One thing you have to give Geoff Johns, he's got a real gift for structure. After closing out a massive multi-part epic, this issue is the breather, the aftermath of that epic and a sort of self-contained jumping-on point. It is also, in what would seem contradictory, the continuation of a couple of stories set up in earlier issues. Overall, the result is a story that welcomes new readers but keeps regular readers on the edge of their seats, and though I continue to have some trouble with the lack of permanence that comes with the dramatic "deaths" in this books, this is another strong start for a story in what is one of the solid straight-forward super-hero team books out there. This issue also brings the addition of Don Kramer to the art team, and he's another in a long line of talented pencillers for the JSA.
These days, it's rare to see creators who sort of have dominion over one aspect of a shared universe. Chuck Dixon had it at one point, with Nightwing and Birds of Prey, and Geoff Johns has it with his writing on Flash, Teen Titans and JSA. As with events in this week's Teen Titans, events in JSA play nicely off of status quo changes that were set up in The Flash, although one need not be a reader of those other books to get the changes and why they're important to this book. At any rate, seeing a de-powered Jesse Quick added as a support staffer for the JSA is an interesting idea, even if I'd rather her powers were returned to her sooner instead of later. Introducing someone to the team also means there's room for Johns to explain a few details, like the rebuilding of the team headquarters, or play a new face off a more familiar one, such as the interaction between Jesse and Hourman.
This is an issue of greetings and good-byes. Dawn gets a send-off, presumably to find a new Hawk and restore a status quo that was unnecessarily mutilated by editorial fiat during Armageddon 2000. DC third-stringer Cave Carson shows up as a geology expert to reassure us that no, Sand isn't dead (marking two, or possibly three, "deaths" that the character has escaped) and to give fans of an obscure character a bit of a thrill, something that JSA excels at. And we see a happy ending for Todd, the former hero Obsidian who was turned into a villain and who now seems to have found redemption of a sorts.
Then there are the continuing plots, and if you can't tell already, there's a lot going on in this issue of JSA. The building of a "vigilante" version of the JSA, which has been taking place in the background of this book as well as in the occasional guest spot in Hawkman, continues this issue with another recruit, and I'm honestly really interested in seeing how this one plays out. Despite the fact that the anti-heroes vs. heroes conflict has been played out and has a predictable result of heroic morality winning out, I'll be interested to see these teams finally clash. It looks like that isn't in the cards for this arc, however, as Johns instead reintroduces the Crimson Avenger and moves on with the surprising story of Wildcat as her next target. Given that nobody in this book seems to die for real, the cliffhanger ending doesn't have the same punch it might otherwise have, but I am at least curious to see the explanation for why the Avenger's bullets didn't kill the two characters at the close of the credits.
Every time this book changes artists, I get a little nervous, because I've generally liked every artist the book has had. Don Kramer is another solid choice, though, and while Keith Champagne's inks probably help to maintain some consistency of tone, the artwork I've seen from Kramer on Dr. Fate and other projects clearly indicates his talent. Clean storytelling, good solid characters, a couple neat redesigns for Cave Carson and a more subtle one for Johnny Thunderbolt and some excellent and detailed backgrounds makes for a strong art performance. Though JSA has been going for quite a while, I find that it still has the power to hook me with each new beginning of a story arc, and I'm once again curious to see what comes next.
