Shiv's Comic Recommendations--JSA

Or why I love this book and why you should too (complete with shortened history of the JSA from 1990-present):

One of the things about the DC Comics Universe that has always attracted me is their use of “legacy heroes.” Sure, Marvel has a few (Human Torch, for one), but DC’s heroes were the originals back in the 40’s and 50’s and they are still used today (some are the originals, others are successors to the name). This especially relates to how DC has been using the Justice Society of America from the early 90’s onward.

The Justice Society was the first team of heroes to be published. Made up of DC’s icon heroes at the time, Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, and others, they set the mold for such teams as the Justice League, the Teen Titans, and even the Avengers to follow. And in terms of the 20th Century, they’ve seen a lot of action from World War II (back when comics took place during real world events) to today.

Back when I first started collecting comics, I picked up an issue of the Justice Society mini-series that was out at the time and I was hooked. I was just beginning to become a fan of Green Lantern and the Flash, and soon learned that the characters I was reading about were not the first heroes to carry those titles. I soon learned about Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, and the whole JSA and I came to love them.

Shortly there after, DC decided to “free” the JSA from “Limbo” figuratively and in terms of the comics literally (back during DC’s big “clearinghouse” maxi-series, Crisis on Infinite Earths, the JSA was sent to Limbo, since they weren’t sure how else to justify the JSA’s continued presence since the heroes would have been 70+ years old by then once the idea of alternate Earths was done away with). But using magic and other plot ideas, they brought back the Justice Society and soon they had their own series.

The series was short lived, but I managed to get most of the issues and I loved it. The Justice League was always a team, with much attention given to the fact that the big guns were solo heroes with their own books and lives outside the JLA. But the JSA was a family and none of the characters had their own solo books at the time, though Jay and Alan did appear in their successors titles from time to time.

The end of the series marked another turning point for the Justice Society, as shortly after, DC had another “clearinghouse” crossover, Zero Hour, and this time several JSAers died in battle with the villain Extant, who manipulated time and un-did the effects of the magicks that kept the JSAers young. Dr. Mid-Nite, the Atom, Hourman, and Dr. Fate were killed. Sandman and Starman were aged too far to keep up with the super-hero game. Hawkman and Hawkgirl were forced into the new amalgamated Hawkman, who was more an update of the Silver Age hero, than the originals. Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern gave up his name and his ring, while Jay Garrick, the original Flash just kind of walked away.

Big changes were in store though, as Zero Hour saw the launch of the new Starman, Jack Knight, the original’s son. Shortly after ZH, Alan Scott found that he had internalized the Green Lantern energy and took the name Sentinel, marking a shift from his usual role as run of the mill hero, into a more mystical hero. Dr. Fate gave way to Fate, a very different interpretation of the character (not liked by a lot of fans). Jay maintained a guest-starring role in the Flash comic as Wally’s mentor and friend. And other heroes, such as Wildcat, continued on their own. In ’97 and ’98, John Byrne added a new wrinkle. Since Crisis, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman were strictly heroes who appeared in the 80’s, wiping away their membership in the JSA. In ’97, Wonder Woman “died” (she since got better) and her mother took over the role of Wonder Woman. During this time she and Jay Garrick made their way back to the 40’s and helped the JSA on one of their cases. Wonder Woman sent Jay back to the 90’s and stayed in the past for a few years before returning herself. During this time she became a member of the JSA, meaning that once again there was a WW in the JSA.

Then, in the late 90’s the next big change came when DC was ready to start a new JSA series. But first, a long-standing tradition, the JSA/JLA team-up occurred in the JLA comic where Sentinel, Jay, Wildcat, and Wonder Woman teamed up with the JLA to fight a new menace. The menace was due, in part, to the magical Thunderbolt that JSA member Johnny Thunder once commanded. Johnny was the Society’s younger member, like a Rick Jones in Avengers, with his own personal genie. But Johnny was struck with Alzheimer’s, and the Thunderbolt was passed on to J.J. Thunder a kid who had no idea what he was getting into.

Shortly thereafter, the original Sandman died and his sidekick, Sandy, took over for him. At the funeral the Society was attacked and for the first time, a new team emerged from the originals (Jay, Alan, Wildcat, and Wonder Woman) and the successors (Black Canary, Atom Smasher, the new Starman, the android time traveling Hourman, the new Hawkgirl, and new kid mascots like Star Spangled Girl and J.J. Thunder). It turns out the attack was a harbinger of the return of Dr. Fate, this time though the mantle was passed to Hector Hall, who in addition to being the deceased hero Silver Scarab*, was the son of the original Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s.

A new team was formed and it wasn’t long until new members, such as the new Mr. Terrific and Dr. Mid-Nite joined. And though some heroes left (Hourman returned to the time stream, Wonder Woman went back on reserves, and Starman gave up being a hero), new ones kept joining, such as the “reformed” villain Black Adam, the reincarnated Hawkman, Hourman’s son, Powergirl, and others such as Captain Marvel.

Currently the title is on issue #53 and it continues to honor the legacy of these heroes and at the same time create new versions of the heroes for the 21st Century. The JSA is the arguably the best of the super-hero teams and a damned good comic to boot. The fact that several of these heroes have had 60+ years and are still going strong is nothing short of amazing. These are the icons and the characters new and old are among the best written characters in a team book ever.

An example of this is a moment in issue #24 when, trapped on an alien planet, with the reincarnated soul of Hawkman, Mr. Terrific and Jay have a nice moment. Jay asks Mr. Terrific what’s bothering him. Mr. Terrific explains that his wife died in a car crash and he didn’t “feel” her around him anymore, so it’s really hard for him to accept the idea of souls, despite the evidence being in front of them in the form of Hawkman. Jay tells him that people view him as a sort of father figure to all the younger heroes and explains that the reason why is that after the War, they found out his wife couldn’t have children, so they adopted. Two weeks later the child died of pneumonia and Jay’s been hurt by that fact since then. He views younger heroes as a way of filling that void in his life. It was pretty much the most touching moment of characterization I’ve seen in the middle of a big multi-issue battle ever.

At the end of that storyline Jay, Alan, Wildcat, and Hawkman, the surviving members of the original JSA are talking. All four of them had successors and all of the successors had died. Hawkman remarks how the current Flash and Green Lantern succeeded their successors and are no longer “new” to the game, marking how much time has passed. They all remark on how people look up to the JLA and the Titans (and other heroes/groups), but the JLA and Titans look up to the JSA. They are the originals and they are still going strong.

This is perhaps my favorite on-going series published today and I would recommend it to everyone, DC fan or not. The first 30-odd issues are collected in Trade Paperbacks and make for excellent reading. The series writer’s, are among the best in the business, and co-writer Geoff Johns, has a habit of writing only the best comics out there, including JSA, Flash, Hawkman, and Avengers. Geoff's issues for his short run on Superman are among the best stories to come out of those titles in years and his mini-series are all wildly popular. These are clearly creators who know what they are doing and have a deep affection for the characters. Do yourself a favor and read these stories, they’re super-hero comics done right.

*NOTE: An interesting fact here on some of the characters in the DC Universe and in JSA. Since the Silver Age, DC has always seemed to find a way to create legacy heroes, whether they be heroes with the same name, children of heroes, or just those who carry on for a certain hero.

Among these are the mid 80’s team, Infinity Inc. While a team book (which boasted art from then unknown, Todd McFarlane), it was a team-book with a twist. The twist being it originally started as a team of the children of JSAers. Jade and Obsidian were the children of Alan Scott from his first marriage to the schizophrenic Rose (which ended after she went crazy). Jade had internalized her father’s GL energy (much as he would later due) and Obisidan could become a shadow in both form and substance. Hector Hall, the Silver Scarab, was the son of Hawkman and Hawkgirl and had powers that I’m not quite sure of, actually. Alan Rothstein, Nuklon (who recently became Atom Smasher) was the god-son of the original Atom and could increase his size and mass. Others soon joined and in the mid-80’s female versions of Dr. Mid-Nite and Wildcat joined, as well as Rex Tyler, the son of the original Hourman. Joining the team from time to time was Skyman, who used to be the Star Spangled Kid

The intervening years weren’t good for the team as Silver Scarab, Dr. Mid-Nite, Skyman, and Wildcat died. Hourman became a junkie and got cancer (Hourman’s powers were increased strength for an hour after taking a “Miraclo” pill. In the 80’s this was too close to drug use, so the writers wrote this in to show that drugs are bad, mmkay, even the ones that make you a super-hero). In the wake of Zero Hour, Obsidian and Nuklon joined the Justice League until the team was disbanded in the wake of the “big-guns,” returning. Obsidian then went nuts and has since shown up in JSA as a villain. His sister lost her powers then got a GL ring and became a GL, while forming a relationship with the current GL, Kyle, and though she said no to a proposal he made, they are still an “item.” The good news is that Nuklon/Atom Smasher, Silver Scarab/Dr. Fate, and Hourman all got their wishes granted and are now members of the JSA.