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 four very different books that do a good job representing a cross section of what the JSA was, pre-ongoing. First up though is the book that changed everything for the team.
Written and pencilled by Dan JurgensCover by Dan Jurgens
Inked by Jerry Ordway
Colored by Gregory Wright
Lettered by GasparWritten and pencilled by Dan Jurgens (CONVERGENCE, THE NEW 52: FUTURES END) and inked by Jerry Ordway (THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN), ZERO HOUR chronicles the discovery by DC’s greatest heroes of a tidal wave of temporal disruption, as they band togheter to combat chronal chaos.
When all of his family and friends were killed by the attack of a super-villain, the once heroic Green Lantern went insane and became the immensely powerful Parallax. Hoping to save his loved ones, the mad Hal Jordan decided to recreate the universe by unraveling time. Now as realities and time lines converge, dinosaurs walk the Earth again, deceased heroes are resurrected, and half the population has suddenly vanished. With Parallax on the verge of success, Superman, Batman, Robin, Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the rest of the world’s heroes must find a way to stop their former comrade or cease to be as all existence ends.
“Zero Hour” is a bit of a mess, especially as so much happens off-panel in tie-ins. This was a time when editor’s boxes weren’t in favor at DC, so there are a ton of things that you just have to either ignore or deal with. (I’ve griped about this in regard to “Zero Hour” before).But in terms of changes, the JSA took some of the most substantial blows from the series.
The biggest one is that all of the JSAers, aside from Alan Scott, are aged to their ‘proper’ age, as people who were fighting crime in the 1940s. This instantly kills Doctor Mid-Nite, the Atom, and Hourman, and makes Ted Grant, Jay Garrick, and Ted Knight all either retired or forced into retirement due to the drastic aging. While these characters were not the staples in continuity they would become the next time they disappeared out of continuity a decade and a half later, this felt like a very big deal at the time.
Alan Scott’s status quo changes too, though he was protected by the Starheart and didn’t age. He abandons his ring and going by Sentinel following these events. This is an odd time for Scott, and some wild stories spin out of this, but for the most part, you get the impression that he, Ted Grant, and Jay Garrick were considered too foundational to the DC Universe to get shipped off so quickly. What is especially odd about that is that, unlike so many of the other characters, these three had very clear legacy characters that followed in their footsteps.
That is exactly what happens to Ted Knight, too, as he retires as Starman, and watches his sons pick up the mantle. Dr. Fate sees a new helmet-wearer emerge after Kent Nelson’s death, and the Hawks…well, things are never easy with the Hawks. Essentially, for neither the first nor the last time, the Hawkman continuity attempts to be cleaned up by Hawkman and Hawkgirl merging into the ‘Hawk God,’ which is all the Hawks at once, sort of. They tried, bless their hearts.
This represents the last time we see the JSA as an entity for five or so years in current continuity. But the events of this series, which led to “Starman,” are what laid the seeds for their return half a decade later. But there were a few out of continuity books that are really interesting.
I should note that I’ve been consulting a few JSA reading orders for this column, and this one suggests reading the “Golden Age Secret Files and Origins” one-shot before reading James Robinson’s “The Golden Age.” While it provides a little context into some of these characters, it isn’t exactly essential reading.
Continued belowGolden Age Secret Files and Origins #1Cover by Michael Lark
Written by John Ostrander, Tom Peyer, Peter Gross, and Jason Hernandez-Rosenblatt
Penciled by Cliff Chiang, Peter Grau, Peter Gross, and Jamal Igle
Inked by Cliff Chiang, Christian Alamy, Claude St. Aubin, Peter Gross, and Rod Ramos
Colored by Tom McGraw
Lettered by John Costanza and ComicraftReporter Clark Kent investigates the origins of costumed super-heroes, interviewing a variety of heroes who were there at the dawn of the Golden Age. Plus, Profile Pages and much more!
The best part of this issue is that the main story was illustrated by Cliff Chiang, and so we get 20ish pages of Chiang drawing Golden Age characters that look absolutely stunning. These ‘Secret Files and Origins’ books are half “Who’s Who” knockoff, and half simplified retellings, but they can be fun. There’s not too much to say here, but this is worth tracking down for Chiang’s art alone.
The Golden AgeCover by Paul Smith
Written by James Robinson
Illustrated by Paul Smith
Colored by Richard Ory
Lettered by John CostanzaDC’s first generation of super-heroes has been driven into retirement, hiding, or madness—except for a few who are willing to change with the times. But behind the scenes, something sinister is unfolding—a subtle plot that may engulf the planet and remake it in one man’s image.
DC loved its ‘Elseworlds’ label in the 90s, and “The Golden Age,” now collected as “JSA: The Golden Age” is a perfect example of a book that would never happen today. The book is a darker take on the Golden Age, but not due to a ton more violence or sex. It is a ‘more realistic’ story, though I hate that terminology. The best way I can describe “The Golden Age” is to say that it is a very 1993 interpretation of 1940s/50s events.
Despite being ‘out of continuity,’ a lot of this stuff would stick around, mainly in Robinson’s work, and more than the actual events, the tone of the book began to allow these characters to be more than either the squeaky clean avatars of America’s Greatest Generation or a bastardized attempt to modernize them. This helps to place the characters in an appropriate light.
A big part of that is due to Paul Smith’s artwork. He has a very classic approach, but his style isn’t necessarily retro. His characters all have a heft and gravity to them, but nothing is forced. This is one of the more natural works I’ve seen Smith do, and that natural ease gives the characters a lived in quality that helps their senior status.
The book takes a few of the more common JSA themes and turns them slightly on their ear. That means you get folks like the Ultra Humanite and a healthy dose of McCarthyism. Robinson, at this point in his career, was peerless at giving his characters layers without making them feel heavy handed, and his Johnny Chambers, especially, feels far more complete than he had in the entire post-Crisis timeframe.
Robinson also indulges a favorite conspiracy theory, which is that Hitler’s brain survived and was transferred into someone else’s body. Due to that plot thread and the McCarthy stuff, this plot can feel a little cliché, but Robinson’s excellent character work carries it through.
Continued belowDoctor Mid-NiteCover by John K. Snyder
Written by Mike Wagner
Illustrated and colored by John K. Snyder III
Lettered by Ken BruzenakDiscredited physician Dr. Pieter Cross is now the “Midnight Doctor,” a good Samaritan helping the less fortunate. When the new steroid A39 hits the streets, Pieter is concerned about the side effects and wants to shut down distribution. The men supplying the new drug take exception to this and try to kill the doctor with a heavy dose of the steroid and a car crash. Barely surviving but left blind, Pieter vows revenge. The fact that the steroid has left him able to see in the darkness leads him to take on the role of the new Dr. Mid-Nite.
Finally, we come to this really unique and gorgeous book that gives us the origin of the ‘new’ Doctor Mid-Nite. This feels incredibly like a Vertigo book, though it did not come out under that label. With very few exceptions, this story is almost entirely divorced from DC continuity, and presents the story in a very creative way. Snyder’s art really emphasizes the darkness that is inherent in the character, and the book looks and feels like nothing else DC was publishing at the time.
The series doesn’t attempt to do too much, and simply sets up Pieter Cross as a character that can be used elsewhere in the future, and although the Portsmouth setting is a unique and fun one, it is one that, unfortunately, wouldn’t get too much play after this series. Again, this is another series that seems almost impossible today. First of all, the prestige format has more or less gone the way of the dodo aside from ‘Black Label,’ and this isn’t a Batman story, so it likely wouldn’t qualify for that heading. But really, when these types of characters get miniseries nowadays – I’m looking at the New 52 versions of the Ray and Vigilante – they are never touched again. The fact that Cross was a JSA member for the next decade plus is a testament to DC’s introduction to the character here.
Next week: more James Robinson, as the Justice Society returns!
