Justice Society of America #2 (1991)

Justice Society of America #2 (May, 1991)
“Vengeance from the Stars! Chapter Two: The Sack of Gotham”
Writer – Len Strazewski
Artist – Grant Miehm
Letterer – Janice Chiang
Colorist – Tom Ziuko
Editors – Mike Gold & Brian Augustyn
Cover Price: $1.00


Lookit that… our #Action100 endeavor is going so well, we can afford to take a day or two off from looking at Action Comics!  At this point I wasn’t expecting to be on schedule, much less ahead of it!


How’s them for “famous last words”?


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We open with a report from GBC’s Alan Scott, wherein he informs all of the Gothamites within earshot that there have been intermittent power outages throughout the city.  Since we’ve already read the issue that comes before this, we know that these “outages” are most definitely not limited to Gotham City.  We meet up with a crew of nogoodniks who figure, while the gettin’ is good… they may as well loot!  Unfortunately for them, the Canary’s already on the case!

After a few pages of clunk-y fighting (hey, that’s their sound effect, not mine!) she manages to kayo the baddies.  Before she can take her leave, however, she overhears a news briefing about a robbery-in-progress at the Gotham Museum of History.

She arrives on the scene and finds an overturned police car.  After helping an officer to his feet she enters… and comes across a very much dead security guard.  Vowing to bring his killer(s) to justice, she heads into the Treasures of Ancient Egypt exhibit.  Inside, a trio of wise guys are attempting to hoist the Crown of Cheops… Cheops is apparently how the Greeks referred to the Egyptian King, Khufu.  Well, now we know.

Canary lunges in, and attacks with a butt-thump!  Okay, it’s more likely some sort of swinging kick, but c’mon… if that’s not a butt-thump, I don’t know what is.  Then again, I’m really not sure what a “butt-thump” might be to begin with.  Let’s just move along.

Canary grabs the crown and manages to give the geeks the slip.  As she admires the collected crown, the real threat of the issue lumbers into the scene… Solomon Grundy!

We shift scenes over to Ted Knight’s Observatory, where he is still being held against his will by… somebody.  The bad guy tosses a phony beard onto a desk… then picks up Ted’s Star Rod.  Heading outside, he points the Rod toward the stars… and summons himself another constellation.  This time, Sagittarius!

Back in Gotham, Canary and Grundy have one heckuva “go round”.  They both get their “licks” in, and the advantage shifts back and forth.  The struggle continues until Canary manages to monkey-flip Grundy out a window and into the alley down below.

She follows him down… and it looks like Solly might’ve been playin’ possum!  He grabs her and tosses her into a wall.  He goes to mount her, however, she manages to grab a pair of garbage can lids… and she pulls the ol’ “cymbal” crash maneuver.

At the point, more police have shown up on the scene… and they open fire at Grundy.  This is, of course… futile.  He flips their car just as he (presumably) did the other.  He is then distracted by a light from above… then again, so is Dinah.  She’s preoccupied long enough to be beaned in the brain by a blackjack.

We wrap up by seeing what was so distracting up above… why, it’s Green Lantern in the heat of battle with Sagittarius!

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This was… a fight scene.  I quite enjoyed it, but at the end of the day… it was still a fight scene.


The only reason that might be a problem is… I mean, what can one really say about a fight scene?  It was well done.  Howzat for an “analysis” segment?


I struggle with finding a way to really “heap praise” on this… however, I also struggle to come up with even a single complaint.  I suppose we could look at that in and of itself as a “net positive” and move along.


I feel like this series (so far) is a case of… If you already know and care about these characters, you’re going to really dig this.  If you have no investment in these characters, this won’t rock your socks… and it probably won’t change your mind.  It’s been forever-ish since I last read this series to completion… so, my opinion may change on that.


Though, I must say… if this was the first JSA I ever tried to read, I don’t think I’d come back for the next issue… there just isn’t enough there.  I mean, that’s a pretty “ehh” statement.. but I’d definitely recommend the later JSA series as a “gateway book”.  I feel like, after reading that, you’ll likely have a greater appreciation for this run.


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(Not the) Letters Page:

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