If you're a DC super-hero fan, JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice should be on your must-buy list. I was a little wary of this hardcover special, even from a group of creators this talented, because the expectations of both this meeting of the teams and the price and production values provided some pretty high expectations. In Virtue and Vice, however, the creators have turned in an event story that reminds me of some of the best Morrison JLA stories in terms of scope and the best JSA stories in terms of characterization, capturing the strengths of both books. The villains, the overall plot and the sheer joy of seeing these characters together make this a must-buy for anyone who loves these characters.
In reading Virtue and Vice, I was reminded of event stories like the Crisis on Infinite Earths or Legends, as Goyer and Johns use the opportunity to tell a story that has worldwide ramifications. They have a cast of a couple dozen of the worlds' greatest heroes, and in order to challenge those heroes, they had to come up with some pretty impressive threats, and I thought they did an excellent job in that respect. I don't want to give away the twists and turns of the villains, but I was glad to see them use a couple of big villains for both teams, and especially glad that the plot doesn't end at the previously reported "Seven Deadly Enemies of Man possess some of the heroes."
When you're doing something like this, half of the fun is in creating cool fanboy moments that just grab a long-time super-hero reader. Seeing the entire rosters of both teams (including several reserve members) in a two-page splash as they charged the villains for a final confrontation was spectacular, and there are plenty of moments throughout where the creators display an obvious love for these characters and thought about how to use their powers and skills in impressive ways. Of course, a lot of credit here must go to Carlos Pacheco, who sells some fantastic imagery, including a pretty cool stunt with Sand and the Rock of Eternity and some great work on a couple of DC landmarks that will be familiar to readers of the JSA and JLA.
Pacheco, Merino and Major aren't just restricted to the big events and spectacular showy panels, though. They sell the idea that these two teams are comrades in arms, and I loved their depiction of the team Thanksgiving, a nifty little concept from Goyer and Johns. And while their work on the characters was strong throughout, I especially noticed (and liked) some of Pacheco's Hughes influence in his work on Wonder Woman and Black Canary. Really, though, this is simply gorgeous artwork, well worth the deluxe presentation it's given.
I've made several references throughout to continuity, whether it's the placing of the story very much within current DC events or references to JLA and JSA villains and reserve members. You would think, given this continuity, that the book would be inaccessible, but nothing could be farther from the truth. This is a rollercoaster ride, an old-fashioned super-hero crossover that is better than the old school because it's self-contained and it has a point, rather than existing strictly to sell lower selling books by tagging them onto better selling ones. While knowing some of the history of the JSA and JLA (such as the relationships Black Canary has had with Green Arrow and Dr. Mid-Nite) makes the book more fun, that sort of thing is an "Easter Egg" in the midst of a solid action story.
My initial intent was to wait for the inevitable softcover of JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice, because even if it did turn out to have interesting continuity stuff for re-reading, I couldn't really justify dropping the bucks on a hardcover. However, I find that this story really resonated with me, and I think it will make a nice companion to the hardcover JLA: Earth 2 on my bookshelf.
