JLA/JSA Virtue and Vice GN page 54 splash by Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino

I have owned this one for years. Actually, after Carlos obviously, I am the first owner of this page as I bought it from ebay when Jim Warden put it for sale back when. This was a major (and expensive) purchase for my younger self. Takes us back, doesn’t it, Jim?

Now what to say that isn’t obvious?

For me JLA/JSA is the very best work Carlos Pacheco produced along Avengers Forever (which I place above incidentally). Pacheco & Merino meshed so well and produced incredible work together. This is a splendid example of their combined art when they were at the very top of their game. Amazing pencils by Carlos and those rich lush inks by Jesus.


This page is the BIG reveal about who is the true antagonist in the story and who has been manipulating behind the scene.

I absolutely LOVE the beefed up design Carlos gave Despero here. He is massive and looks super dangerous with the crouched stance. So sure and pleased with himself.

Apart from 2 other splashes featuring the heroes, there are not that many in the book and this one stops you right in your reading track and forces you to contemplate it.

On top of that, this splash goes well in my collection along my Despero Ivan Reis splash.

Obviously NOT for sale.

This is par 3 of my 2018 CAF b-day party.

2026 update: I just discovered that Urban comics, the French publisher of all things DC, used this splash as the cover for the book "JSA Chronicles 2002" which reprints the Geoff Johns run (as volume 4 of that series). I've added the cover of that book below.