The Red Lantern is on the hunt, but not everyone in the JSA agrees on how she should be dealt with. Your Major Spoilers review of Justice Society of America #8 from DC Comics, awaits!

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #8

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Mikel Janin
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editor: Andrew Marino
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 26th, 2023

Previously in Justice Society of America: The Huntress has settled into the present day and continues her quest to reform the villains to the state they were in during her time. Meanwhile, the daughter of the original Red Lantern has been murdering her way to information on her father.

TIME FOR A DRINK

Justice Society of America #8 opens in Russia with Ruby Sokov being accosted by a pair of soldiers. She quickly reveals her power and dispatches them. Back at the JSA headquarters, the team discusses her appearance and a debate ensues. The Huntress insists that in the future Ruby is an ally, but Alan Scott is steadfast in his position that she needs to be taken down and arrested. The next day, back in Moscow, Ruby violently makes her way into a facility, but Alan Scott arrives to stop her. The two tussle with Alan getting the better of Ruby. Elsewhere, the rest of the JSA discusses Helena’s methods and if they’ll work. Back in Russia, Alan takes Ruby to a bar to talk and where he wrestles with what the best way to proceed is going to be.

FULL OF GOOD HUMAN MOMENTS

There are a lot of hallmarks of Geoff Johns’ writing that I’m not a fan of, but there are also a lot of things that I do enjoy from him. In Justice Society of America #8, it’s the latter that gets the spotlight. One of the things that I think Johns does well is having small, understated human moments and this issue is full of them. One thing in particular that sticks out is when Alan is speaking with Ruby in the bar. There’s an implication that he wants to tell her more about her father, but he holds back. Rather than conveying this hesitation with a bunch of pauses and over-the-top internal struggle, he simply changes the subject and makes a clumsy excuse. He then settles on a truly pragmatic course of action. It’s a sequence that I would say is the standout moment of the issue. There also seems to be a conscious decision to keep the scope of this issue limited, which is something the series hasn’t been great at in the past. Also, as tensions rise between members of the team who agree with Helena’s quest and those who don’t, things never boil over into soap opera or reality TV territory. It’s a benefit that by the end of this, everyone seems completely reasonable.

HARD TO EMOTE IN A DOMINO MASK

The interiors of Justice Society of America #8 look great, especially when the rival ring powers are on display. Also, being that this is a fairly quiet issue with a lot of conversation rather than fighting, there are plenty of opportunities for the characters to display some subtle emotions. For the most part, this is done well, but the final conversation between Alan and Ruby feels a little lacking, mostly due to the decision to keep Alan in his mask, even though there was a narrative reason for him not to be in it. Bellaire does what she can, but a domino mask with glowing white eyes just doesn’t lend itself to being emotive.

BOTTOM LINE: A QUIET BUT ENGAGING

The JSA doesn’t always get the love they deserve from DC, but there’s been a lot of attention on them as of late and this issue does a solid job in being a sort of confluence for many of the other storylines going on in other titles and it does this by being a more subdued issue, almost like a place for readers to catch their breath. This isn’t what I would call an exciting comic book, but there’s enough human drama going on here that it’s still a strong recommendation from me. 4 out of 5 stars.

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