Comics / Back Issues

Justice Society of America # 7

By Hervé St-Louis
August 26, 2007 - 17:07

Nathan Heywood, the grandson of the super hero Commander Steel was infected earlier in the series’ run with the blood of a Nazi villain. In a coma since then, his body absorbed the blood and transformed the former football champion, who had since been amputated of a leg, into a steel behemoth with great strength and resilience. In this issue, the unlikely hero, is welcomed as the legacy hero, Citizen Steel.

Geoff Johns seems to enjoy creating new legacy super heroes. That’s practically all he does. The origin of Citizen Steel and his first adventure as a super hero, are as absurd as all the other vigilantes he has created recently, and I guess it takes a fan of the genre to appreciate. If you are a fan of legacy super heroes, you will enjoy how Johns weaves through the history of Steel and finds justification to the character, in the form of being his extended family’s new protector. It’s all seamless.

If you are not a fan of the genre, you will be greatly annoyed at all the coincidences and the readily acceptance of Steel’s newfound role and the warm welcome in the Justice Society. I personally am tired of seeing how everything is linked in the DC Comics’ universe and how conveniently new heroes are created. As Commander Steel, was not even a real World War Two hero, but a new character created in 1978, the length Johns goes through to create a descendant for him is nauseating.

Eaglesham  work is excellent, giving Heywood a distinct look. One question I do have, is how come a guy who has been out of action for over a year, because he has been amputated and who consumes pain killers all the time, can be so buffed? Shouldn’t he be out of shape by now?

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12