JSA: Indestructable (7)

It's not often you see a standalone story nowadays, especially in a team book featuring about a dozen different characters. This, actually, is kind of an epilogue to the first storyline that saw the JSA take on the Fourth Reich in an effort to preserve the family lines of patriotic-themed heroes. During that story, the family of the original General Steel were massacred in one of the most disturbing scenes in a non-independent title (remember the meeting of Michone and the Governor in Walking Dead?). In the back stories, Dr. Mid-Nite and Mr. Terrific commented on the effects that Reichsmark regurgitating on the face of Nate Heywood, grandson of General Steel, regrowing his missing leg and changing him into a metallic-skinned being lacking the sense of touch.

This storyline should have been the follow-up to the first storyline, but unfortunately the title was tied up for two issues while the team was running around in the Lightning Saga. So here, we get back on track and find that Nate does indeed become the hero shown on the cover of issue 1 decked out in a variation of General Steel's costume. But, of course, since Nate's not in the military, Power Girl changes the name to 'Citizen Steel' and we have a new hero.

Nate is a very tragic character. His family murdered before his eyes, his constant pain from a football injury replaced by the numbness of his metallic skin, he's definitely not the ray of sunshine that can be found with Cyclone or Stargirl. Also, he's the team's reluctant hero that would rather sit at home and do nothing than go out and fight crime. The only reason he got into the fray this issue is because it had to do with the Nazis that attacked his family. And, of course, when Nazis are involved, who doesn't want to go in and beat the crap out of them? Don't deny it.

The only problem here is that the JSA already has a tragic character in the form of Damage. Damage is a former reluctant hero who finally got into the act just in time for his face to be hideously scarred, forcing him to wear a mask. I suppose that a roster as big as the JSA's has room for the two of them, and maybe the two will work well of each other, but it doesn't seem to be the case at this point. If Geoff Johns leaves this title, I don't see Citizen Steel getting much more time in the spotlight.

There's also an afterthought to the Lightning Saga here as Superman visits the still-insane Starman in the mental hospital to ask about the Legion, but this seems to be just an opportunity to get Starman to say funny things. If there's a point to this, it needs to be made because the incoherent rambling is getting old.