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JSA #31
"Making Waves"
Recommended (8/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Peter Snejbjerg
Colors: John Kalisz & Heroic Age
Letters: Ken Lopez
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
Though I haven't reviewed an issue in quite a while, it's been my feeling for some time now that JSA is one of the best super-hero team comics being published. This issue is a good jumping-on point for the book, a story that teams the JSA with Batman for an investigation, but it's also a nice continuation of subplots that have been going on. Johns combines the best elements of action, mystery and soap opera stories, and he's joined by artist Peter Snejbjerg, late of Starman, who does a gritty and stylish portrayal of Gotham City. Johns's best work these days is on The Flash, but it's his work on JSA that has me excited about what he'll do with Avengers.
Mr. Terrific has been playing
Batman for the JSA, so it's interesting to see him cross paths with the real
deal. Johns makes the most of Batman's guest appearance, playing up the
detective's reaction to the JSA as a whole and to specific members in a way that
gives insight into both Batman's psyche and the various members of the team. I
especially enjoyed seeing Alan Scott and Batman acknowledge their shared history
in Gotham, although the "confrontation" towards the end between Mr. Terrific and
Batman stands as the finest characterization moment in the issue.
While the story, a kidnapping
and murder, serves as a nice standalone for new readers, there are definitely
subplot elements continuing here for regular readers as well. The tension
between Dr. Midnite and Black Canary serves as a nice payoff to stories going on
elsewhere in the DC Universe, and the continuing love triangle between Hawkman,
Hawkgirl and Sand is classic super-hero soap opera.
Though I wasn't a fan of Snejbjerg's early work on Starman, his work here really impressed me. His work is less realistic and more shadowy and formless than most artists, reminiscent of work by Mike Mignola or Matt Wagner. It would seem to fit better with a gritty book like Batman than JSA, which makes this issue a perfect match for
his style. He handles the setting of Gotham extremely well, and manages to give
even the bright costumes of the JSA a menacing and street quality. However, he's
no slouch when it comes to straight action, either, turning in a terrific fight
sequence between the JSA and the water-powered kidnapper.
In true super-hero comic
fashion, Geoff Johns ends the book with a cliffhanger that will have any new
readers very curious to pick up the next issue. However, given the quality of
the story, it seems likely that they would have been inclined towards picking up
the next issue anyway, and I hope that this "full coverage" issue gets some new
readers into this quality title.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
