Welcome back to the Society Pages, a column that looks back at the ‘modern’ history of the Justice Society of America. The main thrust of this column is to look at “JSA” and “Justice Society of America,” two ongoing series, written for most of their runs by Geoff Johns.
This week is basically just preamble for ‘Thy Kingdom Come,’ one of the biggest JSA events of Johns’s entire run. However, I felt that without a proper understanding of the events that preceded it, it would be hard to fully appreciate ‘Thy Kingdom Come.’
Written by Mark WaidCover by Alex Ross
Illustrated and Colored by Alex Ross
Lettered by Todd KleinWinner of five Eisner and Harvey awards, KINGDOM COME is the best-selling graphic novel from acclaimed writer Mark Waid and superstar painter Alex Ross, now back as part of the new DC Black Label line with the four-issue KINGDOM COME epic and more than 150 pages of behind-the-scenes material, including sketches, annotations and the never-before-published original proposal, series treatment, series outline, issue #1 outline and issue #1 script.
In the near future, the DC Universe is spinning out of control. The new generation of heroes have lost their moral compass, becoming as reckless and violent as the villains they fight. The previous regime of heroes—the Justice League—returns under dire circumstances, which sets up a battle of the old guard against these uncompromising protectors in a conflict that will define what heroism truly is.
I can’t imagine that there are too many folks out there who are reading this column that aren’t familiar with “Kingdom Come.” It is one of DC’s most well known Elseworlds titles, and among the five or so most celebrated collections that DC has to offer. The book is masterfully painted by Alex Ross, who adds a level of gravitas and prestige to the book with his artwork. While I do not, in any way, want all comics to look like “Kingdom Come,” it certainly fits the story that is being told. Ross’s artwork is inherently nostalgic, not just evoking the Golden Age of comics, but a time of innocence and purity. And so, a fall from grace story works even better when rendered in this style.
A lot of digital ink has already been spilled on “Kingdom Come,” and I’m not sure I have anything to really add to the conversation in a general sense, but I am interested in exploring the JSA connections, as that’s the reason we’re here. The series opens with Norman McCay, who will act as our guide through the events of the book, in the hospital with his friend Wesley Dodds, aka the Sandman. Their friendship is the catalyst for the events of the book in the sense that McCay comes to the attention of the Spectre likely due to their mutual friend, Dodds.
The Spectre is another JSA alum that plays a major role in this story, as he tethers his spirit to McCay’s and the two of them pass through the events of the book as (mostly) unseen observers. The only other ‘classic’ JSA character to be really featured in the book is Alan Scott as Green Lantern, who doesn’t say or do that much, but casts a large shadow in the book, literally and figuratively, from his perch in the sky.
Of course, Billy Batson/Captain Marvel has a Geoff Johns JSA connection, and he’s one of the most major characters in this story, even though he says almost nothing throughout it. His silence is one of the scarier elements of the story, and Waid/Ross use it to great effect. Aside from those characters, the biggest JSA influences are Robin’s Earth-2 inspired costume and Ross’s general bent towards keeping things in-line, visually, with the characters of the JSA’s generation.
But there is a big hole in the center of “Kingdom Come” that seems almost perfectly JSA-shaped. The crux of the story comes from Superman’s ‘retirement’ and the lack of a moral presence for the other heroes of Earth. In modern DC, at least until “Flashpoint,” the JSA acted as just that group. They took it upon themselves to train new heroes and to act as the symbol of responsibility and honor in the costumed set. When reading “Kingdom Come,” it seems likely that if the JSA had been around in this continuity/time, they could’ve helped prevent the events of the book.
Continued belowWritten by Mark WaidCover by Mike Zeck
Penciled by Jerry Ordway, Ariel Olivetti, Mike Zeck
Inked by Dennis Janke, Ariel Olivetti, John Beatty
Colored by John Kalisz
Lettered by Chris Eliopoulos, Phil FelixA monster is murdering Supermen throughout time, and now it’s up to the Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman of the KINGDOM COME universe to meet their present-day counterparts and save the DCU! Don’t miss this follow-up to KINGDOM COME revealing the impact of the next generation of heroes!
The ‘sequel’ of “Kingdom Come” is called, simply “The Kingdom,” and to call it a sequel is not exactly accurate. It takes some of the characters, namely Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, and puts them in conflict with Gog, a new character that sprouts from an interaction in “Kingdom Come” But it is really about Hypertime, which is the past and present way of explaining away DC continuity. Essentially, the entire event acts as a prelude for the Hypertime reveal and, while we get some fun characters along the way, it feels sort of slight until that moment.
So, Hypertime basically says that everything from DC that ever existed still exists in some form, and that at times even comes back. Basically, streams of hypertime can touch, allowing for brief appearances by long lost or never met friends/enemies/alternate versions, or sometimes they intersect and allow for more substantial connections between the worlds of the multiverse. It’s an exciting idea, and one that I’m glad DC has returned to after many years away.
This event also introduces Gog, who was a child saved from the Kansas incident by Superman who develops a ‘church of Superman’ until he’s disillusioned when Superman essentially shoots down his hypothesis. He’s given power by the Quintessence for reasons that are shady and weird even under the best circumstances. But Gog’s power is almost limitless until met with the weapons and heroes of the multiverse.
That’s just about all you need to know heading into ‘Thy Kingdom Come.’ Next week, we’ll tackle the first of three weeks of the event, looking back on “Justice Society of America” #7-12. See you then!
