Johns and Goyer have done a nice job varying JSA between long epic stories and one shot stories, and this seems to be another in a string of self-contained stories, with a teaser for the next big arc. Both aspects of the issue are terrific, as Johns and Goyer create a very intriguing premise that works almost uniquely for the JSA and relies on conflict and climax different from the big fight, spotlighting a few team members along the way. Kirk and Champagne, for their part, serve up some fantastic artwork with an eye for detail and realism, and the creative team as a whole continues to make JSA one of the best super-hero books going.
One of the downsides of super-hero comics, particularly those from DC and Marvel that have years of stories behind them, is the difficulty of doing something new or something that seems tailored to the books rather than like an example of "generic super-hero plot 54A." In this issue, Goyer and Johns have a plot that would be difficult to do as well in other books. The presence of Dr. Mid-Nite, the history going back to the Golden Age and a minor villain with a key connection to Mid-Nite's past combine to create a premise that is something I haven't seen before.
Of course, it would be difficult to tell a story revolving entirely around a surgery, and more difficult to keep an audience that tuned in for super-heroics, so Johns and Goyer provide a more traditional action story with Captain Marvel and Star Spangled Kid that ties into the main plot. This story, however, is largely a spotlight on Captain Marvel as Goyer and Johns see him, and I love that they balance the outward hero with the inner child so well. I thought that the ending of this issue's story was a little too sappy, putting a bit too much in Marvel's power to inspire as well as the ability of children to talk to a madman, but in general I was pretty pleased.
Also very impressive in this issue was the artwork by Kirk, Champagne and Kalisz. I love that creators have adopted the shiny metal symbol look of Captain Marvel that Alex Ross began, and I like the little touches like the braces on Star Spangled Kid or the view of what Dr. Mid-Nite sees that the artists put into the work. There's not a lot of action in this issue, so Kirk and Champagne have to make do with facial expressions and plenty of normal people to tell the story, and the work is very strong in that regard.
Though this is a self-contained issue, it contains a teaser of sort for the next story arc, and I'm definitely intrigued. Kirk's rendition of these characters, complete with makeovers for one or two, raises a few eyebrows, and the dialogue exchanged between the character raises a few interesting questions.
