Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Matt Sturges
Artist: Freddie Williams II
Cover: Freddie Williams II
“The All-Stars”: Recent events stemming from Justice Society of America have led to the split of the team, and with that, many of the younger/newer members along with a couple of seasoned vets have formed the JSA All-Stars! Having seen the first few pages in the JSA All-Stars Preview, I had decided at that point that I would check out the title and see if the split was worth it.
Well that opening scene is just the tip of the iceberg as this massive Soviet attack force storms New York City with the goal of killing this new team of heroes! Gog takes his role as team leader seriously, and as he’s ordering commands and formations, it’s clear the rest of the team is basically relying on their past experience and skill to get them through this fight. After the smoke clears, a slew of reporters start bombarding the team with questions and asking them to clarify rumors about the split. Power Girl states that all questions will be answered at a press conference at a later date, and they leave for their new base in Upstate New York. After the debriefing they sit around tossing about ideas for a team name, and Power Girl and Stargirl have a much needed heart to heart. After a training montage and witnessing some team issues, everyone is at the press conference when they are attacked. It’s evident from the start this fight will be much different from the first; as the veil is lifted, at least a bit, and we see what the point of the attack was after Power Girl sacrifices a lot of her costume (again), and Hourman realizes Stargirl is missing.
Was the split worth it? Well as far as the first issue goes, I think it most definitely was! Matt Sturges has a solid roster to work with here, and the surprise old-yet-new enemy at the end was unexpected. I am hoping that Sturges is on long enough to flesh these newer guys out and keep the older characters interesting. With a book like the Justice Society of America, the roster is just huge and a lot of characters can get lost in the shuffle. This title seems like it will showcase some of those that would normally just play the background, and make them worthy of the JSA legacy! The artwork of Freddie Williams II was just fantastic throughout the entire book, and he made sure the fight scenes just jumped out at you! Is there any other way to draw Power Girl BUT provocative? Though at times she did seem more muscularly defined than her male counterparts, I’m always amazed at different artists’ interpretation of her “distractions.” And for some reason, when he’s out of costume Gog reminds me of a certain mutant time traveler…hmmm.
I’m going to stay with the All-Stars for a while and see what Sturges brings to the table. As impressive as the first issue is, it’s always a risk taking a group of newer characters and giving them that push to get readers interested, which is why I think it was a great idea to carry Power Girl, Gog, and Hourman over to this team. If you’ve picked the issue up, tell me what you think, and if not…then get it! Then you can come back and tell me what you think!
Infinite Speech
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Good review IS. I always thought of JSA as the “B” team to the JLA. Is that kind of how it is?
Honestly i’m not sure man. I know the JSA was formed around the WWII time period. But even if they came first that doesn’t mean the JLA didn’t surpass them. I have actually found them a little more interesting than the JLA most of the time…wonder why that is?
I’ve been trying to get into Bill Willingham’s JSA, but I’m not feeling it. I love Fables, but not the JSA.
Although, if you think this new series has potential, I’ll give it a whirl!
Oh, and Power Girl is awesome.
JSA is more of the training team for the JLA, I have been following JSA since issue 1 and I’m still up in the air about this split.
Thanks Scott for clearing that up. I’ve read both books off and on for years but never got too deep into the history of the JSA. I like each team for different reasons and I’m hoping this split is a good thing since it’s started off so well.