In the Silver Age, they became a team relegated to Earth 2 during the hay-day of annual infinite earth crossovers with their Earth 1 counterparts, the Justice league of America. But, with Crisis on infinite Earths, that whole universe was wiped out; its' heroes bumped off to adjust continuity.
Thankfully, those days are back as James Robinson and David Goyer, along with penciller Stephen Sandowski and inker Michael Bair have combined their numerous talents to bring us a new Justice Society of America-one of Earth 1 status. JSA is that book and it is truly a winner!
The new series actually has its' beginning in the hard to find (because, at $4.95 cover price, many retailers DIDN'T order many copies) JSA SECRET FILES #1 where, in a tale which is best described as a prequel to the current series, the Golden Age Sandman dies. I won't tell you how, as that all ties in to the story that follows in the first four issues of JSA. JSA #1 begins with Kid Eternity, one of those DC heroes who lived in Vertigoland just long enough to have his highly underrated series canceled on him, is running from an unseen villain. He pauses to create a defender that will save his life. too late. And another toss away DC hero bites the dust.
A short time later, a group of heroes are gathered at the graveside of the late Wesley Dodds(AKA the Golden Age Sandman). It's a melodious mix of Golden Agers(Wildcat, Wonder Woman, Starman, Flash, Green Lantern and Sandman's teen partner-now-grown Sandy Hawkins) and current heroes including Black canary, Starman, Hourman and Star of Star and S.T.R.I.P.E. fame. With some minor introduction of the cast through some clever exposition on the part of Robinson and Goyer, the funeral continues; complete with a ghostly appearance of Kent Nelson-the Golden Age Dr. fate.
No sooner does the ceremony reach it's conclusion, then an unseen voice declares that Dodds was murdered. That accusation comes from someone who is also dying: Jared Stevens. Some fans may recall Stevens was Fate in another short lived DC series.
So lets take this all in. Were 13 pages into a brand new series and the powers that be have bumped off two undercard heroes. Not to mention Wesley Dodds who, with SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE gone from the stands, really doesn't have much of a following anymore.
At this point, the dead warriors, who we later learn are the Sons of Anubis, burst forth from the cemetery ground and begin attacking our heroes, claiming they must retrieve the sacred artifacts of Fate. Well, you know what that means!!!
MASSIVE FIGHT!!!
Following the battle (yes, the good guys win), a mysterious character named Scarab(I think he had a Vertigo mini-series too. Does this mean he's next on the hit list?) arrives on the scene. He explains that the Wheel f Life is leading to the birth of a new Dr. fate and that evil forces are at work to stop it. An immortal known as the Dark Lord has been responsible for bumping off Agents or Order and Chaos including Fate, Eternity, Kestrel and possibly the Gray Man(these last tow...did I miss something?). Apparently the new fate child is in one of three places: British Columbia, Tibet or Venice.
At his insistence, the heroes gather together, some original Golden Agers and others sons or daughters, to fight the Dark Lord.
The first team, made up of Sandy(now known only as Sand and wearing some weird hockey mask kind of thing), Sentinel(the original Green Lantern) and Hyppolita(Wonder Woman's mother) head to Tibet where they encounter the Sons of Anubis(doesn't anything keep these guys down?). They battle, the good guys win and a child is presented by Tibetan monks. nope...wrong baby!
Meanwhile, over in Venice, Starman, The Golden Age Flash and Black Canary battle...you guessed it...the Sons of Anubis. The heroes win, they find a baby, who urinates all over Jack knight and discover this ain't the right kid.
Well, I guess we know what THAT means!
In a hospital in Vancouver, Wildcat, Hourman and Atom Smasher(the former Nuklon, for anyone who remembers INFINITY INC.) discover that they're not the only ones looking for the baby. As they enter the neonatal unit, a winged woman, bearing a striking resemblance to the Golden Age Hawkgirl, flies off with the child in tow. The heroes head off to stop her and Hourman discovers she is the grand-daughter of famed adventurer Speed Saunders.
Cooler heads prevail and we learn that she is actually the great-niece of Shiera Saunders-the original Hawkgirl. She was told by her grandfather to protect the child at all costs from...you guessed it(no, not them!) the Dark Lord.
But who shows up to spoil the party? Yep, the Dark Lord...Mordru! For those who don't know, Mordru is a legendary Legion of Super-Heroes villain who just decided to pop in from the 30th century and claim the child.
Meanwhile, at Dr. fate's tower, where Scarab has departed to(along with Star who, like most teenage superheroes, has hitched a ride and is going to get into some kind of trouble), Mordru arrives with the baby and proceeds to waste Scarab(see...another DC hero to the scrap heap!). Turning his attention to Star, it looks like she may be heading to a quick death and a quicker cancellation when the whole darned team arrives in Hourman's timeship. Now you may recall that Mordru has done some major damage in the past...or is that the future...to the Legion of Superheroes. So you think he might do the same here?
Yeah...you could say that. He tears off Hawkgirl's wings, send Hippolyta and the Flash to a maze inside the tower, breaks Wildcat's arm and pretty much trashes the whole crew. Accept for that pesky kid Star who manages to word her way inside of Dr. Fate's amulet where she finds the spirit of Kent and Inza living like two farmers in the midwest.
Well, before you can say wham bang boom, Star comes flying out of the amulet with a new Dr. fate in tow.
Okay, so Fate is here and kicking Mordru all over the place. Then Mordru gets the upper hand and claims Fate's vestments. but he can't control the artifacts and finds himself sucked into the amulet. So who is Dr. Fate?
Hector Hall.
Who?
Hector Hall. Son of Golden Age Hawkman Carter Hall. Formerly the Silver Scarab. Original member of Infinity Inc with Nuklon/Atom Smasher. He died and his consciousness wandered until Kent Nelson found him and trained him.
So the new team is set. Using Welsely and Dian's money and their home as a headquarters, a new team has arisen from the ashes of the old.
But what's wrong with Sandy? That's to be revealed in the next exciting chapter...
This series is absolutely one of the BEST superhero books DC has put out in ages. James Robinson has already shown his intense love of DC continuity and lore in STARMAN and he demonstrates it here. His throwing in, or at least killing off, so many unused DC heroes, warts and all, is astounding. And by using several classic JSA characters and putting them into the mix with DC heroes of the recent past and present, the whole thing has a warm fuzzy feeling from an author who truly cares for his characters.
Stephen Sandowski is truly an underrated penciller. The fact that he is forced, in many situations, to draw upwards of a dozen recognizable characters into a panel is amazing. He does it with style and grace. And the always tight inking of Michael Bair doesn't hurt either. Bair has done a ton of work, mostly in small press black and white books. And he shines here too in what has to be his greatest exposure to date.
If you LOVE superhero books, like many of this involved in this industry were raised on, do yourself the favor and buy this book! It's literate, intelligent, exciting and just plain fun! It is truly the benchmark for all other superhero books.
Back in the 60's, it was Marvel that revolutionized superhero comics with real life superheroes. But on the verge of the next millennium, it's Robinson, Goyer and company who are actually doing it.
Bravo!.