Jonesing for Johns

I was just talking with Eric last night about how lackluster Geoff Johns' regular books have been lately, specifically Teen Titans. I mean, the Titans' biggest stories involve betrayal, but those stories are big because the betrayals are unexpected. That, and because the Titans are like a family; their team is voluntary, brought together neither by necessity (like the League) nor by legacy (like the Society), but by a common situation and a need for companionship. Betrayal hits the Titans the hardest because their relationships are more personal than the relationships have to be in something like the League. The Titans' betrayals have been by long-time team members, trusted friends, family members, etc. So, when they get betrayed by a character we met two issues prior, it doesn't hit real hard.

A few days ago on a post on Ragnell's blog, I asked "why do both [of Johns's] other major comics [i.e., Teen Titans and Green Lantern] have to have basically the same plot (piled-on emotional gravitas leading to an inevitable major confrontation)?" By this, I was referring to GL's current situation--piling on hatred from the GLs, fallout from Parallax, distrust, being a POW, drawing the ire of the Global Guardians and Rocket Reds, drawing fire from the world governments, and now Star Sapphire, inevitably leading up to the invasion of the Sinestro Corps and Hal's lowest point, from which he would rise again and defeat everyone, saving the people who distrust him and proving himself once more, in a plot I called "The Spider-Man Structure." I was also referring to the Titans' current plot, which seems to be "one former member snubbing the team after another, while tensions and distrust mounts between the members, and another betrayal threatens to tear them apart" leading up to the confrontation with the Titans East, where inevitably the team will reach its lowest point, torn apart and defeated, then come back to defeat their foes and be more united than ever before.

And you already know my feelings about Action.

So, when I read through Justice Society of America #1, I was like "yes, this is the Geoff Johns I remember!" Silly me, I didn't realize that he was saving all his awesome character work for this issue. JSofA #1 was fantabulous, from start to finish, without exception. I love the new Starman, I love Maxine Hunkel, and that last page? This is the Geoff Johns I enjoy reading, this is the Geoff Johns I really haven't seen since he became coordinator of the universe.

You have renewed my trust in you, Mr. Johns. Now, if you could just even out the other books a little we'd be set, and my pull list would be damn near perfect.