Over the years, different incarnations of the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America have fought together to safeguard the world against all types of threats. Celebrating this camaraderie, the two teams decide to get together for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. But when the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man possess different members of the teams, their festivities are abruptly ended. Featuring Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and the Flash, JLA/JSA: VIRTUE & VICE presents a team-up of epic proportions as three generations of heroes taken on the wickedness of Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Pride, Envy and Greed.

Hardcover: 94 pages
Publisher: DC Comics

If you're a DC super-hero fan, JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice should be on your must-buy list. In Virtue and Vice, the creators have turned in an event story that reminds me of some of the best Morrison JLA stories in terms of scope and the best JSA stories in terms of characterization, capturing the strengths of both books. The villains, the overall plot and the sheer joy of seeing these characters together make this a must-buy for anyone who loves these characters. In reading Virtue and Vice, I was reminded of event stories like the Crisis on Infinite Earths or Legends, as Goyer and Johns use the opportunity to tell a story that has worldwide ramifications. They have a cast of a couple dozen of the worlds' greatest heroes, and in order to challenge those heroes, they had to come up with some pretty impressive threats, and I thought they did an excellent job in that respect. I don't want to give away the twists and turns of the villains, but I was glad to see them use a couple of big villains for both teams, and especially glad that the plot doesn't end at the previously reported "Seven Deadly Enemies of Man possess some of the heroes." When you're doing something like this, half of the fun is in creating cool fanboy moments that just grab a long-time super-hero reader. Seeing the entire rosters of both teams (including several reserve members) in a two-page splash as they charged the villains for a final confrontation was spectacular, and there are plenty of moments throughout where the creators display an obvious love for these characters and thought about how to use their powers and skills in impressive ways. Of course, a lot of credit here must go to Carlos Pacheco, who sells some fantastic imagery, including a pretty cool stunt with Sand and the Rock of Eternity and some great work on a couple of DC landmarks that will be familiar to readers of the JSA and JLA. Pacheco, Merino and Major aren't just restricted to the big events and spectacular showy panels, though. They sell the idea that these two teams are comrades in arms, and I loved their depiction of the team Thanksgiving, a nifty little concept from Goyer and Johns. And while their work on the characters was strong throughout, I especially noticed (and liked) some of Pacheco's Hughes influence in his work on Wonder Woman and Black Canary. Really, though, this is simply gorgeous artwork, well worth the deluxe presentation it's given.

It's Thanksgiving, and the members of the Justice League and the Justice Society, DC's two premier super-teams, are getting together to compare notes and beome more acquainted. But without warning seven of the gathered heroes seem to go out of their minds, turning first on their teammates and then upon the rest of the unsuspecting world. Can the shellshocked remnants of the two super-groups put the pieces of the puzzle together before it's too late?

For years, comics fans savored the annual crossover between the JLA and the JSA, and VIRTUE AND VICE revives that tradition in winning style. The back cover promises the reader "one epic adventure", and the plot doesn't disappoint. The script (courtesy of David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns) not only delivers the goods in terms of action and excitement (cloaked in a little mystery), but also succeeds in showcasing the myriad personalites of all the various superheroes involved. Though Superman and Sentinel (the original Green Lantern) emerge as their teams' primary representatives, none of the major players get short shrift: Captain Marvel is wise and powerful, Batman cool and brooding even at Thanksgiving dinner, Atom shows why he's a giant at any size, and Power Girl...well, Power Girl gets to strut her stuff and remind us all why she's always been so much more fun than Supergirl.

The artwork is brilliant, thanks to the pencils of Carlos Pacheco and the inks of Jesus Merino, with a particularly awesome two-page splash near the story's climax that would make a great poster. The eventual revelation of the villains behind all the mayhem may not be a real shocker to longtime fans of either team, but it makes sense and culminates in a major battle royal that throws out all the stops.

VIRTUE AND VICE is a great comic book story that I heartily recommend to any fan, old or young. It's got superheroes at their best, struggling to rise above their worst, and villains you love to hate. What more could you ask for?

DCEU's Justice Society Reveal Just Made Justice League's Look Terrible
The first look at Black Adam's Justice Society already outdoes the unceremonial security cam introduction of the Justice League in Batman v Superman.

The first look at Black Adam's Justice Society offered by DC's 2022 movies trailer reel already outdoes the introduction of the Justice League in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Black Adam will bring Dwayne Johnson in the role of the mystical anti-hero and will feature other major DC characters from the JSA. Black Adam is set to premiere on July 29 and will join The Batman, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, and The Flash as DC's theatrical releases for 2022.

After more than a decade in the making, Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam project has finally taken shape in the form of a DCEU movie and is expected to be one of the most important entries in the franchise. In addition to introducing a character whose powers rival those of Superman and Shazam, Black Adam will also see the first cinematic version of the Justice Society. The group of superheroes, whose history even predates that of the DC Comics, has already been adapted into TV series and animated films but had yet to appear in the live-action movies. For a group so important to the history of DC and the world of comic books in general, a cinematic adaptation was long overdue.

The Justice Society's debut in the DCEU seems like it is going to match the importance of the Justice League, as shown in the footage teasing Black Adam, but their reveal was handled far differently. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice utilized an unceremonial, almost embarrassing introduction of Aquaman, Cyborg, Wonder Woman, and The Flash through security camera footage. What should have been a meaningful moment introducing those heroes for the first time was treated like plot setup. Black Adam however, reserved triumphant moments for its Justice Society members Atom-Smasher, Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and Cyclone. All four feature near-majestic visuals that echo the looks of the comics but still work great on the big screen. Unlike Batman v Superman, Black Adam seems to be in no hurry to set up a larger universe and will have the Justice Society only as an element of Black Adam's story so far. While only a few seconds, each Justice Society member got a moment of appropriate gravitas. It carried far more weight than the Justice League being introduced almost as an afterthought through grainy security cam footage.

Following the modest results of Man of Steel and the already huge success of the MCU, Batman v Superman was developed as a way to rival the Marvel movies. However, instead of taking the time to build up the characters that would eventually lead the franchise, the first iteration of the DCEU chose to reverse-engineer what Marvel did, introducing all the members of the Justice League quickly, in the second movie of the universe. After the failures of Batman v Superman and Justice League, however, DC and Warner Bros. seem to have learned their lesson as to not rush things.

The Justice Society's first moments in the DCEU are already more promising than the Justice League ever was. Although the group formed by Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman featured DC’s biggest names, the execution of the first few films in the universe did not do the characters justice. Black Adam's Justice Society of America has the chance to avoid past mistakes and set up a bright future for the DCEU's newest heroes.

Black Adam is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, and FlynnPictureCo., and set for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is intended to be a spin-off from Shazam! (2019) and the 11th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani, the film stars Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam / Black Adam alongside Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Bodhi Sabongui, and Pierce Brosnan.

Johnson was attached to Shazam! early in development, and confirmed that he would portray the villain Black Adam in September 2014. The producers decided to give the character his own film in January 2017, and Sztykiel was hired that October. Collet-Serra joined in June 2019 for a planned release date of December 2021, but this timeline was delayed by the pandemic. Additional casting took place over the next year, including for members of the Justice Society of America (JSA), and the script was re-written by Haines and Noshirvani. Filming took place from April to August 2021 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and also in Los Angeles.

Black Adam is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 21, 2022.

All items shipped in rigid cardboard! Please be sure to check my other listings- only $2 more in shipping per extra item!  !