Written by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Mikel Janín, Marco Santucci
Colors by: Jordie Bellaire, Ivan Plasencia, John Kalisz
Letters by: Rob Leigh
Cover art by: Mikel Janín
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: July 2, 2024
Justice Society Of America #10 finds young Mordru has a lot to learn about teamwork as the newest member of the JSA. When he makes a reckless decision, his future falls into the hands of more than one supergroup.
Is Justice Society Of America #10 Good?
After a four-month delay, Geoff Johns decided to take a break from his duties on Ghost Machine to make progress on his frequently delayed maxi-series, so here we are. Was it worth the wait? Yes, because something happens in this issue that's a big deal.
When last we left the JSA in issue #9, Huntress's oddly aggressive efforts to remake the JSA from her future timeline (that no longer exists) ran into a snag when they encountered The Golden Age Legionnaire, who revealed himself to be a very young Mordru who needs help preventing himself from becoming a villain in the future.
In Justice Society Of America #10, we catch up with the League of Substitute Heroes in the 31st Century. They lament their status as a team nobody takes seriously, and they wonder what happened to two of their members who went back in time to retrieve Dr. Fate and stop an unnamed mistake they believe the Legion of Superheroes is making.
In the present, we catch up with the expanding JSA as they battle an undead horde under the control of Gentleman Ghost. The new additions to the team lack the discipline and teamwork Huntress had hoped for. When Icicle recklessly attacks Gentleman Ghost's magic orb to end his army, the globe shatters, releasing Surtur and Ragnarök (the end of all things) on Earth.
Young Mordru swoops in to save the day with a plan of his own. He kills Hawkman and transfers his life essence into Gentleman Ghost, making the villain mortal and destroying Surtur's connection to the mortal plane. Mordru took a calculated risk under the assumption that Hawkman would immediately resurrect (which he does), but the rest of the team isn't happy about Mordru's extreme tactics.
Later, Mordru sits with Huntress in the waiting area outside the JSA meeting room while the team deliberates Mordru's fate. Although the vote is unanimous, the JSA votes to keep Mordru on the team to help him reform before he needs reforming.
Suddenly, the meeting is interrupted by the Legion of Superheroes arriving from the future with a demand to turn over Mordru.
What's the big deal? The Legion is back, Baby. More importantly, it's the pre-Bendis version of the Legion, so you can kiss that needlessly reworked pile of nonsense goodbye (at least in this story).
What's great about Justice Society Of America #10? Love him or hate him, Geoff Johns knows how to pull readers in, even after a ridiculously large gap between issues, to give readers that's interesting, surprising, and chock full of wow moments. The Substitute Heroes meeting is humorously relatable, Mordru's act of recklessness creates a layer of conflicting emotions for the young hero who desperately wants to resist his future, and the Legion's arrival is a pleasant surprise.
What's not so great about Justice Society Of America #10? Johns's narration during the fight with Gentleman Ghost makes it clear that the "reformed" villains Huntress pursued to join the team aren't necessarily ready for prime time, so the JSA's willingness to follow her personal objective doesn't make sense.
The world's first, best super team should know that personal agendas should be squelched when they risk the safety of the world, and Johns has yet to explain why that simple edict is ignored in this series. Make it make sense.
How's the Art? The art is perfectly good in isolation but imbalanced on the whole. There's a jarring art style shift after the Gentleman Ghost fight that's too big not to notice. Clean, thin, precise character outlines suddenly give way to thick, harsh outlines with a rough polish. Neither style is necessarily bad, but you can tell something happened at the midpoint, and DC wasn't prepared for the shift.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Justice Society Of America #10 is a short and sweet chapter to show how well (or not) young Mordru is acclimating to life as a member of the JSA. Geoff Johns gives readers an enjoyable mix of action, surprises, emotional beats, and at least one wow moment, but the long delays between issues, and the jarring art change mid-issue is a downer.
7.2/10
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Is he the kaito kid who likes to play geometry dash lite?
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