DCU Comic Book Reviews

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #8

Bells and Whistles

October 2007

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Fernando Pasarin

Inks by Rodney Ramos

Covers by Alex Ross & Dale Eaglesham

Synopsis

Jesse Chambers (aka Liberty Belle) recalls her life growing up as the child of Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle learning how to use the mathematical equation that gave her father his speed.  As a young adult, she joined the Justice Society as Jesse Quick.  Eventually, she would lose her speed when she handed it over to the Flash to defeat Zoom.  Later, she would marry Rick Tyler (aka Hourman) who would help her unlock her mother’s powers.  Now, the Justice Society is chasing Zoom into Georgia.  Grant Emerson (aka Damage) follows, despite his legal status that he would never step over the state line, because of his grudge against Zoom, who disfigured Damage’s face.  Liberty Belle and Hourman are called away from the honeymoon to help.  Jesse finds Damage holding Zoom, waiting for the opportunity to explode as payback for what Zoom did to him.  Jesse convinces him that despite his flaws, he should never give up.  Damage releases Zoom, who promptly launches a steel beam at his face.  Using her super speed, Jesse saves Damage and knocks Zoom unconscious.  Later, Jesse and Rick return to their honeymoon with the rest of the Justice Society of America joining them. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

When he was the regular writer on the Flash, Johns occasionally took a break in story arcs to write a single issue that focused on one of the rogues.  Now, Johns takes a page out of his own playbook and provides an excellent, single-issue spotlight on one of the JSA members.  With a large cast, it is difficult to focus on all of them, so the decision is a good one.  Johns not only provides a superb story about Jesse saving Damage and defeating Zoom, but also provides background on who she was and how she became a member of the Justice Society.  Johns does a good job of encapsulating her life and then making it work within the framework of the story.  This was not exposition or a dry rendering of her past.  Johns manages to take her upbringing and her quest for perfection and make it fit within the context of who she is now and how she handles the situation with Zoom and Damage.  It is a great example of finding characterization within the history. 

I don’t like the ending when the Justice Society stood up for Damage by telling the authorities they should arrest them all.  Frankly, Damage violated whatever agreement he had with the state of Georgia and he should be held accountable for breaking it.  That, to me, is part of being a hero, obeying the law, even when it doesn’t go your own way.

One of the things that Johns, unfortunately, doesn’t answer is how Jesse came to be incredibly strong.  I am not that knowledgeable on Jesse’s history, but I never got the sense that she had super strength to go with her ability to run incredibly fast.  I suppose this could’ve been an inherited gift from her mother, but there is no explanation for how she managed to tap into it.

I found it out that in the middle of an issue centered on Liberty Belle we were suddenly thrust into character development for Damage.  Johns does a good job of getting the basics of Damage’s connection to Zoom in this issue, but I think those scenes might have been better served (and the ending scenes might’ve had more resonance) if the focus earlier in this issue had been on Damage’s past rather than on Liberty Belle’s past. 

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