Justice Society of America #37 – Review

by Bill Willingham (writer), Jesus Merino (pencils), Jesse Delperdang (inks), Allen Passalaqua (colors), and Rob Leigh (letters)

The Story: Mr. Terrific tells the story of how the JSA tried to rally against the Fourth Reich while he, and some big name allies, plot a jailbreak.

What’s Good: It’s already pretty clear that Mr. Terrific is probably Willingham’s favourite character on the JSA and so it should be no surprise that Willingham also has the best handle on the character’s voice and how to write him in general.

He continues to be well-written and I really do enjoy having him as the lead character.  Willingham does a great job with Terrific’s dialogue; he’s snarky but genuine and you really do root for him.  Indeed, the fact that he’s a know-it-all and calls it like he sees it only adds to the appeal of the character.  Indeed, Terrific’s dynamic with his “memoir writer” was also quite well-done, achieving a good back and forth with a dash of hopelessness.

I’ve always loved Mr. Terrific and seeing him in more or less solo hero position and in a leader position over Superman and Batman, revealed to be two of his fellow inmates, is all kinds of awesome.  I found these prison scenes to be by far the most engaging and creative parts of the book.  The planned jailbreak had me intrigued, while the dialogue and the means the former superheroes are forced to employ to enact their plans really spelled out the brutality of the Fourth Reich’s world.  These portions said a great deal about the dystopic world Willingham is working with here and the sense of horror and desperation is tangible.