JSA #5: Don’t Read Alone

Plates aplenty are spinning in JSA. Characters, both heroes and villains, are scattered throughout multiple storylines that have been expanding further and further since the first issue. JSA #5 tries to keep all those plates from falling down and breaking as the “Ragnarok” storyline continues to develop.

Kid Eternity rescues Hawkman in JSA #5’s opening pages. Before their escape from hell can be thwarted, Hawkgirl flies in for the rescue. Elsewhere, Dr. Mid-Nite rescues Obsidian’s unconscious body. And when the JSA gets a signal from Dr. Mid-Nite, the infiltrator in their ranks prepares to lead them into a trap.

A problem with JSA #5, and it’s one that has been steadily growing since the young series began, is how little space each story thread gets. Also, as a result of each of these sequences being relatively short, it’s easy to lose track of finer details from issue to issue. As a result, JSA #5 is best read with at least the issue that immediately precedes it if not more than just that one.

That said, there are compelling aspects to each of the plotlines in JSA #5. The characters in them get moments to shine, even if it’s only in one or two panels. A key example is Jade, who finds her voice as a leader. Also Kid Eternity who, though not a comedic character, adds a measure of levity to the Hawkman action sequences. And Dr. Mid-Nite perseveres and escapes with the real Obsidian. Lemire gets a lot of mileage for characters out of very little space.

At the center of all of these storylines, though, is the matter of the imposter in the JSA’s ranks. Lemire uses this plot point as a way to touch thematically on what the JSA is. Traditionally, this team doesn’t saddle up to “make them pay” as Wildcat says. It’s a quick moment in a busy comic, but it makes the threat to the JSA feel existential in more ways than just heroes losing a fight to villains.

The main action sequences in JSA #5 are well served by Olortegui’s art style which leans toward harder rather than rounder angles for characters’ bodies. It often results in more dynamic poses in panels with wider views of character standoffs. In action closeups, this style combined with Olortegui’s tendency to use straight lines rather than shading give the characters a greater sense of power.

Olortegui’s detail when going for emotional closeups is much more limited, in some cases almost nonexistent. These moments are when Guerrero’s coloring is vital. Transitions in shading, such as those moving darker to indicate shadow, emphasize downcast emotions such as when Jade is at her lowest point in the issue. The reverse is true two pages later when Jade’s determination as a leader is reflected in lighter shades around her eyes and the upper half of her face as she stares upward and straight ahead. There is a very complementary balance between art and color.

Wands’ design for Kid Eternity’s dialogue bubbles and text is an effective way to draw attention to the newest character in the storyline. It does so somewhat at the expense of the other visuals in those panels, but it emphasizes Kid Eternity as a potential new key element in the storyline.