Justice Society of America # 49
By Koppy McFad
April 9, 2011 - 02:50
DC Comics
Writer(s): Marc Guggenheim
Penciller(s): Scott Kolins
Cover Artist(s): Scott Kolins
$2.99 US 32 pages
The Justice Society are on the ropes against the master plotter, Dr. Chaos and the super-powerful Scythe when an army of heroes arrives on the scene to help them. Not too surprisingly, the heroes win, especially with the help of a revived Green Lantern, Alan Scott, now merged with his mystic lantern.
It is an entertaining punch-up even if you get the feeling that the heroes could have ended this so much earlier if they just worked as a team instead or rushing in fists first. There is also a proliferation of new heroes who we are not told about and are given less reason to care about-- a major weakness in the story.
Even with the main menaces dealt with, there are still a lot of mysteries and plotlines that have to be resolved. This does keep things interesting but if recent JSA history has taught us anything, it is that extended plotlines can wear out the patience of the readers. All these mysteries need to be wrapped up quickly, while people still give a dang.
The art has a dark, seedy, brutal look to it which may be suitable for a story about murderers on the loose in a ruined city. But Kolins, who seems to enjoy doing monsterous characters, should really work harder on his heroic characters. A lot of the new heroes featured in this story don't really attract much interest partly because they aren't depicted well. Some of them look like people in bathrobes who just happened to wander onto the scene.
Rating: 7/10
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