High Society

JSA All-Stars #2

Stargirl has been kidnapped by Arthur Pemberton and his goons, but they’ve already tried to cheat the people who hired them to abduct her — Johnny Sorrow and the Injustice Society. Meanwhile, the JSA All-Stars try to figure out where to find Courtney, with the assistance of Roxy, Rex Tyler’s new AI assistant. When they’ve finally tracked the bad guys down, we get treated to a nice three-way battle, Stargirl manages to escape on her own, and eventually, the villains all take off. All that, plus we get a backup story starring Liberty Belle and Hourman, as the two married superheroes tangle with the Icicle and Tigress on the trail of a book that could reveal the location of a magic staff.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Nice story, dialogue, and action. Roxy is a fun character, and we even get a little more screen time for the usually absent Sandman. But wow, do I ever dislike the art on this one. I don’t know what Freddie Williams III has against drawing eyes, but he needs to get over it fast.

Justice Society of America #34

The main team of the Justice Society is moving into their new headquarters — the old mountain hideout of the Justice League in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. And Mordru has escaped his mystic confinement again, arriving invisibly and possessing the body of the new Dr. Fate as quickly as possible. Liberty Belle keeps getting angry that everyone assumes her marriage to Hourman is on the rocks because they decided to join different teams. Kid Karnevil is imprisoned but still insists on taunting everyone about his desire to escape and slaughter everyone. Mr. Terrific makes Mr. America a new whip that causes stuff to explode. Will Mordru be able to complete his evil plans while everyone else is distracted?

Verdict: Thumbs up. Unexpectedly enjoyable, considering that I’ve been less than happy with some of Bill Willingham’s previous “JSA” stories. Excellent dialogue and characterization nearly everywhere. Mordru trying and generally failing to act like a normal person while hiding out in Dr. Fate is good for some giggles, too.