Written by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Marco Santucci
Colors by: Ivan Plascencia
Letters by: Rob Leigh
Cover art by: Mikel Janin (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: September 4, 2024
Is Justice Society of America #11 Good?
Despite all the delays and sporadic meanderings, Geoff Johns still knows how to deliver one heck of a fun action comic. Justice Society of America is a non-stop action fest from page one, which is hard to come by these days, but the outcomes aren't as satisfying as they could be.
When last we left the JSA in Justice Society of America #10, the expanding roster of heroes, under Huntress's direction, was struggling to act as a team without taking reckless risks. The issue ended with the Legion arriving from the future to demand Young Mordru be taken into custody for crimes he hasn't committed yet.
In Justice Society of America #11, the battle begins. Instead of posturing or trying to get the opposition to see reason through thoughtful discussion, the Legion's arrival immediately launches an all-out battle.
Geoff Johns wasted no time kicking the issue off with a stream of level-setting exposition as the fight kicked off in earnest. Honestly, the exposition, from Helena Wayne's point of view, gets wordy in spots, but Marco Santucci's fantastic art helps even out the words and pictures.
As the battle progresses, there's a growing suspicion that the fight over Young Mordru is the result of some manipulation. That suspicion grows into reality when Yelena, aka Wildcat, suddenly collapses, and her body is ripped open from the inside by the arrival of... Eclipso.
The battle and arrival of Eclipso sort of works and sort of doesn't. Eclipso works because Geoff Johns pulls out heavy hitters to make the battle as high-stakes as possible. Eclipso's emergence makes sense as a malevolent force that manipulated the typical allies into fighting each other. On the other hand, Eclipso's arrival doesn't work because the narration spins into overdrive, narrating a litany of off-panel developments to explain how all this came to pass. You get the feeling Geoff Johns needed a big bang, so he had to invent several shortcuts to make it happen.
Once everyone sees Eclipso at the heart of their fight, everyone turns their attention to the villain, but Eclipso's power quickly takes over the souls of everyone within reach. As a last-ditch attack, Young Mordru tells Huntress to shoot an arrow at Eclipso's diamond. She complies, and as the arrow flies, Young Mordru enchants the arrow with Solaris's Tyrant Sun energy. The arrow breaks the diamond and traps Eclipso for transport back to Gemworld.
The issue ends with the Legion of Substitute Heroes arriving with Khalid, aka Dr. Fate, with a proposal that helps out everyone struggling to fit in the Present. Say hello to the JSA of the 31st Century.
What's great about Justice Society of America #11? Geoff Johns pulls out all the action and plot surprises to make this issue as fun and exciting as possible. You get lots of wow moments, surprise appearances, and a satisfying resolution to the fight and some lingering interpersonal conflicts.
What's not great about Justice Society of America #11? To get to those wow moments and satisfying conclusions, Geoff Johns had to handwave a lot of off-panel explanations to make it make sense. The story feels fun while you're reading it, but the fun is soured by the knowledge that Geoff Johns had to fudge and "cheat" to get there.
How's the Art? Marco Santucci's artwork is the star of the show. In large part, the issue is fun because Santucci gives you raucous battle and superhero action with dramatic entrances on almost every page.
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 #11 marks the end of Young Mordru's bid to avoid his villainous future with a knockdown, drag-out fight against multiple adversaries. Geoff Johns takes multiple shortcuts and off-panel liberties to make this battle work, but Marco Santucci's spectacular art almost makes you forget how much Johns cheats the script to get you there.
7/10
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