the Sins of Youth covers). The picture is going one way, but all the words are going the other. Anyway, this is your standard posed image of all the major members of the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America. It's alright, I guess. Nothing too striking.

In keeping the tradition of Secret Files & Origins, this issue features a main story, several quick backup stories and a handful of profile pages. The main story serves as a prologue for the upcoming special, JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice, which we actually will cover on this blog because Impulse does make a very quick cameo in it. But all we care about today is this issue's backup story that includes Impulse.

We begin in Johnsville, Ohio, which is being threatened by the flooding Ohio River. Aiding in the relief effort are several members of the JLA, JSA and Red Tornado, which confuses a news reporter, since he's not sure which team the android belongs to. Red Tornado works alongside the townspeople to help create a massive wall of sandbags. Superman and Jay Garrick both join up with Red Tornado, and Superman asks him to rejoin the Justice League right before Jay asks him to come back to the Justice Society.

Red Tornado is honored by the requests, but he tells the two heroes he has to decline the invitations. As he talks, Impulse, Superboy, Robin and Secret show up to help, and they're all in a bit of a rowdy mood. Red Tornado tells Superman and Jay that Young Justice needs the guidance he once received from the JSA and JLA. The android says he has long searched for an identity, and now he has found one in a parental role to these teenaged heroes. He then takes off to scold Impulse about spilling sand in Superboy's face.

Bart had his own experience with a flood in Manchester, so I'd imagine this mishap with a sandbag was a mistake, and not just him goofing around with Kon. But more importantly, I have to point out the glaring continuity error in this story. Red Tornado put Snapper Carr in charge of Young Justice, and he hasn't been with them for quite a while now. And even when Red Tornado was the official supervisor of Young Justice, he still was an active member of the JLA. So the idea that he doesn't have time to be on the JLA or JSA is a completely ridiculous one, thus rendering the entire purpose of this story null and void.

Next time, I promise a much more meaningful story in Young Justice #51.

JSA #37

Stealing Thunder Part 5 of 5: Crossing Over

David Goyer & Geoff Johns Writers
Leonard Kirk Penciller
Keith Champagne Inker
John Kalisz Colors
Heroic Age Separations
Ken Lopez Letterer
Stephen Wacker Associate Editor
Peter Tomasi Editor

Our cover shows Sentinel, Jay Garrick, Captain Marvel and the Star-Spangled Kid mournfully looking on as Jakeem Thunder tries to save the dying Johnny Thunder. It is an interesting image, but not one that appeals to me emotionally. Perhaps it would mean more had I been reading JSA, but as it is, I'm not too worried about whether Johnny Thunder will live or die. I mean, he is probably in his late 80s by this point, at least.

We pick up where last issue left off, with Captain Marvel having stabbed the Ultra-Humanite with a lightning rod to release the Thunderbolt genie. This caused a big explosion, and at the bottom of a crater lies Johnny Thunder's dying body. Mr. Terrific asks the Flash to find the Ultra-Humanite's brain, and Wally, Jay, Jesse and Bart very quickly locate the villain's hideout.

But instead of sticking around to help, our favorite speedsters apparently just go home after this. Sand follows their directions to the Ultra-Humanite, who is just a brain in a jar, surrounded by equipment that seems to be creating white gorillas for him. Icicle shows up, intent on killing the villain. As Sand tries to stop him, the Crimson Avenger arrives and shoots the brain. But this "shocking" turn may be undone by what happens next.

Johnny Thunder dies in Jakeem's arms, just like on the cover, but Jakeem is able to preserve Johnny's soul by combining it with the Thunderbolt genie. So now Jakeem's genie, which lives in his pen and responds to the magic words, "So cool," looks and acts like Johnny. After a bit of rule-explaining, Jakeem makes a wish to undo all the wishes the Ultra-Humanite made. This wish works perfectly and brings everything back to normal.


And that's it. Once again, I really don't have a whole lot to say about this story, especially since Impulse once again only appeared in one panel. This story was a fairly interesting alternate reality scenario that virtually involved every DC character imaginable. Of course, the problem with using so many characters is that you get a lot of characters like Impulse, who barely make an appearance in one panel each issue. I also felt this story did a poor job of explaining why certain heroes remained free in the Ultra-Humanite-controlled world, while most of them were captured. And the whole scene of Ultra-Humanite's death was rendered completely pointless, as all of reality was rewritten soon after. It also strikes me odd at how this story came out at the same time of World Without Young Justice, which shared so many similarities.

Next time, we'll wrap ups Bart's reign with near-unlimited magic powers in Impulse #87.

JSA #36

Stealing Thunder Part 4 of 5: Time-Bound

David Goyer & Geoff Johns Writers
Leonard Kirk Penciller
Keith Champagne Inker
John Kalisz Colorist
Heroic Age Separations
Ken Lopez Letterer
Stephen Wacker Associate Editor
Peter Tomasi Editor

The cover by Rags Morales shows Doctor Fate holding Hakwgirl's mask. With a little bit of blood on it. It is rather odd, but no odder than the cover boasting of being Wizard Magazine's best comic of 2001.

We resume our story in the alternate timeline created by the Ultra-Humanite, who has possessed Johnny Thunder's body and used the Thunderbolt genie to conquer Earth. Our ragtag team of heroes have fried the mind-control devices placed on most of Earth's most powerful heroes and villains, but said frying has momentarily knocked them unconscious. So now our little team is left to fight the Ultra-Humanite and his army of white gorillas on their own.

Meanwhile, Doctor Fate and Wildcat must defeat Hawkman and Hawkgirl (hence the cover) to rescue  Sentinel, who was being used to power the Ultra-Humanite's palace. Once freed, Alan Scott unleashes a powerful attack against the Ultra-Humanite and his gorillas. The rest of the heroes then begin to wake up and join the fight. Impulse, Jesse Quick, Jay Garrick and the Flash run together to form a whirlwind that pulls Ultra-Humanite off balance and leaves him open for attacks from some heavy-hitters, such as Black Adam, Superman, Power Girl and Steel.

Ultimately, it is Captain Marvel who delivers the final blow, stabbing Ultra-Humanite in the chest with a lightning rod to ground the Thunderbolt. There's a big explosion, and when the smoke clears, we see the frail body of Johnny Thunder at the bottom of a huge crater.


I don't have much to say about this issue. Just a big, straightforward fight with tons and tons of characters. As we saw in the fights against Bedlam, one way to win was to essentially find a loophole in the supreme power's scheme. This story went the other way, choosing to simply overwhelm the supreme power with every hero imaginable. And that works, too. Impulse was only a tiny blob in this issue, but at least he got to participate.

Next time, we'll see how Bart handles having so much power himself in Impulse #86.

JSA #35

Stealing Thunder Part 3 of 5: Lightning Storm

David Goyer & Geoff Johns Writers
Leonard Kirk Penciller
Keith Champagne Inker
John Kalisz Colors
Heroic Age Separations
Ken Lopez Letterer
Morgan Dontanville Assistant Ed.
Peter Tomasi Editor

Our cover by Rags Morales shows three of the strongest heroes in the DCU — Superman, Wonder Woman and Firestorm — under the control of the Thunderbolt genie, which is subsequently under the control of the Ultra-Humanite. It's a pretty haunting image, although it does make me wonder where Batman is in this story. But on the other hand, it is kind of refreshing to read a story like this that involves virtually every imaginable DC character except for Batman. He already has enough on his plate.

Our story begins with a handy recap page for novices like me. Apparently Johnny Thunder, one of the original members of the Justice Society of America, had grown old and developed Alzheimer's. He placed his magic genie in a pen, then gave it to Jay Garrick. Not realizing the power of this pen, Jay gave it to young Jakeem Williams, who later learned the pen's secret and became the hero Jakeem Thunder. But six months ago, the Ultra-Humanite took over Johnny Thunder's body and tricked Jakeem into giving him control of the genie.

So now we're in the world where Ultra-Humanite reigns supreme and has most of Earth's superheroes and villains under his control thanks to a device planted on the back of their necks. Jakeem is one of the few free heroes who have finally figured out how to destroy those mind control devices, and are leading an attack to rescue their friends.

We pick up where last issue left off, with a very large assembly of mind-controlled metahumans racing toward our heroes — Jakeem, Sand, Icicle, Captain Marvel, Powergirl, the Crimson Avenger and Hourman. Naturally, the speedsters of the group — Flash, Jesse Quick, Jay Garrick and Impulse — are the first to reach the heroes. But Icicle was prepared for them and managed to put up a perfect, bubble-free wall of ice that was virtually invisible. The speedsters crashed into the ice headfirst and were all knocked out.

And they stay knocked out for the rest of the issue, which mostly involves this small band of heroes fighting a whole bunch of other heroes and villains. Luckily, the mind-controlled ones are essentially puppets, and therefore much weaker than they'd normally be. So it's actually not much of a challenge for these JSA guys to defeat the other heroes and free them from Ultra-Humanite's control. The issue ends with the Ultra-Humanite himself appearing with a large gorilla army for some reason.


Once again, I don't have too much to say about this issue. The neat thing about it is how it includes so many different characters. The challenge, though, is making sure all of those characters have something to do. While the fighting went on page after page, I couldn't help but think that those four speedsters should have revived by now. In any case, it was nice to have all of them together again, even if it was only for two panels.

Next time, we'll start another five-part story about another all-powerful genie creating another alternate reality (I'm sure it was a complete coincidence) with World Without Young Justice.

JSA #34

Stealing Thunder Part 2 of 5: Troublestruck

David Goyer and Geoff Johns Writers
Leonard Kirk Penciller
Keith Champagne Inker
John Kalisz Colors
Heroic Age Separations
Ken Lopez Letterer
Morgan Dontanville Assistant Editor
Peter Tomasi Editor

The cover by Rags Morales shows several heroes battling other heroes, led by the new Crimson Avenger duking it out with our very own Impulse. And if the black-and-white effect wasn't enough, the evil grin on Bart's face should be enough to tell you something's not right. I've always enjoyed Morales' work for the most part, and I like what he does with Impulse here. Sadly, Morales did not draw the inside pages, nor do the inside pages show this fight.

Impulse only appears on one panel in this issue, so we're just going to breeze on through this. Long story short, the Ultra-Humanite (an old, body-snatching villain) has somehow taken over Johnny Thunder's body and gained control of his all-powerful genie. Through a series of wishes, the Ultra-Humanite has conquered Earth and enslaved most of its metahumans, using the most powerful of them as his personal guard.

Somehow, someway, there is a small band of heroes that has managed to elude Ultra-Humanite's control for six months — Sandman, Hourman, Crimson Avenger, Power Girl, Captain Marvel, Jakeem Thunder and the villain Icicle. They have developed a way to disable the brain-control chips Ultra-Humanite has placed on all the heroes' necks, and they've decided to first free the collection of telepaths being used to monitor every inch of the globe. However, our heroes find the telepaths being protected by a fairly large gathering of some of Earth's most powerful heroes and villains.

This is a pretty interesting concept. Back in the Golden Age, Johnny Thunder was mostly used as comic relief. But if you stop and think about it, his genie really is tremendously powerful, so it's pretty cool to see what a villain would do with that power. Sadly, I don't think Goyer and Johns sufficiently explained why these particular heroes were able to avoid the Ultra-Humanite and no one else was. At the same time, though, it is kind of fun to have some lesser known heroes basically battle the entire DC Universe. So I'm torn.

Even though Impulse didn't do anything this issue, we will see him do a bit more as we close out this five-part story. But before we do that, next time we need to see what life for Bart is like without Max Mercury in Impulse #84.