JSA #22 — Jeff Lemire and Diego Olortegui Ask Who Wears the Wrath
The dust is settling on the JSA, but the wrath has just begun. With the mantle of the Spectre up for grabs, Jeff Lemire and Diego Olortegui serve up a chapter where one hero steps up—and the consequences might break them.
There’s a specific kind of gravity that comes when DC leans on a legacy title for a moment of genuine mythmaking. The Justice Society isn’t just a team; it’s the bedrock. And when Jeff Lemire and Diego Olortegui turn their attention to the aftermath of the Spectre’s rampage, they aren’t just writing a superhero story. They’re writing a tragedy in slow motion, asking the kind of heavy question that usually gets avoided in monthly comics: can anyone hold this much power without being destroyed by it?
The setup is simple, but the stakes are cosmic. The wrath of the Spectre has ravaged the JSA, leaving the team to pick up the pieces of a legacy that has been physically and spiritually shattered. As the dust settles, one hero is stepping up to take on the mantle. The question isn’t really *who* it is, but *what* it will cost them. Will they be able to control the fury, or will the fury control them? It’s a premise that turns the power fantasy into a psychological horror story.
What makes this issue worth grabbing is the creative rhythm between Lemire and Olortegui. Lemire has a knack for finding the human fracture in the armor, and here, he’s applying it to a character who is essentially a vessel for divine anger. Olortegui’s art brings a tactile, grounded weight to the proceedings. You can feel the exhaustion in the lines, the tension in the silence. It’s not about big explosions; it’s about the terrifying intimacy of power being passed from one hand to another.
If the JSA’s current run has you thinking about legacy and burden, this is the moment to jump in. You don’t need to know every member’s history to feel the weight of this chapter. It’s a standalone emotional beat in a larger arc, focusing entirely on the internal struggle of the new Spectre. It’s the kind of issue that sticks with you because it’s not about saving the world—it’s about saving the person who has to save it.
Keep an eye on the Pete Woods variant cover. It’s bold, stylized, and captures the menacing energy of the Spectre better than most interior spreads. It’s the one that’s likely to disappear quickly, so if you’re looking to build out your JSA collection, this is the drop that defines the era.