Right in Front of His Eyes; JSA: All Stars 6 "Out of the Shadows" Review

Geoff Johns and David Goyer seem to be somewhat selective in their memories. The '80's weren't totally terrible. Roy Thomas was doing pretty exciting things with the Justice Society in the pages of All-Star Squadron and Infinity, Inc. Dr. Charles McNider had hung up his special goggles and was replaced as Dr. Mid-Nite by Beth Chapel. Although the name may have caused some confusion. There was the classic Nurse Chapel on Star Trek; and, over in the pages of Spawn and Youngblood, there was a mercenary named Chapel. Still, the gender-bending re-imagining of Dr. Mid-Night wasn't all that bad... unless you're not a fan of flowing, puffy sleeves.

Dr. Mid-Nite may be one of those difficult, challenging characters. He is more unique as a superhero. It's hard to imagine more than one individual in an accident that causes blindness that can only be reversed or cured by corrective lenses... or the unique ability to see clearly in total darkness.

Pieter Cross is a unique individual. He suffers the very same blindness that Charles McNider does!

Cross faces almost the same personal situations that McNider does as well. He returns to his hometown of Portsmouth to reconcile with the family that faced a loss he feels responsible for. Along the way he rescues a pregnant woman from a train accident. And learns a very important personal lesson along the way. It's a great story. Stephen Sadowski and Wade Von Grawbadger provide enjoyable art for the Johns and Goyer story.

The back-up story, "Blind Spot" by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso is just as enjoyable, focusing on McNider's misplaced trust.

Once again, these stories are great character profiles. Still, what seems to be missing is the connection to the first issue. It's vague and unclear what role The Spectre is playing in all this. It's unclear how this story ties in to what's going on with the four - possibly five - captive JSA members. If The Spectre is Legacy's captive along with Jay, Alan, Carter and Ted, how is he able to act as host and narrator to each breakout story? There's an expectation of a thread or a link that isn't there. Which is a disappointing letdown.

JSA: All Stars 6, shining a light on the darkness that Dr. Mid-Nite works in, earns three stars.