J.S.A. #19 // Review
Jay feels like the world might be passing him by. And that's kind of strange given effect that in the past, he had been the world's fastest man. Everyone was struggling to keep up with him. It is a long time, a friend and ally Alan thinks he’s just being maudlin. He might be right in J.S.A. #19. Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Diego Olortegui continue to begin a whole new storyline with “The Search for the Specter.” It’s an interesting opening to a new take on an old character who...like the rest of them has nearly been around for 100 years now.
Kid Eternity is feeling a tremendous amount of internal conflict. Some of it might be the location: the Unseen Realms. Or maybe its the fierce possession by a spirit of vengeance serving the Almighty. Kid feels an overwhelming amount of rage. Thankfully, Kid’s not alone. Kid’s allies include a few people who have worked with the spirit in question more than just about anybody else on Earth. If anyone knows how to handle an entity like The Specter, it’s the Justice Society of America. They might not have anywhere near the Specter’s power, but they have plenty of experience in being in over their heads.
Lemire rather definitely channels the distinct dynamic of a superhero team that's been around since the 1940s. There really is no realistic analog for a group of people who have been adventuring actively for something like 80 years. It can be really difficult to get the dynamic just right. The proper writer has to find a way that respects the experience of the characters while still throwing them into situations that they might not be ready for. It's a delicate balance to reach. Lemire does quite a job of achieving that balance.
There's a powerful sense of humble humanity about this particular team of superheroes. And yet they're also handling things that reach out on a cosmic level that goes way beyond most superheroes. Olortegui find the right kind of balance to showcase the humanity of the characters in question while still embracing the larger cosmic level power that's being thrown around the page. There's a deeply immersive sense of the visual world that's being presented to the page. Olortegui does a splendid job of keeping everything balanced on the page while still feeling very wild and unpredictable.
It's not, of course, unpredictable. It's actually covering territory that's been covered numerous times before over the decades. However, the creative team involved in this particular issue. Do a really good job of making it seem fresh and interesting. As cool as they were back in the 1940s, this particular group of heroes has been old for a really long time. And so it's so much of what it is that they've been presented as over the years is just a very old group of superheroes who have to deal with being old. The repetition of this can feel very old as well. However, the right creative team can make it feel really fresh. DC has a really good creative mix to handle the team as the series progresses.
