JSA #5 Review

• Written by: Jeff Lemire

• Art by: Diego Olortegui

• Colors by: Luis Guerrero

• Letters by: Steve Wands

• Cover art by: Cully Hamner

• Cover price: $3.99

• Release date: March 5, 2025

JSA #5, by DC Comics on 3/5/25, fractures the team on multiple fronts when Hawkman finds a new ally in the Demon Dimension, Dr. Mid-Nite escapes the Injustice Society, and Jade finds out the team has a traitor.

Is JSA #5 Good?

Recap

When we last left the best team that's not the Justice League in JSA #4, Dr. Mid-Nite snuck through the underground catacombs of the Injustice Society to find out what they're up to. Her searching led to Obsidian, strapped to a machine that keeps his mind stuck in a virtual world. Meanwhile, Jakeem had his own of-the-mind troubles, but the story gets weird when Obsidian and Jakeem find each other.

Plot Synopsis

In JSA #5, the loose threads get picked back up. In the Demon Dimension, Hawkman gets help from a wandering ghost who seems to think she's the new Kid Eternity. The ghost frees Hawkman, who heads off to find his wings, weapons, and armor. When the two encounter a trio of demons with Hawkman's stuff, they find themselves outmatched. Thankfully, Kendra swoops by to save the day. The trio of Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and maybe "Kid Eternity" head back to the Tower of Fate.

On Earth, Beth, aka Dr. Mid-Nite, finds herself at the mercy of a surprise punch by Scandal Savage. Beth finds a small pebble and uses a well-aimed throw to shatter the only lamp in the room, giving her the darkness she needs to overwhelm Scandal and escape with Obsidian's unconscious body.

Meanwhile, the consciousness of Obsidian and Jakeem escape the hospital by busting through an outer wall. Unfortunately, they find the outside world to be nothing but a massive maze.

Elsewhere, the fake Obsidian, Johnny Sorrow in disguise, announces the JSA sensors have picked up Beth's communicator signal. He urges his teammates to take action now instead of waiting for the rest of the team or permission from Jade. Wildcat and Jesse Quick agree but Hourman chooses to stay behind because Obsidian's rash decisions don't feel right.

The issue ends with Sandman and Jade concluding they have a traitor in their midst, Grundy arriving in the Demon Dimension with Gentleman Ghost to claim Hawkman, and an army of demons assembling to lay siege to the Tower of Fate.

First Impressions

I like every piece of what's happening in JSA #5. I don't like that the pieces are all smushed together in a chaotic jumble. Jeff Lemire would serve this title a lot better if he pared back a couple of the subplots and told a more focused story.

How’s the Art?

Diego Olortegui is back to the closer form we saw when he drew last year's Jay Garrick mini-series. The figure work is sharper and cleaner, Olortegui's compositions are a little more dynamic, and Luis Guerrero's coloring choices are solid.

What’s great about JSA #5?

Again, the pieces in Jeff Lemire's multi-faceted story are each interesting in their own right. Gentleman Ghost and Grundy chasing the Hawks through Hell would have been an unheard-of dream just a few years ago. The ISA's master plan sounds like it could be a doozy, and the dramatic tension created by Johnny Sorrow's plan to undermine the JSA as a fake Obsidian is well done.

What’s not great about JSA #5?

Jeff Lemire's script is too scattered to enjoy because your attention is yanked this way and that every two or three pages. After the weirdly unnecessary flashback reversal of issues #1 and #2, you get the impression Lemire is experimenting with different plot structures as he goes, and it isn't working out well as a reading experience. Again, this title would be served much better by paring back the non-essential subplots to focus on what matters. Doing too much too soon, possibly to front-load the story, in case it doesn't continue past issue #12, gets messy.

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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

JSA #5 ramps up the tension and action on multiple fronts when the JSA is scattered by the ISA's master plan. Jeff Lemire's script moves the plot forward in a myriad of ways, and Diego Olortegui's art is solid. That said, Lemire's multi-plot tale does too much too fast, so it feels overstuffed.

6.5/10

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