Rating: *** 1/2*

A big improvement from the previous issue.  Our story continues with the aftermath of a rogue group of B-level super villains attacking the Justice Society of America.  The group was designed by a still unseen leader who hired specific super-villains capable of matching up against each member of the JSA .  Also, the All-American Kid was taken over by a mysterious force that made him stab Mr. Terrific.  Angered by the situation at hand, Magog and WildCat go at each other and we start from there.

The fight is broken up by the new Dr. Fate and he informs the team that blood is needed to save Mr. Terrific’s life.  Everyone is to donate as Fate will change everyone’s blood to match that of Terrific’s blood.  The All-American kid is interrogated by several JSAers.  The kid swears that he didn’t do it even though a video shows him doing it. 

The remaining members of the rogue super-villain group regroup in an abandoned building in the Bronx.  As a person who grew up in the South Bronx, the Bronx no longer looks the way it’s shown briefly in the comic.  I’m not offended.  It just made me chuckle that the creative team portrayed the Bronx the way it looked in the 1970s and not the way it looks now.  I still wouldn’t raise my kids there, but it has gotten better.

The Icicle shows up with another group of super villains to inform the villains that they are still in this and that they are still under contract to this mysterious boss.  Dr. Polaris wants to meet the “boss”, but Icicle says that Polaris should pray he never meets this boss.  He says meeting him was the worst thing that ever happened to him.  Could the boss be Libra?  According to Icicle’s Wikipedia entry, it says he was aligned with Libra during the Final Crisis.  Libra wasn’t as threatening and important as I thought he would be in that story.  So I hope it’s him and they can do something cool with his character.  Whoever it is, they want to destroy the JSA except Stargirl.  Why?

We know that in the near future, their will be a second JSA book premiering and that the team will split in two.  We see the split taking shape here as Magog further expresses his dislike for the way things operate on the JSA team.  He feels that the JSA should be run more like the military and not like a social club as he seems to believe that’s the way things have been done before.  Magog believes that with the possibility of the All-American Kid being the killer of Mr. Terrific, he as well as other future members should be screened first with background and psychiatric tests made.  Makes sense to me. 

Next we have a meeting with King Chimera and Flash.  This is a scene I hope we see more of as Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges continue their run on the book and that means more personal character driven scenes.  With all the new members introduced since this book first got started, I’ve felt that we weren’t getting to know these characters on a more personal level.  We see here that although arrogant because he is a genius, Chimera realizes that he still has a lot to learn from the veterans on the team because of their years of experience in fighting crime.  Before the meeting is over, the Flash is called away to the operating room where Mr. Terrific is being worked on.  Unfortunately it’s too late and the Flash is informed by Green Lantern that Mr. Terrific is dead and we end there.

A very good issue that stopped me from dropping this title.  I am intrigued as to who is behind this attack and why they don’t want Stargirl harmed.  I know that the new team being featured in the new book JSA All-Stars will consist of all of the young kids, but veterans Power Girl and Hourman will also be on the team.  Interesting that Hourman is not on the same team as his wife.  It does look like a pretty good line-up though.  I’m very happy that this was a good issue because I really like the JSA and all of the characters.  I doubt Mr. Terrific is dead.  So I’m curious to see how his story turns out.  If you had your doubts about JSA, pick this one up.  A good read with some cool moments and Jesus Merino’s artwork is much better here as well than what we’ve seen in the previous issues.  Later.