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JSA: ALL STARS #1
"Legacy"
Mildly Recommended (5/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns & David Goyer
Pencils: Sal Velluto
Inks: Bob Almond
Colors: John Kalisz & Heroic Age
Letters: Ken Lopez
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
I'm a big fan of JSA, and think it's probably one of the best, if not the best, regular super-hero team comics going right now. However, one only has to look at the erratic quality of the constant flow of JLA spinoffs to be a bit nervous about the promised flood of JSA spin-offs this summer, starting with JSA: All Stars. Of course, one only has to look at where those JLA spinoffs rank on the sales chart to understand why there's a flood of JSA spin-offs coming, and with the regular writing team on board, I was hoping for something pretty good with All Stars. Unfortunately, while there's terrific art and some fun superteam fights, the whole structure of the thing seems very artificial, obviously setting up the "look, it's a big mini-series" and I find that most of the villains, including the big bad behind the whole thing, leave me cold so far.
I'll say right off the bat that those who haven't been reading JSA need not apply for this spinoff mini-series. The backup stories by big name talent that are to feature in the rest of the series might have been a tip off, but this is aimed at those who already know the characters and want more, rather than potentially new readers. There's no better indication of that than the fact that none of the Injustice Gang is identified beyond a little name blurb, and even as a long-time reader, I was left scratching my head as to where some of them came from and how they joined the team. That hardly matters, though, as the group is there mostly to provide a generic set of opponents for the heroes to fight.
This issue is built upon the big fight between to teams, and while Goyer and Johns have done that scene well in many issues of JSA, it feels a little flat here. Part of the reason is that the fight is pretty bland, as it is meant to serve the purpose of putting the heroes into the situation that will drive the mini-series rather than giving us an exciting interaction of powers and personalities. It's not a bad fight; it's well-choreographed, but the banter between the characters is lifeless and surprisingly cliched, and there's never a feeling of a challenge for either side.
Mind you, the fight (and indeed the rest of the book) looks gorgeous. Velluto, Almond and Kalisz do some beautiful work on the characters, and though there are several pages where things look a little staged and stiff (the first group shot of the Injustice Society and the JSA especially), the artwork is beautiful to behold. In addition, my boredom with the big fights has little to do with the work of the artists, who do a great job capturing the motion and violence of the fights.
All in all, this is probably not the best issue to judge the series on, despite being the first issue. The selling point of the series is a variety of flashbacks to the older versions of the characters by big creative names, and this issue is just setup in service to that premise. Unfortunately, given this first issue, I'm not particularly looking forward to the lead story that will drive the mini-series, which is still a sizable part of the story even if the focus will be on the backup tales.
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