JSA Revisited

The Justice Society of America was the original comic book superhero team.

Dating back to the early 1940s, it pioneered the team book concept. The characters mostly went dormant after the Golden Age waned, but made a comeback in the Silver Age. DC made several attempts to launch them into new adventures over the years. And at various points put the pioneering “mystery men” on the shelf.

By the late ’90s, DC came up with a formula that worked. The JSA series, and its Justice Society of America continuation, embodied the concept of legacy in the DC Universe. It made for an effective companion and counterpoint to JLA, spotlighting a sense of family tradition instead of mere brawls and mayhem.

Creators including Geoff Johns, David Goyer, James Robinson, Steve Sadowski, Michael Bair, Leonard Kirk, Don Kramer, Paul Levitz, Jerry Ordway and Dale Eaglesham, among many others, made key contributions to the franchise over its successful run of a dozen or so years, before The New 52 wiped it off the board.

After a few years languishing in the archives, recent events have once again restored the JSA to continuity. While fans await the team’s return to a regular role in DC’s publishing line, we revisit that era and remember why the JSA was such a vital part of the DC Universe.