JSA 7 very little spoilers

[Bradpinder]

good book... one thing I have noticed is the JSA has alot of tragic members, Starman is a nut, Citizen Steel cant feel, Dammage is well dammaged.

just saying.

[CYOTI]

good book... one thing I have noticed is the JSA has alot of tragic members, Starman is a nut, Citizen Steel cant feel, Dammage is well dammaged.

just saying.

Batman - witnessed the deaths of his parents as a child
Superman - the last of his race
Spider-Man - shoulders the responsibility that he could have prevented his uncle from dying

Frankly all good super heroes have elements of tragedy to them.

[Bradpinder]

theres gotta be one good mainstreamer that aint wrecked

[drwho]

I'm dropping this series for trades. I really am tired of these one character focused issues. This is a team book after all plus I'm tired of all the nazis. Citizen Steel looked so cool on the cover, but in the book is just another whoah is me tortured hero that doesnt want to be a hero. I think we have all heard that story a 100 times.

[Stanlos]

Superman - the last of his race

Once perhaps, but no longer. Now there is Supergirl, Power Girl and Krypto to keep him company!

Isn't that great?!

[spidervenom]

I'm dropping this series for trades. I really am tired of these one character focused issues. This is a team book after all plus I'm tired of all the nazis. Citizen Steel looked so cool on the cover, but in the book is just another whoah is me tortured hero that doesnt want to be a hero. I think we have all heard that story a 100 times.

true but there are so many cliches nowadays it just matters how they handle the character.

[Jack Zodiac]

Great issue. And not even for Citizen Steel, though that focus was a great one. Especially the use of physical feelings in contrast to his numbed emotions after years of being a disgraced paraplegic in a family of heroes. Though I sort of thought the scene where they're pouring his suit onto him was kind of ridiculous- that they'd coat him in his grandpa's old colors without even asking him. Still, the save for that was great, and was for me the best part of this issue.

Power Girl. Leading. Like, really leading, not just giving orders. She whips Nate into shape in less than ten pages, gives him some motivation, pointers in the field, and a sense of satisfaction in the end. Johns is usually pretty good with the character, and gave her a great deal of attention in the past so far as her history was concerned, but his was the first time in a long time she was written strongly in a leadership role.

So good to see a self-contained issue after crossoverfest, too. Really appreciated that. And, as usual, absolutely fantastic art. This book keeps getting better.

[Deadpooligan]

The solo focus is really giving me a "JSA: Classified" vibe.

That said, this book is still fantastic as ever. Starman's like the DC Deadpool! (That... also said, excludes Earth 3 Deathstroke, but he just a one-shot character.) Citizen Steel adds that extra human touch (aww...)!

One gripe; Superman seems inappropriately sympathetic. I don't know, that panel where he says, "I'd love one" (about having a Sloppy Joe), I felt like saying "Don't cry Superman, it's only ground beef!" I didn't know the guy was so attached to the Legion...

Also, Power Girl's chest window is smaller in this issue. She must be catching on to me... hmm...

...I'm kidding. Stop staring at me like that. Seriously!

[davros42]

One gripe; Superman seems inappropriately sympathetic. I don't know, that panel where he says, "I'd love one" (about having a Sloppy Joe), I felt like saying "Don't cry Superman, it's only ground beef!" I didn't know the guy was so attached to the Legion...

Inappropriately sympathetic? One of the guy's childhood friends grew up to be a total nutcase. Or at the very least, sacrificed his sanity to perform some as yet unknown mission. I think it was justified.

[ultramandingo]

.......so hawkman wears his helmet under the weilding mask , collapsible beak (?)....... plus the cover shoulda been ross's rendition of starman with sloppy joes smeared all over his hairy mug ( yheesh!!)

[jadrax]

Fantastic Issue, Really moved Power Girl up a notch.

[Croatoan]

Another great issue, the characterization was spot on as always for Geoff Johns. I'm really liking the Citizen Steel character, and to be honest I'd rather have these individual issues focusing on a character than a quick summary of what they're about, can't wait for Liberty Belle!!

[Miss Kitty Fantastico]

That was a great superhero story - a good ol' done-in-one issue with action and character interaction and a good emotional through-line for the focus character. Funny thing, just the other day I was thinking that, having done their opening arc (and gotten that damned crossover out of the way) a couple of one-issue stories spotlighting various characters would be nice, before launching into the next big thing - et voila, it's like the book read my mind :D

Citizen Steel got a very good introduction - it seems so obvious now that he was set up in the opening arc, but at the time I honestly didn't see him coming as a new recruit, I was just taking that material as part of the general hero/legacy theme they were working with. It's a testament to the quality of writing that during #1-4 I didn't feel like I was being spoon-fed background to back up a story that'd happen later, but now this issue is so much stronger because the track had been laid for it back then. It didn't feel like a done-in-one story, but part of an evolving whole sequence of events for the JSA. If this is what the general storytelling style for the book will be like, I'm mightily impressed.

It was great to see Power Girl in charge in more ways that just hitting bad guys - she took a shrewd guess at what Citizen Steel needed, and put him in a position where he could get it, without feeling like it was being doled out to him out of pity (which one imagines he would have resented). That's a leader, folks - as above so below, and the JSA's future looks bright with Power Girl in charge. My only quibble is that making her 'chest window' smaller actually draws attention to it - the wider window echoes a regular cleavagey neckline, of the kind you see every day, and thus kind of blends into the costume, but the tiny window actually makes it look more pointlessly revealing - plus it's kind of fiddly and inelegant-looking. Strange, but true - if the intent is to mitigate the eye-candy effects of it, I hope the artist goes back to a more typical Power Girl costume (which needn't be an inconsistency - she must have more than one outfit, so there's no reason she mightn't have variations of them, and just decide to go with larger or smaller 'windows' depending on her mood).

It was nice to see Cyclone improving, still under Stargirl's aegis, likewise the other rookies and their mentors. I suppose - aside from the minor irk at PG's costume - the only disappointment I had with this issue was that it was such a great follow-up to the opening arc, it made it annoying all over again that we had to wait two extra months to get to it. The scene between Superman and Starman, so far as I can see, made the JSA issues of Lightning Saga entirely redundant, for someone only interested in the Society - given how little real point there was to them being part of the action there, I'd have rather it'd been a miniseries, and not intruded on JSA's otherwise excellent run.

[Jack Zodiac]

I didn't even notice the smaller cut in the chest of her suit except for a few scenes where it also seemed to go further down her chest, but mostly it looked alright. It being that small, though, they might as well just get rid of it altogether.

[SlightlyMad]

I always liked these character-focussed issue in the last series. With a group the size of the Justice Society I feel it's important to take time out to let us get to know, and care about, the characters as individuals. Otherwise it's just a huge bunch of folks in costumes running of to tackle the latest super-menace & who cares what happens to whom then?
The final line may have been cliched, but who cares? It was perfect.

I knew nothing about JSA prior to the last series. The fact that I'm still on board is a testament to the great writing & characterization that has kept my interest (and always been complemented by great artwork).

Seems we get to know Liberty Belle & Damage a bit better next issue. Sounds good to me.

[Zero Hunter]

I loved the scenes with Superman and Starman. You could really feel how much Supes cares for Thom and all the Legion in the way he was talking to him. Can't wait for November to see more of Supes and the Legion over in Action Comics.

[blackphoenix]

i really don't like the codename "Citizen Steel." He sounds like one of those "Red Menace" characters from the '50s. i forgot PG was team leader! Sweet! Ok, enough with the friggin' Nazis already! It's way too easy to make them villains!

[jerrymcl89]

.......so hawkman wears his helmet under the weilding mask

I thought that was pretty funny as well.

[Vulgar]

One little thing that I always love about JSA is when a group of heros go somewhere there names are written like logo's. Look at the page where the team's arriving at NYU to see what I mean. It just has a real kind of old school vibe that for some reason makes the issue more enjoyable to me.

[diablo7]

is citizen steel the same steel that was in the jla detriot group..because if so last i seen of him he was just a torso and ripped up by despero ...

[The Shadow]

I'm dropping this series for trades. I really am tired of these one character focused issues. This is a team book after all

That's funny... really it is because the last whole story (assuming you also got JLA) dealt with no less than 3 teams and a crap load of characters from all the teams PLUS it brought back Wally.

And the first arc dealt with the team as well.... I'm thinking you're confusing this with JSA Classified which does deal with the individual members of the JSA.

[dschneider]

As someone who is brand new to JSA and whose only exposure to it so far has been this volume, I have to say that I am ecstatic that they did these character-focused issues. I have a lot to learn about these characters, and these issues are exactly what I need.

As for the story itself, I found it to be gripping and rather personal. I found myself feeling sorry for Nate in a legitimate way, and really caring about him and what happens to him. Sure, the final line of the book was cheesy, but so were the last 5 minutes of the Transformers movie, and I love them both more for it.

[Infra-Man]

Good ish. While I do prefer the high adventure of a full-team arc, these single-character issues are still keen.

[ninjapeps]

is citizen steel the same steel that was in the jla detriot group..because if so last i seen of him he was just a torso and ripped up by despero ...
entirely new character. he didn't exist until the first issue of the current run.

[The Batman]

.......so hawkman wears his helmet under the weilding mask , collapsible beak (?)....... plus the cover shoulda been ross's rendition of starman with sloppy joes smeared all over his hairy mug ( yheesh!!)

That was the variant cover.

I'm not kidding.

[Zero Hunter]

is citizen steel the same steel that was in the jla detriot group..because if so last i seen of him he was just a torso and ripped up by despero ...

The orginal Commander Steel was the new ones Grandfather. The Steel from the JL of Detroit days was the new ones cousin. Both of them are dead now.

[Ring Slinger]

This was the best issue in the series so far. I enjoyed the evolution of this character and I look forward to how he plays with the rest of the JSA. I'm guessing he's about the same age as Damage and the new Wildcat, but obviously more mature than either-- source of conflict?

Last two pages cheesy? I don't really think so-- family will be this character's motivation and the scenes of his little cousins crowding around and cheering for him were great.

Excellent issue.

[G. Boney]

.......so hawkman wears his helmet under the weilding mask , collapsible beak )

Yeah I was wondering about that myself :D

[LordEd1976]

Last two pages cheesy? I don't really think so-- family will be this character's motivation and the scenes of his little cousins crowding around and cheering for him were great.


I loved the last two pages. Nat and and the other survivors of his family is my favorite scen from this issue. Second would be Citizen Steel knocking the living daylights out of the first ASP guy he gets thrown to him.

[Magneto_X]

Once perhaps, but no longer. Now there is Supergirl, Power Girl and Krypto to keep him company!

Isn't that great?!

There's also the thousands of Krytonian super-villains Zod released from the Phantom Zone!

[Fatguy]

Very, very good issue. I'm liking the Citizen Steel character quite a bit so far, he seems to be a great guy in a realistic way. The interaction between him and Powergirl, and the emotional finale, were both very well done.

Speaking of Powergirl, this was definetly the issue where PG shows that she was an excellent choice for chairperson. Also, the new characters are being well done, I find myself most interested in Wildcat II, Damage, and now Citizen Steel. I do hope that they give Ted's boy a new name at some point though.

All in all, my favorite issue since the reboot by a mile.

[hoopoe]

I did a search but couldn't find anything about this:

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/8472/steelyb4.jpg

I was offended that Alex Ross altered Steel's anatomy from the solicits. The male penis is a real thing. This was proof to me that the male sensual areas are a far more sensitive subject at Warner Bros than female. DC doesn't try to hide PowerGirl's JYNORMOUS breasts or the multiple bulbous female arses that Benes serves up.

Sorry ladies, but you're just going to continue to be exploited at a far more agressive rate than the boys. And we'll just have to keep enduring Jim Lee and his contemporaries drawing disturbing, flat, vagina-like packages on all their men.

[cyclops2500]

"Mabye he's allergic to cats..." heheh

I thought this was a great issue. I'm really liking this book.

[LtMarvel]

Other than the shade of blue, I don't see much of a difference.

Besides, didn't DC change Power Girl recently, too?

[David Atkins]

I did a search but couldn't find anything about this:

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/8472/steelyb4.jpg

I was offended that Alex Ross altered Steel's anatomy from the solicits. The male penis is a real thing. This was proof to me that the male sensual areas are a far more sensitive subject at Warner Bros than female. DC doesn't try to hide PowerGirl's JYNORMOUS breasts or the multiple bulbous female arses that Benes serves up.

Sorry ladies, but you're just going to continue to be exploited at a far more agressive rate than the boys. And we'll just have to keep enduring Jim Lee and his contemporaries drawing disturbing, flat, vagina-like packages on all their men.

Uh... dude? They just changed the coloring a little. The shape is exactly the same.

[jadrax]

Uh... dude? They just changed the coloring a little. The shape is exactly the same.

It's certainly not as well defined in the second picture, the head is a lot less pronounced due to them removing the shading.


.... why am I having this conversation?

[Shellhead]

I've been looking forward to Citizen Steel joining this team, ever since his appearance on the cover of issue #1. But the characterization seemed iffy. Maybe it just fell short compared to the development of the star quarterback turned cripple on the first season of Friday Night Lights, but I had trouble believing that this guy wouldn't want to be a hero when he grew up with two generations of heroes at his family reunions. Plus, as a former star athlete, you would think that he would want the attention and the glory again. And when he finally did get motivated, it was heavy-handed: hey kid, wanna help us fight some nazis, just like the ones that killed your family?

That said, I found the final scene deeply moving, where Citizen Steel is reunited with the young kids from his family. That scene redeemed an otherwise lackluster issue.

The only other scene that I recall was Superman meeting up with Starman. Their meeting was just okay. The awkwardness made sense, given Starman's mental illness, but I would have liked to seen more of a connection, some specific references to old adventures. I suppose that is out of the question for now, given the weirdness of DC's current continuity, what with time being broken and all.

[myslead]

It's certainly not as well defined in the second picture, the head is a lot less pronounced due to them removing the shading.


.... why am I having this conversation?

the whole thing is darkened, it's not like only that area was ...

[SensorBoy]

Anyone else catch Starman's mention of XS? First hint we've had that the Reboot Legion existed (sort of). Is it due to the Reboot Legion actually being a future that Thom has seen, or a function of him being crazy (as, in the past, it was hinted that the Joker could remember retconned events and people)?