DC COMICS
WRITER: Geoff Johns
ARTISTS: Dale Eaglesham, Ruy Jose
COVER: Alex Ross/ Dale Eaglesham, Ruy Jose

The JSA aid a group of firemen in stopping a blaze at a factory-- only to discover that the fire is being fuelled by an unearthly source, something their powers cannot deal with. This issue is really a prologue to a bigger saga so much of the story is devoted to more light-hearted activities like the superheroes sponsoring a street party including an exhibition boxing match between the original Wildcat and his son. The creative team do a good job of telling us what happened in previous issues so we can figure out what is happening in this one. Some of the developments are a bit hard to swallow-- like when one character--- BIG SPOILERS ALERT -- creates a black hole in a building in the middle of a city. But if you can accept the pseudo-science of comic books, then even this isn't too much of a stretch. The art is lush, detailed and-- dare I say it-- cute. Eaglesham has certainly improved in the area of doing human faces, whether it be old-but-determined men or eager-but-anxious young girls. The problem is that the art is so detailed that in some of the panels, particularly the small ones, it is occasionally difficult to tell what is going on. Despite that, this issue still gets three and a half out of five stars.