The Huntress is looking for Doctor Fate. She’s digging under every shadow, looking for some clue as to where the missing hero might be. She’s going to find it difficult, though. She’s getting lost in a danger that there might not be any clear return from. This is the state of things in the first issue of the latest Justice Society of America. Writer Geoff Johns tells a story that flits a bit through time. The chapter is given vivid life on the page by artist Mikel Janin and colorist Jordie Bellaire. The art for the first issue is gorgeous. 

Solomon Grundy is a member of the Justice Society. So is Gentleman Ghost. It wouldn’t make sense if it wasn’t for the fact that the Huntress was responsible for carrying on the legacy of the team. She wouldn’t even be alive if it wasn’t for second chances: her mother was one of the most accomplished thieves in the whole of the DC Universe. Her mother thinks that it’s a bad idea. She’s about to find out just what kind of a bad idea it really is. And she’s going to find out the hard way. She’s in WAY over her head. 

Once again, Geoff Johns is showing the type of intricate sophistication in composition that comes from a clever scriptwriter who also happens to have a deep love for the world in which he’s writing. The Huntress comes across with a textured and complicated personality that serves as an impressive center to the action for a new series that is hopefully able to invigorate the first major superhero team. Johns knows what he’s doing here. With any luck, he keeps the energy going. This is a very promising first outing. 

The Huntress stands on top of a GBS transmitter tower high above the city. Superheroes do this sort of thing all the time. Janin makes it look positively overwhelming with a vertiginously heroic perspective. Bellaire’s color bathes the metropolitan night in a deeply electric atmosphere. Janin’s deft grasp of drama hits the page with a stunning attention to detail. There’s a distinct family resemblance that can be seen between an aging Selina Kyle and a young Huntress. The action hits panels with powerful force...always managing to catch the page off-guard with a clever understanding of the best way to hit maximum impact.

The first issue of the new series would be kind of bewildering for people not already familiar with...rather a lot of what’s gone on in the past of the DC Universe. It’s not as cluttered and clunky as Crisis on Infinite Earths or...well... a hell of a lot of other major crossover series, but it won’t mean nearly as much to anyone not already familiar with much of the backstory. Thankfully, Johns, Janin, and Bellaire do a really good job of making it all appealing enough that nearly anyone leafing through the first issue will be engaged...even if they don’t know quite what the hell it is that they’re looking at.

Grade: A