I've seen Fire and I've seen rain - JSA #76

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JSA #76
Cover Date: October 2005
Released: 3rd August 2005

⋅ Writers: Geoff Johns ⋅ Pencilers: Ken Lopez ⋅ 
⋅ Inkers: Fernando Blanco ⋅ Colourists: John Kalisz ⋅
⋅ Letterers: Rob Leigh ⋅ Editors: Peter Tomasi / Harvey Richards ⋅ 


So 'erm apparently Atom Smasher is... alive and well, that whole heart thing being some kind of magical metaphor or something...

This is an issue where we finally get Infinite Crisis starts to show its influence on the title, and this being the JSA we get several storylines weaving together, none of them yet being related to each other.

The main story is members of the JSA, Alan Scott (Green Lantern), Jay Garrick (Flash), Ted Grant (the real Wildcat), Michael Holt (Mr Terrific) and Carter Hall (Hawkman) fighting, and generally losing, against an OMAC. It's complicated but OMACs are nano-machine that can take over people and make them into super fighting "robots", that super-paranoid Batman might have accidentally created. About the half, the issue is the boys fighting OMAC before it seems to just give up and disappear into the crowds, not the worse fight in the world but as usual, I'm more interested in the other major part of the issue.

Before we get into the part I'm here for let's housekeeper the other plots. Hourman is neat Nabu's tower worrying about the Johnny Thunder pen when Dr Fate contacts him mentally to say he might be able to help, and Atom Smasher, after being the one to (temporarily) beat OMAC ends up going to Belle Reve to serve his time and potentially join the Suicide Squad as Amanda Wallace, or at least her voice, arrived to offer him a deal. So two scene's in a row set at Belle Reve, I just wish I was clever enough to have planned it that way!

The scene I'm more interested in starts with Courtney Whitmore (Stargirl) and Ma Hunkel (if we're being complete Red Tornado) discussing the whole potential tarnishing of the JSA due to Atom Smashers' actions. Including a mention of the original shutting down of the JSA due to McCarthy in the 50s. Kendra Saunders (Hawkgirl) comes in to say that strange guests have arrived on the roof of the JSA, and for some reason, we have just their feet to save the surprise of just who they are, which is weird because the next panel it's revealed to be Metamorpho and Fire! For those who don't know Power Girl, Fire and Metamorpho was in the Justice League during the (in)famous JLI era, part of Justice League Europe to be precise. And this proves I'm not planning this as I'm a good few months from any JLI coverage.

(For the record anyone who hasn't checked it out already I recommend the JLI podcast, Shag is one of the reasons I started this in the first place and he mentions me enough so I thought I'd return the favour!)

Meanwhile, Karen Starr (Power Girl) is again about to undergo some tests from Dr Mid-Nite, and with a nice callback to JSA Classified his screens are again displaying all of her past costumes. She being all jokey with him wanting her to remove her cape, so as is the rule of drama that means something bad is about to, or in this case has already, happened. Metamorpho takes her aside and tells Kara, off-panel, that something has happened to Ted Kord (Blue Beetle),  and in case anyone is bothered this time I can keep my Ted's apart. 

She actually takes it pretty calmy, asking some pertinent questions about Booster, if it was to do with a warehouse raid for Kryptonite (from Countdown to Infinite Crisis, and even though she's in one scene's she just as dismissive there as everyone else) and if anyone has asked Batman to take a look at things. This is as far as you can get from Hothead Kara from her early days, indeed she's the one that notices that Bea isn't dealing with this well having already lost her best "friend" Ice and not wanting Booster to have to go through the same torment. And Kara here tells her that she still cares for them and promises to be there when they need her around, its really touching how in just a few panels we get that these people have a past with each other and show just how strong's Kara's loyalty is to all the (many) teams she's been on through the years. She also jokes that Armaggedon couldn't keep her away, because y'know pending Crisis!

To tell the truth the parts with the old JLE member lifts this from an average issue to a good one for me. As anyone who's followed me for a while, I'm not a fan of long fight scenes, something that the JSA has done for several issues, and I'm here for the quiet character moments. It might be that thanks to the aforementioned Podcast I know more about the JLE than a lot of Power Girls Post-Crisis era, or just that it shows the progression of Kara into a sort of Auntie figure that started way back in her Adventure comics days through all her time on Infinity Inc.

It's kind of weird when it contrasts so blatantly with the next comic I'll be looking at...


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