DC Comics 3/4/26 – DC KO 5, Batman 7

JSA 17

This Year One arc has been outstanding presenting the updated origin of the Justice Society in a manner that is making the case that writer Jeff Lemire, artist Gavin Guidry, colorist Luis Guerrero and letterer Steve Wands should make this arc an ongoing series. The modern day JSA has been fine, but Lemire really has a great handle on the classic characters to make the familiar seem fresh again.

Chapter Five finds the various mystery men starting to pair up — reluctantly in some cases — as Ultra Humanite and his minions, Cyclotron, Sportsmaster and Tigress prepare to flee to Germany.  Green Lantern pairs with Hawkman and Hawkgirl while Flash, Johnny Thunder, Atom and Wonder Woman team up. Hourman, Sandman and Humanite’s prisoner, Will Everett, are trying to break out of their cell.

Lemire has a refreshingly charming take on Johnny Thunder, who’s less a bumbling moron and more of an overly excited fanboy. It’s interesting how easily Johnny can slip into that role, preserve his youthful exuberance around the adults without being a goofy sidekick character. There is a tremendous exchange where Johnny comments on Atom’s costume and Atom sheepishly gives him an honest answer simply because Johnny is so genuine.

In the 40s, representation didn’t matter at all outside of costumes and powers so it’s a welcome subtle shift to have Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl be more prominent. Even more so with the arrival of Will aka Amazing Man who is poised to become a founding member of this iteration of the JSA.  The one character whose portrayal seems slightly off is Hawkman, who Lemire writes more aggressively. That runs counter to the more thoughtful, strategic longtime chair of the JSA in the previous history of the team.

Guidry’s art is so classic skewing that it’s a perfect fit for a Golden Age story. The character expressions and the heroic action sequences look like an artist channeling the vintage style with no trouble. Guerrero’s bright color choices and Wands’ smooth dialogue layout add to a comic where the creative team knows their target audience and is delivering exactly what they want.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: DC Comics