Justice Society of America #23

After the prolonged Gog / Kingdom Come storyline, you might expect writer Geoff Johns to give us a "decompression" issue of the Justice Society of America - but you won't get that with this issue.

Instead, he dives right into another big storyline involving Black Adam, one of DC's better (and most powerful) villains.

After tackling the last story arc with artist Alex Ross as a co-writer, this time around Johns is teamed up with another talented artist who is also serving as a co-writer.

This time around, Jerry Ordway steps into Ross' shoes, along with inker Bob Wiacek, and they turn in some outstanding work. But that's no surprise - I've been a fan of Ordway's work since he worked on comics such as All-Star Squadron, The Adventures of Superman and Infinity, Inc.

His work has real skill and (for lack of a better word) gravitas, very much along the lines of the great Wally Wood. His work here is outstanding.

This time around, he's also on familiar soil, as he steps back into the world of the original Captain Marvel. Ordway had a long and entertaining run as writer and artist on The Power of Shazam! - it's good to see him back in his old neighborhood.

Part of the issue is given over to housekeeping, as the JSA is pared down to a more manageable size. Then we launch right into the dysfunctional Marvel Family.

With any luck, Johns will again work his magic and straighten out the muddled state of the Marvels, who suffered so badly in the recent Shazam mini-series (was it called The Trials of Shazam?) and in the Countdown series.

DC's lucky to have Johns, who has worked so hard (and so successfully) to correct the sins visited upon the JSA, then Green Lantern, and soon the Flash. Hopefully he can keep his streak going and get Capt. Marvel back where he belongs - at the top of his game.

Grade: B+