Kobra, both the solo villain and the cult, has been a threat in DC Comics for the past three decades. While Kobra has always been a terrorist the man and cult have been made more outright deadly in the last several years in the previous Justice Society series (JSA) and, more recently, in the pages of Checkmate. Both groups have been responsible for thwarting the cult’s plans on numerous occasions, so it seems obvious that the frustrated bad guys would finally directly attack the super-heroes. But all may not be as it seems. The story begins with Mr. Terrific attempting to keep it together in the aftermath of Final Crisis when an attempt is made on his life outside the Justice Society’s brownstone headquarters. From there, sequential art hi-jinks ensue.
Eric S. Trautmann goes solo on the writing duties for this book and proves unequivocally that he is more than up to the task. Usually, a first issue has to bear the brunt of the initial setup. Generally that means a whole lot of exposition and clunky pacing. Trautmann smartly juxtaposes the requisite exposition with some very informative action scenes that both propel the story forward and keep the pacing tight. The narration is split between Mr. Terrific and, presumably, Jason Burr/Kobra (although Trautmann is likely to make me eat my presumption before the series concludes). Trautmann knows these characters inside and out and this is very obviously a personal story for both Michael Holt and Kobra. The current roster of the JSA is included with certain members spotlighted in the story. Generally every character is handled well and Trautmann even throws in a different take on the inevitable scuffle when two super-hero teams get together.
No offense to Keith Champagne, but I have missed Don Kramer’s artistic renderings of the JSA. For me, Kramer has been the JSA artist since his extraordinary run on the previous series and I am very happy to see him handling the characters again. His style has definitely been fine-tuned over the years and pairing him here with inker Michael Babinski was inspired. I hope DC keeps this penciler-inker team together on another project once this mini concludes. Their storytelling really brings life to Trautmann’s script. Of course the first thing you’ll see is the gorgeous Gene Ha cover, which I’d like to have as a poster right now. DC should really get Ha on the interior art of a book and soon. He’d be perfect for a Phantom Stranger series or even the Spectre. Just saying. Anyway, take your time reading this book as you’ll want to not only catch everything in the dialogue, but you’ll also want to absorb all of the amazing art.
If JSA Vs. Kobra is not on your pull-list, then head back to you local comic shop sharpish and pick up this first issue. Add the title to your list while you’re at it because the opening gives you the sense that this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. Things can only escalate from here and you don’t want to miss out on the action! Now, go discuss this issue and review in our forums.
