JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA (2022-) #4 Review

Justice Society of America #4 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 #4 is available from today in print and on digital where all good comic books are sold.

Synopsis

Helena’s journey through time continues! Each new time period gives her one more piece of the puzzle, but is Degaton too far ahead in his quest to eradicate the JSA to be stopped? Is this truly the end of the Justice Society?

Review

Things are heating up in Justice Society of America this month. With the titular team in danger of being wiped out of history they’re finally coming face-to-face with Per Degaton in a battle for the ages. As but with Johns other title, Stargirl: The Lost Children, there is far more in play than meets the eye.

First and foremost, Justice Society of America has kept its action well balanced with typically complex character arcs. But for the first time John leans more in to the action this month as he seeks to raise the stakes. It works well too. I’ve been enjoying the return of Helena Wayne but it’s been interesting to seeing the JSA simply postulating about how to treat the Degaton threat rather than tackling it head on.

Following on from last week’s Stargirl it’s great to see both Johns’ books really hitting those action notes well. Justice Society of America is more straightforward in its presentation but it is ultimately the more complex story due to its multiple spots in the timeline. Johns has to be more nuanced in his storytelling to balance those different threads. But if ever a comic book writer had a body of work which proved their abilities, it’s Johns.

It makes sense to throw this more clear-cut chapter in to the mix now. The JSA has been on the back-foot for three issues. Whilst nobody would argue that Justice Society of America has been difficult to follow, it’s great to see the heroes getting even the smallest of wins. Like reading say The Death of Superman or The Killing Joke, there’s only so much of a beating I can watch our heroes take before they need to gain at least some of the upper hand.

It’s also great see Johns leaning on more of the ensemble cast. Rather than relying on Helena, who is actually mostly absent this issue, there chance for more of the JSA members to get involved. Given the focus that has been put on Dr Fate, it’s only right that Khalid gets to deliver the (for no) final blow to Degaton. As we reach the mid-way point in the series it certainly seems like the focus is shifting somewhat and I welcome that to keep the momentum up.

I have to continue to heap praise on Jerry Ordway, Scott Kolins, Jordie Bellaire and John Kalisz. Justice Society of America is such a fantastic looking book. I look forward to each issue just to see how beautiful it looks. The depth which the colouring adds is just incredible and so unique. It almost feels as though the whole book has been created through rotoscoping.

Verdict

Another fantastic issue from the Justice Society of America creative team. Things are really starting to get complicated and I’m desperate to see where it goes next…

⭐⭐⭐⭐