Justice Society of America #2 is published by DC Comics and written by Geoff Johns. Art is by Mikel Janin with guest artwork by Jerry Ordway and Scott Kolins. Colours are by Jordie Bellaire with guest colours by John Kalisz. Letters are by Rob Leigh. Main cover art (left) is by Janin.
Justice Society of America #2 is available from today in print and on digital where all good comic books are sold.
Synopsis
THE NEW GOLDEN AGE CONTINUES! Huntress has arrived in the present day, but the Justice Society of America are not what she remembers. Can she get to the bottom of what’s happened to the world’s first superhero team? Will the helmet of Fate hold the answers Huntress seeks?
Review
When last we left the JSA, the classic team had just been introduced to a stranger from their future. Helena Wayne from Earth-2 had arrived in the past searching for Doctor Fate as she attempts to unravel the dastardly plans of the cold and calculating Per Degaton.
Now we’re a couple of issues in to this new series we have a much better idea about format. Whilst Johns headlines the book with another era-spanning story. The various time periods are divided between artists Mikel Janin, Jerry Ordway and Scott Kolins. Each artists takes charge of a specific period of time, visually separating the three across the book.
Structurally the idea fits well with both Helena and now Fate shifting between different time periods as Per Degaton attempts to keep them at bay. Visually it may come across as a little muddled for some readers as each artist has a very distinct style. But the idea is undeniably helping to drive home the scope and scale of Johns’ story.
As for the story itself, Johns is very slowly pulling back the curtain. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding Per Degaton’s mission and how it connects to Helena and Doctor Fate. The series is also yet to connect to the missing sidekicks which is being explored in Johns’ other series, Stargirl: The Lost Children. It’s clear there’s a bigger picture which is slowly coming in to focus.
It seems that there may be subtle changes being made to continuity. Witnessed in this issue by the addition of Jay Garrick’s daughter Judy. The character was glimpsed in The New Golden Age Special and is a new creation of Johns’ and Todd Nauck. Though not seen in this issue she may be a bridge between the JSA and Stargirl series. She also signifies a step away from previous continuity written by Johns.
Ultimately it seems that with these new series, Johns is pulling together continuity across the last two generations of DC history and, so far, it seems he’s doing it in compelling and exciting ways.
Verdict
The mystery deepens as we follow Huntress on her time-hopping adventures. Whilst the changes in artwork can be jarring, the dedication to following different timelines makes Justice Society of America a brilliant exploration of DC’s legacy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
