Welcome back to the Society Pages, a new 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. But before we can get into that book, we’ve got some homework to do.
This week, we look at a few stories set in the past, before revealing how the JSA stopped battling in the Ragnarök cycle.
Secret OriginsCover by Brian Bolland
Written by Roy Thomas, George Tuska, Dann Thomas
Penciled by Michael Blair, Tom Grindberg, Jerry Acerno, Luke McDonnell, Mike Clark, Michael T. Gilbert, George Freeman
Inked by Steve Montano, Mike Gustovich, Tony DeZuniga, Dave Hunt, Michael T. Gilbert, George Freeman, Jerry Acerno, Bob Downs
Colored by Carl Gafford, Anthony Tollin, Julianna Ferriter
Lettered by David Cody Weiss, Robert Greenberger, Augustin Mas, Jean Simek, Helen Vesik, Susan Kronz, Janice ChiangLAST DAYS OF THE JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA reprints the title story from Roy Thomas (CONAN: THE BARBARIAN) and David Ross (AVENGERS WEST COAST) for the first time, as well as the SECRET ORIGINS of the Golden Age Justice Society-featuring artists Michael Bair (HAWKMAN), Mike Clark (ALL-STAR SQUADRON) and more!
After “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” the second volume of “Secret Origins” debuted, more or less to clarify the post-“Crisis” origins of various characters. 11 different JSA characters, including the Justice Society themselves, were featured in the pages of the book, and while some of them are fun, all of them feel more or less inessential.
The JSA origin in “Secret Origins” #31 is especially silly, as it is more or less the origin from “DC Special” #29, except it removes Superman and Batman and really changes almost nothing else. At the time, this series was likely quite helpful to folks who care about continuity, but now, these issues feel like cheap cash-ins on characters that DC decided weren’t important enough for regular continuity, but were fine for quick money makers.
The next JSA story was another story set in the past, with no real connection to the future.
Justice Society of America (1991)Cover by Tom Lyle
Written by Len Strazewski
Penciled by Rick Burchett, Grant Miehm, Mike Parobeck and Tom Artis
Inked by Rick Burchett, Grant Miehm and Frank McLaughlin
Colored by Tom Ziuko and Robbie Busch
Lettered by Janice ChiangThe limited series that revived the super-powered super-team from Earth-2, the Justice Society of America, and brought them into the post-CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS continuity! Set in 1950, each issue focuses on various members of the JSA and their ongoing battle against the evils of the world!
Five years into their exile, we get the first real JSA story of the post-Crisis era, although the story is set in 1950, not 1991. This 8 issue series isn’t exactly great, and falls into a lot of weird cliches for seemingly no reason, but it is nice to see the band back together. Of course, even that takes until the final issue to actually happen.
This is a pretty standard Vandal Savage story, though all the fun has been sucked out of the character, leaving just generic, immortal villainy. But the weirdest thing Strazewski does in all of this is make the JSAers, especially Green Lantern, into horn dogs that sexually harass Black Canary the entire time. I know that I’m reading this with 2020 eyes, but this feels out of step with how comics were thirty years ago, too. Perhaps Strazewski was trying to emulate the tone of the 1950? But Canary’s reaction isn’t appropriate for that time period, either. Plus, who wants to glorify the sexism of the past? It’s a problematic tone that is set by those characters, and the series never really transcends it.
Luckily, the art, especially in the issues illustrated by Rick Burchett, is gorgeous. The books evoke the tone of the Golden Age, but never feel like cheap copies. Burchett gets the Flash-focused first issue, and he handles the kinetics of the character with aplomb. The quality of art does dip a bit with some of the other artists, but overall, the book looks and feels, for better or worse, like a story from 1950.
Continued belowThe end of the series finds Strazewski trying to write commentary on television from the perspective of Vandal Savage, and it’s a weird look that feels like an old man yelling at a cloud. This series was enthusiastically received at the time because it had been so long since folks had a JSA story – the same thing may happen when we eventually get a new JSA book in the post-‘Rebirth’ timeline – but it’s hard to look at this as anything other than filler in the JSA’s history.
But hey, that means it is time to bring the JSA back into the main-continuity. Hopefully this will be an easy layup for DC.
Oh wait.
Armaggedon: Inferno #3-4Cover by Michael Netzer
Written by John Ostrander
Penciled by Luke McDonnell, Art Adams, Walt Simonson, Dick Giordano, Tom Mandrake, and Michael Netzer
Inked by Bruce Solotoff, Terry Austin, Walt Simonson, Tom Mandrake, and Michael Netzer
Colored by Gene D’Angelo
Lettered by John CostanzaThe second follow up to “Armageddon: 2001.”
“Armageddon: 2001” is one of the legendarily bad DC events from the 90s, and this followup is every bit of the mess that the main event was. To try to recap it would require so much early 90s nonsense that everyone reading would go out back and poke their eyes out, so that they could never again read such trash. Suffice to say, there is a situation with a villain named after Santana’s most successful album, where the JSA’s help is needed. To facilitate this, Waverider takes their place in Asgaard, fighting Nazi spirits, so that they can help take down Abraxis.
The two issues to feature the JSA had no less than six pencilers working on it, so the art is inconsistent and gives you whiplash from the tone fluctuating back and forth. The less said about the actual plot the better, but Waverider eventually replaces the JSA with the ‘daemon’ of Abraxis (your guess is as good as mine as to what that actually means), and so the JSA is back in modern times again.
We still have three weeks of preamble left, sadly, but things start picking up soon after this. But that may not be for next week, when Len Strazewski returns for the first JSA story set in the 90s!
