Comix Review: STARWOMAN & THE JSA JR.
Comicbooks have become a liminal transition medium. Stories which, once, were designed for a youthful audience now reach an all-ages market so that all can enjoy the garish fanfare of worry-free escapism of heroes engendering the greatest qualities of humanity. Selflessness, purity, "the good fight," shape the mythologies of our fictions and, in turn, teach us how we might overcome the subtle and insidious snares of hamartia. Classical myths and fairytales which have survived to the present day carry multiple layers of rich meaning which we unpack and disambiguate to fit into the structure of our lives in the modern world. Comicbooks embody mythological traits which relate to the dreaming reality of ego, a filter through which we cognize our past, present and future. That's a lot of pressure to put on a single comicbook published with good intentions and real heart, so, for the moment, I'd rather talk about how much fun Starwoman & the JSA Jr. is.
This story takes place during a companywide crossover from 2000, Sins of Youth. Since this comic is displaced in time, an artifact from some bygone era that no longer has relevance to modernity, here's a quick recap of the relevant background information: The Justice Society of America is a team mash-up of older personalities, superpowered antecedents, reincarnated beings, legacies and the eternal powers-that-be. Them and the other notable members of the superpowered community have been de-aged through a mixture of sorcery and science, which is really just a playful way of moving characters through time while keeping them temporally locked into the present. It's sort of a commentary on the timeless beauty of youth, reconnecting with the child which we have forgotten about in the course of our adult lives.
Starwoman & the JSA Jr. is v kawaii, in this sense.
The covers for this series were penciled by the much missed Mike Wriengo. His talent shines through the coloured ink on paper, as you can turn this comic in any of four directions and the characters all pop out at you. Each character's personality is writ large across their faces and bodies, completely alive and flourishing. The logo is p cool, too, Klarion (*bum bum bum*) The Witch Boy pointing out little devil horns atop the stacked words, mystic wave energy pouring out from his incantations.
We get a one page recap in Courtney "Starwoman" Whitemore's journal entries, then it's straight off to the races with a two-page roster spread, the kind used in single-issue comicbooks, the sort that lose comprehension in trade paperbacks. God, it's beautiful,
The story plays like classic slapstick, bratty kids wreaking chaos, the Little Rascals with eye-lasers on a class trip into space to liberate a ray-gun with age changing properties from the occupied planet of Myrg. Courtney, ordinarily the irresponsible member of the team is saddled with corralling these little heathens into a manageable team, an ordeal made more difficult when she butts heads with the "real-time aged" superhero, Merry-Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks, who resents Courtney for swiping her brother's (the original Star Spangled Kid) matter-conversion-belt*. Drawing on the long-running history of the DC Comics universe, we get a peek into the 1930's when "Teen Lantern" reunites with his former sidekick, Doiby Dickles. Doiby left Earth some years ago to marry Princess Ramia and preside over the planet Myrg as benevolent mooks-- until the planet was invaded by the planet Gren. A marriage between Princess Ramia and Prince Gareb consummates their peace treaty but evicts ol' Doiby from the home he had found, so far away in the vast black sea of stars.
There's a level of unparalleled camaraderie in this comix which can only be described as, "childish,"
The assembled team crash lands on Myrg, which looks something like a 1930's Brooklyn immortalized in dollops of sunny neo-gothic time. The more responsible members of the team prowl the streets of Myrg for clues to the whereabouts of another "de-aging gun" sequestered on the planet, following Doiby's de-throning. The cool kids ditch the squad to play hooky at New Coney Island. Sandy, The Golden Boy, who wavers between the split, tries his boyhood best to be the team leader they need, chasing the fun ones to the apex of a roller coaster. The characterization between S.T.R.I.P.E.S.Y. & Terrific Lad is absolutely brilliant, as two little mad genius boy detectives and a minute robot sidekick, they deserve their own on-going back-up feature.
Things play out in comicbook fisticuffs, leading to one of my favorite panels of all time,
"I love ya, Doiby Dickles!"
There are a lot of fun things in this comicbook. It hearkens back to an age of innocence we can never recapture but reinvent for every new day. The advertisements are a little boring, they feature full-page ads that market one specific product to the consumer. A few of them encourage idle daydreaming, but none quite so well as those from the mail-order age.
Digitally painted colours allow for more subtle expression and transition between subjects, without distracting from the comicbook action. There are even a few spots of Kirby Krackle which is such an underrated tool in creating fantastic displays of otherworldly power. There are a few spots where figures in front of the starscape have a slight buffer, but I think this just adds to the storytelling. Cool job Joe Rosas, I like the way this Nebula's been coloured,
There are a few small clunky features in the story, the asteroid belt around the planet being the most glaring one. Reading it backwards you can tell this accent was added to introduce a little tension in the story and it's a shame we don't see our heroes combatting this spatial obstacle during their escape. Well, c'est la vie.
I almost thought to comment on Courtney Whitemore's tube-top costume, but clearly, superheroes are sex symbols, and while this woman's body is on display for much of this comic, it's important to note that she stands out as someone who plays against stereotypes, being smart, funny, rebellious, clever and daring, playing an active role in the team. Anyway, there's plenty of beefcake to oodle with ol' nipple-ring, here,
This comicbook perfectly recaptures the innocence of youth, playing around with the false nostalgia we create for the bygone eras of the 1930s and the newfound life the Justice Society of America was undergoing at the time. Dave Johnson has some really clever figure work, facial expressions and character design. It's a shame his talent is spent almost completely in designing eye-catching, iconic covers that don't feature his art inside.
This comicbook is a cool example of a crossover which plays into a richer storyline, while also telling a complete, self-contained story. If you're browsing the backissue bins looking for comicbooks that can speak for themselves, I highly recommend this issue.
* I still don't understand what the matter-conversion-belt's ability is, so it's fun the way Geoff Johns plays around with what could be an all-powerful, entropy-causing device, using it ambiguously in the fight against crime.
