DCU Comic Book Reviews

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA ANNUAL #1

Earth-2

September 2008

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Jerry Ordway

Inks by Bob Wiacek

Cover by Alex Ross

Synopsis

While searching the man who destroyed her life, the Huntress instead finds Power Girl.  When she wakes up, Power Girl doesn’t believe it at first, but she soon comes to believe that Gog somehow returned her back home.  Meanwhile, the Spectre and Dr. Fate investigate the spot where Power Girl returned.  Dr. Fate senses something beyond their world and thinks Earth 2 is not safe.  Elsewhere, Power Girl joins Huntress for the search for the Joker, who ruined Huntress’ life.  When they find the Joker, he tries to kill Huntress, but Power Girl saves her life.  Afterwards, the two are talking when they encounter...Power Girl.  The second Power Girl attacks the first Power Girl, who then runs away, wondering where the hell did Gog send her.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I should point out right off the bat that I am a late comer to reading comic books, so while I am familiar with the some of these characters found in Earth 2, I never read the original books they had come from, Infinity Inc. or JSA Squadron.  So, in a sense I am not emotionally invested in seeing these characters or seeing Power Girl reconnect with these characters.  Much of the enjoyment of this Annual, I would think, will come from those eager to see the return of Earth 2 and the characters.  I can imagine older readers getting a kick out of seeing Helena Wayne or the grown up Robin or whoever they liked during that time period.  For me, it had no impact, although I liked the splash bag with the Justice Society Infinity and seeing how different the characters are to the Golden Age or the current versions.

Saying that, I think Johns understands the limited impact the Earth 2 universe might have, so he wisely focuses his story on the Huntress, pushing the rest of the characters to guest spots.  I still don’t think it works that well; I didn’t really care for Huntress or what happened to her father or her supposed boyfriend.  To me, the core of the story should’ve been Power Girl and her journey to a place she thinks is home but turns out to be something completely different.  But given the nostalgia factor with Earth 2, others will be less concerned with the plot and more with the characters.  Johns tries to bridge the two, creating an issue the centers on one Earth 2 character and her relationship with Power Girl.  As I said, I don’t think it quite works as whole, but I understand where Johns is coming from and think he did what he could based on what he was trying to accomplish (and I hope that makes sense). 

While Johns attempts to provide some nostalgia, he also is under the service of the Gog storyline in the main title of the book.  While I didn’t like the fact the story in this issue was incomplete, the ending does underline what we might expect from the rest of the Gog story in that Gog’s “gifts” to help others will come with a price.  Yes, Gog sent Power Girl home, but not to a home she is familiar with.  I would not surprised if the other gifts Gog bestowed will come with strings attached.

I want to point out that whoever did the page layout needs to realize how splash pages are supposed to work.  There are a couple of splash pages that appear on the right, which means we see the big surprise before we get the chance to read the page that leads up to that big moment (such as the Joker in the wheelchair or the second Power Girl appearing).  Single splash pages need to be on the left.

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