DC Reboots Its First Super-Hero Team 86 Years Later
Shaun Corley has been with ScreenRant for over 5 years, and is currently the Coordinator for PR and Outreach for the Comics Team.
Warning: contains spoilers for JSA #24!
DC Comics has just rebooted the Justice Society of America’s history after 86 years. The first superhero team in the DC Universe, as well as comic books in general, the Justice Society’s legacy has outlived many of its members, and all of its creators. The Justice Society persists into the present day DC Universe, and is partially made up of children of original members.
Formed in 1940, and debuting in All-Star Comics #3, the Justice Society of America broke new ground in comic books. Prior to the Society’s premiere, superheroes worked alone. However, the Justice Society proved there was strength in numbers, a sentiment that lasts in superhero comics to this day. Initially, the Society’s first meetings consisted of its members sitting around a table, telling stories of their latest adventures. Eventually, they would all team up to stop a common threat, which shifted the concept into high gear. Yet by decade’s end, the Society was mostly washed up, ceasing publication in 1951.
The “real world” reason for the Justice Society’s cancellation was slipping sales, but DC came up with an ingenious method to explain the team’s disbanding in-universe: they were the victims of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) that ran rampant in the early 1950s. The Society came under fire, and broke up in the aftermath. While there were teams between the Society and the Justice League, it would be many years after the former broke up for superhero squads to make a true comeback.
DC Reveals a New Chapter in the Justice Society of America's History
The Justice Society Were Cold War Heroes
Yet in a preview for JSA #24, written by Jeff Lemire and drawn by Teddy Kristianson, a shocking new chapter in the team’s history is revealed. The preview opens with three Society members: Wildcat, Hourman and Doctor Mid-Nite, parachuting behind enemy lines. Their objective: find their missing comrade, the Atom. At first, readers may think the Society is fighting Nazis.
However, the truth is soon revealed: Hourman and company are fighting parties representing the Soviet Union. Hourman, Doctor Mid-Nite and Wildcat are caught up in the Cold War between the Soviets and America. The Russians are holding the Atom prisoner, and are subjecting him to cruel and twisted experiments. The preview ends with Wildcat drawing his fist back, ready to punch the evil Russian scientist, leaving fans waiting until Wednesday to see the Society in action.
DC Is Filling in the Gaps in the Justice Society's History
Revealing that the Justice Society was active during the Cold War opens a new chapter in the team’s long, winding history. Prior to JSA #24, fans believed the Society ended in 1951, and returned when heroes like Superman and Batman made their debut. Various stories have shown what the individual members of the Justice Society were up to during their hiatus, but the team doing black ops work for a government that ordered them to disband just a few years prior comes as a shock to fans.
DC’s preview for JSA #24 does not give a time frame for the Justice Society’s mission, but it is after the team broke up. Wildcat, who narrates the preview, reflects on the Society’s dissolution, revealing the hole it left in his life. The Society’s Cold War return raises some serious questions about DC’s history, namely what exactly pressed the three back into action. Did they cut a deal with the government? Or maybe they were blackmailed into doing the job? And are other Society members coming back as well?
Furthermore, the Society’s Cold War adventures could have serious ramifications in the present day.
Furthermore, the Society’s Cold War adventures could have serious ramifications in the present day. The mysterious Russian doctor about to carve the Atom up is using the diminutive hero for sinister purposes. The Atom, and the rest of the Justice Society, may have stumbled upon a plot that could have long-term consequences for the team and the DC Universe.
DC Needs More Cold War Justice Society Adventures
At the same time, the Justice Society’s adventures in the Cold War open up many exciting story possibilities. The period between World War II and the arrival of Superman in the DC Universe is still largely unexplored, and the Society being active during this period gives creators a golden opportunity to fill in the gaps in history. Future creators could also work in Easter Eggs for the DC characters that were active during this period, such as the first incarnation of the Suicide Squad, or the Justice Experience. This new era in the Justice Society’s history is mysterious, but also ripe with promise.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.