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Justice Society of America (2007)
Justice Society of America, Vol. 6: The Bad Seed
A new era begins for the Justice Society of America as writers Bill Willingham (FABLES) and Matthew Sturges (BLUE BEETLE) take over the series with new artist Jesus Merino (SUPERMAN ANNUAL).
The JSA feels the strain when battling a monstrous collection of villains who've mounted an all-out war on the team to collect a bounty placed on the head of everyone in the group except Stargirl. The rift between members continues to deepen as suspicions of a traitor are revealed.
The JSA feels the strain when battling a monstrous collection of villains who've mounted an all-out war on the team to collect a bounty placed on the head of everyone in the group except Stargirl. The rift between members continues to deepen as suspicions of a traitor are revealed.
128 pages, Paperback
First published July 15, 2014
About the author
Bill Willingham
1,036 books2,839 followersIn the late 1970s to early 1980s he drew fantasy ink pictures for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic and Expert game rulebooks. He first gained attention for his 1980s comic book series Elementals published by Comico, which he both wrote and drew. However, for reasons unknown, the series had trouble maintaining an original schedule, and Willingham's position in the industry remained spotty for many years. He contributed stories to Green Lantern and started his own independent, black-and-white comics series Coventry which lasted only 3 issues. He also produced the pornographic series Ironwood for Eros Comix.
In the late 1990s Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novels about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf, published by the writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s he began writing extensively for DC Comics, including the limited series Proposition Player, a pair of limited series about the Greek witch Thessaly from The Sandman, and most notably the popular series Fables
In the late 1990s Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novels about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf, published by the writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s he began writing extensively for DC Comics, including the limited series Proposition Player, a pair of limited series about the Greek witch Thessaly from The Sandman, and most notably the popular series Fables
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 21, 2017
Hit or miss in the logical thread of its tale. Nice artwork, mediocre to above average dialogue choices.
MY GRADE: C plus.
MY GRADE: C plus.
September 14, 2017
I really enjoy the new JSA stories. I like the way the Golden Age heroes are intertwined with the new generation of heroes. Very good writing and art make this a great read. Very recommended
August 19, 2021
Y las puertas del equipo de superhéroes más chulo de DC se abrieron de par en par para recibir a Bill Willingham, el autor de las míticas Fábulas (no entiendo que, con lo que me gustan, aún no haya conseguido terminar la colección), que llegaba acompañado ni más ni menos que de Jesús Merino para una nueva etapa en la historia del equipo con más historia. Y lo primero que Willingham hizo al llegar a la serie fue buscar una justificación para reducir el número de componentes del equipo, que había crecido hasta, como comenté en el tomo dedicado a JSA vs Kobra, hacerse prácticamente inabarcable. Y es que durante la etapa de Geoff Johns, el equipo había vivido varias oleadas de incorporaciones, y tras la saga de Gog, el equipo contaba con los clásicos Flash, Centinela y Wildcat, los no menos clásicos ya Mister Terrific, Doctor Midnight, Power Girl, Stargirl y Sandman, así como Damage, Hourman, Jesse Quick, el Doctor Destino, Magog, Wildcat 2, Amazing Man, Relámpago, Ciclón, Míster América, Judomaster, Rey Quimera... y las apariciones a veces de Atom-Smasher, Hawkman y Hawkgirl, Obsidian... En fin, Willingham nos plantea una saga de... partición del grupo, por así decirlo.
Y es que a raíz de la desaparición de Obsidian y de un ataque con rehenes por parte de un antiguo enemigo de Robin que exigía encontrarse con Wildcat, el equipo se encuentra en una disyuntiva a la que nunca habían tenido que hacer frente, y mientras Míster Terrific se mueve entre la vida y la muerte, el equipo se encuentra entre el carácter más formativo y educativo de "la vieja guardia", como Wildcat o Flash, con el aire militarista y marcial de Magog o Power Girl. Y es que al margen de lo que pueda ocurrir en este tomo, y con la espectacularidad de Jesús Merino dibujando grandes cantidades de personajes, héroes y villanos, en cada una de sus páginas; Mala Hierba es un argumento preparado para una maniobra editorial, la división del equipo en dos, cada uno de ellos con su propia colección, aunque creo que aquí en España la parte más militarista quedó inédita... y ambas tuvieron una carrera corta, ya que Flashpoint ya asomaba en el horizonte...
Y es que a raíz de la desaparición de Obsidian y de un ataque con rehenes por parte de un antiguo enemigo de Robin que exigía encontrarse con Wildcat, el equipo se encuentra en una disyuntiva a la que nunca habían tenido que hacer frente, y mientras Míster Terrific se mueve entre la vida y la muerte, el equipo se encuentra entre el carácter más formativo y educativo de "la vieja guardia", como Wildcat o Flash, con el aire militarista y marcial de Magog o Power Girl. Y es que al margen de lo que pueda ocurrir en este tomo, y con la espectacularidad de Jesús Merino dibujando grandes cantidades de personajes, héroes y villanos, en cada una de sus páginas; Mala Hierba es un argumento preparado para una maniobra editorial, la división del equipo en dos, cada uno de ellos con su propia colección, aunque creo que aquí en España la parte más militarista quedó inédita... y ambas tuvieron una carrera corta, ya que Flashpoint ya asomaba en el horizonte...
April 4, 2018
Reprints Justice Society of America (2) #29-33 (September 2009-January 2010). When the Justice Society discovers their base watchdog Obsidian has been nullified and they are targeted by a group of supervillains put together to destroy them, the JSA realizes that they could have reached the end days. The danger of the villains outside the team might not be the only threat. Within the team is a growing rift about how the team should be handled and what the goals of the JSA are…but someone in the team might not be just what they seem!
Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges, Justice Society of America: The Bad Seed follows Justice Society of America: Black Adam and Isis. The collection features art by Jesus Merino who takes over for James Robinson who was writing and illustrating the book’s last story arc.
The Justice Society has always been about family…to a ridiculous point. First you have to believe that all these characters are descendants (or have descendants) that are superhuman and the second factor you have to consider is that they are good. In Justice Society of America: The Bad Seed, it comes back to bite the JSA big-time.
There are two storylines going in the collection. The one storyline involves the mysterious attack of a group of supervillains who have been hired to hurt the JSA but not to hurt Stargirl. The question of why isn’t really resolved in this volume. You have the characters getting in repeated fights with minimal success, but both times, the throw-down is ended by Dr. Fate (which seems a bit like a cop-out to me the second time).
The second storyline involves betrayal within the JSA which leads to two different ideologies. The storyline is a bit of a Columbo-esque mystery. You already know who attacks Mr. Terrific, but you have to question why. It leads to a rift between the JSA who believe in the inherited “family” aspect of the team vs. Magog’s view that the JSA is like a mini-army. Magog is painted as kind of the destroyer in the book, but he’s generally right throughout the course of both stories.
Geoff Johns’ run on JSA was a great run. He managed to capture the fun and experience of an ’80s team comic and combined it with slightly more modern storytelling techniques. Willingham and Sturges did amazing things with Fables, but it feels like they are just kind of finding their feet here. The problem is that the comic book market is awful tough and creators don’t have a lot of time to hook their readers without the threat by publishers to shut them down. Justice Society of America has direction, but it needs to really be focused…and I hope it will happen. Justice Society of America: The Bad Seed is followed by Justice Society of America: Axis of Evil.
Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges, Justice Society of America: The Bad Seed follows Justice Society of America: Black Adam and Isis. The collection features art by Jesus Merino who takes over for James Robinson who was writing and illustrating the book’s last story arc.
The Justice Society has always been about family…to a ridiculous point. First you have to believe that all these characters are descendants (or have descendants) that are superhuman and the second factor you have to consider is that they are good. In Justice Society of America: The Bad Seed, it comes back to bite the JSA big-time.
There are two storylines going in the collection. The one storyline involves the mysterious attack of a group of supervillains who have been hired to hurt the JSA but not to hurt Stargirl. The question of why isn’t really resolved in this volume. You have the characters getting in repeated fights with minimal success, but both times, the throw-down is ended by Dr. Fate (which seems a bit like a cop-out to me the second time).
The second storyline involves betrayal within the JSA which leads to two different ideologies. The storyline is a bit of a Columbo-esque mystery. You already know who attacks Mr. Terrific, but you have to question why. It leads to a rift between the JSA who believe in the inherited “family” aspect of the team vs. Magog’s view that the JSA is like a mini-army. Magog is painted as kind of the destroyer in the book, but he’s generally right throughout the course of both stories.
Geoff Johns’ run on JSA was a great run. He managed to capture the fun and experience of an ’80s team comic and combined it with slightly more modern storytelling techniques. Willingham and Sturges did amazing things with Fables, but it feels like they are just kind of finding their feet here. The problem is that the comic book market is awful tough and creators don’t have a lot of time to hook their readers without the threat by publishers to shut them down. Justice Society of America has direction, but it needs to really be focused…and I hope it will happen. Justice Society of America: The Bad Seed is followed by Justice Society of America: Axis of Evil.
December 7, 2022
A lot of fighting in this book. Again, a LOT of fighting.
There's a rather clever plan at work to break down the JSA starting with taking out Obsidian to the reveal of a mole/traitor within the organization itself. And on the side, a whole mess of villains literally offering a multi-million dollar bounty just to attack the JSA. It's a really weird mix of rogues and some very messy fighting scenes where you can't really tell what's going on for very long.
And I feel a lot of the action in this JSA run has been like this. You don't get a clear understanding of how the battle is going and then eventually it just ends and our heroes are standing around and mopping up. At least there was a lot less staring in this volume.
But at the end of everything, we still don't know who was ultimately behind things. That'll take one more volume, I guess.
There's a rather clever plan at work to break down the JSA starting with taking out Obsidian to the reveal of a mole/traitor within the organization itself. And on the side, a whole mess of villains literally offering a multi-million dollar bounty just to attack the JSA. It's a really weird mix of rogues and some very messy fighting scenes where you can't really tell what's going on for very long.
And I feel a lot of the action in this JSA run has been like this. You don't get a clear understanding of how the battle is going and then eventually it just ends and our heroes are standing around and mopping up. At least there was a lot less staring in this volume.
But at the end of everything, we still don't know who was ultimately behind things. That'll take one more volume, I guess.
March 18, 2023
Not Too Bad
A good solid four out of five.
Good story and good art work.
I guess the main problem was just to many characters .
It was hard work just following them all!
It looks like a good idea to divide up the JSA just to get a manageable number of characters!
This is obviously part of a series because we never did get to find out who was behind it all.
I am not sure at this stage whether I will go for the follow on.
Maybe not.
As for a recommendation.
Well a limited recommendation.
Read it if you are a great JSA fan and if not try something else.
Bruce
A good solid four out of five.
Good story and good art work.
I guess the main problem was just to many characters .
It was hard work just following them all!
It looks like a good idea to divide up the JSA just to get a manageable number of characters!
This is obviously part of a series because we never did get to find out who was behind it all.
I am not sure at this stage whether I will go for the follow on.
Maybe not.
As for a recommendation.
Well a limited recommendation.
Read it if you are a great JSA fan and if not try something else.
Bruce
November 12, 2022
A really good creative team doesn't always equal a really good book. Here, we get some of the most random villains attacking the entire JSA because of money? Yeah, that tracks. Also, more in-fighting in almost the same vein of an arc a few volumes ago. Lame. The writers do set up some mysteries but they're not necessarily good ones. I enjoyed the art of Jesus Merino. He had some spectacular two page spreads. Overall, a disappointment given the talent involved.
June 13, 2023
Justice Society of America: The Bad Seed
A bounty has been placed on the heads of the members of the JSA and the pressure exposes the cracks in the newly expanded group, with some members feeling that it is time to take a more "war-like" position.
The complicated plot succeeds in redirecting the story into a new chapter, but the fresh and crisp artwork helps clarify the underlying tensions as the characters begin to take sides.
A bounty has been placed on the heads of the members of the JSA and the pressure exposes the cracks in the newly expanded group, with some members feeling that it is time to take a more "war-like" position.
The complicated plot succeeds in redirecting the story into a new chapter, but the fresh and crisp artwork helps clarify the underlying tensions as the characters begin to take sides.
November 18, 2017
The book was alright.
April 8, 2024
I’m all for team books. But is 16 members a littleeeee toooooo much ?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2024
Justice Society
Excellent DC comic, action pack, great graphics in in series and as always I would recommend this book to others to read especially young people!
Excellent DC comic, action pack, great graphics in in series and as always I would recommend this book to others to read especially young people!
January 11, 2015
Alas poor Justice Society, I knew it well... I was always aware of the fact that Geoff Johns's departure from the JSA title was going to be a tough act to follow. He built a family and a home and a warmth unlike anywhere else in the DCU. I was excited at the prospect of Bill Willingham, whose series Fables was already a classic, taking his own spin on these characters. If he could bring the scope and the care that he brought to Fables to the DCU, it may just have been something special. What I wasn't expecting was such shallow unrefined dreck.
There used to be characters here. There used to be characterization. There used to be a sense of family. Instead it's run of the mill drivel. The old timers are drawn in broad strokes as if by an author who didn't like them to begin with, but can't escape an impending deadline. Dialog is interchangeable tripe. The conversations feel like the ravings of a thirteen year old fan boy who has no sense of finesse and style. The "twist" is telegraphed so far out that when it happens it's a rote process at the end of another slog. The whole thing stinks like Willingham was busy with Fables, and forgot to write the script for JSA, and just scrawled a rough outline for his artist before going back to his passion project.
Villains are throwaway and indistinguishable. The sense of ominousness at the JSA team "splitting up", whatever the hell that means, is laughable at best. The cheap shot of trying to drive tension by "killing" Mr. Terrific (because you can get away with killing the black guy, right?) is depressing. I wanted to give this two stars when I first sat down to write it, but I can't. It's just bad. It's not fun. It's heartbreaking. Ugh...
There used to be characters here. There used to be characterization. There used to be a sense of family. Instead it's run of the mill drivel. The old timers are drawn in broad strokes as if by an author who didn't like them to begin with, but can't escape an impending deadline. Dialog is interchangeable tripe. The conversations feel like the ravings of a thirteen year old fan boy who has no sense of finesse and style. The "twist" is telegraphed so far out that when it happens it's a rote process at the end of another slog. The whole thing stinks like Willingham was busy with Fables, and forgot to write the script for JSA, and just scrawled a rough outline for his artist before going back to his passion project.
Villains are throwaway and indistinguishable. The sense of ominousness at the JSA team "splitting up", whatever the hell that means, is laughable at best. The cheap shot of trying to drive tension by "killing" Mr. Terrific (because you can get away with killing the black guy, right?) is depressing. I wanted to give this two stars when I first sat down to write it, but I can't. It's just bad. It's not fun. It's heartbreaking. Ugh...
March 4, 2015
There's some good ideas here, but the cast is so big half of them don't get to do anything besides throw the occasional punch. Characterization is weak, or feels really forced as this is the arc that leads to the JSA splitting into two teams.
The 'traitor amongst us' thread isn't bad, but we are only given two suspects and on of them is made to look so guilty that you know it's not him.
Plus, I like legacy characters, but if you are going to create one for a really obscure golden age hero, then put some effort into making them characters, instead of just types.
The big brawl was a fun bit of action, but I don't get the 'The boss said don't hurt Stargirl' bit. Did that get explained after I quit reading?
And why did DC waste so much time on Magog? He looks/acts like an early 90's Image character.
The least interesting member of the huge roster and he got the spotlight and was put in charge of the spin-off team.
The JSA deserved better than this.
The 'traitor amongst us' thread isn't bad, but we are only given two suspects and on of them is made to look so guilty that you know it's not him.
Plus, I like legacy characters, but if you are going to create one for a really obscure golden age hero, then put some effort into making them characters, instead of just types.
The big brawl was a fun bit of action, but I don't get the 'The boss said don't hurt Stargirl' bit. Did that get explained after I quit reading?
And why did DC waste so much time on Magog? He looks/acts like an early 90's Image character.
The least interesting member of the huge roster and he got the spotlight and was put in charge of the spin-off team.
The JSA deserved better than this.
October 8, 2017
As the JSA continues to search out legacy heroes, they take in two new young members: King Chimera (who can project illusions, complete with sound waves) and the All-American Boy, descendant of Mr. America's wartime sidekick. One of them is not what he seems.
The team falls under attack by an assortment of super villains who seem well suited to taking them all down. As they battle in the streets, the viper in their midst attacks Mr. Terrific and leaves him for dead.
TIme is running out- the team has to figure out who the mole is before they're attacked again.
Excellent read- things are not always what they seem, and this story illustrated that perfectly.
The team falls under attack by an assortment of super villains who seem well suited to taking them all down. As they battle in the streets, the viper in their midst attacks Mr. Terrific and leaves him for dead.
TIme is running out- the team has to figure out who the mole is before they're attacked again.
Excellent read- things are not always what they seem, and this story illustrated that perfectly.
January 30, 2011
This is a bit below par slice of Bill Willingham. The first issue is fine and has a lot going on, including a huge knock down drag out brawl, told in a portentous tone. It never quite pays off in the rest of the issues though. The JSA roster is certainly very bloated at the moment but the deliberately divisive bickering seems shoe-horned in and just gets a bit annoying. Not bad but nowhere near as good a book as a Bill Willingham book should be.
August 19, 2012
A very disappointing introduction for Willingham. The JSA as a whole seems badly out of character, pushing toward the predetermined goal of the team splitting up. It's all very heavy-handed. Beyond that the super-duper fight (in two parts) adds little to the story and only a few characters get characterization. The mystery of the traitor within would have been interesting if it weren't so darned obvious.
March 19, 2016
La nuova serie di JSA successiva a Infinity Crisis, ovvero questa, inizia a peggiorare inesorabilmente con questo TP, anche a causa dei continui eventi/cross-over per cui, in futuro, gli anni successivi al 2004 verranno ricordati. Anche il cambio di scrittore ha la sua influenza negativa: Bill Willingham ha scritto grandi cose su Fables, ma non regge il confronto con Johnes sulla Justice Society, e i disegni scarsi di Sturges non aiutano.
October 19, 2015
Bad things happen to good people.
The Flash giving first person voice-over was great.
I want to get to the end, I'm worried what it will be.
Great writing. [worried]
Yeah good hero work in this book.
The Flash giving first person voice-over was great.
I want to get to the end, I'm worried what it will be.
Great writing. [worried]
Yeah good hero work in this book.
February 7, 2016
I love the golden age superheroes from DC and the new JSA brings these original heroes back into the modern age along with their legacy namesakes. Well above average art and plot keep these 70 year old comic characters interesting and entertaining. Very recommended
February 18, 2011
Willingham really drove this series into the ground. He has no skills in writing a massive ensemble team book. This story arc reads like a messy boring train wreck.
July 23, 2012
This was an interesting addition to the book series, but it just wasn't quite as good as the ones that came before it.
October 8, 2012
I like the artwork and the story on a macroscale. But on the microscale, the details of the plot....it is pretty awful.
August 2, 2013
The fact that why the bad guys never went after Stargirl was never explained here, or in the subsequent volume. Poor outing from Willingham ... I blame Sturges.
February 25, 2014
As a fan of Bill Willingham's writing on FABLES, I was kind of excited to see his on the cover. Sadly, not much to love here - standard "one of the new heroes is not a hero" storyline.
May 2, 2016
some stupid stuff happens, some more stupid stuff happens, they try to make a story arc out of the stuff, but I don't think anybody cares about what's here
December 29, 2021
An excellent series of stories dealing with the biggest problem facing the JSA to date.
April 15, 2017
The art, and the fact that this is The JSA, the only two things that salvaged even three stars
Plucking issues out of the middle of continuity is prblematic, I'm learning. Sure, it's a story arc, but you get nothing of what actually brought you to that point. Nor do you get follow-on
Not familiar with all of the characters, either, both the newer JSA members and the villains
I'll revisit this book when I fill in the remaining continuity...I'm betting the score goes up, then
Plucking issues out of the middle of continuity is prblematic, I'm learning. Sure, it's a story arc, but you get nothing of what actually brought you to that point. Nor do you get follow-on
Not familiar with all of the characters, either, both the newer JSA members and the villains
I'll revisit this book when I fill in the remaining continuity...I'm betting the score goes up, then
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews