The JSA, newly reformed as a team, doesn't ease back into the hero biz slowly. In Darkness Falls, the second collection in the new JSA series, the heroes face the mad villain Black Adam, who outmuscles them all, and the power of shadow let loose on the world. Ted "Wildcat" Grant, who's got no powers besides the meat on his fists, has a private interlude interrupted by the all-new Injustice Society, which leads of course to a no-holds-barred knock-'em-down brawl throughout the JSA headquarters.

As if that weren't enough, the team (with a few reserve members added) is split to handle the Kobra problem (he wants to destroy the world) and the Extant problem (he wants to rewrite time).

There's a lot of rage and sorrow between the lines, as one hero deals with the death of his mother, one copes with the loss of his son, and a third suffers molecular reconstruction and a close-range blast to the head. There's resurrection and death and a melee through time. And a couple of teammates don't stick around at the end.

More and more, the allure of this older set of superheroes (predating the JLA in DC Comics' history) is becoming clear. I'm glad they're back, and I'm glad I found them. With writing (and, of course, art) of this quality, I'll keep coming back for more.

by Tom Knapp
Rambles.NET
9 December 2006