JSA Omnibus Vol. 2

JSA: Omnibus, by Geoff Johns #2

by Geoff Johns (Writer), David S. Goyer (Writer), Leonard Kirk (Penciller)

Known for his groundbreaking work on Green Lantern, over a decade ago Geoff Johns brought Justice Society of America characters rooted in the Golden Age of comics back to the forefront of comics.  Mixing younger, edgier characters with the elder statesmen of superheroes, Johns brought the JSA back to the forefront of the comics in what became the industry's best-selling comic series. Collected here is the second and concluding volume on Johns' now-legendary run on the original JSA.

Collected here are JSA #26-81.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

1402 pages, Hardcover

First published December 2, 2014

About the author

Geoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.

His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.

Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could Johns and his artists be hornier for Power Girl? Every story about her is about how hot she is. She actively talks about it constantly, as does every man who ever comes within 10 feet of her. Take a cold shower, boys!

Not quite sure what it is about this series that has earned it omnibus status. I'm now two omnibuses deep (I guess because Completionism), and this has just utterly failed to grab me. It's not bad per se, but it is very tepid. Johns writes every single arc with the same general structure:

- An old bad guy you've never heard of unless you read comics in the 1940s has returned, and they are bad news.
- They defeat pretty much the entire JSA in a medium-creative way and all hope is lost.
- The JSA suddenly surges to victory either by willpower, deus ex machina, or a weakly-conceived twist, defeating the villain and sending them back to get egg creams at the soda jerk or whatever.

It's pretty boring to be honest! There's no build, no rising action or stakes on a grander scale. It's just this same stuff over and over again for thousands of pages. There are moments where this cycle is broken with one-off issues about individual characters, and those are always, without fail, my favorites. They're few and far between, but when they occur, I start to like this series! I suddenly understand something deeper about these random-ass, old-as-hell-school superheroes, and it makes me care about them and the team dynamics.

But then, inevitably, Johns dumps half the roster on a whim and replaces them with new freaks from DC's Ancient History, who I do not know and care nothing about. It's so frustrating.

My favorite arc in this entire book was "Black Reign," a story about Black Adam returning to his home country and using extreme violence to wipeout an oppressive regime. It poses thoughtful questions on the use of power, and pits our heroes against each other in a battle of morals, and I was totally riveted throughout. It's the first story in this series that's felt both character-based on not just "a bunch of people blasting each other" (though it does reach that point). I wish it was all like this!

But, alas, it is not. It's repetitive, standard comic book fare, with sometimes decent dialogue and sometimes bald-faced expositional nonsense, but always that same formula. Will I read the third omnibus because I am completely insane and masochistic? Probably!

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★1/2

This omnibus, as with the series itself, is gigantic in ambition and scope. It's definitely a step-up from the first omnibus, which felt a bit scattered stylistically and was kind of a mess structurally. The series seems to really find its footing in this book, with Geoff Johns settling in as the main writer. The story picks up after the triumphant return of Hawkman at the end of the last book and sees the team expand with new members like Power Girl and Jakeem Thunder. There are also much better story arcs here than in the first, with the highlights being the "Black Reign" crossover with Hawkman that details the dramatic battle that occurs when the JSA fight Black Adam after he liberates Khandaq by force, the alternate universe fight with the Ultra-Humanite in "Stealing Thunder," and the fun time travel story featuring the two generations of Hourman.

The Society seems to fight magic beings the most, and magic users in comic books never vibe well with me so many of the stories weren't for me, especially when it slogged at the end with the Day of Vengeance storyline and all the Spectre, Shazam, Mordru, Nabu, Doctor Fate, Fifth Dimension bullshit. Magic-based action always makes my eyes glaze over. And the JSA fights still continue to feel a little lightweight and repetitive, featuring villains that I can never take seriously. But, at its core, it feels like it's staying true to its spirit as a callback to the Golden and Silver Age of heroes.

But there is some real heart here at times, and I found the way that Atom Smasher's character evolved was especially compelling, as well as the father/son relationship with the Hourmen. And as with all his work during this time I could also get a sense of where Johns was taking this, with seeds planted throughout, until the end of this book, which goes right up to the start of the epic Infinite Crisis.

The books included in here are:

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enormous heavy book which is expensive but very good value for money due to the sheer amount of comic issues contained in it. I love this run of JSA as it's got a good creative vision and continuity in the writing, using all the best bits of the DC superhero world that everyone involved in the series clearly loves. Started Omnibus 3 imediately after finishing it!

[Nolan Gutenschwager · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. I would go over 5 if I could, this was to date my favorite run I have ever read. I really just love everything about this collection. Geoff Johns was excellent at making me care about every single character here, and the art, primarily by Leonard Kirk and Don Kramer, was great. David Goyer was still on this for the first half. In general this seemed far more character driven as opposed to action driven relative to the first volume, and I preferred it this way.

There are a lot of great, distinct arcs in here. There is Stealing Thunder, where Ultra-Humanite has taken over earth and basically has everybody under his control. Jakeem Thunder and some others that are not under his control are able to band together and stop him and then reset everything to before his control. It gets emotional too with Johnny Thunder, because Ultra-Humanite took over him (as he had dementia) and then at the end Johnny is dying but he merges with the Thunderbolt.

There is the Princes of Darkness arc, which has a lot of Doctor Fate, and I love that. Mordru, Eclipso, and Obsidian are teaming up. A lot of struggle with Hector Hall and Nabu and others in the amulet Nabu has trapped. There is the Black Reign arc which is probably the best. Black Adam splits from the JSA and recruits some others, notably Atom Smasher, to join him in taking down the current ruler in Kahndaq to liberate his people. Black Adam is very violent with it and the JSA throws down with him, but the Kahndaq people admire Black Adam and his crew.

There is an arc about Roulette, who has captured some JSA members and pit them against each other in crazy scenarios to the death. There is an arc about getting Sand back, as he was trapped in the earth holding it together when it was crumbling. There is another Black Adam arc towards the end when the Spectre shows up and is causing mayhem and then Atom Smasher appears to sacrifice himself to get it to stop. There is also the JSA/JSA arc with Degaton traveling through time and then current JSA goes to the past when the original JSA disbanded and they convince them to not disband and the different generations team up to fight Degaton.

Even the shorter arcs are excellent. There is a 2-issue arc Out of Time as Rick Tyler Hourman is badly wounded and he is being worked on. His dad Rex was spared from death by Extant during Zero Hour when the robot Hourman gave him one last hour to live. So he is in some room in the time stream and Rick can go there to visit him for one hour total and once that is up Rex will die. So the time is quickly running out as they operate on him and then Rick wants to sacrifice himself so his dad can live and be a better husband but ultimately the robot swaps in and allows them both to live. Loved that arc, very emotional.

There is also a super wholesome Thanksgiving issue where they get dinner again with the JSA. Absolutely love that. Then there is a wholesome Christmas issue where they visit Ma Hunkel, some old lady from back in the day and now they let her be the new curator at the JSA HQ.

It is amazing how this makes me care about every character, and some of the specific dynamics they have. Captain Marvel and Stargirl develop a romance which is fun but then he decides to leave her and the JSA because the others don't know his identity and they think it is weird. Doctor Mid-Nite is just a fantastic character, and so is Mister Terrific, and they develop such a cool bromance as the smartest people on the team. Alan Scott rekindles things with his son when he frees himself form the darkness of his Obsidian persona and also has his daughter Jade in the mix. Wildcat is fun, and he has nice banter with Power Girl. Hawkgirl is still distant from Hawkman but eventually opens up to him quite a bit. Jay Garrick is super nice and everybody wants his respect. Doctor Fate Hector Hall is cool and goes through a lot and eventually gets his wife Lyta back. Sand is great. Atom Smasher goes through a lot, wrestling with the fact he killed and then joined Black Adam's crew thinking he was doing the right thing but then having regrets about letting down the JSA. I am probably missing so much else.

I cannot say enough good things about this. This navigates so many different characters and manages to make me love them all.

[Paul Cocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

After starting JSA Omnibus Volume 1, I picked up Volume 2 almost immediately. This cinder block of a book clocks in at 1400 pages, collecting JSA #26–75, Hawkman #23–25, JSA Annual #1, and JSA Secret Files and Origins #2. Yet, surprisingly enough, it feels sharper and more focused.

Geoff Johns, first paired with David S. Goyer and then solo, finds his rhythm here. The series leans harder into legacy, showing the JSA as a living, evolving family. Veterans like Wildcat and Flash pass the torch to younger heroes like Stargirl, Atom Smasher, and a new generation of Hourmen. While the core formula — forgotten Golden Age villain resurfaces, the JSA struggles, and rallies back through grit and heart — starts to show its seams across two omnibuses, the book shines whenever it breaks from that structure.

Highlights include a desperate time-travel story where Per Degaton manipulates history by targeting the JSA’s 1950s predecessors, forcing the modern team to persuade disillusioned heroes to stand together again — a story that gives extra emotional weight to characters like Mr. Terrific. Another standout sees the Ultra-Humanite reshaping the world into his own dictatorship, leaving a handful of ragtag heroes to fight against corrupted versions of Superman and Firestorm. The writers smartly rotate the spotlight across the sprawling cast, constantly weaving in characters from across the DC timeline. Black Adam emerges as the book’s most compelling figure, his brutal quest for justice in Black Reign pushing the team into a genuine moral crisis. But not everything lands: late magic-heavy arcs with Spectre, Nabu, and Mordru bog the pacing down, and the constant commentary on Power Girl’s looks hasn't aged well.

The art stays strong throughout. Stephen Sadowski, Leonard Kirk, and Don Kramer handle most of the heavy lifting, with Rags Morales, Jerry Ordway, and Peter Snejbjerg stepping in. The visuals strike a nice balance between classic superhero action and human moments, fitting the tone Johns was aiming for.

If Volume 1 revives the JSA, Volume 2 solidifies their place as DC’s living legacy — bigger, stronger, and more consistent. It delivers a massive tribute to the archetypal super-team.

[OmniBen · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 2.5/5
I started to play a little game whilst I was reading this omnibus. The game was called 'How many panels of story do I need to put in between John's panels in order to tell this story properly', because the answer was always at least one. I'm fairly certain you could copy and paste my review of volume One, change the title to Volume Two, and leave it at that, as nothing has changed. This collection could have been good, very good in fact, if Johns' had bothered to flesh out his characters, his worlds, his narratives. Instead, we get generic action sequence after generic action sequence, held together by some pretty flimsy, poorly established plots. Little if any meaningful characterisation, and a bloated, confusing roster of characters who come and go on a whim. Or are just forgotten about completely whenever the plot requires.
I really couldn't give an ass about most of these heroes. It didn't seem like John's did half the time either, as his handling of this bloated roster was certainly less than stellar. I got to the end and still had trouble recognising some of the D listers featured here, not to mention keep up with their stringy plot threads. Sure, some of that might have been my increasing malaise with this title and the grey matter going a little grey up top, but any ongoing interest I had in this was surface level at best. I couldn't even bring myself to read the last few hundred pages. 1400 pages of this samey stuff was a lot. A shorter collection would have been more palatable, even if the content wasn't necessarily and better.
The art, whilst not being exceptional, was solid to strong throughout, even if the more modern look it eschewed isn't really my thing, but it is John's who drops the ball here, not the artists. This fairly forgettable superhero fare is never going to move the needle when for me. I don't know if I can even be assed reading volume three. I'm sure it's going to be more of the same. 2.5/5


OmniBen.

[Andrew Seaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm one of those people who think the gods of DC comics are overrated. Scott Snyder, Geoff Johns, Tom King... For some reason everyone acts like these guys are the greatest thing since Alan Moore wrote Watchmen. The reverence for Johns' Green Lantern in particular amuses me: Congratulations, you took the insane leap to add a complete set of colors to the Lanterns beyond yellow and green. What a visionary!

However, after finishing volume 2 I can begrudgingly appreciate his craft. Given how little I care for many of these legend characters, I expected to have to hate-read this, especially since it's been a couple years since I read volume 1. Could not have been more surprised. I found it hard-pressed to put down, and ended up reading 300-400 pages in a sitting without realizing the time.

In a further rarity, this seemed to get better and better as time goes on. All of the characters are written to showcase their individuality and make me truly care for them, particularly Star Girl, Atom Smasher, and Hourman. Some truly heartbreaking moments.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

While steeped in DC history, this is epic. Not for new readers in any way but Geoff Johns shows his immense love for these characters. Not every storyline is great, especially those affected by DC crossover nonsense, but as a whole its very good. The standouts for me are Stargirl, Black Adam, Sand, Hawkgirl, and Mister Terrific. There are plenty of great artists here as well. Overall, a huge book that is everything a DC fan would want.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the quickest 1,400 pages I have read in a long time. Each arc is wonderfull and they all come one after another so naturally. I do not know if this is mostly due to knowing the characters more and more but I would say that this second Omnibus is even better than the first one which I loved so much already.

[Matthew WK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still enjoying, but the long arc with Black Adam and Khandaqu was a bit boring and started to lose my interest. However, overall still enjoying and I'll be reading the 3rd ominbus.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series never let up for a moment. Strong stories of ethical dilemmas and internal and external struggles mixed with some of the finest characters written. A true gem.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta, tiene un poco de todo pero en cuanto lo coge Geoff por si solo esto despega y sube considerablemente de nivel. Lástima que el. Tomo sea tan intratable.

[Will McClintock · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far I’m enjoying volume 2 more. Geoff Johns seems like at this point he has a voice for these characters and he knows exactly where he’s taking them to go. Also the artwork is really solid. Love that the keep the covers. Especially since some of the later covers are Alex Ross masterpieces. Onwards to volume 3

[Batusi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delivers a rich, character-driven saga that cements the Justice Society as one of the cornerstones of the DC Universe.

The plot brings together legacy, heroism, and mysticism as the team faces threats like Mordru, Black Adam, and time-warping enemies.

It's an epic and reverent superhero tapestry that thrives on continuity without becoming overwhelming.