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

The Superman of the KINGDOM COME story meets with the mainstream DC Comics Superman as the new Judomaster goes into action against a gang of Japanese assassins. This issue is interesting but ultimately, does not amount to much. The meeting between the two Supermen is hardly momentous and merely establishes that they have a lot in common. There is no dramatic exchange, no major revelations. We learn a little about the KINGDOM COME Superman (with no reference at all to the KINGDOM spin-off miniseries of a few years back) but little is done about his problem of being trapped in the main DC universe. From there, we go straight to Judomaster and her fight with super-powered Yakuza killers. The new Judomaster-- (a woman this time who appeared previously in BIRDS OF PREY) has two clever gimmicks: her background as a daughter of a Yakuza killer and her new power where she cannot be hit by a direct attack. But aside from a disorganized fight scene, she doesn't really leave much of an impression. Amazingly, the introduction of this new character is just the first in a series of new "legacy" heroes that they are bringing into the comic. As if it wasn't crowded enough already-- with both characters and plotlines.

The art can be moving, powerful and even eerie. But it also looks too jumbled. We get a bunch of new Japanese supervillains, but the way they are introduced, particularly the placement of the captions is done so haphazardly that it is impossible to tell who is who. The art team on this book appears to be intentionally putting their human figures in weird poses-- or simply making them as weird-looking as possible. In one splash page, it looks like Judomaster is kicking her foot into villain's chest. Another character, an exploding sumo wrestler-- is just a mess. How these things got past the editor is a mystery.
 
This title really needs to simplify more. It is expanding its cast, setting up new plotlines and crossing over with other titles with too many threads being left untied. The writing and art may be good but JUSTICE SOCIETY is becoming a chore to read.

Two and half stars out of five.