In a week that will be dominated by talk of Secret Invasion and its aftermath (will the aftermath have an aftermath as well?), Geoff Johns again steals the show.

JSA #21 is a nearly perfect comic book. Despite the fact that I jumped onto this arc late, I feel totally caught up and emotionally invested in this fantastic story (of course, I did dump almost 15 bucks into a series of JSA one-shots). Everything from the narration to the art to the dialogue was magnificent.

A short synopsis is necessary here. Gog has dramatically changed the lives of several JSA heroes - he has cured Dr. Mid-Nite's blindness, removed Damage's scar, and abated Sand's night-terrors. Entering this issue, Citizen Steel waits impatiently for the chance to have his sense of touch replaced. However, when Gog demands obedience in the form of kneeling before him, Steel refuses. The JSA comes together and refuses obeissance. Ultimately, in the most touching moment of the story, Magog refuses.

And Gog gets pissed. He abruptly restores all of the "curses" to the heroes. It's not said, but it's likely that the former Magog David Reid dies when his boon has been withdrawn. The fact that the JSA is willing to take on a god is a cool story. The fact that they do this in the face of perdition is remarkable.

This book has characters from other dimensions and times, and yet it is shockingly coherent. More importantly, it is interesting, beautiful to read, and profoundly exciting. I am a bit impatient now that I have to wait a month for the next issue (and conclusion to the arc).