JSA #19 Review

 

JSA #19 Review

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Diego Olortegui

Colorists: Luis Guerrero

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artist: Diego Olortegui

Variant Cover Artists: Matt Taylor; Sebastian Fiumara & Diego Olortegui

Editors: Marquis Draper, Andrew Marino & Katie Kubert

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: May 6, 2026

 

Call them idealists. Write them off as misfits. But in the Summer of 1940, these disparate warriors united to protect Gotham and prevent the spread of fascism. Still, that was another era. While the Justice League has grown in strength and prominence, the Injustice Society recently brought the JSA to its knees.

 

Alan Scott, who gave the group their name, wondered if the Justice Society of America could continue. His son and daughter argued that it should. With Alan Scott and Jay Garrick to advise them, can Jade and Obsidian lead the Justice Society of America toward a bold new future? And can the JSA gather all the lost children blessed with superpowers who need their support and guidance? Let’s leap into JSA #19 and see!

 

Story

Ted Grant may no longer be with them. But his advice helped Kid Eternity aid Doctor Fate to banish the Unnamed Ones. After the JSA welcomed her into their ranks, Kid Eternity was reading their group’s charter when a voice that evoked Ted’s drew her into a portal. Then, the Spectre wrapped her in chains. The spirit of God’s wrath wants Kid Eternity to be its Human host. But the rage flooding through her overwhelms the would-be hero.

 

In JSA #19, the battle for the Justice Society's future continues. At Ted Grant's funeral, the Justice League offered to tackle the Injustice Society on the JSA's behalf. Kid Eternity and Doctor Fate may have banished the forces that made Swamp Thing tremble, gave Wally West nightmares, and caused the clouds in Gotham to rain blood. Nonetheless, Mr Terrific and his teammates helped the JSA foil the Injustice Society’s plan.

 

Jade’s failure to notice that someone was impersonating her brother led to her team fracturing. It also aided the Injustice Society's victories and the Unnamed Ones' attempted invasion of Earth. As Jade and her team request Mr Terrific’s help in locating Kid Eternity, the JSA’s ability to operate independently of the Justice League comes into question again.

 

Jeff Lemire's story begins with Jay Garrick and Alan Scott once again questioning the JSA's future direction. After Jesse Quick's departure, Ruby Sokov's betrayal, and Ted Grant's death, the teammates need to rebuild the foundation of their family. Before Jade and Obsidian can mentor the heroes of tomorrow, they must demonstrate that they can care for their own today in JSA #19.

 

Art

While a gold frame celebrates a black-and-white photo of the original team, Hawkman’s central position evokes his recent departure from the current team. In the photo, Jim Corrigan looks confident and in control. Yet as Kid Eternity kneels before the bookcases, team table, and Scales of Justice in the Unseen Realms, energy lashes her. Clad in the Spectre’s costume, the girl towers over Mr Keeper, evoking how Jim Corrigan aided his fellow heroes in Gordon DeGroot's expansion of Gotham's subways. Ted Grant and his fallen comrades remain nearby to help Kid Eternity. Yet their spirits seem to be unraveling as they hover above the team’s round table.

 

As Diego Olortegui's art captures the camaraderie, drama, and interteam rivalry, Luis Guerrero's loaded palette clarifies the stakes facing the team in JSA #19. Jade's green skin and white costume link her with Kid Eternity, and someone aiding Mr Terrific’s efforts to find the abducted girl. After a flash of yellow fills the background, symbolizing the danger for Jade’s brain trust, two members of the team compare losses in the gym’s yellow boxing ring. As Yolanda walks beneath a gold plaque, the words inscribed on it seem to give her strength. Like Yolanda, Khalid has taken Ted Grant's passing hard. But as events reach their climax, yellow and gold unite when Khalid transforms into Doctor Fate.

 

Steve Wands frames Jay Garrick's gold off-screen words in red boxes and Alan Scott's white words in green boxes. While the Spectre’s words hover in a green-and-white cloud, Kid Eternity’s black dialogue inhabits blue-green circular saw blades. The characters' black uppercase letters grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Then booms fill the air and shake the JSA Brownstone as terror comes to town. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

The Injustice Society has shaken the JSA. Along with the Spear of Destiny and Doctor Fate's helmet, the Injustice Society also used JSA alum Ted Knight's invention to invite the Unnamed Ones to Earth. As the Spectre returns, Kid Eternity seems more reliant on the spirits of fallen JSA members than on those still standing. Jay Garrick may sense a great evil invading Earth. But all that stands in its way is a group of hurting young people in JSA #19.

 

Rating 9.8/10 

 

To look inside see my preview of JSA #19. 

 

For what happened last time, see my review of JSA #18. 

 

For the last battle with the Injustice Society, see my preview of JSA #12.