Month after month, JSA provides a super-hero reading experience that plays out along traditional lines but has a fresh approach at the same time. This month, the story is a take on that old chestnut, the time travel story, but Johns and Goyer are using the time travel mechanic to explore character dynamics, character powers and, if the cliffhanger panel is to be believed, the notion of heroic legacies which has been so important to this book. In addition, the characterization that is the strongest element of this book continues, with some especially strong work being done on new members Captain Marvel, Black Adam and Hourman.
One of the words that always comes to mind when I think of JSA is traditional, as I think the storytelling takes an approach similar to that of the best super-hero comics of the 80s and 90s. The mixture of characterization and story, plot and subplot and super-hero action with more relatable emotional stress is reminiscent of Uncanny X-Men, New Teen Titans or other quintessential team books. Johns and Goyer have several plot threads running this issue, and while the central element is a building confrontation with an old JSA foe, there are other stories interspersed throughout, including a subplot for Dr. Fate and intriguing relationship dynamics between Captain Marvel, Stargirl and Black Adam.
Johns and Goyer have a take on these characters that I really like. In particular, I love their transformation of the new Mr. Terrific into the Batman of the JSA and the work they're doing on Captain Marvel. While they aren't ignoring that Billy Batson is a teenager, bringing up an interesting moral quandary this issue with his interest in Courtney, they also aren't playing him as a naive hero. His talk with Adam, and his reasons for being in the JSA, speak to his experience as a hero and aspects of his powers that aren't always used, and the writers are really playing up the dichotomy of Billy's youth and the abilities he has in his superhuman form.
I wasn't quite as sold on the villain of this piece, who has a goofy name and sketchy, ill-defined powers and motivation, but I found myself liking him because of the way he used his time-related powers to fight the JSA and because of the clever tie-in with Hourman's own time-related abilities. In addition, it's clear that this issue is the bridge to larger things, both in terms of Dr. Fate's slow-moving subplot and in a meeting for the new Mr. Terrific that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.
Though JLA is the flagship for DC's super-hero line in terms of sales and name recognition, for my tastes it is JSA which stands at the top of their team books these days. Strong writing by Johns and Goyer, as well as terrific artwork by Kirk and Champagne, not to mention a cast of some of the most interesting characters the DC Universe has to offer, makes this an exciting read each month.
