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The
Justice Society Returns!
A DC trade paperback review
By
Troy Brownfield
Writers:
Various, including Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Chuck Dixon,
Ron Marz, James Robinson, David Goyer
Pencils: Various, including Stephen Sadowski,
Russ Heath, Chris Weston, Peter Snejbjerg, Michael Bair,
Keith Champagne
More
Info: www.dccomics.com
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By
now, many people know that one of the best books published
by DC Comics is JSA. The team's rich history stretches
back over 60 years now. They were the first super-team in
comics, and they continue to entertain to this day. Believe
it or not, the lauch of the current series was seem by some
as a dicey proposition. When the powers that be at DC finally
decided to give the team a title again in 1999, they went
all-out by promoting a Justice Society Returns! event.
Though the new ongoing would feature a mix of old and young
heroes, the event put out a flood of specials that teamed
up two members of the group to fight elements of a larger
menace; two bookend volumes began and completed the story.
The creative talents amassed to handle the assignments were
formidable, with some writers taking on the '40s counterparts
for the modern books they wrote (Waid wrote the Flash segment
for example). It was a successful undertaking, announcing
the return of the classic team in a big way.
And
now, the complete story is finally available in trade paperback.
All nine issues can be found herein, as well as two short
from various Secret Files and Origins specials. What
we've got then, is an outstanding pastiche of Golden Age heroic
action, rendered by some of the best contemporary art and
writing talents in the field.
One
of the highlights is the Smash Comics installment.
Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite go to Scotland pursuing one portion
of the overarching mystical menace. In the hands of writer
Tom Peyer and artists Sadowski and Bair, this turns into a
dervish of an action yarn with Dr. Mid-Nite's own Hootie playing
a great part. The conflicts of Hourman's character are well-handled,
and Sadowski and Bair show off the chops that they would bring
to the then-nascent ongoing title.
An
added highlight is that many of the creators involved work
in other Golden Age heroes in the various stories,
so that by the time the final confrontation with villain Stalker
arrives, we've got an armada of old-school heroes ready to
administer an epic beat-down. Fittingly, it's Hourman who
again shines. Hourman has always been one of my sentimental
favorite characters, and he's well-used. As are all of the
characters involved. Justice Society Returns! helped
to prove that just because a character has history, it doesn't
mean it can't be fresh. That's something that the regular
series continues to prove on a monthly basis.
Troy Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of ShotgunReviews.com.
Email him at psikotyk@aol.com
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