Amy Reads the Week (of June 22nd, 2007)

It’s a Comic Book Fangirl’s Dream Come True this week, Gentle Reader, and all I can say, really, is thank you, DC, thank you, Mr. Meltzer, for making me the Happiest Fangirl in the World. I teared up yesterday reading JLA #10, and… well, who am I kidding, Friends? I cried, outright.

No one likes a Spoil(er)Sport, so I’ll refrain from mentioning the specifics of the Utter Fantastic-ness of JLA this week. Rather, I’d like to call your attention to the companion piece to this saga: the JSA crossover.

I’ll admit, Friends, that my knowledge of the JSA is only in reference to the JLA. I’m a JLA girl at heart; Wonder Woman is a member, as is Batman, and Flash, and my other favorites. Mr. Reads and Several Of You have mentioned to me, again and again, how wonderful the JSA is, and frankly, I’ve ignored you, forgotten your suggestions, and just Out and Out waved you off. For that, This Humble Author humbly apologizes. You were right; I was wrong. Never let it be said that I am afraid to admit my failings.

I’m amazed, utterly amazed, at the Quality of Writing, of Characters, of Character Development evident in the JSA. I enjoy the JLA, too, of course, and find the Quality high there, as well. But reading the JSA was like meeting new characters, for the very first time. There really is no other way to express my utter joy over Liberty Belle, over Stargirl, over Power Girl.

Power Girl is a character with whom I am passingly familiar, but not immediately friendly. That is to say, I *know* who she is, and I *appreciate* her, but I don’t believe I’ve ever read a truly compelling presentation of her. Enter JSA. Enter Geoff Johns’ writing of her. Enter Strength, and Beauty, and Power, and Humor, all in one.

When they ask her to serve as chairwoman, she not only says yes but says, Hell, yes! That kind of enthusiasm, the understanding she has of her role in this organization is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Further, the immediate friendship between Stargirl (although I confess, Friends, that I keep wanting to call her Star-Spangled Kid) and isolated outcast Cyclone is charming and poignant, all at the same time. Further, as a scholar who works on literary presentations of fashion (it *is* the Dissertation, Gentle Reader!), I found the Giant Room Of Costume Parts to be perhaps the most adorable and *right* comic scene in comics to date. That is to say, of *course* there is a giant room of costume pieces and parts, considering how these costumes get ripped and torn on a daily, and indeed hourly, basis!

But there are other things, too: the complexity of these characters, of their relationships with each other, with other Super Heroes, with the JLA, in fact, and how they know each other, of course, but also *know* each other. They know their strengths, their weaknesses, that even The Batman can be swayed by rare editions.

Separate, they are intriguing characters part of interesting groups. Together, they are utterly fascinating, compelling, and beyond all else, Completely Heroic. This crossover event gave me a chance to meet new characters, fall in love with old ones again, and most importantly, add another title to my pull-list.

While Mr. Reads has read the JSA for Some Time Now, and in fact had given me the entire backlog to read, I hadn’t. Time, perhaps, or blind allegiance to the JLA. Wonder Woman was there, after all. But I’m a convert, albeit a recent one, and I am thrilled to be so. I for one can’t wait to read more about, say, Liberty Belle, whom I knew from Flash, but now know on her own merits.

I’d love to Read the Week with you more, Dear Readers, but as far behind as I was on JLA, I am even Further Behind on New Avengers. And as I have a few minutes of free time—as one cannot be expected to work at 9:00 at night, no?—I am going to take advantage of them.