Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: Main Story: Challenging Fate; Retro Tale: Doctor Fate
Written by: Main Story: Geoff Johns and David Goyer; Retro Tale: Darwin Cooke
Penciled and Inked by: Main Story: Barry Kitson; Retro Tale: Darwyn Cooke
Colored by: Main Story: John Kalisz; Retro Tale: Mark Chiarello
Lettered by: Main Story: Patricia Prentice; Retro Tale: Not credited, but appears to be Darwyn Cooke
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Publisher: DC
I’ve been a big fan of JSA since its relaunch a few years ago. With the main JSA title reaching its 50th issue this month, and the JSA universe encompassing a relatively successful Hawkman ongoing series currently at issue # 17, DC has become more comfortable in extending the “JSA brand”.
For the uninitiated, the All-Stars saga is an eight issue mini-series book-marked by issues 1 and 8, and including six intervening issues that spotlight the newer generation of JSA team members as they struggle with the legacy of their respective heroic lineage. Their cathartic journeys are to prepare them for their ultimate showdown with an emotional parasite, aptly named “Legacy” and the presumed leader of a new Injustice Society, as seen in this mini-series’ first issue.
Each intervening issue of All-Stars also includes a retro tale spotlighting the “originator” of the heroic legacy, namely the golden age namesake. Issue #2 focused on Hawkgirl. The current issue, #3, focuses on Dr. Fate.
Essentially, the front-end story focuses on Hector Hall, the current Dr. Fate and son of Hawkman, and takes place in a pub. Over pints, Hall and Nabu, the powerful mage that created the Dr. Fate legacy, discuss the meaning of being Dr. Fate. For those interested in a history lesson of where Nabu fits into JSA continuity or want to read a nice explanation of the overall JSA continuity, I recommend that you look here.
Anyhow, while I really enjoyed Barry Kitson’s art, I found the story decent with the most stellar part being the glimpse of Hector Hall’s fate and the role of his father Hawkman in it. I’m not sure where or if that “fate” will play out, here in All-Stars or in the Hawkman series or in the JSA series or in the Dr. Fate mini-series (set to debut in August) or never… by the way, I think with this sentence you can understand why I earlier wrote that “DC has become more comfortable in extending the ‘JSA brand'”. The monthly helpings or heapings of all things JSA is growing and I fear fans may be turned off by this since comic books aren’t exactly cheap in the 21rst century and collecting titles that are theoretically in one interrelated mini-universe (i.e. JSA related books) requires a financial commitment that fans didn’t need to make when JSA was the only ongoing title — but I digress.
However, fans will pay for “quality” books. And Geoff Johns and David Goyer have delivered great stories for the most part in their JSA run and Geoff in his other monthly offerings as well, including Hawkman.
While the main story in issue #3 is well written, it feels anticlimactic and better suited to be a subplot in the ongoing JSA title. The previous Hawkgirl spotlight “felt” the same as well. I don’t think this mini-series is needed, but as someone who has enough disposable income to collect it, I will. Its not a “bad” story, it just feels unnecessary and something that could be handled in the parent title.
This issue’s six-page retro tale is a nice throwback to the Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman tales from the golden age of comics — that writer-artist Darwyn Cooke’s credits as his inspiration. It’s a very human story about love, need, and the relationship between Kent and Inza Nelson, and what its means to them to be Dr. Fate.
Overall, issue #3 of All-Stars is a good read, and I am gratified to see the big-name creators that have signed on to make this potentially unnecessary mini-series relevant. Maybe its relevance will be clearer next month. Maybe.
In recommending this book, I am looking at the quality of the product, and not the need for it. Cash-grab or not by DC, JSA All-Stars #3 should be experienced.
