For those of you that have been clicking on my monthly lovefest over this title, the following statement may come as a shocker…I am somewhat disappointed in this issue and more than a little worried about the pacing and direction of the series as a whole. I have to admit, this isn’t something that’s come out of the blue with me as this has been nagging at the back of my mind for the past few issues. (and no, I’m not a Skrull posing as a reviewer, I am me….unless I’m a Skrull with implanted memories who doesn’t know he’s a Skrull. Hmmmm…….)

But before I get into that, let’s take a look at this issue. In case you’ve forgotten or are new to this incarnation of the JSA, yes, the old guy with the black-backed S on his chest is really Superman, just the one from the Kingdom Come Earth (Earth-22). He was brought to the mainstream DCU through a black hole created by JSA member Starman. In this issue, #11, the JSA has called in the Justice League to help validate his identity. The book starts out great with both Wally West and Jay Garrick (both better known as Flash) breaking out the old Cosmic Treadmill (is there anything more classic than that treadmill? This is twice in the past 2 months we’ve seen it. Can anyone name the other time, I’ll give you props in next months JSA review if you can?), trying to prove the reemergence of the multiverse. They find that something is out there but that it is something totally different than what was before. Of course they manage to prove that this Superman is who he says he is and any questions about how long he’ll stay relevant in this title are laid to rest (as much as they can be in comics) by his admission that Earth-22 was destroyed as he came through the black hole.

Now I could (and should) go into the rest of the issue but I’m going to finish this review with my main concern for this title, the pacing. This book has just seemed rushed lately, with Johns cramming too much into it each month at a sprinters pace. This is probably at least the fourth time in this short series that the JSA team is put into a needless fight for little purpose and that kinda irks me. All the elements for an outstanding book are here, he just needs to slow it down a notch and build up his storylines better. I’m hoping that the last couple of pages of this issue are a sign that he may be doing that. But still, for all my complaints this month, I still love my JSA and recommend it to all who will listen.