Originally published on Patreon
The Justice Society haven't gotten much love over the last few years. Between being erased from the main DC universe and relegated to another world where they got younger 'edgier' versions of themselves, and just not really appearing much when they are returned to the way they're supposed to be, they've not had a good ride of things lately. Hopefully, this new series by Geoff Johns, who made them fantastic when he worked on them decades ago, will be able to give them the love that they need.
That being said, those expecting the JSA they know might be a bit thrown off with this first issue, especially if they didn't read the book building up to this; as we begin in the future, where the Justice Society looks very different.
Set in a future where Batman has been killed, and his daughter Helena Wayne, the new Huntress, is searching for the killer, the book features an almost completely different version of the team. Huntress is a new version of this character, but a reinvention of one fans know, and the team does still have Power Girl; but after that it's quite different. Helena has filled the team with reformed, and reforming, villains, and its lineup features the Gentleman Ghost, Solomon Grundy, Icicle, the Harlequin's Son, The Mist, and the daughter of Red Lantern, Ruby Sokov.
I'm sure that there'll be people who hate this team, and the entire concept of villains making up a JSA team; but I kind of like it. We've seen villains reform into heroes in the past; Black Adam has been on the JSA before and is currently in the Justice League for example. It makes sense that this is a trend that would continue over the years; and if Helena is looking to find the person who killed her father, and might be targeting JSA members, she'd maybe want some people who don't mind going a bit further than a pure hero would. It also doesn't hurt that they're characters who have a strong history with the team.
But, if you do hate it you don't have to worry as they don't stick around very long as the time travelling villain Per Degaton kills them all. Thankfully, Catwoman arrives in time to save her daughter, and Helena is thrown backwards through time, arriving at the JSA headquarters in 1940. WE knew that some time travel was going to be involved in this series, but I was assuming Helena would come back to the present straight away; guess there's going to be more to it than that.
This issue is very much a set-up issue, with Helena's story being laid out for those that didn't read The New Golden Age comic. The book gives us a clear understanding about her mission, and insight into the kind of person she is. With her being the focus, and the rest of her team being killed before the issue is done, it makes a lot of sense that she's the only character who really gets built up here, and that everyone else feels less fleshed out.
There's certainly a good sense of mystery set up already, and the added complications of her being sent back to the very early years of the team makes for an interesting situation going forward. It seems like the book isn't just going to be about making the JSA relevant and interesting again (they've always been that to those that love them), but looks like its going to be a celebration of the entire history of the group. If that's true, I'm incredibly excited to see what comes next.
The artwork on the book looks really good throughout, and I loved the way each of the main characters looked distinct amongst the others. There was never a moment where you were left wondering who people were. Who's that silhouette in the background? Well that's clearly Catwoman. Who's Helena talking to here? That must be Power Girl even though I've not see the costume yet. The book is giving us versions of characters ever so slightly different to the ones we're used to, but not only are they instantly recognisable, but they're believable as future versions of themselves too.
Overall this was a strong start to this new series. It's clear that Johns has a lot of love for the JSA and the characters that make it up, and that he wants to make them an important part of DC again. But he's not just doing what he did the firs time he wrote them; he's trying something new and different, and that's really exciting.
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