Justice Society of America #2 Review/Discussion

[Hol]

I really enjoyed the second issue. Read it twice this weekend. I understand what people are saying about the focus being on Helena and Fate but I still really enjoy this series. It is a different kind of JSA book and it's fun and unexpected.

[astro@work]

I really enjoyed the second issue. Read it twice this weekend. I understand what people are saying about the focus being on Helena and Fate but I still really enjoy this series. It is a different kind of JSA book and it's fun and unexpected.

I'm enjoying it, but do agree it's taking too long to get to what we all want...some page time for the current JSA. They've made several cameo appearances in big event books, and yet we don't know a lot about the current team.

With the JSA history not being addressed since nu52/Rebirth (which was a complete reset, despite these vague "everything counts" claims). I think JSA history did need to be touched on (what still counts, what doesn't). But that said, we need to get on with the JSA in a JSA book, the "long game" Johns is playing here is taking tooooo loooong.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

You don't need magical powers to be in JLD.

I disagree as the roster tends to be characters who aren't regular humans.

So Thaddeus would need a little extra than just being an awesome escape artist. But johns could have changed that trend so maybe he doesn't.

Justice League of Mystics?

Maybe.

As much as I hate the idea of copying more modern ideas for the JSA retroactively, a Justice Society Europe could be very interesting particularly regarding the war.

It's the price of telling an ongoing story.

[MajorHoy]

We're only two issues in. And Helena has been interacting with the JSA: her own JSA in the first issue, and the original JSA in the second issue. If the preview cover for #3 is any indication, she'll be meeting the current JSA next issue (the cover features, clockwise from noon, Courtney Whitmore, Jakeem Thunder, Yolanda Montez, Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, Helena Wayne, and Beth Chapel). Heck, most of this issue focused on the 1940 Doctor Fate. So no, it's not a Huntress miniseries; Huntress is merely the viewpoint character being used to give us an overview of the New Golden Age history of the JSA.

Don't know if the cover to issue #3 is a reliable indication of whether we'll see much of the "present day" Justice Society in that issue or not.

After all, here's the cover to issue #2:

and while it also showed Courtney Whitmore, Jakeem Thunder & his Thunderbolt, Yolanda Montez, Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, and Beth Chapel, how many of them made any significant appearance in the present-day in that issue?

So far, it looks like Khalid Nassour, Detective Chimp, and Deadman will be part of that issue, but we'll have to wait to see about other present-day JSA members.

[astro@work]

Don't know if the cover to issue #3 is a reliable indication of whether we'll see much of the "present day" Justice Society in that issue or not.

After all, here's the cover to issue #2:and while it also showed Courtney Whitmore, Jakeem Thunder & his Thunderbolt, Yolanda Montez, Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, and Beth Chapel, how many of them made any significant appearance in the present-day in that issue?

So far, it looks like Khalid Nassour, Detective Chimp, and Deadman will be part of that issue, but we'll have to wait to see about other present-day JSA members.

Seems like the modern JSA have also appeared on the other covers, and yet didn't get any page time. Johns reeeaaaalllllyyy needs to hurry up and have Helena meet the current JSA before readers bail on the book. I would hate to see that happen, as I've waited so long for it!

[MajorHoy]

Seems like the modern JSA have also appeared on the other covers, and yet didn't get any page time.

Only regular cover before issue #2 was #1's:

In my mind, variant covers don't count since they aren't necessarily connected to the actual story inside.

[Frontier]

Seems like the modern JSA have also appeared on the other covers, and yet didn't get any page time. Johns reeeaaaalllllyyy needs to hurry up and have Helena meet the current JSA before readers bail on the book. I would hate to see that happen, as I've waited so long for it!

There's only so many times he can get away with a stealth Huntress book...

[MajorHoy]

There's only so many times he can get away with a stealth Huntress book...

Maybe if they had called it Huntress: Road to the Justice Society of America instead . . .

[Dataweaver]

If it was a miniseries, sure; but we're judging the entire series on the first two issues. And even in those two issues, Huntress hasn't been front and center all the time; issue #2 had an extensive section focusing on Doctor Fate.

What's happening here is that first story arc is addressing the history of the Justice Society, with Helena's time hopping and Per Degaton's plot as the framing device.

Should a team series change its name every time a story arc focused on one character?

[MajorHoy]

If it was a miniseries, sure; but we're judging the entire series on the first two issues. And even in those two issues, Huntress hasn't been front and center all the time; issue #2 had an extensive section focusing on Doctor Fate.

What's happening here is that first story arc is addressing the history of the Justice Society, with Helena's time hopping and Per Degaton's plot as the framing device.

Should a team series change its name every time a story arc focused on one character?

Maybe if we actually SAW the g**-d*** present-day Justice Society of America actually show up in the d*** book it would make a difference.

As for "addressing the history of the Justice Society", so far it hasn't "addressed" anything in my mind, especially if people are jumping around in time and we don't know if/how that may impact the "history" when all is finally said and done.

[WonderScott]

I’m enjoying all the setup and time-hopping for some of the characters and versions of them on the team. Some of the weirdness of the collections of characters interacting is fun. Looking forward to more of the motivations of Degaton. Last week I finished reading the Crisis trades that reprinted all the annual JLA, JSA and other teams team-ups and Degaton was central in one of the biggest stories.

[WonderScott]

So far, from all the various Golden Age set up, I’r be most interested in reading about the Scott family drama. I’d love to see Green Lantern, Harlequin, Thorn, Jade, Obsidian and Harlequin’s Son, with any of their current romantic partners get caught up in some dramatic story that shows their decisions and history in a compelling way.

This family has complex relationships and history, let alone being superheroes, supervillains and super spies.

[Dataweaver]

Maybe if we actually SAW the g**-d*** present-day Justice Society of America actually show up in the d*** book it would make a difference.

As for "addressing the history of the Justice Society", so far it hasn't "addressed" anything in my mind, especially if people are jumping around in time and we don't know if/how that may impact the "history" when all is finally said and done.

Things it has addressed: the Golden Age history is more extensive than just 1940–1951; at a minimum, there's a JSA around in 1976, and the implication is that all of the JSA's Silver Age history is back, and dated. We also know of several additions (the Thirteen, and Justice Society Dark) and of a potential future that incorporates elements of the Golden Age Batman and possibly the Golden Age Superman that can't be fit into the 20th century. Bear in mind that we got all of that in two issues (three, if you count the New Golden Age one-shot). Yes, there are still a lot of unanswered questions; but again, this has just been two issues so far.

[MajorHoy]

Things it has addressed: the Golden Age history is more extensive than just 1940–1951; at a minimum, there's a JSA around in 1976, and the implication is that all of the JSA's Silver Age history is back, and dated. We also know of several additions (the Thirteen, and Justice Society Dark) and of a potential future that incorporates elements of the Golden Age Batman and possibly the Golden Age Superman that can't be fit into the 20th century. Bear in mind that we got all of that in two issues (three, if you count the New Golden Age one-shot). Yes, there are still a lot of unanswered questions; but again, this has just been two issues so far.

Too many damn additions, and we DON'T know if / how much of it will still apply when all is said and done with Huntress and Per Degaton bopping back and forth in time!

We really didn't need a "Justice Society Dark" <gad, what an awful name!> and don't know why Salem the Witch Girl was needed (and why she gets so much page-time before other previously established members show up).

It's not that I dislike some of this, it's just where the hell is the rest of the Justice Society in a book called Justice Society of America?!?

[Dataweaver]

This is what I was responding to:

As for "addressing the history of the Justice Society", so far it hasn't "addressed" anything in my mind,

You claimed that it hasn't really addressed anything; I've pointed out that it has. I get that you don't like the way the book is developing thus far; and that's fine: not everything has to be to everyone's liking. But it's factually incorrect to portray it as not addressing anything about the JSA's history.