THE DISPATCH

An all-out war from a lifetime of Degaton’s comes to take on the JSA as Justice Society of America #5 kicks off. Somehow, Degaton’s from all across time, and at different ages of his life, appears to destroy the JSA. His vendetta towards them is fueled with a fire that Johns’ makes the focus of this issue yet gives no real explanation as to why. I would argue that since Justice Society of America began, I’ve been wondering what Degaton’s motive truly was. Turns out, it was just a red herring of the series.

I believe Johns’ intent was to find a way of incorporating Helena into the main universe as a mainstay while also joining together some of the lost characters from Stargirl: The Lost Children. Towards the end of Justice Society of America #5, there is talk of living paradoxes like Eobard Thawn who manage to live outside of space and time due to the Flashpoint Paradox. That said, how Helena remains a paradox is beyond me. Nevertheless, what I find to be hilarious is that Geoff Johns seems to be responsible for almost (if not all) the living paradoxes. It’s almost as if he has a shtick now.

Now, I understand the series is not complete. And if I’m not mistaken, I also understand that this has been upped to 12 issues. However, too many questions remain including the purpose and prime directive of Degaton. There’s no “why”. Why would killing the JSA across time help him rule the world? What about every other hero including the Justice League? Wouldn’t they stop him? Moreover, what’s Johns’ intent by infusing all these living paradoxes? From Helena to Thomas Wayne, and even including the lost children, what do we gain other than reintroduction?

ART

A long time ago, I gave up having a favorite character in comics because a writer or artist could basically ruin the character or story for the reader. This is why I now completely reversed my comic book reading strategy. Now, I enjoy reading comics by specific writers and artists I absolutely adore. That said, I’d read anything Mikel Janín draws! Looking back on King’s Batman, he’s probably one of the huge reasons I continued on the comic. His illustrations are crisp, clean, realistic, tight, detailed, and smooth. I could read any comic he’s attached to every day and twice on Sundays.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Justice Society of America #5 adds the usual Geoff Johns charm and creative know-how that most fans of his will enjoy. You’ll most certainly leave the issue thinking but mainly because you’ll have a ton more questions that won’t be answered with November being the release date of the next issue. With even more questions coupled with the extremely slow pacing of release dates, I’m sorry to say Justice Society of America will probably lose some of its excitement and fanfare.

This reviewer has too many questions that he wants answered and if this pacing doesn’t speed up, it will take two years before we discover any of these answers. By that point, the direction of DC Comics could change. Does anyone remember Doomsday Clock? That’s exactly what happened there too. Moreover, just like Doomsday Clock, readers can see the potential in Justice Society of America #5 but will get infuriated leaving a comic with more questions than answers along with any reveal not coming for months. I love Johns writing but he’s got to stop teasing people. Just wait two years after the direction at DC changes again and get the trade at this point.

8.2/10