DCU Comic Book Reviews

JUSTICE SOCIETY of AMERICA #52

Weird Mystery

August 2011

Written by Marc Guggenheim

Pencils by Tom Derenick

Ink by Tom Derenick

Cover by Mario Alberti

Synopsis

One week ago…Mr. Terrific confronts Dr. Chaos to learn who caused the decrease in Terrific’s intelligence.  Dr. Chaos provides the name of Richard Lusk, which means nothing to Mr. Terrific.  Now…Dennis reveals the secret to Monument Point, a large underground door.  Except he doesn’t know what is behind it; the door has never been opened.  New mayor Jay Garrick runs to Senator Eagin to learn more, only to find Eagin’s dead body.  Later, the Challengers of the Unknown arrive in Monument Point to help the JSA investigate what is behind the door.  In Gotham City, Mr. Terrific visits the apartment of Richard Lusk.  There, he finds Lusk’s dead body amongst memorabilia for the first original Mr. Terrific.  The current Mr. Terrific finds a recording in which Lusk explains he was responsible for Mr. Terrific’s decrease in intelligence.  Lusk then destroyed all evidence and killed himself to keep Mr. Terrific from finding a way to reverse the process.  Elsewhere, the JSA and the challengers enter the doorway.  The find a series of staircases leading down to what appears to be a massive city.  Meanwhile, Mr. Terrific sits down and gets to work, first learning how to read.     

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

There is an inherent problem with this issue, although I don’t think there really is a way that you can fix it in any tangible way.  The problem is that Terrific is supposed to have become stupid, including learning the ability how to read.  Well, if that were true, don’t you think other brain functions would be affected as well?  Like knowing how to play a DVD player.  Or finding an address or even finding your way to an address.  Or speaking rather intelligently to a prison inmate.  Go ahead, read that first page and ask yourself:  can a four-year-old have that conversation.  Now, I am not sure how losing one’s intellect would affect day-to-day interactions or actions, but I find it tough to believe Mr. Terrific is an idiot based on the things he does in this issue.  Having said that, I am not sure how you go about telling this story, unless someone else does the leg work while Terrific sits in a corner and drools.

However, taking that little problem out of the equation, I am intrigued by the story of the ultimate fan of an original hero taking it out on a legacy hero.  I am uncomfortable with the suggested racism of some of Lusk’s remarks and I hope Guggenheim will keep that at a minimum.  Otherwise, it an interesting twist on fandom.

How long was Lusk dead?  Why didn’t anyone notice the stench coming from his apartment?  I liked the little aside he made about someone else finding the DVD, which makes sense, but I think someone would’ve noticed before Mr. Terrific got there. 

As for the rest of this issue, well, there is not much to comment upon.  I liked seeing the Challengers Of The Unknown in action; they are not often used so it is always pleasure when they show up.  Other than that, this issue is really just set-up, leading us to the city and whatever might be (or might not be) there for the team.

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Last updated: 08/06/11.