DCU Comic Book Reviews

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #7

Indestructible

September 2007

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Dale Eaglesham

Inks by Ruy Jose and Rodney Ramos

Covers by Alex Ross & Dale Eaglesham

Synopsis

During a battle with the Fourth Reich in which most of the Heywood family were killed, Nate Heywood was imbued with the metal from Reichsmark such that his skin has been transmuted into some kind of organic steel.  It has given him a new leg where it had once been amputated, but now he has lost all feeling.  In Opal City, Superman visits Starman to learn more about him and the Legion and why Starman remained behind.  Meanwhile, Dr. Mid-Nite and Mr. Terrific create an extra layer of skin designed to help Nate.  In the process they also give him a costume that resembles his grandfather’s, Commander Steel, which doesn’t please Nate.  Just then Power Girl arrives to tell them that they have a location on the Fourth Reich and wants to know if Nate wants to help the Justice Society.  He does and plays a role in defeating the group.  Afterwards, the press descend upon them and he is dubbed the new Commander Steel, but he declines because he was never in the armed forces.  Power Girl then calls him Citizen Steel.  Later, Nate then goes to visit the surviving members of his family. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I absolutely loved this issue from beginning to end.  Johns does a fantastic job of juggling Nathan’s complex emotions he is feeling after his accident.  Nathan’s sense of loss, his confusion, and the pain he feels comes across the page.  He seems real, a person who is lost in a sea of emotion and feeling for what he lost but can’t feel anything physical because of what he gained.  The moment at the end when he is sitting down, his family all over him, is a tear-jerker, showing a young man coming to grips with who he is and how so many lives had been shattered in the moment he became who is.  It also provides a turning point, a moment in which we get past the morose wounded Nathan (not only after the accident, but also before) and move onward to the new Citizen Steel and perhaps the new Nathan Heywood.  This is definitely a character I want to see more of in this series (or even one of his own) and the credit for that goes to Johns and Eagelsham for creating such a wonderful character. 

It is the little touches that help to elevate this issue, like when Wildcat smacks his son upside the head, or Starman so thoroughly enjoying his Sloppy Joe, or Superman sipping on milk after Starman tells him to drink it, or Hawkman wearing his helmet underneath the shield, or Stargirl helping Cyclone during the attack, or Nathan asking how he had done at the end.   All of these little moments from the pencil of Johns and Eaglesham just make these characters come alive off the page and make them so real.  Take for instance Power Girl.  Her portrayal is done beautifully.  She is definitely the leader of the team, from choosing who goes on the mission, to coming up the plan, and to even leading them into battle by using herself as the battering ram into the brick wall.

ïPREVIOUS	Main		Page	NEXTð

Home ●  Blog ● Who Are We? ● Site News
Alive and Well since April 16, 2006

 DC Universe Reviews.  All Rights Reserved
  Characters, trademarks, brands are property of DC Comics

For problems or questions regarding this website, please contact our kindly webmaster.
Last updated: 08/06/11.