The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

team appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. It was conceived by editor

Sheldon Mayer Sheldon Mayer (; April 1, 1917 – December 21, 1991) was an American comics artist, writer, and editor. One of the earliest employees of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications, Mayer produced almost all of his comics wo ...

and writer

Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...

during the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and ma ...

. It first appeared in ''

All Star Comics ''All Star Comics'' is an American comic book series from All-American Publications, one of three companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. While the series' cover-logo trademark reads ''All St ...

'' #3 (Winter 1940–1941), making it the first team of superheroes in comic books. Its original members were

Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version was originally created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More Fun Comics' ...

Hourman Hourman or Hour-Man is the name of three different fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The original Hourman was created by writer Ken Fitch and artist Bernard Baily in ''Adventure Comics'' #48 (March 1940), during t ...

, the

Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writt ...

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The San ...

Atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...

, the

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

and

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

. The team was initially popular, but after superhero comics waned in the late 1940s, the JSA's adventures ceased with issue #57 of the title (March 1951). During the

Silver Age of Comic Books The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Silver A ...

, DC Comics reinvented several Justice Society members and brought many of them together in a new team, the

Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...

. Other JSA members remained absent from comics for ten years until Jay Garrick appeared alongside

Barry Allen Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character known as the Flash, following Flash (Jay Garrick), Jay Garrick. The character first appeared in ''Showcase (comic ...

, his Silver Age counterpart, in ''

The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...

'' #123 (September 1961). The Justice Society was established as existing on "

Earth-Two Earth-Two (also Earth 2) is a setting for stories (a "fictional universe") appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''The Flash'' #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between the original ...

" and the Justice League on "

Earth-One Earth-One (also Earth-1) is a name given to two fictional universes (the Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis versions of the same universe) that have appeared in American comic book stories published by DC Comics. The first Earth-One was given its name i ...

", different versions of Earth in different universes. This allowed for annual cross-dimensional team-ups of the teams between 1963 and 1985. New series, such as ''

All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its s ...

'', ''

Infinity, Inc. Infinity, Inc. is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first incarnation is mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice Society of America (JSA), making them the Society's analogue to t ...

,'' and a new ''All-Star Comics,'' featured the JSA, their children, and their heirs and explored the issues of aging, generational differences, and contrasts between the Golden Age and subsequent eras. The 1985 ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...

limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...

merged all of the company's various alternate realities into one, placing the JSA as

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

era predecessors to the company's modern characters. A ''JSA'' series was published from 1999 to 2006, and a ''Justice Society of America'' series that ran from 2007 to 2011. As part of DC Comics' 2011 relaunch of its entire line of monthly books, an unnamed version of the team appears in the ''Earth 2'' Vol 1 (2012–2015), ''Earth 2 World's End'' (2014–2015), and ''Earth 2: Society'' (2015–2017).

Publication history

''All Star Comics''

The Justice Society of America first appeared in ''

'' #3 (Winter 1940–1941) written by

and edited by

during the

. The team initially included:

, Hour-Man (as his name was then spelled), the

, the

, and

. Because some of these characters (the Atom, the Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman) were published by

All-American Publications All-American Publications, Inc.The name is spelled with a hyphen per its logo (pictured) and sources includinat Don Markstein's ToonopediaArchivedfrom the original on April 15, 2012. was one of two American comic book companies that merged to fo ...

rather than DC Comics, ''All-Star Comics'' #3 is the first inter-company superhero title, as well as the first team-up title. Comics' historian

Les Daniels Leslie Noel Daniels III, better known as Les Daniels (October 27, 1943 – November 5, 2011), was an American writer. Background Daniels attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wrote his master's thesis on ''Frankenstein ...

noted that: "This was obviously a great notion, since it offered readers a lot of headliners for a dime, and also the fun of watching fan favorites interact". The JSA's adventures were written by Gardner Fox as well as by John Broome and

Robert Kanigher Robert Kanigher (; June 18, 1915 – May 7, 2002)Social Security Death Index, social security #116-07-5117. was an American comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over ...

. The series was illustrated by a legion of artists including:

Martin Nodell Martin Nodell (; November 15, 1915 – December 9, 2006) was an American cartoonist and commercial artist, best known as the creator of the Golden Age superhero Green Lantern. Some of his work appeared under the pen name Mart Dellon. Biography Ea ...

Joe Kubert Joseph Kubert (; September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012) was a Poland, Polish-born Americans, American comic book artist, art teacher, and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawk ...

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

Harry Lampert Harry Lampert (November 3, 1916 – November 13, 2004) was an American cartoonist and bridge teacher and writer. Biography Born in New York City, Lampert began cartooning when he was sixteen years old, and worked for the legendary Max Fleischer ...

Joe Simon Joseph Henry Simon (born Hymie Simon; October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books ...

Alex Toth Alexander Toth (; June 25, 1928 – May 27, 2006) was an American cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but he is also known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera through ...

Sheldon Moldoff Sheldon "Shelly" Moldoff (; April 14, 1920 – February 29, 2012) was an Americans, American comics artist best known for his early work on the DC Comics characters Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and as one of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists" (unc ...

Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...

Joe Giella Joe Giella (June 27, 1928 – March 21, 2023) was an American comic book artist best known as a DC Comics inker during the late 1950s and 1960s period which historians and fans call the Silver Age of Comic Books. Due to his long and prolific caree ...

Win Mortimer James Winslow "Win" Mortimer (May 1, 1919 – January 11, 1998) Note: The Marvel Comics 1978 Calendar merchandise lists Mortimer's birth date as June 23 and ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' lists it as May 23 per was a Canadian comic book and comic stri ...

Bernard Baily Bernard Baily (April 5, 1916 – January 19, 1996)
at the Lambiek Comiclopedia
Frank Giacoia Frank Giacoia (July 6, 1924 – February 4, 1988) was an American comics artist known primarily as an inker. He sometimes worked under the name Frank Ray, and to a lesser extent Phil Zupa, and the single moniker Espoia, the latter used for collabo ...

H. G. Peter Harry George Peter (March 8, 1880 – January 2, 1958) was an American newspaper illustrator and cartoonist known as the co-creator of ''Wonder Woman'' comic book and for Bud Fisher of the ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Biography Harry George Pete ...

Jack Burnley Jack Burnley (January 11, 1911 – December 19, 2006) was the pen name of Hardin J. Burnley, an American comic book artist and illustrator. Burnley was the first artist, after co-creator Joe Shuster, to draw Superman in comic books. Biography E ...

Lee Elias Lee Elias (May 21, 1920 – April 8, 1998) was a British- American comics artist. He was best known for his work on the '' Black Cat'' comic book published by Harvey Comics in the 1940s. Biography Emigrating to the United States from Manches ...

Irwin Hasen Irwin Hasen (; July 8, 1918 – March 13, 2015) was an American cartoonist best known as the creator (with Gus Edson) of the ''Dondi'' comic strip. He also had a significant run on DC Comics' original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, in the 1940s as we ...

Bob Oksner Bob Oksner (October 14, 1916 – February 18, 2007) was an Americans, American comics artist known for both adventure comic strips and for superhero and humor comic books, primarily at DC Comics. Biography Oksner's early work includes creatin ...

Paul Reinman Paul J. Reinman (; born Joseph Paul Reinmann, ; 2 September 1910 – 27 September 1988)Paul J. Reinmen

Everett Edward Hibbard Everett may refer to: Places Canada * Everett, Ontario, a community in Adjala–Tosorontio, Simcoe County * Everett Mountains, a range on southern Baffin Island in Nunavut United States * Everett, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County, Massach ...

, and

Bernard Sachs Bernard Sachs (January 2, 1858 – February 8, 1944) was an American neurologist. Early life and education After graduating with a B.A. from Harvard in 1878, Sachs travelled to Europe and studied under some of the more prominent physicians o ...

. The first JSA story featured the team's first meeting, with a framing sequence for each member telling a story of an individual exploit. In the next issue, the team worked together on a common case, but each story from there on still featured the members individually on a mission involving part of the case, and then banding together in the end to wrap things up. An in-house rule explicitly laid out on the last page of ''All Star Comics'' #5, reprinted on page 206 of ''All Star Comics Archives'' Vol. 1, required that whenever a member received his or her own title, that character would leave ''All Star Comics'', becoming an "honorary member" of the JSA. Thus, the Flash was replaced by

Johnny Thunder Johnny Thunder is the name of three superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. A fourth character has the variant name Jonni Thunder. The character appeared in the second season of '' Stargirl'' on The CW network played by Ethan E ...

after #6, and Green Lantern left shortly thereafter for the same reason. For this reason,

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

and

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

were established as already being "honorary" members prior to ''All Star Comics'' #3. How these two heroes helped found the JSA before becoming honorary members was not explained until ''DC Special'' #29 in 1977. Hawkman is the only member to appear in every JSA adventure in the original run of ''All Star Comics''. ''All Star Comics'' #8 (December 1941/January 1942) featured the first appearance of

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

. Unlike the other characters who had their own titles, she was allowed to appear in the series, but only as the JSA's secretary from #11 onward, and did not actively take part in most adventures until much later in the series. She was excluded from the title because of the same rules that had excluded the Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, and Batman from the title, though in #13 it was claimed she had become an active member. A

fan club A fan club is an organized group of fans, generally of a celebrity. Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to support them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the pers ...

for the team called the "Junior Justice Society of America" was introduced in ''All Star Comics'' #14 (Dec. 1942-Jan. 1943). The membership kit included a welcome letter, a badge, a decoder, a four-page comic book, and a membership certificate. By ''All Star Comics'' #24 (Spring 1945), a real-world schism between National Comics and All-American Publications—a nominally independent company run by

Max Gaines Maxwell Charles Gaines (born Max Ginzberg, September 21, 1894 – August 20, 1947) was an American publisher and a pioneering figure in the creation of the modern comic book. In 1933, Gaines devised the first four-color, saddle-stitched newspri ...

and

Jack Liebowitz Jacob S. Liebowitz (; born Yacov Lebovitz, October 10, 1900 – December 11, 2000 The JSA roster remained mostly the same for the rest of the series. Gardner Fox left the series with issue #34 (April–May 1947) with a story that introduced a new super-villain, the Wizard. The

Injustice Society The Injustice Society (a.k.a. the Injustice Society of the World) is a group of supervillains in the . They are the main antagonists of the Justice Society of America. The Injustice Society first appears in '' All Star Comics'' #37 (October 1947 ...

first battled the JSA in issue #37 in a tale written by Robert Kanigher. The team's second female member

Black Canary Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, ...

first helped the group in ''All Star Comics'' #38 and became a full member in #41. ''All Star Comics'' and the JSA's Golden Age adventures ended with issue #57, the title becoming ''

All-Star Western ''All-Star Western'' is the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 t ...

'', with no superheroes. A good amount of artwork has survived from an

unpublished To publish Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creati ...

''All Star Comics'' story titled "The Will of William Wilson" and has been reprinted in various publications from

TwoMorrows Publishing TwoMorrows Publishing is a publisher of magazines about comic books, founded in 1994 by John and Pam Morrow out of their small advertising agency in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Its products also include books and DVDs. List of maga ...

. The explanation for the team's disappearance, and the inactivity of most of its roster after the early 1950s, was first given in ''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

'' #466 ("The Defeat of the Justice Society!", December 1979) by writer

Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002 to 2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...

, which explained that most of the Society chose to disband and retire rather than appear in front of the Joint Un-American Activities Committee, which demanded that they unmask themselves. The chairmanship of the Justice Society mostly resided with Hawkman, although initially the Flash, and later Green Lantern, took turns leading the team. For a brief period in 1942, they were known as the Justice Battalion, as they became an extension of the armed forces of the United States of America during World War II. It was later explained that the reason the JSA did not invade Europe and end the war was because of the influence of the

Spear of Destiny A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to t ...

, which caused the JSA's most powerful members to fall under the control of its wielder,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

. In the 1980s, it was established that the JSA had a loose affiliation with the

. The All-Star Squadron's adventures were set in the 1940s, and were considered to have happened concurrently with the Justice Society's in a "

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...

". The headquarters for the JSA was a hotel suite in New York City initially and, after the war, the team settled on a

brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Ty ...

building in

Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city in the Northeastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List ...

, and later in

Civic City This page lists the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites Arrowcave The Arrowcave is the former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. Avernus Cemetery Avernus Cemetery is a hidden burial grou ...

. The JSA was provided with an orbital satellite headquarters, much like their later counterparts, the JLA, but it was immediately abandoned when it was revealed to be a death trap built in an attempt to kill off the team. The Gotham City brownstone remained unoccupied until years later when the team was active again. The headquarters used in the 2000s was a brownstone in

Morningside Heights Morningside Heights is a neighborhood on the West Side of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Morningside Drive to the east, 125th Street to the north, 110th Street to the south, and Riverside Drive to the west. Morningsi ...

The Silver Age

Having successfully introduced new versions of several characters (the Flash, Green Lantern, etc.) during the late 1950s, DC tapped industry veteran, and former Justice Society writer,

to create a new version of the Justice Society. Editor

Julius Schwartz Julius "Julie" Schwartz ( ; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was an American comic book editor, and a science fiction agent. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various times he ...

, influenced by the popularity of Major League Baseball's National League and American League, decided to change the name of the team from Justice ''Society'' to Justice ''League''. In ''

'' #123 (September 1961) "The Flash of Two Worlds", the Silver Age Flash meets his Golden Age counterpart, Jay Garrick who, along with the rest of the original Justice Society, is said to inhabit an alternative universe. This historic meeting thus became one of the classic DC comics of the Silver Age. Fan letters on the pages of following issues were wildly enthusiastic about the revival of the original Flash, both from older fans who remembered the old JSA tales, and younger fans eager to learn more about these new heroes. Further meetings occurred in ''The Flash'' #129 "Double Danger on Earth" (June 1962), and ''The Flash'' #137 "Vengeance of the Immortal Villain" (June 1963). ''The Flash'' #129 contains the first mention of the JSA in the Silver Age, and refers directly to their last adventure in ''All-Star Comics'' #57, while in ''The Flash'' #137 the JSA re-form. These stories set the stage for "Crisis on Earth-One" (''Justice League of America'' #21, August 1963) and "Crisis on Earth-Two" (''Justice League of America'' #22, September 1963), a two-part tale where the Golden Age Justice Society teams up with the Silver Age Justice League to combat a team of villains from both worlds. The following year, the two teams of heroes worked together to stop an evil version of the Justice League from another alternative Earth (''Justice League of America'' #29, "Crisis on Earth-Three", August 1964). These stories became the first in a long series of team-ups of the two supergroups, an annual summer tradition which continued until 1985. As well as the annual Justice League of America appearances, members of the JSA guest-starred in other titles over the next several years: the Golden Age Atom in ''The

'' #29 and #36, and the Golden Age Green Lantern in several issues of ''Green Lantern''. In addition, a number of the characters appeared in team-up stories in issues of the DC titles ''

The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by a reprint miniseries in 1988, two original miniseries in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing anthology ...

'' and '' Showcase'', while the Spectre was given a solo run in the latter which led to his own series. Some JSA members during this period, residing on "Earth-Two", were portrayed as middle-aged versions of their younger, contemporary "Earth-One" counterparts; the "Earth-Two" characters' portrayal as older than their counterparts eased incorporation of the existing fictional history of the Justice Society of America into newly written stories about the "Earth-Two" characters. Later, this fictional age gap was to become a major theme for character development, with the fictional histories of different versions of the same characters deviating significantly from each other in ways impacted by their differences in age, including even the deaths of popular characters such as

in one setting while different, contemporary versions of the characters lived on as inhabitants of a different fictional "Earth".

The Bronze Age

The JSA's popularity grew until they regained their own title. ''

'' #58 (January/February 1976) saw the group return as mentors to a younger set of heroes briefly called the "Super Squad" until they were integrated into the JSA proper. This run lasted until #74, with a brief run thereafter in ''

'' #461–466, but it had three significant developments: it introduced

Power Girl Power Girl, also known as Kara Zor-L, Karen Starr, and Paige Stetler, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, making her first appearance in ''All Star Comics'' #58 (January/February 1976).''Who's Who in the DC Unive ...

in ''All Star Comics'' #58, chronicled the death of the Golden Age Batman in ''Adventure Comics'' #461–462, and, after nearly 40 years, it finally provided the JSA with an origin story in ''

DC Special ''DC Special'' was a comic book anthology series published by DC Comics originally from 1968 to 1971; it resumed publication from 1975 to 1977. For the most part, ''DC Special'' was a theme-based reprint title, mostly focusing on stories from DC ...

'' #29. The Huntress was introduced in ''DC Super Stars'' #17 (Nov.–Dec. 1977) which told her origin, and ''All Star Comics'' #69 (Nov.–Dec. 1977), which was published the same day. The 1970s run of ''All Star Comics'' was written by

Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" (" Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, science ficti ...

and

, and artists included

Ric Estrada Ric Estrada (February 26, 1928 – May 1, 2009) was a Cuban Americans, Cuban-American comics artist who worked for companies including the major American publisher DC Comics. He also worked in comic strips, political cartoons, advertising, story ...

Wally Wood Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927 – November 2, 1981) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as ''Weird Science (comic), Weird Science'', ''Weird Fantasy'', an ...

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (November 30, 1952 – October 9, 2023) was an American comics artist and writer. He was known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of ...

Joe Staton Joe Staton ( born January 19, 1948) is an American comics artist and writer. He co-created the Bronze Age Huntress (Helena Wayne), as well as the third Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), Kilowog and the Omega Men for DC Comics. He was the artist o ...

, and

Bob Layton Bob Layton (born September 25, 1953) is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics titles such as ''Iron Man (comic book), Iron Man'' and ''Hercules (Marvel Comics), Hercules'', and for co-fo ...

. The series was noteworthy for depicting the heroes as having aged into their 50s. The artwork gave them graying hair and lined faces. It was highly unusual for a comic book to have heroes this old. Most comic books obscured the timelines or periodically relaunched the series to keep the characters youthful. This depiction was a consequence of the fact that the heroes were closely linked to the era of World War II. This became problematic in the 1980s when the heroes would logically be well into their 60s. The explanation given for this by writer

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...

in ''

Annual'' #3 is that the team, and several friends, have absorbed energy from the magical villain

Ian Karkull Ian Karkull is a supervillain in comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #69 (August 1941) as a foe of the sorcerer Doctor Fate. He later became a recurring foe of the All-Star Squadron and the Justice Society o ...

during an adventure in the 1940s that slows their aging process. Meanwhile, the JSA continued their annual team-ups with the Justice League. Notable events include meeting the

Fawcett Comics Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter Billy Bats ...

heroes, including Captain Marvel, the death of Mr. Terrific, and the origin of the Black Canary. The JLA/JSA crossovers often involved a third team as well such as the

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...

, the

New Gods The New Gods are a fictional extraterrestrial race appearing in the eponymous comic book series published by DC Comics, as well as selected other DC titles. Created and designed by Jack Kirby, they first appeared in February 1971 in ''New Gods'' ...

, the

Secret Society of Super Villains Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a DC Comics title that debuted in May–June 1976. The series presented a group of DC's supervillains, mostly foes of the Justice League, Justice League of America. The series was cancelled with issue #1 ...

, and the

. ''All-Star Squadron'' was a series taking place in the JSA's original setting of the wartime 1940s. This led to a spinoff, modern day series entitled ''

'' which starred the children and heirs of the JSA members. Both series were written by noted JSA fan

and featured art by

Rich Buckler Rich Buckler (February 6, 1949 – May 19, 2017) was an Americans, American comics artist and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel Comics' ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' in the mid-1970s and for creating the character Deat ...

Jerry Ordway Jeremiah Joseph Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books. He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite E ...

Todd McFarlane Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic-book creator, best known for his work as an artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horror-fantasy series '' Spawn,'' as well as bein ...

, and others. In 1985, DC

retconned Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...

many details of the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...

in ''

''. Among the changes, the Golden Age Superman,

Robin Robin most commonly refers to several species of passerine birds. Robin may also refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), inclu ...

, and

ceased to exist, and the Earth-One/Earth-Two dichotomy was resolved by merging the Multiverse into a single universe. This posed a variety of problems for the JSA, whose history—especially in the 1980s comics—was strongly tied up in these four characters. The JLA–JSA team-ups ended with the last pre-Crisis teamup occurring in ''Justice League of America'' #244 and ''Infinity Inc.'' #19 during the ''Crisis''.

After ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''

One of Roy Thomas's efforts to resolve the ''Crisis''-created inconsistencies was to introduce some analogues to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, in a sequel to ''All-Star Squadron'' titled ''

Young All-Stars The Young All-Stars are a team of fictional DC Comics superheroes. They were created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, and Michael Bair, and introduced in ''Young All-Stars'' #1, dated June 1987. The team members Tsunami, Neptune Perkins, and Dan th ...

''. In 1986, DC decided to write off the JSA from active continuity. '' The Last Days of the Justice Society''

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'', a ...

involved most of the team battling the forces of evil while merged with the

Norse gods Norse is a demonym for Norsemen, a Medieval North Germanic ethnolinguistic group ancestral to modern Scandinavians, defined as speakers of Old Norse from about the 9th to the 13th centuries. Norse may also refer to: Culture and religion * Nors ...

in an ever-repeating

Ragnarök In Norse mythology, (also Ragnarok; or ; ) is a foretold series of impending events, including a great battle in which numerous great Norse mythological figures will perish (including the Æsir, gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdall, a ...

-like

Limbo The unofficial term Limbo (, or , referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition in medieval Catholic theology, of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. However, it has become the gene ...

, written by Thomas, with art by David Ross and Mike Gustovich. Only Power Girl, the Star-Spangled Kid, the Spectre, and Doctor Fate escaped the cataclysm. A later comic book series, '' The Sandman'', portrays this scenario as a simulation, created by

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

in his search for a way to thwart the real Ragnarök. Roy Thomas revised the JSA's origin for post-''Crisis'' continuity in ''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...

'' vol. 2 #31.

''Justice Society of America'' (vols. 1 and 2) (1991–1993)

Fan interest resulted in the revival of the JSA in 1991. An eight-issue ''Justice Society of America'' limited series featuring a previously untold story set in the 1950s was published in 1991. In the final issues of the four-issue '' Armageddon: Inferno'' limited series, the JSA returns to the modern-day DC Universe when

Waverider A waverider is a hypersonic aircraft design that improves its supersonic lift-to-drag ratio by using the shock waves being generated by its own flight as a lifting surface, a phenomenon known as compression lift. The waverider remains a w ...

transported the "daemen" of the interdimensional Abraxis to

Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr''; "Garden of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in several Old Norse sagas and mythological texts, including the Eddas, however it has also been suggested to be refe ...

as a substitute for the JSA in the Ragnarök cycle, allowing the team to return to Earth. In 1992, the JSA was given an ongoing monthly series titled ''Justice Society of America'', written by Len Strazewski with art by

Mike Parobeck Michael J. Parobeck (July 7, 1965 – July 2, 1996)Social Security Death Index, SS# 278-64-1442. was an American comics artist best known for his work on the ''Batman Adventures'' comic book. His artwork featured a fluid animation-inspired drawi ...

, featuring the original team adjusting to life after returning from Ragnarök. Though ''Justice Society of America'' was intended as an ongoing series, and was popular with readers, the decision was made to cancel the book after the third issue's release. Twelve issues of the new series were ultimately commissioned, though publication itself ended with issue #10. Portions of the remaining two issues originally intended for #11–12, which were part of a planned crossover with ''Justice League Europe'', were published in ''

Justice League Europe ''Justice League Europe'' (''JLE'') is a comic book series published by DC Comics that was a spin-off of the comic book '' Justice League America'' (which was then named '' Justice League International'' (vol. 1) for issues #7 to #25). ''Justic ...

'' #49–50. Strazewski, in an interview explaining the cancellation of this series, said, "It was a capricious decision made personally by

Mike Carlin Michael Carlin (born October 6, 1958) is an American comic book writer, editing, editor, and executive. He has worked principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics since the 1970s. Early life Carlin attended the High School of Art and Design in M ...

because he didn't like Mike's artwork or my writing and believed that senior citizen super-heroes was not what DC should be publishing. He made his opinion clear to me several times after the cancellation." ''Justice Society of America'' included the first appearance of

Jesse Quick Jesse Belle Chambers is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Chambers, who mainly uses the superhero name Jesse Quick and briefly Liberty Belle, is the daughter of Golden Age of Comics, Golden Age heroes Johnny Qui ...

, the daughter of All-Star Squadron members Liberty Belle and

Johnny Quick Johnny Quick may refer to: * Johnny Quick (Crime Syndicate) * Johnny Quick (Johnny Chambers) See also * Jonathan Quick, hockey player {{dab ...

, who would go on to be a major figure in ''Flash'', ''Titans'', and later ''Justice Society'' comics. Not long after, most of the team was incapacitated or killed in the 1994 crossover series '' Zero Hour: Crisis in Time''. During the battle between the Justice Society and the villain

Extant Extant or Least-concern species, least concern is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Exta ...

, the latter removes the chronal energies keeping the Justice Society young. The

Doctor Mid-Nite Doctor Mid-Nite (or Doctor Midnight) is the name of multiple superheroes published in American comic books by DC Comics. The original version of the character was first created by writer Charles Reizenstein and artist Stanley Josephs Aschmeier in ...

, and Hourman die immediately. Hawkman and

Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' ...

, who were separated from the rest of the Justice Society after being pulled into the

timestream The timestream or time stream is a metaphorical conception of time as a stream, a flowing body of water. In '' Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction'', the term is more narrowly defined as: "the series of all events from past ...

, merge into a new Hawkgod being, resulting in their deaths. Doctor Fate dies of the resulting aging shortly after ''Zero Hour''. Green Lantern is kept young because of the mystical effects of the

Starheart A power ring is an object featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. The power ring first appeared in ''All-American Comics'' #16 on July 14, 1940. Green Lantern Corps The first appearance of a power ring was in ''All-American Co ...

, but loses his ring and subsequently changes his name to Sentinel. The rest of the team is now too physically old to continue fighting crime and retires. Starman retires and passes on the Starman legacies to his sons, resulting in the creation of one of the new series following ''Zero Hour'', James Robinson's '' Starman''.

''JSA'' (1999–2006)

The JSA remained inactive for some time after the events of " Zero Hour", but the surviving members of the Flash,

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

, and Alan Scott (now going by the name Sentinel) have remained active throughout the DC Universe, having been placed as reserve JLI members, as evidenced in ''Justice League Europe'' #50. The Justice Society was revived as a monthly series called ''JSA'' in 1999 which mixed the few remaining original members with younger counterparts. This incarnation of the team focused on the theme of generational legacy and of carrying on the heroic example established by their predecessors. The series was launched by James Robinson and

David S. Goyer David Samuel Goyer (born December 22, 1965) is an American filmmaker, novelist, and comic book writer. He is best known for writing the screenplays and stories for several superhero films, including '' Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (1998), t ...

. Goyer later co-wrote the series with

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...

, who continued to write the series solo after Goyer's departure. The series featured the art of

Stephen Sadowski Stephen Sadowski (born 1967, in British Columbia) is a Canadian artist, working primarily as a penciler and cover artist on superhero comics. He is known for penciling ''JSA'', the 1999 revival of the Justice Society of America written by James ...

Leonard Kirk Leonard Kirk is an American-born comic book artist living in Canada. He has worked on such properties as ''Supergirl (comic book), Supergirl'', ''Justice Society of America, JSA'', ''Star Trek'', ''Batman (comic book), Batman'', and ''Witchblade' ...

, and

Don Kramer Don Kramer is an American comics artist. He has worked for both Marvel and DC, as well as on independent projects. Titles at DC include a Doctor Fate miniseries with Chris Golden, '' JSA'' with Geoff Johns and a run on ''Detective Comics'' with ...

, among others. It featured a story by

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

winner

Michael Chabon Michael Chabon ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, D.C., he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, ...

. During the events of ''

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...

'', some of the surviving Golden Age characters, such as Wildcat and the Flash, are transported to the new "Earth-Two," as created by

Alexander Luthor Jr. Alexander Luthor Jr. is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The son of Earth-Three's Lex Luthor, he played a large role in the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and ''Infinite Crisis'' events. Publication history ...

, and seem to recall the existence of the original one, albeit vaguely.

''JSA: Classified'' (2005–2008)

In September 2005, ''JSA''s popularity led to a spinoff series, ''JSA: Classified'', which tells stories of the team at various points in its existence, as well as spotlighting specific members in solo stories. The first arc, written by

with art by

Amanda Conner Amanda Conner is an American comics artist and commercial art illustrator. She began her career in the late 1980s for Archie Comics and Marvel Comics, before moving on to contribute work for Claypool Comics' '' Soulsearchers and Company'' and Ha ...

, featured Power Girl's origin. The series was cancelled with issue #39 (August 2008).

''One Year Later''

After the events of DC's ''

'' crossover and the

World War III World War III, also known as the Third World War, is a hypothetical future global conflict subsequent to World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). It is widely predicted that such a war would involve all of the great powers, ...

event chronicled in '' 52'', JSA members Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, and Ted Grant decide to revive the Justice Society.

''Justice Society of America'' vol. 3 (2006–2011)

On December 6, 2006, a new series was launched with the creative team of Geoff Johns (writer), Dale Eaglesham (pencils), and Alex Ross (cover art). The beginning of the new series showed JSA veterans the Flash, Green Lantern, and Wildcat choosing members of the new generation of superheroes to train. Continuing a major theme from the previous JSA title, this new series focused on the team being the caretakers of the superhero legacy from one generation to the next. The crossovers between the JLA and JSA began again with "The Lightning Saga" (see below) in ''JLA'' vol. 4 #8–10 and ''JSA'' #5–6 and an epilogue in issue #7. ''Justice Society of America Annual'' #1 (September 2008) featured the Justice Society Infinity, a team continuing from an analogous post-''Crisis'' Earth-Two. Most of the members of the Justice Society Infinity are original members of Earth-Two's Justice Society, such as the Atom and

(

Dick Grayson Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman, Teen Titans and Justice League. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in ' ...

), but the Society includes characters that are normally associated with Infinity, Inc., such as

Jade Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...

and

Nuklon Nabu Nabu is a fictional character appearing in American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated i ...

(

Albert Rothstein Albert Julian "Al" Rothstein, also known as Nuklon and Atom Smasher, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Atom Smasher is known for his powers of size and density manipulation and superhuman strength. The char ...

). Johns' run as writer of ''Justice Society of America'' ended with issue #26. Following a two-issue story by

Bill Willingham William Willingham (born 1956) is an American writer and artist of comics, known for his work on the series '' Elementals'' and ''Fables''. Career William Willingham was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. During his father's military career the fam ...

and

Lilah Sturges Lilah Sturges (; born Matthew Sturges, October 1970) is an American writer of comics and fantasy novels. She is best known for co-writing with Bill Willingham the Eisner-award-nominated '' Jack of Fables'', and other comics published by Vertigo Co ...

took over as writers with issue #29 in July 2009. Another JLA/JSA crossover was chronicled in ''Justice League of America'' #44–48 and ''Justice Society of America'' #41–42 under the ''

Brightest Day ''Brightest Day'' is a 2010–2011 Crossover (comics), crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of a year-long comic book Limited series (comics), maxiseries that began in April 2010, and a number of tie-in books. The story is a dir ...

'' banner. James Robinson, the writer who co-wrote the 1999 ''JSA'' relaunch, took over as the book's writer for the crossover while

Mark Bagley Mark Bagley (; born August 7, 1957) is an American comics artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics on such titles as ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thunderbolts (comic book), Thunderbolts'', ''New Warriors'', ''Venom (comic book), Venom'' and ''Ulti ...

illustrated the entire event. After the crossover, Robinson wrote one final issue with artist

Jesus Merino Jesús Merino (born 1965) is a Spanish comic book artist, best known in the American comic industry for his collaborations with penciller Carlos Pacheco. Merino himself raised from the ''Línea Laberinto'' of ''Planeta-DeAgostini'' Spanish publ ...

, which dealt with the relationship between Green Lantern and his son

Obsidian Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...

. Following the ''Brightest Day'' story arc,

Marc Guggenheim Marc Guggenheim (born September 24, 1970) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelist. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), and ''Lege ...

became the new writer with issue #44, and

Scott Kolins Scott Kolins (born 1968) is an American illustrator, writer, and creator of multiple different superhero and science fiction comic books. His main credits are as a penciler but he is an established inker as well as colorist and has some credits ...

took over art duties from Merino. During his first several issues, Guggenheim introduced a number of new characters to the team, such as Blue Devil and Manhunter. In issue #49, he expanded the JSA's roster by bringing back all of the JSA All-Stars except for Magog, who had been killed in '' Justice League: Generation Lost'', and Power Girl, who had unofficially departed from the JSA during the same maxi-series, as well as the original Liberty Belle. In addition, Guggenheim introduced a new character named

Red Beetle Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

(a gadget-wielding heroine clad in a red variation of the Silver Age

Blue Beetle Blue Beetle is the name of three superheroes appearing in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the rights to the ...

's costume), and brought in Ri and Darknight, two Chinese superheroes that he had created for his ''

Batman Confidential ''Batman Confidential'' is an American monthly comic book series from DC Comics which debuted on December 6, 2006 and concluded on March 2, 2011. Like a previous Batman series, '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'', ''Batman Confidential'' fea ...

'' run.

''JSA All-Stars'' vol. 2 (2009–2011)

An ongoing series titled ''JSA All-Stars'' debuted with a February 2010 cover date (distinct from ''JSA: All Stars'', a limited series published from July 2003 to February 2004). The series focused on a second team that formed after the JSA split. Calling themselves the "All-Stars", the group included more of the newer, younger members of the JSA. The roster consisted of: Magog,

Damage Damage is any change in a thing, often a physical object, that degrades it away from its initial state. It can broadly be defined as "changes introduced into a system that adversely affect its current or future performance".Farrar, C.R., Sohn, H., ...

, Power Girl, Hourman, Atom Smasher,

Sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

, Stargirl,

Cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

(Ton Bronson),

Citizen Steel Commander Steel (also known as Captain Steel, Citizen Steel and Sergeant Steel) is the name of three superheroes appearing in media published by DC Comics, all members of the same family. The first Steel appeared in ''Steel, The Indestructible ...

Judomaster Judomaster is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. An unidentified incarnation of Judomaster appears in the television series '' Peacemaker'', portrayed by Nhut Le. Creation Creator Frank McL ...

King Chimera King Chimera is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe, a member of the superhero team the Justice Society of America. King Chimera first appeared in ''Justice Society of America'' (vol. 3) #24 (April 2009), and was created by Lilah Stu ...

Anna Fortune Anna Fortune is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe, a member of the superhero team the Justice Society of America. Anna Fortune first appeared in ''JSA All-Stars'' #5 (June 2010) and was created by Lilah Sturges and Freddie Williams ...

, and the A.I. Roxy, with Damage and Magog later being killed. DC cancelled ''JSA All-Stars'' with issue #18 (July 2011) because of the events of '' Flashpoint'', the DC 2011 summer event. As a result of the title's cancellation, writer Marc Guggenheim had all of the All-Stars except Power Girl and Magog rejoin the JSA in ''Justice Society of America'' #49.

DC Rebirth (2011–2017)

In the '' DC Universe Rebirth'' one-shot, Johnny Thunder is in a nursing home. He is trying to escape, but Kid Flash Wally West appears to Johnny trying to establish a link to return from the Speed Force. Johnny admits he threw away the magic pen containing Thunderbolt. In ''The Flash Rebirth'' series, the interaction between Pre-''New 52'' Wally West and ''New 52'' Wally West triggers a disturbance in the Speed Force, which causes Barry to have a strange vision. In the vision, Barry sees Johnny Quick's Speed formula and Jay Garrick's Flash helmet. Johnny Thunder is seen again during the ''

Button A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, or ...

'' crossover, where he is on a roof shouting for his Thunderbolt and that it is his fault they lost the Justice Society. At the end of the crossover, it is revealed that the Pre-''New 52'' Jay Garrick was also stuck in the Speed Force, and Barry is able to momentarily free him. However, when Barry tries to secure him to the universe just as he did to Wally, Jay instead is transported back into the Speed Force in a blast of blue energy. In the ''

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...

'' sequel '' Doomsday Clock'',

Doctor Manhattan Doctor Manhattan (Dr. Jonathan "Jon" Osterman) is a fictional DC Comics character created by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons. He debuted in the graphic novel, limited Limited series (comics), series graphic novel, ''Watchmen.'' Follo ...

recalls various events in which he indirectly killed

Alan Scott Alan Ladd Wellington Scott is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first character to bear the name Green Lantern. He fights evil with the aid of his mystical ring, which grants him a variety of powers. H ...

and thus brought about changes in the timeline. On July 16, 1940, Alan Scott was riding on a train over a collapsing bridge, but he survived by grabbing onto a green lantern. He continues his life, eventually "sitting at a round table wearing a mask" and later testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee but refusing to implicate anyone in his employ. On July 16, 1940, again, Doctor Manhattan moves the lantern six inches out of Alan Scott's reach so that Scott dies in the train accident and leaves no family behind. At the Daily Planet,

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning ...

finds a flash-drive showing footage of various members of the Justice Society of America such as Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Hourman, Sandman, and Spectre. Lois did not know about the Justice Society until now. When Doctor Manhattan first arrived in the DC Universe, he witnesses the creation of the JSA and each of its founding members superhero personas. In one timeline (Golden Age/Earth-2), Doctor Manhattan watches as the JSA wait for the arrival of Superman to formally create their team. This then changes to a timeline (Post-Crisis/New Earth) where Superman was not a founding member and did not arrive until 1956. Curious about the importance of Superman and what would happen if time were to be changed and how it would affect him, Doctor Manhattan prevented Alan Scott from becoming Green Lantern. This in turn created the ''New 52'' Universe, and with it, the creation of the Justice Society of America was erased. When Doctor Manhattan undoes the experiment that erased the Justice Society and the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Justice Society (consisting of Atom-Smasher, Cyclone, Damage, Doctor Fate, Doctor Mid-Nite II, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hourman II, Jade, Jakeem Thunder and Johnny Thunderbolt, Liberty Belle, Mister Terrific, Obsidian, Power Girl, Sandman II, Stargirl, S.T.R.I.P.E., Wildcat I, and Wildcat II) appears to help Superman fight the rampaging metahumans. Afterwards, the Justice Society investigates the Department of Metahuman Affairs which led to the arrest of those involved. The Justice Society returns in the pages of ''

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

''. The League splits up to retrieve fragments on the Totality from the past and future. Flash and Green Lantern are transported to 1941 to retrieve a fragment. They arrive in December 1941 to discover that the Legion of Doom has already travelled to the past and meddled in history, attacking and seemingly conquering the United States. They encounter the Justice Society, much to their surprise, as they are not aware of any superheroes active in the 1940s. However, they begin to develop an affinity for their Golden Age counterparts, and feel that there is an intricate shared history they cannot fully remember. In the fifth volume of ''Hawkman'' following the defeat of Anton Hastor, a deceased

and

Hawkwoman Hawkwoman is the name of several Female superheroes, superheroines all owned by DC Comics and existing in that company's DC Universe. They are partners, and sometimes spouses or lovers, of the various versions of Hawkman, and share many features w ...

are reborn as their Golden Age counterparts, reuniting with their old friends in the Justice Society.

New Justice (2018–2021)

In the pages of " Dark Nights: Death Metal", Justice Society members Green Lantern, Flash, Doctor Fate, and Wildcat were shown to be guarding the Valhalla Cemetery. The password to get in was "Ma Hunkel" where Green Lantern mentioned that she was the first guardian of the JSA's first headquarters. As Superman and his allies prepare for their final fight against both Perpetua and the

Darkest Knight ''Young Jedi Knights'' is a ''Star Wars'' young adult fiction series by science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson and his wife Rebecca Moesta. It was published from 1995 to 1998. It covers the Jedi training of Jacen and Jaina Solo, the twin chi ...

, Justice Society members Damage, Green Lantern, and Flash were present. In addition, Batman used the Black Lantern ring to revive JSA members Atom, Hourman, Ma Hunkel, and Sandman. At the end of " Dark Nights: Death Metal", the Justice Society are shown fighting in World War II alongside the narrator of the series

Sgt. Rock Sergeant Franklin John Rock, also known as simply Sgt. Rock, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Sgt. Rock first appeared in '' Our Army at War'' #83 (June 1959), and was created by Robert Kanigher ...

. It is explicitly noted that this is 1943 in the DC universe, indicating that they have been fully restored to the timeline.

Infinite Frontier (2021–2023)

Dawn of DC (2023–2024)

In August 2022 it was announced that following the conclusion of ''

Flashpoint Beyond ''Flashpoint Beyond'' is an American comic book published by DC Comics. The seven-issue limited series—written by Geoff Johns, Jeremy Adams and Tim Sheridan and illustrated by Eduardo Risso, Xermánico and Mikel Janín—began its monthly pub ...

'', a one shot entitled ''

The New Golden Age "The New Golden Age" is a crossover event in DC Comics publications. Written by Geoff Johns, the story follows the Justice Society of America unraveling a mystery following the Golden Age heroes and villains and the untold stories that come with i ...

'' would release in November that year, with heavy ties to the fourth volume of the Justice Society of America series, with

writing and Mikel Janín providing art. The central storyline also ties in to several limited series like ''Stargirl: The Lost Children'', ''Alan Scott: The Green Lantern'', ''Jay Garrick: The Flash'', and ''Wesley Dodds: The Sandman''. The first five issues had the Justice Society encountering a Huntress from a possible future and fighting Per Degaton and his time clones. Per Degaton is defeated and Huntress' possible future is erased with Huntress remaining in the present.

DC All In (2024–present)

Membership

Collected editions

Awards

The Justice Society received a 1965 Alley Award in the category "Strip or Book Most Desired for Revival".

Other versions

JSA: The Golden Age

An alternate universe iteration of the Justice Society appear in '' JSA: The Golden Age''.

Earth 2

The Justice Society appears in '' Earth-2'', consisting of Jay Garrick / Flash, Alan Scott / Green Lantern, Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl, and Al Pratt / The Atom.

Earth-3

The Justice Society All-Stars, a group from

Earth-3 Earth-Three, or simply Earth-3 or Earth 3, is a “partially-reversed” Earth, where supervillainous counterparts of the mainstream DC superheroes reside. It first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #29 (August 1964), and the concept has ...

who serve as heroic counterparts of the

, appears in ''Hawkman'' (vol. 5) #18, consisting of Lion-Miss (an amalgam of

Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

and

Lion-Mane L-Ron L-Ron is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writers Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis, and first appeared in ''Justice League International'' #14 (June 1988). L-Ron i ...

), the Pinkerton Ghost, Matter Mage, and Shadow Sheriff.

In other media

Television

Animation

* The ''

'' two-part episode "Legends" pays homage to the Justice Society with the

Justice Guild of America The Justice Guild of America is a superhero team featured in the ''Justice League'' animated series two-part episode "Legends", an homage to the Golden Age Justice Society of America, and to a degree the Silver Age Justice League of America. App ...

(JGA), a team of imaginary superheroes who exist in

another universe The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe t ...

and consists of the Green Guardsman, the Streak, Black Siren, Catman, and Tom Turbine, who are all based on JSA members Alan Scott / Green Lantern, Jay Garrick / Flash, Dinah Drake / Black Canary, Ted Grant / Wildcat, and Al Pratt / Atom respectively. They fought crime until they were all killed in a nuclear war. Over the course of the following 40 years, a boy mutated by the radiation named Ray Thompson used his psionic powers to recreate the JGA as an illusion until the

arrive in his universe and eventually inspire the JGA to sacrifice themselves to restore reality. According to the writers, the creative team originally intended to use the JSA for the episode, but DC Comics declined as their portrayal clashed with their comic counterparts' post-''

'' portrayal. * The Justice Society appear in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', consisting of Jay Garrick / Flash, Ted Grant / Wildcat, Rex Tyler / Hourman, Charles McNider / Doctor Mid-Nite, Carter Hall / Hawkman, Dinah Drake / Black Canary, Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate, the

, Terry Sloane / Mister Terrific, Alan Scott / Green Lantern, Wesley Dodds / Sandman, and Ted Knight / Starman. This version of the group tutored

in his early days. Additionally, Drake was killed in action and asked Grant to look after her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. * The Justice Society of America (JSA) appear in ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen T ...

''. According to the series' producers, most of the original JSA members are either dead or retired by the time the series takes place. Most of the team itself appears in a flashback sequence in the episode "Humanity", consisting of Alan Scott / Green Lantern, Jay Garrick / Flash, Wesley Dodds / Sandman, Ted Grant / Wildcat, Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate, and

Red Tornado Red Tornado is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As the second character to assume the identity of Red Tornado, he is the result of an android being merged with a sentient tornado by T.O. Morrow. ...

. Additionally, Firebrand was also a member for a short time before she was revealed to be an

android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...

created by

T. O. Morrow Thomas Oscar "T. O." Morrow is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is responsible for the creation of the Red Tornado, Firebrand (DC Comics)#Red Inferno, Red Inferno, Red Torpedo, Red Volcano, and Tomorrow Wo ...

while Dan Garrett / Blue Beetle appears as a member in the episode "Failsafe".

Live-action

* The Justice Society of America appear in the ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

'' two-part episode "Absolute Justice", primarily consisting of Carter Hall / Hawkman, Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate, and Courtney Whitmore, Courtney Whitmore / Stargirl. Additionally, Sylvester Pemberton, Sylvester Pemberton / Star-Spangled Kid, Wesley Dodds / Sandman, Ted Grant / Wildcat, Jay Garrick / Flash, Al Pratt / Atom, Alan Scott / Green Lantern, and Red Tornado appear briefly or in flashbacks while Shiera Sanders Hall, Shiera Hall / Hawkgirl, Rex Tyler / Hourman, Charles McNider / Doctor Mid-Nite, Terry Sloane / Mister Terrific, the Spectre, and Dinah Drake / Black Canary appear in a painted group portrait. Like their post-''Crisis'' incarnation, this version of the group is an earlier generation of superheroes who were forced to retire when the government tried to take control of them after determining their real identities before resurfacing in the present to mentor new superheroes. * The Justice Society of America appear in ''Legends of Tomorrow'', led by Rex Tyler / Hourman and consisting of Commander Steel#Henry Heywood, Henry Heywood / Commander Steel, Obsidian (character), Todd Rice / Obsidian, Courtney Whitmore / Stargirl, List of Legends of Tomorrow characters#Amaya Jiwe / Vixen, Amaya Jiwe / Vixen, and Charles McNider / Doctor Mid-Nite. This version of the group operated during World War II. In 1942, the JSA work with the time-traveling List of Legends of Tomorrow characters, Legends to stop a group of Nazis after they obtain a super-power granting serum from Eobard Thawne (Arrowverse), Eobard Thawne. After his plan is foiled, Thawne kills Tyler, leading to Vixen joining the Legends to avenge his death. In 1956, the JSA became inactive when everyone but Obsidian were believed to have been killed during a covert mission. In reality, they recovered the

with the help of Rip Hunter (Arrowverse), Rip Hunter, who then transported Stargirl, Steel, and Mid-Nite to differing points in time to guard fragments of the Spear and prevent its reassembly. However, the Legion of Doom brainwashes Hunter into joining them and recovering the fragments, killing Mid-Nite and Steel in the process. * Two incarnations of the Justice Society of America appear in ''Stargirl (TV series), Stargirl''. ** The original group was led by Sylvester Pemberton / Starman and consisted of Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate, Charles McNider / Doctor Mid-Nite, Jay Garrick / Flash, Alan Scott / Green Lantern, Carter Hall / Hawkman, Shiera Hall / Hawkgirl, Rex Tyler / Hourman,

and Thunderbolt (DC Comics), Thunderbolt, Wesley Dodds / Sandman, and Ted Grant / Wildcat. A decade prior, the JSA was attacked by the Injustice Society of America (ISA) while deciding how to address Eclipso's Black Diamond. When Pat Dugan arrived, most of the team had been killed and he only had time to evacuate a fatally wounded Starman. Before he died, the latter told the former to find someone worthy of wielding the Cosmic Staff to keep the JSA's legacy alive. ** By the present day, Courtney Whitmore finds the Cosmic Staff, becomes Stargirl, and rebuilds the JSA with Pat as S.T.R.I.P.E. and her friends Wildcat (Yolanda Montez), Yolanda Montez, Beth Chapel and Hourman (Rick Tyler), Rick Tyler as the new Wildcat, Doctor Mid-Nite, and Hourman respectively. At the end of the second season, Whitmore recruits Shiv (comics), Cindy Burman into the JSA. Ten years later, as depicted in the series finale, the JSA's ranks have grown to include Jade (DC Comics), Jennie-Lynn Hayden / Jade, Todd Rice / Obsidian, Mike Dugan / S.T.R.I.P.E. 2.0, Jakeem Thunder and Thunderbolt, Cameron Mahkent, Cameron Mahkent / Icicle, Artemis Crock, Sandy Hawkins, Sandy Hawkins / Sand, Damage (DC Comics), Damage, Solomon Grundy (character), Solomon Grundy, and Shade (character), Richard Swift / Shade. Additionally, Whitmore and Burman went on to become Starwoman and Dragon Queen respectively. *** Ahead of the series premiere, the founding members of Stargirl's JSA made a cameo appearance in "Crisis on Infinite Earths (Arrowverse), Crisis on Infinite Earths" via archive footage.

Film

* The Justice Society of America appears in the opening credits of ''Justice League: The New Frontier'', consisting of Rex Tyler / Hourman, Ted Grant / Wildcat, Alan Scott / Green Lantern, Jay Garrick / Flash, Dinah Drake / Black Canary, Carter Hall / Hawkman, and Charles McNider / Doctor Mid-Nite. After Tyler is killed, the JSA retire, though Grant remained active as a professional boxer. * The Earth-2 incarnation of the Justice Society of America appears in ''Justice Society: World War II'', led by Wonder Woman and consisting of Rex Tyler / Hourman, Dinah Drake / Black Canary, Carter Hall / Hawkman, and Jay Garrick / Flash. This version of the group was active during their Earth's version of the titular war. * The Justice Society appears in ''Black Adam (film), Black Adam'', led by Carter Hall / Hawkman and consisting of Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate, Cyclone (DC Comics), Maxine Hunkel / Cyclone, and Atom Smasher (DC Comics), Albert Rothstein / Atom Smasher. Originally, Shayera Hol, Shayera Hol / Hawkgirl and Courtney Whitmore / Stargirl were going to appear as members as well, but were cut in favor of Cyclone. This version of the group are associates of Amanda Waller (DC Extended Universe), Amanda Waller. * In addition to ''Black Adam'', a Justice Society film was reported to be in development by Warner Bros. as of May 2020. * The Earth-2 incarnation of the Justice Society of America appears in ''Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths'', consisting of Charles McNider / Doctor Mid-Nite, Rex Tyler / Hourman, Jade (DC Comics), Jennie-Lynn Hayden / Jade, Obsidian (character), Todd Rice / Obsidian, Ted Knight / Starman, Ted Grant / Wildcat, and Dinah Drake / Black Canary.

References

External links

Cosmic Teams: JSA

DC Comics Database: Justice Society of America

* [http://darkmark6.tripod.com/justice_society_index.html Index of the Pre-Crisis Earth-Two adventures of the JSA]
Pre-Crisis Earth-2 JSA index
at Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics {{Authority control Justice Society of America, Characters created by Gardner Fox Comics by Geoff Johns Comics characters introduced in 1940 DC Comics superhero teams DC Comics titles Earth-Two Golden Age superheroes

Publication history

''All Star Comics''

The Silver Age

The Bronze Age

After ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''

''Justice Society of America'' (vols. 1 and 2) (1991–1993)

''JSA'' (1999–2006)

''JSA: Classified'' (2005–2008)

''One Year Later''

''Justice Society of America'' vol. 3 (2006–2011)

''JSA All-Stars'' vol. 2 (2009–2011)

DC Rebirth (2011–2017)

New Justice (2018–2021)

Infinite Frontier (2021–2023)

Dawn of DC (2023–2024)

DC All In (2024–present)

Membership

Collected editions

Awards

Other versions

JSA: The Golden Age

Earth 2

Earth-3

In other media

Television

Animation

Live-action

Film

References

Further reading

External links