DCU Comic Book Reviews

JSA CLASSIFIED #15

Double Or Nothing, Part 2:  Dealing From The Bottom

Early October 2006

Written by Steve Englehart

Pencils by Tom Derenick

Inks by Mark Farmer

Cover by Zeck & Ordway

Synopsis

Vixen, Stargirl, and Gypsy have been captured by Amos Fortune and his gang, who have previously captured members of the JSA so they can battle each other for their own amusement.  The Flash, Vixen, and Green Lantern fight Wildcat and all of them lose.  As Wildcat continues to win, he continues to get stronger and stronger, thanks to Amos Fortune’s luck energy (or “stellaration”) that is being expanded upon by the Wizard.  However, the Sportsman and the Gambler are worried that perhaps Fortune is growing too strong.  Meanwhile, Gypsy’s spirit is floating outside her body, but she can’t contact anyone, except for Vixen’s spirit after she was knocked out by Wildcat.  Unfortunately, they are coming for Stargirl to fight Wildcat next.

Review

This story just keeps getting worse and worse.  Actually the story itself is not all that bad; it is a interesting premise and the mystery of Gypsy is...um...mysterious enough that I am curious to learn what is going on.  I just think the execution of the story is so muddled and confusing that it does not read all that well.  It does not help the story to have so many thought balloons for so many different characters.  As a result, we do not get any sense of who these characters are besides what they are required to do for the story.  About the only characterizations we are getting come from the repeated (and I do mean repeated) statements from Vixen or Stargirl about how lame the Justice League Detroit group really were.  After the first few times, I got it and did not need to read it again.  

None of the scenes come across as thrilling or frightening because we don’t see any reaction to Flash get pummeled.  In fact, after they return him from the ring, he seems to have disappeared completely.  For the matter, where is the rest of the JSA?  These fights are rather anticlimatic.  There is no sense of danger or fear that Wildcat might kill someone if he gets too strong or something else bad might happen. 

I will say, though, that the Sportsman introductions were quite funny and easily the best part of this issue. 

This odd thought struck me as I was reading this issue.  At one point, Vixen talks about how everyone thinks her team is lame.  I am not sure of the majority of the people, but I do know that there are a number of people who think the Justice League Detroit era was a disaster for DC.  Yet, here it is two decades later and we have not one but two story arcs featuring said team.  The question is:  why?  The answer:  so Vixen can join the new Justice League America.  If you read issue #0 of the new series, you may recognize Vixen’s picture on the last page AND there is a specific mention in the “tomorrow” sequence of the Detroit team.  Given all of this, I really think Vixen is part of the new team.-- MRB

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