Justice Society Of America #32 – Review

by Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham (writers), Jesus Merino (art), Allen Passalaqua (color), Rachel Gluckstern (assistant editor), Mike Carlin (editor)

The Story: The Bad Seed, Part 4: Power Girl, the Flash and Mr. America struggle to find out who killed Mr. Terrific. In the meantime, Dr. Midnight discovers that the Green Lantern has been using his ring to keep Mr. Terrific’s body in stasis, so that he is preserved in the condition of only moments after death. This is because Dr. Fate is going to see if magic can do what medicine could not. And then the villains close in…

What’s Good: Merino does some great work in this issue, from the beads of sweat on Green Lantern, to the multiple images of the Flash, to the Flash’s wrinkly face, and the pleading expression on the suspected murderer. The action sequences are dynamic and clear, and the emotions are clearly running high, even without the dialogue.

Sturges and Willingham continue their massive (I counted 34 heroes and villains in this issue, although 1 is dead, 2 are probationary recruits, and 3 of them are dogs) mystery saga. There’s only one issue left in the Bad Seed arc, so they are pulling the plot threads tighter. By the end of this book, the tension is wound incredibly tight. By next issue, this arc has to tell us who hired the 15 villains, why they didn’t want Star Girl harmed, who really killed Mr. Terrific, whether Mr. Terrific actually qualifies for a death certificate, and what happens to fracture the team in two. That’s a whole lot of story to be sitting on the edge of your seat for.

What’s Not So Good: Bits of dialogue sounded a bit off to me. The villains especially have some lines that could have been improved or dispensed with. Some of the JSA’s arguing seems to be serving the story more than the characters who are speaking, and King Chimera’s bit of upper class diction, while giving him a new sound in the beginning, is in danger of making him a caricature. But, this dialogue complaint is a small mark against an otherwise solid book.

Conclusion: Sturges, Willingham and Merino have me on the edge of my seat, and I can’t wait for the answers to all the questions they’ve put on the table.

Grade: C+

-DS Arsenault