JSA #30
"Let the Games Begin, Part 2: Fair Play"
Recommended (7/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Stephen Sadowski
Inks: Keith Champagne
Colors: John Kalisz & Heroic Age
Letters: Ken Lopez
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
Johns and Sadowski wrap up this two-part storyline that was interrupted by the Joker: Last Laugh crossover last month. Johns combines some of the fun of traditional super-hero storytelling of years gone by with a more modern and intelligent tone in the script, delivering an entertaining read for fans of the genre.
Atom-Smasher and Black Adam are forced to fight to the death. Sand and Hawkman scramble to retrieve a single dose of antidote for a poison with which they've both been injected. And Dr. Mid-Nite and Mr. Terrific find themselves playing a deadly game of chess. All of the heroes find solutions to their dilemmas, but what they do not learn is why Roulette has chosen to pit them against one another for the amusement of an audience of super-villains.
Sadowski's art continues to bring realism to a world of super-heroes and impossible technology. But more important that the realistic tone is how he conveys the strength of character in the faces of the heroes (and even in the face of the chief antagonist, Roulette). Still, I must admit that after seeing Peter Snejbjerg's dark and delicious art in last month's Last Laugh issue (perhaps the best issue of the entire series, surprisingly enough), that I am looking forward to the change in regular artists.
The greatest strength of this story is that the heroes triumph, for the most part, because they're smart, not because of their powers. Convenient plot devices aren't what save the day; brains are.
One of the reasons I so enjoy Geoff Johns's take on the Justice Society is that we share a love of the richness of DC continuity. Obscure characters and references turn up often, much to the delight of longtime fans like myself, but for the most part, they won't serve to alienate new readers either. The script here rarely hinges on such notions. I'm relieved to find an emphasis on accessibility as well as continuity.
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