The current arc of Justice Society of America, Geoff Johns’ last, will resolve the long-standing plot of Black Adam and his anti-hero/hero/villain status and relationship with Isis. Despite the fact that Johns and Jerry Ordway are writing it, and it therefore should be an instant classic, it falls short of some of the previous work on Black Adam. For one, Isis’ motivations are somewhat random. I understand that she suffered a lot, but this is a total 180 from her previous personality. And Mary Marvel’s behavior runs counter to how she acted at the end of Final Crisis. The whole story is just a bit under par of what you would expect from one of the greatest comic book writers ever and the guy who brought Captain Marvel and Black Adam into the DCU.
Jerry Ordway’s art is also just not as good as it used to be. The flashback sequence looks superb. But his faces, particularly Black Adam’s, look bizarre. Black Adam looks more like a Romulan or a Vulcan than… well… himself. Isis and Stargirl look similarly odd at times, like they have giant foreheads and eyebrow ridges. It’s just not what you would expect. The Omens and Origins section at the end, however, looks surprisingly good. It’s written by Matt Sturges, who will write JSA along with Bill Willingham after Johns leaves, and it’s drawn by Fernando Pasarin. It brings up an interesting point about the JSA’s future and shows some interesting scenes, including Mr. Terrific dead (OH NO!!), two new legacy characters, and Magog going evil again. If this is any indication, the JSA will be in good hands. For now, all we can dow is hope that Johns will go out with a bang, like he should.
Plot: 8.8 Art: 8.5 Dialogue: 8.9 Overall: 8.7
