Review roundup: JSA #2

Sorry, I waited too long after last week's comics came out (including the delayed Supergirl and the Legion #25 for half the country) to post the rest of the reviews. Too much going on this week with Starman and Infectious Lass. So here's the roundup for the latest JSA issue, starring Starman - who appears to be the pre-Zero Hour Star Boy as well as the Kingdom Come Starman. But who's the guy from the Starman series who goes by Danny Blaine?

• Rokk's Comic Book Revolution:
  

  I love how Johns is handling Starman’s character. Starman is by far the most intriguing character on the JSA. You know that all of Starman’s ramblings are just full of little clues. And after the opening scene I am even more excited because this Starman has to be the Star Boy from the Levitz era Legion. We know from last issue and the beginning of this issue that Starman totally freaks out whenever there is a murder. In the beginning scene of this issue he mentions a name: Kenz Nuhor. ...
  
  So, yeah, it looks like the Levitz era Star Boy has somehow managed to survive both the Zero Hour reboot of the Legion and the second re-boot of the Legion in 2005. I cannot wait for Johns to explain just how Star Boy managed to pull that off.

  
  
• Chris' Invincible Super-Blog:
  

  ...There was just as much of a reminder of what I don't like about [Geoff Johns] in the character of Starman. It's hard enough to read with the constant reminders of how much Johns loves the fun-but-overrated Kingdom Come, but the apparent reveal that it's actually KC Starman only makes slightly more sense than my original theory that it's pre-Crisis Starboy from the Legion of Super-Heroes, and I'm not entirely sure that's not the case. It's pretty needlessly complex, and only barely ties in with the stuff from Starman where we find out that Post-Crisis Starboy's going to come back and--well, you know the rest. Suffice to say that it's convoluted, and that his "mental problems" put him right up there with Maxine Hunkel on the Characters I Wish Would Stop Talking Now list.

  
  
• Let's see what SteveReads:
  

  Because of course the, as Elmo would put it, pants-wettingly good 'big surprise' in this issue is the final-page revelation that our [Starman] is THE [Starman], and not the version we know from the Legion of Super-Heroes but the adult version we all saw in the background of our most holy text, 'Kingdom Come.'
  
  'Kingdom Come' of course being the fantastic 'imaginary story' of a future DC universe in which the super-heroes have retired from the world stage and super-powered anarchy reigns unchecked. That graphic novel stands as one of the six greatest superhero books ever made...
  
  This issue's final page introduces the mouth-watering prospect not only of Legion involvement but of dipping back into that potential future universe.
  
  In short, 'Justice Society of America' is ripping forward on all cylinders! We shall certainly report on its next issue!

  
  There's also a good discussion in the comments about Legion fandom itself.
  

Johns has given a couple of interviews lately with some interesting commentary:

• From Wizard Universe:
  

  WIZARD: So with that last page, is it safe to say that this is indeed the Starman from Kingdom Come?
  
  JOHNS: Yes. There’s still a lot more to him, and the next arc coming up is essentially all about Starman.
  
  WIZARD: Back to Starman: He looks remarkably like how the adult Star Boy looked back in the old days of Legion of Super-Heroes, and of course that’s who the Starman in Kingdom Come was supposed to be: a grownup Star Boy. Between this and the arm of another old Legion member, Dawnstar, showing up on the last page of issue #1, it seems like there’s quite a few Legion references finding their way into this book…
  
  JOHNS: Well, you look at JSA being the very first superhero team and the Legion being the last. In a strange way, the teams do have something in common. There is just something so cool about linking the very first team and very last team of this universe.
  
  WIZARD: Where do you stand on the Legion of Super-Heroes? Are you a fan?
  
  JOHNS: Yeah, I love the Legion. My uncle had those old Adventure Comics issues by Jim Shooter when I was a kid. I really got into the Legion when Paul Levitz wrote it and then again when Keith Giffen did the “Five Years Later” story. I also really liked the Legionnaires book drawn by Chris Sprouse back in the ’90s. Those first six issues or so were just awesome.
  
  WIZARD: You’ve said that Starman’s lines, though they seem random, will all make sense in the end. Any lines in particular from this issue to pay attention to?
  
  JOHNS: He mentioned the name “Kenz Nuhor,” and if anybody does a quick search on the Web, they can find out a lot more about who that is. Starman’s entire history can be figured out in this issue. Every single line he says to Power Girl means something. Eventually we’ll lay it all out for you, but if you work a bit you can figure it all out. If you’re a DCU geek you’ll get it, and if not, he’s just a cool, crazy character who got lost somewhere.

  
  
• From the Galveston Daily News (free registration required):
  

  Q: You packed a lot of action and a lot of history into “[Infinite] Crisis.” Any favorite moments or ideas you just couldn’t find room for?
  
  Johns: Oh, absolutely. It already feels like that story is 800 pounds on a 600-pound-capacity elevator, but there were tons of things. I had an idea for the (futuristic team of heroes) Legion of I wanted to do, and I wanted to expand the villain-hero war.