5 Reasons Why I Dig Justice Society of America # 8

First, a hearty acknowledgment to Ragnell, who had originally featured a clip that I had "borrowed" in an earlier post. Just wanted to give credit where credit was due.

And speaking of ripping off other, better blogs - here are my top 5 reasons why I am digging "Justice Society of America" # 8.

1. It is refreshing that, in a plot where a woman is dealing with her father's perfectionism, she does not end up as a cliche meeker-than-thou wallflower. It is hard when your main character has super-strength, but it would have been so easy to paint Liberty Belle in less-than-flattering terms. The fact that she has integrity speaks volumes about the writing.
2. In fact, the Jesse Chambers/Johnny Quick relationship reminds me of my relationship with my father, who was another extremely demanding perfectionist. In a way, the story ends on the right note, with Liberty Belle accepting that experience as part of her life...and seeing what her father gave her. (I'm trying not to spoil here, folks). It's one of the few done-in-one-issue stories that, to me, feels real.
3. I like the fact that it's a mother-daughter legacy (rather than father-daughter or father-son, although technically it's a father-mother-daughter legacy). Granted, she embraced her father's legacy, but which would you rather be - a kick-ass patriotic super-hero, or a Flash-lite whose parallel earth counterpart is a criminal?
4. The way she relates to the two main male characters (Hourman and Damage) also feels legitimate - she isn't exactly doting on her husband (and Hourman's "revelation" sounds like someone who's been working on himself), nor does she unnecessarily pander or patronize Damage. She's not the all-healing feminine ideal that would have been presented - just a fellow human being. It makes me glad I haven't given up comics altogether (although I do admit, there's a lot of work that needs to be done.
5. This issue makes me want to pester Dan DiDio to allow me to write an Hourman/Liberty Belle series. Think of it as "Titus in tights" or "Stuart Saves His Family with more punching. Trust me, it's better than it sounds.