JSA #11 Preview

 

 

Author Jeff Lemire paints his saga across a large canvas. Packed with characters, this Justice Society of America series surges with drama and action. Heroes and villains gather to fight for a relic connected with Adolf Hitler and President Bill Clinton! But who will triumph? 

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

JSA #11

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Diego Olortegui

Colorist: Luis Guerrero

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artists: Leonardo Romero; Jorge Corona with Sarah Stern

Editors: Marquis Draper, Andrew Marino & Katie Kubert

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99

Length: 32 Pages

Release Date: September 3, 2025

 

The Injustice Society has the JSA on the ropes, and Wotan’s grand plan of releasing the Unnamed Ones is one step closer to reality. But they forgot one thing: The JSA is not just a team—it’s a family.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

Fishflies HC Review

 

Writer, Artist & Colorist: Jeff Lemire

Flashback Pages: Shawn Kuruneru

Letterer & Designer: Steve Wands

Editor: Greg Lockard

Background Art Assistant: Beatrix Green

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $44.99

Release Date: March 5, 2025

 

Every summer, the fishflies descend on Belle River, Ontario. They don't stay long, but they blanket the cars, pavements, and buildings. One night, Paul Dupuis and his cousins walk to the Mini-Mart. But when they reach it, they find the parking lot carpeted with fishflies. The boys want their snacks. But getting them means walking across thousands of winged insects. How will this dilemma shape the boys’ future? And how will it influence other residents of this Canadian town? Let’s grab a snack, leap into Fishflies HC, and see!

 

Story

Helen Dupuis sits by her son's hospital bed. Her husband left years ago. She doesn't get along with her sister and family. Other residents think she is weird. Yet Helen sees strange things in the hospital. She believes the fishflies and her son's fate are interwined. But how can the police investigate fishflies when a man shot her son? And should Helen abandon her son’s hospital room to tell the cops, when at any moment, Paul’s heart may stop beating?

 

When Officer Danny Laraque investigates the Mini-Mart shooting, he discovers who robbed the store and shot Paul. But while Danny searches for the drug addict, people disrupt his search. Helen Dupuis wants to be involved in the investigation. And then there are Betty and Butch Bracken. The twins urge him to study the cycles of violence that have rocked Belle River for decades. Along with Helen, the seniors argue that the shooting is related to fishflies.

 

While Helen and Danny follow separate but related lines of inquiry, a local girl goes missing in Fishflies HC. Sergeant Murphy uses the situation to force the black officer out of his department. Helen needs answers to the supernatural aspects of her son’s condition. Danny must choose between protecting his career and finding the daughter of a man who drove his wife to abandon their daughter and flee for her life.

 

Art

Jeff Lemire sketches a convincing portrait of small-town life. All the residents show the struggles that accompany living in this remote community. Perhaps most broken is Lee David Simard. Although a stranger to their world, his life spirals ever downward. He looks frightened and haunted as the fishflies swarm to him. A blotch of red appears on his side as Lee remembers shooting the boy in the Mini-Mart. Lee’s fright increases as the fishflies do the impossible in Fishflies HC.

 

Jeff Lemire uses watercolors sparingly to suggest the timeworn nature of Belle River. Light touches of yellow, blue, and gray give the town a faded look. Scenes from their history are green, while Franny Fox, the star of Fishflies HC, shines in her vibrant red jacket. The colorless snot dripping from her nose makes Franny a pariah among her less colorful peers. And then there are the red symbols that Lee and Helen see.

 

Steve Wands fills white dialogue balloons with large uppercase text that grows bold for emphasis. Words occasionally enlarge and deform balloons as Franny discovers the belonging she craves. The immense crunch between chapters reminds readers of the annual swarm that links Canadian residents with ancient Egyptians. Perhaps the most poignant sounds in Jeff Lemire’s story are the inhuman chittering that expresses friendship, fright, and remorse. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Life in a small town can be crushing when individual differences lead to ostracism. Fishflies HC paints a portrait of peer pressure, alcoholism, and our need for existential answers. Yet Jeff Lemire's story also reminds us that while life follows cycles, love and determination can help free us from the bonds of the past.

 

Rating 9/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Minor Arcana #3 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Colorist: Jeff Lemire

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artists: Jeff Lemire, Frany, Gabriel H Walta & Jesse Lonergan

Designers: Tom Muller & Grace Park

Editors: Maya Bollinger, Eric Harburn & Matt Gagnon

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: November 13, 2024

 

Something is happening in Limberlost that defies Theresa’s understanding. Her first psychic reading for Jean Tremblay frightens Theresa. While she fled the insanity of the experience for the calming succor of bourbon, a beggar observed Theresa’s dilemma. He wondered aloud at the trials awaiting her, seemingly speaking with an invisible presence. What does fate have in store for Theresa? And can she do anything to prepare for the challenges ahead? Let’s grab our Tarot decks, leap into Minor Arcana #3, and find out!

 

Story

After returning to Limberlost, Theresa visited Melissa’s house. She watched her High School friend through the window. But the sight of Melissa’s husband banished any thoughts of a reunion. After leaving the Crown Tavern in Minor Arcana #3, Theresa walks toward Melissa’s house. Once, they were closer than sisters. Perhaps they can’t return to that earlier time. Still, Theresa needs Melissa.

 

Sadly, their impromptu 4 am reunion doesn’t go well. Instead, it reminds Melissa that her High School is a drama queen, and her husband drives Theresa home in a squad car. Brad’s concerns are less mystical than Theresa’s. Still, as Theresa hints at what she experienced, Brad admits that the world may extend beyond what he can touch and see.

 

Kelly McCabe introduced herself when Theresa couldn't face her mother. In Minor Arcana #3, Theresa returns to Stella's Café, and Kelly pours her a coffee. They weren't friends in High School, but they knew each other. Past events drove a wedge between her and Melissa, but Kelly seems interested in Theresa's dilemma. Admitting the truth to a friendly face makes clear what Theresa should do. Now that the alcohol has left her system, Theresa needs the courage to follow her instincts.

 

In Jeff Lemire's story, Theresa faces many battles. She struggles with an inferiority complex. Yet, as Brad admits, Theresa is capable and intelligent. She may have trouble letting people into her life, but Kelly seems willing to befriend her.

 

Perhaps the biggest struggle looming over Theresa in Minor Arcana #3 is her relationship with her mother. When she carved out her beliefs and outlook during her teen years, Theresa decided Vickie was a fraud. Yet, Theresa’s psychic experience clashes with her narrow definitions of reality. She can continue pushing away people and limiting her prospects. Or Theresa can take a page from Brad's book and open herself to new experiences, even if they defy reason.

 

Art

While two goth teens discover the uplifting magic of friendship in her memories, Theresa walks beneath glowing streetlights. Clad in her grandfather's old jacket, sweater, pants, and half-laced-up hightops, she knocks on Melissa's door. While Theresa's expression gravitates between anger, hopelessness, and pleading, Melissa's face remains an angry mask. Yet her hair hints at the same wildness as Theresa’s. Of the three, Brad’s face hints at amusement and concern. Perhaps it is his elfin ears. Still, he radiates peace and caring as the squad car rolls down the street beside the river and the cannery looms in the background.

 

Theresa's red and green jacket suggests the vitality she brings to Limberlost. Brad's blue uniform enhances the green and blue that defines the small town. In the red and purple psychic shop, Theresa clasps the crystal ball. It responds with a hint of yellow but no new revelation. In Stella's Café, Kelly's blond hair echoes the yellow energy that united Theresa and Melissa. Kelly's blue shirt echoes Brad's receptiveness, while her red pendant echoes the red in Theresa's grandfather's jacket. But amid the flowing watercolors of Minor Arcana #3, Jeff Lemire lavishes the most color on Theresa's reunion with Jean Tremblay.

 

Steve Wands conjures black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Frequent intonation emboldens and enlarges words. If Theresa’s pounding suggests a cry for help, the slam that makes Brad flinch feels like repudiation. Yet not all knocks will prove unwelcome in Limberlost. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Theresa fights to throw off the shackles of her limited viewpoint and embrace a new outlook that will allow her to grow. Perhaps it’s not a religious experience. But in Minor Arcana #3, Theresa ponders the possibility of rebirth.

 

Rating 10/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Minor Arcana #2 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Colorist: Jeff Lemire

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artists: Jeff Lemire; Reiko Murakami; Matías Bergara; Mike Del Mundo

Designers: Tom Muller & Grace Park

Editors: Maya Bollinger, Eric Harburn & Matt Gagnon

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 9, 2024

 

Theresa fled her claustrophobic hometown as soon as she could. But now she is back in Limberlost, and her mother wants her to help run the Psychic shop. While her mom sleeps off an afternoon of indulgence, Theresa takes her first customer. Does anything strange occur during her first psychic reading? Let’s grab our Tarot decks, leap into Minor Arcana #2, and find out!

 

Story

Theresa spent her life running away. She fled her manipulative mother, the embarrassing Psychic shop, a friendship gone wrong, and a town that limited people's opportunities. Yet when she reached the city, Theresa couldn't stop pushing people and opportunities away. If her bedraggled appearance doesn't ward people off, her ever-present frown and judgmentalism doom any prospective relationships.

 

Jean's desperation to connect with her husband's spirit awakens Theresa's compassion. But then she armors up, telling herself the psychic reading is all for show. Still, going through the motions primes a pump. Her mental and spiritual machinery return Theresa to the Edgewater Hotel. Unlike in her dreams, Theresa feels like she is there. She fights her instincts and enters the building beside the water. Theresa presses the Up button on the elevator. She finds a door that promises insights. Yet it refuses to open for her. So, Theresa ventures through another door. Unlike the locked one, it hangs open.

 

In Minor Arcana #2, Jeff Lemire forces Theresa to confront her preconceptions. What she discovers beyond the open door threatens to unleash a power she fought long to repress. But now Theresa must decide to embrace her abilities or continue to hide from them and reassure herself that a sad song fits her as comfortably as her grandfather's jacket.

 

Art

Theresa’s shadow stretches across the tile floor of the empty hotel lobby. With her back to the beach chairs perched before the limitless sea, she passes the abandoned front desk and heads toward the elevator with the free-standing ashtray. Upstairs, Theresa regards an empty hallway. When the door bearing the Eye of Providence refuses to open, her frown and squinched-up nose evoke a witch in Minor Arcana #2.

 

Unlike the wet-on-wet gray, yellow, and green lobby and hallway, Jeff Lemire paints the room behind the open door with blue, green, and orange. Theresa’s gray face and clothes take on their real-world appearance thanks to Lemire's watercolors, and a man with brown hair and a yellow, green, and orange shirt greets her. When Theresa returns to her mother's shop, the vibrant red walls, purple fabrics, and yellow crystal ball welcome her return. Yet the ivory and yellow skull atop the bookcase seems to offer a warning.

 

Steve Wands conjures black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Frequent intonation emboldens and enlarges words. Yet the subtle sounds that comfort Theresa precede the crash of an approaching storm in Minor Arcana #2. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When a psychic reading opens a door in her mind, fate hands Theresa a means to forge a new relationship with the mother who loves her in Minor Arcana #2.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For preview art and more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Minor Arcana #1 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Colorist: Jeff Lemire

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artists: Jeff Lemire; Tula Lotay & Dee Cunniffe; Dustin Nguyen; David Mack; Jenny Frison; Fernando Rosales; Michael Dialynas; Kevin Wada; Soo Lee

Designers: Tom Muller & Grace Park

Editors: Maya Bollinger, Eric Harburn & Matt Gagnon

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 4, 2024

 

After years in the big city, Theresa returns to her hometown. She dreads the move, but her mother needs her. Can Theresa make this situation work? Or is it a dumpster fire that will incinerate her life? Let’s grab our Tarot decks, leap into Minor Arcana #1, and find out!

 

Story

The bus driver shouts at her. Theresa awakens from a dream. She has arrived! Theresa lumbers out and glares at Limberlost. She drags her roller bag to the local Psychic shop. But Theresa can't face her mom yet and heads to Stella’s Café for a cup of joe. The waitress invites her to sit anywhere she likes. Theresa takes a table and stares out the window at her mom’s shop. Suddenly, the waitress is getting all personal, reminding her of their High School days. Theresa can’t take this. Not now. So, there’s nothing for it. It’s time to reenter her mom’s world.

 

Nothing has changed. Theresa's mom welcomes her warmly. Then Vickie mentions that she expected Theresa yesterday. Vickie also wonders why Theresa doesn't take more pride in her appearance. Vickie dresses to impress her clients and create the supernatural aura they love. But all Theresa sees is a sham. Her mother puts on a show. Vickie preys on people's sadness in this no-hope town that most dream of escaping but never do. Theresa can't respect her mom. Suddenly, all the old frustrations and anger arise. Theresa hurries to the local tavern. But drinking will only bring a momentary escape. Besides, she is on the wagon. So, Theresa tracks down what used to satisfy her. There's nothing there for her now. Still, there is comfort in memories.

 

In Minor Arcana #1, Jeff Lemire tackles the difficulties of escaping our past. Theresa moved away, but new friends and work didn’t fill the aching void inside her. Now, her mother is sick. Vickie needs her. And according to Vickie, Limberlost needs Theresa. No preppy influencers or commercial interests are revitalizing Limberlost. In this small community, people seek connection. Theresa observed her mother with clients while growing up. So what if it is all a show? The future is a scary place. Theresa can offer them guidance. Theresa can assure mourners that their loved ones still care about them. The clients want to believe what Theresa will tell them. After all, doesn’t everyone need something to believe in?

 

Minor Arcana #1 is subtitled The Fool: Part One. But is the Fool card up or reversed? If it falls upright, the Tarot card offers the possibility of new beginnings. But if reversed, it portends folly, lack of direction, and poor judgment. Theresa’s life up ‘til now seems rooted in the reversed card. Perhaps there is still time to turn her life around.

 

Art

Theresa's cheekbones jut out, and lines surround her eyes when she frowns. The wind blows her straggly hair out of her drawn face as the slim woman drags her roller bag past barren trees and old stone and brick buildings. A church steeple rises above the thrift shop and the coin laundry. While most people Theresa passes return her frown, Kelly’s eyes glow, and a smile stretches across her face when Theresa says something Kelly wants to hear.

 

Jeff Lemire lavishes watercolors on his hand-drawn art in Minor Arcana #1. The green and blue skies press down on this town of yellow, brown, and gray buildings. Kelly's red jacket outshines Teresa's gray pants and the green stripes on her sweater. The warm brown and yellow psychic shop suggests vitality. Red neon signs glow in the windows. The drawn drapes hint at purple. But Theresa dreads entering the shop, with its red walls, purple drapes and tablecloth, and a purple lamp that shines down on a smoky yellow and brown globe.

 

Steve Wands conjures black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Frequent intonation emboldens and enlarges words. The wonky wheel’s clacking draws a passerby’s attention as Theresa heads for the house she used to call home. Yet the knocking that fills her mother’s shop could transform Theresa’s life in Minor Arcana #1. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

A dream plagues Theresa while she sleeps. She returns to it again and again. She ran away from her hometown for as long as she could. Now, she is back in Limberlost. Theresa must face whatever her subconscious and the universe want to tell her in Minor Arcana #1. After all, life is but a dream.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Royal City: Compendium One Review

 

Writer, Artist, & Colorist: Jeff Lemire

Letterer: Steve Wands

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $29.99

Release Date: July 12, 2023

 

Patrick Pike's marriage is imploding. His manuscript was due a year ago, but he's yet to start writing. When his father has a stroke, a family visit seems like an easy escape. Will a trip home help him get his life back on track? Let's dive into Royal City: Compendium One and find out!

 

Story

Peter's not the only one who needs to turn his life around. His sister, realtor Tara Pike hopes to find renewal and purpose by converting Royal City Manufacturing into luxury condominiums and a golf course. She's separated from her husband and rarely sees her alcoholic brother Richard. Her bickering parents find meaning in separate pursuits: Peter tinkers with vintage radios in his shed, while Patty immerses herself in religion. It's not just Patrick who's hurting: each family member is struggling.

 

While steeped in loss--and feeling lost--Royal City: Compendium One is also a generational saga. It explores how people cope with change and view the world. Tara says the new project will absorb the factory’s 1,400 employees by creating as many jobs. Her mother claims it'll put half the town out of work. Yet the sign outside Royal City lists the population at 45,300. The owner's son—who supports Tara's proposal--says the factory's been bleeding money for years. Yet his father claims it's still profitable. Each person latches onto facts that support the view they’ve embraced.

 

All this serves as the background to delve into each character's life and relive their relationship with Tommy. He was the baby of the family, a gifted but troubled boy who died in 1993. His death cut the Pike family deeply. Impaled by grief, each member has struggled to escape guilt and pain rather than deal with his loss and move on.

 

I read the first two issues when the series debuted. Yet in 2017, I also struggled with family difficulties and found the story too painful to appreciate. In the intervening years, I've found my way forward and made peace with change and loss. With Royal City: Compendium One, I can take the characters' pain onboard and share their journey toward healing in days rather than over a year. 

 

 

 

 

Art

Scribbly art makes characters relatable. Watercolor washes give scenes a timeworn quality. Jeff Lemire’s style breathed life into writer Scott Snyder’s 2016 series A.D. After Death. His surreal imagery in Royal City: Compendium One evokes Wes Anderson films like The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Pages reveal that each character sees Tommy differently. While relating the boy's life, we learn that Tommy's as much a prisoner of Royal City as his surviving family members.

 

Lemire leaned more heavily on art in the middle chapters than narrative and dialogue. Some issues took place almost entirely in the past. Events I thought followed Patrick related to his father's journey. But even if I got lost sometimes, discovering the truth in the final chapter didn't dampen my ardor for this series.

 

Sound effects punctuate action in Royal City: Compendium One, while easy-to-read uppercase dialogue appears hand drawn. Signs and facades suggest that almost every business has Royal in its name. Posters in Tommy's room, and his ongoing attempts to refine his top ten favorite rock albums, lead to song titles written on Maxell cassette tape cases. A Spotify link lets you listen to the boy's favorite songs while you read. Or should I say reread? Yes, it's that good.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Real and surreal visions intertwine in Royal City: Compendium One, a story about family, loss, change, and finding your path forward by discovering the truth inside yourself.

 

9.5/10

 

To preview interior art see the Previewsworld website.

To see more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

 

Read the first issue at the Image Comics website. It's free!

 

 

Phantom Road #1 Review

 

Phantom Road #1 Review

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Gabriel H. Walta

Colorist: Jordie Bellaire

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artists: Gabriel H. Walta; Jeff Lemire; Javier Fernandez; Andrea Sorrentino; & Christian Ward

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 1, 2023

 

We see them on our streets. They line our highways. They transport goods to stores, warehouses, and storage depots. They are the most visible of our neighbors. Yet do we ever wonder what strange situations long-haul truckers might encounter? Let's climb aboard Phantom Road #1 and find out!

 

Story

He drives through the night with only his radio for company. He sees only a lined strip of asphalt and his reflection on the windshield. When he pulls into a truck stop, those he meets seem more like ghosts: they inhabit the present but only look toward the future. There is only his delivery and a short reprieve before the next endurance test begins.

 

We don't learn his name until halfway through Phantom Road #1. Dom tries to help a frightened woman. She points to a strange object in the road near a dead body and her overturned car. When he touches it, everything changes.

 

The minimal dialogue and familiar storyline drew me in. A flashback gave insight into Dom's past. He's no Snowman from Smokey And The Bandit. Nor does he have much to look forward to, unlike Lincoln Hawk in Over The Top. Yet I felt I knew him. While the woman remains a stranger, I can understand the fear that threatens to overwhelm her.

 

 

Art

The gauges on Dom's dashboard may not form perfect circles. The interior of his cabin looks scribbled. Darkened areas of the road are lined or blacked out. The truck stop waitress wears a blank expression. A drug pusher’s features are squiggly lines. A fellow trucker looks carved from clay. Walta’s hand-drawn art ushers us into Phantom Road #1 and keeps us turning the pages.

 

The most vibrant scenes are when Dom enters the Truck stop café and the one-page flashback. As for the rest, Jordie Bellaire's minimal coloring matches the blandness of Dom's life. Yet the strange events in the second half, in which Dom's life changes—perhaps forever—offer even less color. Harsh lighting bleaches the barren plain, a radical change from the nighttime Dom so recently inhabited.

 

The computer-designed dialogue balloons merge uneasily with Walta’s squiggles and lines. Yet the uppercase lettering makes for easy reading. Italicized and bold words suggest intonation. Words fade for lowered voices. Squiggly yellow notes overlay one man's white dialogue balloons as he sings the tune locked in his head. Radio messages get relayed through starbursts. Computer-generated sound effects in the first half give way to hand-drawn ones in the second. It's an intriguing mix that never slows or halts us on this long, strange journey.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Phantom Road #1's familiar premise, identifiable characters, and fast-moving story caught me in its draft and carried me along. It evokes The Twilight Zone and The Walking Dead. Edvard Munch's painting The Scream also comes to mind. As a passenger on this strange journey, I wonder where the series will take me next.

 

Rating: 7/10  

To view the preview art for this issue see my review at Comic Book Dispatch