Justice Society of America #5: We Are Family. I Got All My Per Degaton’s With Me…

The JSA come face to face with one of the biggest threats that they’ve ever had, Per Degaton, but will all of the original band of superheroes survive? Will Per Degaton accomplish what he’s set out to do? How will Batman react when he finally comes face to face with his daughter from the future? What will this all mean about the timeline? So many questions, will Johns and Janin answer in twenty pages? You’ll have to be the judge of that. 

The JSA has finally retaken its place as the first superhero team in DC history, but it doesn’t feel like it. In fact, other than Batman acknowledging the events in Flashpoint Beyond, the JLD, and Kara/Karen/Paige Powergirl’s newest costume, it doesn’t feel like the story is taking place on Prime Earth. The Justice Society has built a history steeped in history, tradition, and family. Geoff Johns was a fantastic driving force in that regard. Unfortunately, that firm grip on characterization and continuity seems to have diminished Johns. It’s also been something that has been a constant with Johns during his career, making him a household name amongst the fans. That’s why his work since the rise of the New 52/Rebirth era DC universe has become much more obvious and unfortunate. 

The lack of connective tissue and continuity has been rather lazy since the end of Dark Knights: Death Metal, when they transformed from a Multiverse to an Omniverse (still not sure what the difference is), where their current policy is that everything’s happened. The problem with this policy is that if everything has happened, even the events that have contradicted other stories and events, it leads fans to wonder what is accurate and what isn’t. This laissez-faire regard for continuity only confuses fans, which leads to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. It almost feels like that’s what’s happening at the DC corporate office. 

With regards to Helena, Helena, which Helena will it be? We already have Bertinelli running around in Gotham, so having both of them running around Gotham could get complicated and confusing. This is why she should be the Huntress from Earth 2. If this world is Earth 2 or another one of the Earths in the multiverse, it must be conveyed to the readers because it’s confusing to casual and well-versed fans. Mikel Janin is on art duties, and honestly, his art has been the biggest asset for the book. Janin’s art style could be described as photo-realistic, and for some stories, that style would be perfect for this story; unfortunately, it’s not the right fit here, especially about Helena Wayne from the near future. Her mask, mixed with the colors, does not do Helena any justice here. There’s a lot of room and potential to go from here. Can this team reach it? We’ll have to wait and see.