This run gets a lot of hate, always has, for a character whose only in it for maybe 4 issues, apart from a few cameos. That seems a bit excessive to mark off all 18 issues plus annual and a related 100 page special (may be 80, don't have mine in front of me as I speak) due to 3-4 issues with a problematic character.

Now, the problem of course, is that said problematic character, MaGagog, is heavily front loaded, a regular in the beginning, before he's booted from the team circa issue 3 or 4. He is, and thus acts like, a Cable rip-off, a trope that had well worn itself old by the time this book came out, and dragged down other JSAers too. It was just not a book for them. Yet Matthew Sturgess deftly handled the rest of his class, truly unifying them organically, and not just against Magog. It was a different approach, and he should be lauded for it. But, those first 3 issues are easily the worst. Magog sucks, and having him as co-lead of the team is just unbelievable. Were all the sensible veterans out for coffee that day? (sadly the real story isn't much better)

Freddie H Williams II's artworks seems so ugly, so brutish, but after a while, one starts to appreciate its consistency and what that offers. You notice the figurework, the small facial work, the man's more talented than his bad inking would have you believe. Then comes the point where you don't even notice his bad inking. You do notice however, an issue where his art is gone, and it stands out like a sore thumb. You actually want it back!!

The stories are classic JSA stuff, with the young cast at their best with age-appropriate stoylines of doubt, crushes, and how to move on with life. Sturgess swiftly drives the needle here, giving each story to expand and contract on its own. The cast is a great mix of characters: some we know, some we don't, some who are split from their wife causing separation rumours, all kinds of stuff. And PeeGee is at her best the whole time, no mistakes there.

We 2 new characters, largely, plus a sentient AI names Roxy, always entertaining. King Chimera is largely just there in the background, a bit of a mystery, until Cyclone's story propels him to the front. Shame we never really got too far with him after AS' cancellation. The other is, IMO, an unexplored goldmine, as I loved the design and general character work. That character is Anna Fortune, magic wielder of some sort who once helped Kent Nelson(or vice versa.) The JSA are expecting a Spectre level beast, they essentially get someone on day one of the job. Hijinks ensue.

So if you're a JSA fan, pining for the old days, but haven't read this, you could do a lot worse than throwing down the few bucks it'll probably cost to get a complete run of this. There are 2 trade paperbacks collecting the first 13 issues. Unfortunately volume 3 was cancelled due to low sales, so it's either physical single issues, or Comixology, for issues 14-18, and that annual and perhaps 80 Page Giant I feel you could make a good case for, but the stories don't do much for anyone, so up to you.

Enjoy the JSA All-Stars Today!