JSA: Princes of Darkness

JSA: Princess of Darkness 

By Geoff Johns, David Goyer, Leonard Kirk, Don Kramer & Sal Velluto (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-035-2

As a kid I used to love any appearance of the Justice Society of America, DC’s most popular crime-busting characters from the 1940s. They seemed full of a power that was equal parts Mystery and History. They belonged to that mythical land “Before I Was Born” and their rare guest-shots always filled me with joy.

A few years ago they were permanently revived and I found very little to complain of. As superheroes go the stories and art were entertaining enough, though not outstanding, and certainly not exceptional. With this latest compilation (collecting issues #46 – 55), I finally find myself agreeing with those wise editorial heads of the 1960s who felt that less was more and that over-exposure was a real danger.

In a tired old plot where Darkness-wielding villains black out the Earth and let evil reign free, I finally thought to myself, “Seen It, Done It, Don’t Care No Mo’”.

These are characters that everybody in the industry seems to venerate. Surely if all we’re going to have is the same old tosh that the lesser heroes have to deal with on a monthly basis, we’d be better off stopping now and saving them for genuinely special occasions. I certainly saw nothing here to differentiate between this and a hundred other titles.

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