DCU Comic Book Reviews

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #13

Thy Kingdom Come:  Supermen

April 2007

Written by Geoff Johns and Alex Ross

Pencils by Fernando Pasarin

Inks by Richard Friend

Covers by Alex Ross & Dale Eaglesham

Synopsis

At the headquarters for the Justice Society of America, Jakeem Thunder meets Jennifer Pierce, the daughter of Black Lightning.  Elsewhere, Dr. Mid-Nite examines Mr. America as he tells them about the Heartbreak Slayer and the mysterious Gog.  The older Superman informs the JSA that in his world Magog destroyed Kansas and that Gog begat Magog.  On this Earth, Gog appeared over a year ago and attacked Superman.  The Older Superman flies to Metropolis to talk to Superman about Gog.  As they are talking, they overhear Hercules fighting Gog.  They arrive too late.  Gog is able to escape to the Congo, where he bows before an altar of a purple-face deity.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I am having a little bit of trouble trying to find the right words to describe my feelings on this issue.  I am really enjoying what Johns is doing with this story and I liked the Supermen scenes, especially their discussion on top of the Daily Planet.  In contrast, the opening scene with Jakeem Thunder fell flat and the exposition scene with Dr. Mid-Nite was a little clunky, but at least provided the necessary background on Gog/Magog.  Yet, and this is where it might seem contradictory, I would prefer to see more of the opening scenes than the latter scenes.  Just like the recent Action Comics story feels less like Superman and more like the Legion of Super-Heroes, this story feels less like the Justice Society and more like a Superman story.  Johns is an expert craftsman and he is telling a good story, but I think it is getting lost amongst the JSA.  Last issue (I think) the Gog/Superman story actually took a back seat to the JSA.  This week, the JSA takes a back seat to Superman.  Somewhere, Johns needs to find the right balance. 

I am a little confused about the Hercules scene at the end.  He is able to punch (or elbow, I suppose) the DC Superman hard enough to give him a bloody nose as well as toss him into a building, but can’t harm the KC Superman at all.  One could argue that the DC Superman got caught by surprise, but it still seemed a little strange. 

It is a little surprising that the editors would provide a reference on where to find more stories about Hercules (a character not connected to Superman), but don’t provide an editorial box on where to find the stories about Gog that are not only referenced in this issue, but obviously will appear in future issues as well. 

Comic Connection

Gog first appeared in Action Comics, issue #815, as part of Chuck Austen’s short run on the title in 2005.  Hercules appeared just last year in the re-boot of the Wonder Woman title, beginning with issue #2. 

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