JSA 12: Ghost Stories

jsa volume 12 ghost stories trade paperback team
5.0 Overall Score
Story: 4/10
Art: 8/10

Good art

The story is pretty clunky

Comic Info

Comic Name:  JSA

Publisher:  DC Comics

Writer:  Paul Levitz

Artist:  Luke Ross/George Perez/Rags Morales/Jerry Ordway

# of Issues:  6

Release Date:  2006

jsa-#84

JSA #84

A Crisis is occurring, and Power Girl finds herself caught in the middle of it as someone who doesn’t belong in either world.  One year after the Crisis, the JSA is still struggling with the events.  The Justice Society of America’s old enemy the Gentleman Ghost reappears, and the JSA must set out to stop him by finding someone with royal blood.  With danger on all sides, the JSA could be changed forever.

Written by Paul Levitz and features art from Luke Ross, George Perez, Rags Morales, and Jerry Ordway, JSA 12:  Ghost Stories follows JSA 11:  Mixed Signals.  The collection represents the last issues of the JSA title before its relaunch as Justice Society of America.  The series collects the JSA’s crossover with the cross-company title Infinite Crisis and the post-Infinite Crisis “One Year Later” storyline.  The issues in the collection were also collected in the JSA Omnibus—Volume 3.

I enjoy the JSA, but JSA 12:  Ghost Stories represents a hodgepodge of stories that don’t feel very complete.  I like the whole Power Girl is Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earth storyline, but it was much better developed in the actual Infinite Crisis series.  The second storyline involving the Gentleman Ghost is almost unreadable.

jsa-#85

JSA #85

The problem with the Gentleman Ghost storyline is that it feels just like filler.  The story might have been too rushed or compressed to prepare for the already planned relaunch of title.  Gentleman Ghost seems like a rather interesting character (and a real throwback to the older comics), but the story just seems wasted and garbled.

The art for the comic is good, but also a collection.  It is another sign that DC had given up on this title.  The story has art by a lot of different artists…some artists switching mid-story.  I hate it when the artist is pulled off a story when it isn’t complete…of course, that is the problem with the book at this point…inconsistency.

JSA 12:  Ghost Stories is only for completists who want to read the whole JSA title.  I loved the JSA, so I guess I fall under that.  I wish that JSA had gone out stronger, but Ghost Stories is what you get.  JSA 12:  Ghost Stories was followed by the JSA relaunch title Justice Society of America:  The Next Age.

Related Links:

JSA 10:  Black Vengeance

JSA 11:  Mixed Signals

Followed By:

Justice Society of America:  The Next Age

Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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