Earth Dave
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
He Has All the Time in the World, JSA: All Stars 5 Review
Tales of Time Present, Tales of Times Past; JSA: All Stars 4 "A Star is Born" Review
The Pickled Fickle Finger of Fate! JSA: All Stars 3 "Challenging Fate" Review
Fluff Piece JSA: All Stars 2 "Flying High" Review
Wow. Just... wow.
With Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, Carter Hall and Ted Grant along with The Spectre captives of "Legacy", each member of the Justice Society of America was given forty-eight hours to pull themselves together and reconcile the past the face the challenge of the present for a brighter future. That was what The Spectre told the team. It was somewhat vague if it was the actual The Spectre or Legacy posing as The Spectre.
Here, The Spirit of Redemption pulls back the curtain on Kendra Saunders. Granddaughter of Speed Saunders, great-niece of Shiera Saunders, the original Golden-Age Hawkgirl. Quickly and smoothly recapping her origin, The Spectre launches into her adventure. Rescuing her grandfather from a militia armed with anthrax that they intend to unleash on Seattle. Kendra quickly, however roughly, dispatches the militia members and rescues her grandfather. Afterward she pays a visit on a little girl that turns out to be her daughter. Pregnant at fifteen, Kendra gave Mia up for adoption.
The Reunion seems to be healing and cleansing for Kendra. However, this is a stand-alone story that in no way connects to the main narrative. It's a fine, touching story. It's got action and great art by Phil Winslade. But that's it.
The back-up story by Loeb and Sale is equally enjoyable. It's a hoot of hilarity. Carter helps Midway City's finest capture a trio of bank robbers. He plays cards with the police commissioner. He's late for dinner and has to warm up Shiera's cold shoulder. Still, there is absotively no connection to the previous issue.
It's all a very nice piece of filler. It's a fluff piece.
Hawkgirl in "Flying High" and Hawkman in "The Same Thing Happens Every Night" are enjoyable stories, individually and together.
JSA: All Stars 2 earns three stars.
For Those That Follow... JSA: All Stars 1 "Legacy" Review
David Goyer and Geoff Johns present the Justice Society of America facing Legacy!
The Spectre pulls back the curtain. Sand is escorting The Icicle on a military transport to prison in Florida. Solomon Grundy rips open a side of the plane. Freed, The Icicle cushions the planes crash landing. The rest of the Injustice Gang is on hand, greeted by the Justice Society. The battle engages! It's all very dramatic and somewhat posing and posturing. Very quickly The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Wildcat are transported out of the battle by the bad guys. Sand is immobilized! Returning to their Manhattan headquarters, they try to deduce what the device is that paralyzed Sand and kidnapped four of their members.
The cover is awesome.
Sal Velluto's art, with Bob Almond inks and John Kalisz colors is just the very definition of eye-candy. Ken Lopez's lettering has each character's voice down and dialogue, roll call and effects are unique.
Legacy himself is pretty much a mystery and cypher at this point. Somewhat hollow and shallow. The cliffhanger sets up the master plan that will undoubtedly unfold as the story progresses.
JSA: All Stars 1, "Legacy" earns four stars.
The Final Curtain! The Last Days of the Justice Society of America Special Review
A single Earth with The New Teen Titans, The Outsiders, Infinity Inc., Doom Patrol - a veritable host of superhero teams and characters seemed to crowd out the more geriatric Justice Society. And so, a "The End" was fashioned.
The story finds Hitler able to wield the legendary, mythical Spear of Destiny, the spear that pierced the side and heart of Christ, the Savior. He wields the spear to bring about the end of the world. He calls down from the heavens Ragnarok, or Gotterdammerung! The Justice Society, save The Spectre, Dr. Fate, Power Girl and The Star-Spangled Kid are locked in an endless loop in an alternate reality, to preserve the true reality and save the universe. It is a hard, emotional ending for fan-favorite characters.
It is evident that it is a labor of love for Roy and Dann Thomas. It is deeply and heavily researched and historically accurate to the period. David Ross and Mike Gustovich provide the art. David Cody Weiss provides the lettering.
Thomas admits that this could have been a multi-issue series rather than a single issue one-shot. The only downside is that the art and lettering suffer from being presented on newsprint rather than on glossy paper. Weiss' lettering is muddy and the art muted in places due to production values.
It is an epilogue of sorts for Crisis on Infinite Earths in that DC Comics' founding characters are given their final curtain bow.
The Last Days of the Justice Society of America Special earns four stars.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
A Veritable Treasure Trove of Invaluable Information! The All-Star Comics Illustrated Index Review!
So gone were Superman, Batman and Robin, Helena Wayne as The Huntress and Wonder Woman.
Starting with DC Special 29, from August-September of 1977, which featured the Secret Origin of the team, this illustrated index features a breakdown of the first four issues of All-Star Comics. The highlight being All Star Comics 3 from Winter 1940, the very first appearance of the classic line-up of the Justice Society.
It's incredibly detailed and researched. Very informative. Unfortunately, it also seemed to be short-lived and cancelled.
For what it is, a first issue and launch of a series it earns five stars.







