Rating: 
Summary: A very good DC story
Review: During a Thanksgiving Day celebratory get-together of the JLA and the JSA, chaos erupts when seven of the superheroes launch a surprise attack on the rest. With the JLA and JSA scattered and reeling, it's up to the others to find out who or what is behind all this. It's superhero versus superhero with no holds barred!This is a very good DC story. Admittedly, the whole "entity takes over superhero's mind" has become a bit of a cliché, but I thought that the story was well written, with lots of action and adventure, and excellent illustration work. My ten-year-old son and I both loved this book, and highly recommend it to you.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I am a great fan of the JLA but this book is disappointing considering the hype. Plot/story - nothing new, seems like rehash of previous crisis class events.
Rating: 
Summary: The greatest superheroes of all time together again!
Review: I don't care what it takes -- get David Goyer and Geoff Johns writing the regular Justice League monthly comic RIGHT NOW. Goyer and Johns already are the regular writers on JSA -- the Justice Society of America. For superhero neophytes, here it is in a nutshell -- the JSA were the first superhero team ever. These days it is comprised of elder statesmen like the original Flash, Green Lantern and Wildcat guiding younger second-generation heroes like the new Star-Spangled Kid and Mr. Terrific. The JLA made up of the current superhero top dogs, featuring Superman, Batman, the current Flash and GL and the like. In this tale the two teams gather for what they hope will become a Thanksgiving tradition, only to have their celebration thrown into turmoil when members of the two teams are possessed by the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. (You've heard of 'em, right? Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Pride, Envy and Greed?) The possessed members dispatch their teammates and go on a rampage, leaving the others to try to free themselves, save their friends and find out who's behind this madness. While a knowledge of DC Comics continuity helps, it is by no means a necessity to read this book. Goyer and Johns have written brilliant interpretations of the JSA for years now, and in this book they prove they can handle the JLA as well. Not only that, they can balance the two teams, giving each hero his or her moment in the sun, and utilize and develop not one, but three villains (not counting the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man) in a story worthy of the best these teams have to offer. The artwork by Carlos Pacheco is brilliant. Superman looks strong, Captain Marvel looks innocent, every hero and heroine is perfect, and the double-page spread near the climax of the reunited heroes storming into battle is something I'd frame and hang on any wall. This book is the best these heroes have been treated in years. Here's hoping Goyer, Johns and Pacheco grace us with another one soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Reviving a worthy tradition!
Review: I'll admit that my review of this book is probably colored by the fact that I read the two volumes of "Crisis of Multiple Earths" back-to-back before reading this one. The two "Crisis" volumes collect the justly-classic JLA/JSA crossovers from 1960 to 1970 reminding younger readers about the annual events of the two groups meetings in the Silver Age. All that however, ended in 1985 with Crisis on Infinite Earths. This present volume by Geoff Johns, David Goyer, Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino attempts to revive that grand tradition. The current members of both teams JLA and JSA decide to meet for Thanksgiving, they take down a villain together and end up in another meeting at the JSA Museum. This is where everything goes crazy! Team members started acting all weird... suffice to say, events take on a global-cataclysmic-level and the "still-normal" members of both teams are thrown all over the place (Limbo, Fate's Crossroads Tower, etc.). They then brought in all the "reserve members" like Black Canary, Green Arrow, Firestorm, Zatanna, etc. to save the day. So you can imagine the number of characters artists Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino have to draw! And boy did they do a bang-up job with the art. Detailed, yet clear. Clean-lines, realistic renderings of hair, clothing, wrinkles, etc. yet with a Byrne-like sense of cartooning fun. As for the writing, I would say that Goyer and Johns do far better-writing on their monthly JSA title than here. Sure, there are many "cool character-moments" and the threat here is big but nothing like the kind of energy you get from their monthly title. Like another reviewer mention, this story is good but not great. My advice, get it in softcover rather than hardcover. The paper quality in the softcover is very good (unlike the usually very-thin paper used in other DC collections). But GET it, nonetheless. This book marks a return to the great annual tradition of JLA/JSA meetings... and I say it's about time!
Rating:
Summary: Reviving a worthy tradition!
Review: I'll admit that my review of this book is probably colored by the fact that I read the two volumes of "Crisis of Multiple Earths" back-to-back before reading this one. The two "Crisis" volumes collect the justly-classic JLA/JSA crossovers from 1960 to 1970 reminding younger readers about the annual events of the two groups meetings in the Silver Age. All that however, ended in 1985 with Crisis on Infinite Earths. This present volume by Geoff Johns, David Goyer, Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino attempts to revive that grand tradition. The current members of both teams JLA and JSA decide to meet for Thanksgiving, they take down a villain together and end up in another meeting at the JSA Museum. This is where everything goes crazy! Team members started acting all weird... suffice to say, events take on a global-cataclysmic-level and the "still-normal" members of both teams are thrown all over the place (Limbo, Fate's Crossroads Tower, etc.). They then brought in all the "reserve members" like Black Canary, Green Arrow, Firestorm, Zatanna, etc. to save the day. So you can imagine the number of characters artists Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino have to draw! And boy did they do a bang-up job with the art. Detailed, yet clear. Clean-lines, realistic renderings of hair, clothing, wrinkles, etc. yet with a Byrne-like sense of cartooning fun. As for the writing, I would say that Goyer and Johns do far better-writing on their monthly JSA title than here. Sure, there are many "cool character-moments" and the threat here is big but nothing like the kind of energy you get from their monthly title. Like another reviewer mention, this story is good but not great. My advice, get it in softcover rather than hardcover. The paper quality in the softcover is very good (unlike the usually very-thin paper used in other DC collections). But GET it, nonetheless. This book marks a return to the great annual tradition of JLA/JSA meetings... and I say it's about time!
Rating:
Summary: A Grand Tradition Continues
Review: In the 60s and 70s, the highlight of the Justice League of America each year was the annual team up of the JLA with the older Justice Society of America. It was fascinating to learn about the JSA, the first great superhero team and their different approach to crimefighting. This volume is a great continuation of that grand tradition, particularly because of the fine revival of the JSA in their new monthly series. Goyer has produced some of the finest JSA stories ever since their glory days and the JSA is now back to stay. He has a good grip on all of the characters. JLA members act like you think they would, and JSA characters are intriguing. Pacheco's artwork is fantastic, especially that two page spread of both teams together near the end of the book. Highly recommended for fans of both teams.
Rating:
Summary: Very good... but not as good as it could have been.
Review: JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice is the latest and easily most prolific title to come from DC Comics' ambitious original graphic novel program yet. Featuring two powerhouse teams with bestselling books and a fan favorite creative team, the book was a guaranteed hit for the publisher and eagerly anticipated by readers for years. In some ways, the book delivers. In 96 pages of breathtaking artwork, the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America first come together in cooperation, fight out of confusion, and quickly team up once again to beat up the bad guys. It's a classic superhero story told with the world's original superheroes (including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman). David Goyer, in writing the book, does an admirable job keeping all the characters straight, letting them retain their indivuality when it would be easier for them to drift faceless in a sea of superpowers and punches. But Goyer obviously had difficulties with this project as well, limited by the size of the graphic novel (96 pages) and his experience in serialized comics. His story is big enough to warrant another 50 pages and Pacheco's artwork is good enough that it deserves more room to breathe. Lacking those extra pages, many scenes feel rushed and the book as a whole ends on a note that can only be described as anticlimactic. This is artist Carlos Pacheco's first published work in over a year and I wish I could say it doesn't disappoint. Yes, his renditions of DC's greatest heroes are fittingly grand and his storytelling (panel layout and pacing, etc.) is clear and dramatic. But his pages are less detailed and energetic as what we saw in Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four (his previous project). It's not that his work isn't amazing - it's that it isn't *as* amazing as what we've seen from him before. Given that the cover price for the book ..., given the high-anticipation associated with the book's concept, and given the creators' stellar previous track records, this should have been a ...good book worth every penny and minute spent waiting for it. Instead, it's a pretty conventional story that will thoroughly entertain while leaving the reader feeling somehow cheated. Good story, good artwork, overall, a good book - but it's not as good as it could or should have been.
Rating:
Summary: Very good... but not as good as it could have been.
Review: JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice is the latest and easily most prolific title to come from DC Comics' ambitious original graphic novel program yet. Featuring two powerhouse teams with bestselling books and a fan favorite creative team, the book was a guaranteed hit for the publisher and eagerly anticipated by readers for years. In some ways, the book delivers. In 96 pages of breathtaking artwork, the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America first come together in cooperation, fight out of confusion, and quickly team up once again to beat up the bad guys. It's a classic superhero story told with the world's original superheroes (including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman). David Goyer, in writing the book, does an admirable job keeping all the characters straight, letting them retain their indivuality when it would be easier for them to drift faceless in a sea of superpowers and punches. But Goyer obviously had difficulties with this project as well, limited by the size of the graphic novel (96 pages) and his experience in serialized comics. His story is big enough to warrant another 50 pages and Pacheco's artwork is good enough that it deserves more room to breathe. Lacking those extra pages, many scenes feel rushed and the book as a whole ends on a note that can only be described as anticlimactic. This is artist Carlos Pacheco's first published work in over a year and I wish I could say it doesn't disappoint. Yes, his renditions of DC's greatest heroes are fittingly grand and his storytelling (panel layout and pacing, etc.) is clear and dramatic. But his pages are less detailed and energetic as what we saw in Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four (his previous project). It's not that his work isn't amazing - it's that it isn't *as* amazing as what we've seen from him before. Given that the cover price for the book ..., given the high-anticipation associated with the book's concept, and given the creators' stellar previous track records, this should have been a ...good book worth every penny and minute spent waiting for it. Instead, it's a pretty conventional story that will thoroughly entertain while leaving the reader feeling somehow cheated. Good story, good artwork, overall, a good book - but it's not as good as it could or should have been.
Rating:
Summary: Too many Characters to Truly Follow
Review: The problem when you have two big gun teams is that you just lose track of the whole story. I admit, it's nice seeing Batman souping it up with the likes of Wildcat and Superman digging a ditch with Sentinel, but the whole plot and the pace of the story just seems to be lost through the cracks. The story I admit has a nice premise to it. What else do you expect from the guy who wrote the Blade films and is set to script the next Batman movie. The only problem here is that it's just too difficult to manage all the characters and give them right or reason to work on as a group. The JLA is enough to contend with, but to actually have the JSA into the fray is just a gimmick to try and sell more books. Some of the characters that ppear during the beginning of the book, like the Martian Manhunter are just unaccounted for by the end of the book. Where did they go? Maybe Aruba, because they certainly don't mention a peep of him. Carlos Pacheco is the bomb! He manages to get the artwork right and portrays all the characters differently with an individual fervor. I can only think of Mighty George Perez who can manage that feat (which he is doing in Avengers/JLA, which has better writing by Kurt Busiek). In all, you really don't care about the threat, which you know is going to be two villans from both the teams' camp that also decided to team up. Do they work? Maybe next time, it would be better to see a skimmed version of both the teams rather than have them cramped up together. Better yet, why not just one character from each team, coming together with small cameo appearances of others. Fun read, though bland by the end.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great...
Review: This story, featuring a much-desired crossover between the post-Crisis JSA and JLA, would have definitely benefitted from an extra 40 or so pages. It's fairly complex, packing the two super-teams and several villains into one 96-page hardcover.
I always have mixed feelings about these hardcovers, as they usually have too much story for such little space. The action moves along lickety-split with huge amounts of plot and exposition left to the reader's imagination. Scenes change with almost no order, and the progression is very rushed. As a result, you end up with a book that can be finished fairly quickly, not living up to the cover price. The premise is interesting to me, particularly because it involves the Shazam mythos to a large degree, and I guess Goyer does a serviceable job with the space he was given. The trip into Dr. Fate's Tower and the return of the JSA to Limbo were well-done. Plus, there are several good bits of humor, such as the confrontation between Firestorm and Johnny Sorrow. And even though Plastic Man's modern interpretation annoys me, he is written fairly well. Pacheco's artwork is beautiful as always, and I love seeing him try his hand at illustrating these two teams. In short, this easily could have been a limited series, expanding on the story and providing more detail (plus more Pacheco artwork... oh well).
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