The Seventies was not a particularly good time for comic books. Sales were lower than they had been in years, so much so that it was difficult to introduce new titles and difficult for established titles to stay afloat. Perhaps for this reason both Marvel and DC looked once more to the Golden Age for inspiration. Marvel Comics reintroduced the Golden Age All Winners Squad under a new name, The Invaders,  and chronicled their World War II adventures in the magazine of the same name (although historically, the All Winners Squad did not appear until 1947). As the first company to revive Golden Age characters in the Silver Age, DC naturally led the way, this time with the Justice League of America/Justice Society of America team up in issues 100, August 1972,  101,  September 1972, and 102, October 1972,  of The Justice League of America.

In JLA issues 100 to 102 it was revealed that the Golden Age superhero group, the Seven Soldiers of Victory, had been tossed throughout time following a battle with the Nebula Man. In order to defeat their old adversary, the Hand, the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America went forth to rescue the various Seven Soldiers of Victory from the various time periods in which they had been trapped.

Next year's JSA/JLA team up also saw DC Comics reviving Golden Age characters. In 1956, when Quality Comics ceased publication, the company sold the rights to its characters to DC. DC Comics continued to publish Blackhawk uninterrupted until 1969 and would attempt various revivals of Plastic Man starting in 1966. For the most part, however, the Quality superheroes of the Golden Age remained unused until Justice League of America issues 107, October 1973, and 108, December 1973. In those issues the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America learn of Earth X, a world where the Nazis won World War II. Since the defeat of the Allies the superheroes of that world (Uncle Sam, the Phantom Lady, Black Condor, The Ray, Doll Man, and the Human Bomb) had fought the Nazi overlords as the Freedom Fighters. The three superhero groups (the Justice Society of America, the Justice League of America, and the Freedom Fighters) banded together to finally overthrow the Nazi regime on Earth X. Not only did this team up give readers a chance to see the Golden Age Quality characters in action, but a chance to see the Golden Age Superman and  Justice Society battle Nazis once again (even if it was in 1973).

As the decade of the Seventies continued on, so too did the revival of Golden Age characters. In 1974 DC Comics Inc. revived Captain Marvel, the flagship character of Fawcett's Golden Age line, whom DC Comics had worked so hard to kill with its plagiarism suit. DC Comics placed Captain Marvel and the other Fawcett characters on Earth S. It should come as no surprise that the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America would travel to this world as well. In Justice League of America issues 135, October 1976, 136, November 1976,  and 137, December 1976,  the superheroes of Earth I and Earth II met the heroes of Earth S:  Bulletman, Bulletgirl, Spy Smasher, Mr. Scarlet, and Iblis, not to mention the Big Red Cheese himself. Issue 137 even featured the battle for which many fans had waited for thirty six years, Superman versus Captain Marvel.

For Justice Society fans, however, a much more historic event would take place in 1976 than the JSA's first meeting with Captain Marvel. In January-February 1976 All-Star Comics returned to print, starting with issue 58 (as if All-Star Western had been nothing but a bad dream), featuring the adventures of the Justice Society of America. The line up at that time included The Flash, Dr. Mid-Nite, Wildcat, Dr. Fate, The Green Lantern, and the Golden Age Robin. The Star Spangled Kid and a new character, Power Girl (the Golden Age Superman's cousin--Earth II's "Supergirl," if you will), appeared alongside the Justice Society. As the two youngsters were not yet members of the Justice Society , the series was initially billed as the "Super Squad," although the group was referred to as the JSA in the text. Once The Star Spangled Kid and Power Girl became full fledged members of the Justice Society of America, the series became The Justice Society of America. The new Justice Society of America series introduced other new characters as well. The daughter of Batman and The Catwoman (who married each other on Earth II) became a superhero known as The Huntress (not to be confused with the villain of the same name).

For a time it seemed as if the new Justice Society of America series was here to stay. The origin of the Justice Society of America, never told in the entire thirty six years of the group's existence, would finally be told in DC Special #29, September 1977. Due to the popularity of the mid-Seventies TV series (set in World War II), in 1977 Wonder Woman shifted from stories about the modern day, Earth I Wonder Woman to tales of her Earth II counterpart set during World War II. The Justice Society guest starred in issues 231 and 232. The annual JLA/JSA team ups took place as usual and the Golden Age Flash and Green Lantern continued to appear on a regular basis in their Silver Age namesake's magazines. Unfortunately, the mid to late Seventies were not a good time for comic books. Sales continued to be low, so new titles generally lasted only a few issues. The revival of All Star Comics  would prove to be no different in this regard. It ended its run with issue 74, September-October 1978. The Justice Society of America's adventures were continued in Adventure Comics issues 461, February-March 1979, to 466,  December-January 1979-1980. It was in Adventure Comics #462, April-May 1979, that the Golden Age Batman died in battle.

Thereafter it seemed as if the Justice Society of America might well be confined to its team ups with the Justice League of America and the occasional guest appearance in other titles. Fortunately, this was not to be the case. September 1981 saw the debut of All-Star Squadron. The All-Star Squadron was a group, created by writer Roy Thomas, composed of nearly every single hero active during World War II and charged with defending America from any superhuman threat from its enemies. Naturally the Justice Society of America played a large role in the series, appearing in nearly every issue. Among other things, All-Star Squadron explained why the Justice Society appeared so young, even in the Eighties. In a battle with Ian Karkull the group was bathed in "time rays" which somehow helped maintain their youth even forty years later (All Star Squadron Annual #3, November 1984). All-Star Squadron  proved fairly successful, running for 67 issues until March 1987. Its cancellation perhaps came as a result of the Crisis on Infinite Earths (more on that later) as anything else.

March 1984 would prove to be a historic moment for the Justice Society of America. That month marked the debut of Infinity Inc. The magazine chronicled the adventures of the group by the name, formed by the Star Spangled Kid and composed of the children of the JSA. The membership in that first issue consisted of The Huntress (Batman's daughter), Power Girl (Superman's cousin), Jade (Green Lantern's daughter), Obsidian (Green Lantern's son), Northwind (Hawkman and Hawkgirl's godson), Silver Scarab (Hawkman and Hawkgirl's son), Fury (Wonder Woman's daughter), Nuklon, and Brainwave Jr. The Justice Society of America appeared often in the pages of Infinity Inc., as might be expected, playing a large role in the first story arc ("Generations").  Unfortunately, Infinity Inc. lasted an all too brief 53 issues, ending its run in August 1988.

The Eighties appeared as if it would be a good time for the Justice Society. Indeed, they even appeared in their own miniseries. America vs. the Justice Society of America retold the entire history of the JSA through a framework in which the group was placed on trial for treason. Fortunately the source of the accusations, a diary supposedly kept by the Golden Age Batman, turned out to have been forged by the villain Per Degaton, so that the JSA were able to clear themselves. America vs. the Justice Society of America ran from January 1985 to April 1985.

Unfortunately, dark days lay ahead not only for the Justice Society of America, but the entire DC multiverse. Ever since the first appearance of Earth II in Flash #123, the continuity of the DC multiverse had become increasingly convoluted. Throughout the years DC Comics had added new alternate Earths for each comic book company they had either bought out (such as Quality) or whose characters they had licensed to use (such as Fawcett). As a result the DC multiverse proliferated with alternate Earths: Earth I (the home of the DC Silver Age characters), Earth II (the home of the DC Golden Age characters), Earth S (the home of the Fawcett characters), Earth X (the home of the Quality characters), and so on. Quite naturally, editors and writers eventually became confused as to which characters belonged on which Earths. As a solution it was then decided that all the Earths in the DC multiverse would then be merged into a single Earth with a single timeline. This was accomplished with the miniseries, Crisis on Infinite Earths.

As would be expected, the Justice Society of America played a large role in the miniseries--in fact, it was the Golden Age Superman who eventually defeats the villain of the piece, the Anti-Monitor. Unfortunately, Crisis on Infinite Earths created more problems than it appeared to have solved, particularly with regards to the Justice Society of America. According to the new timeline Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman did not exist in the World War II era and as a result they could not have been members of the JSA. As a result, the Golden Age Robin and The Huntress of the Seventies had never existed either, which meant they too were never members of the Justice Society. With regards to Infinity Inc., Power Girl was no longer Superman's cousin, but instead the heir of Arion, Lord of Atlantis (the lead character in a short lived DC Comics title). Similarly, Fury was no longer the daughter of Wonder Woman, but the daughter of a World War II superheroine called Fury (who never actually existed in the real world as a Golden Age superheroine). Wonder Woman's place in the Justice Society of America was first filled by Miss America (a Quality Comics character from the Golden Age) and still later by the newly created Fury.

It is perhaps because the Justice Society of America's history had been so drastically altered that July, 1986 saw the publication of the one shot The Last Days of the Justice Society. In this story the remaining members of the JSA, except for The Spectre, Dr. Fate, the Star Spangled Kid, and Power Girl, are consigned for eternity to stave off Ragnarok by taking the place of the Norse gods.

Following The Last Days of the Justice Society of America there would be no more JLA/JSA crossovers. Indeed, JSA appearances became few and far between in the coming years. The Justice Society of America would make a few cameos in Young All-Stars, a magazine which took place in the World War II era and featured a group of young superheroes who banded together to help in the war effort. In these appearances in Young All-Stars, Wonder Woman's place in the pre-Crisis continuity of the DC multiverse was taken by Miss America. Young All-Stars debuted in June 1987. The following year, in October, the origin of the Justice Society of America was retold in Secret Origins #31. In this version Superman and Batman do not appear, as they did not yet exist according to the DC's post-Crisis timeline.

Fortunately, the Justice Society of America would not be so absent from the pages of DC comic books in the Nineties as they had been in the late Eighties. Starting in April 1991, the mini-series Vengeance from the Stars featured a story line (taking place in 1950) in which Vandal Savage stole Starman's gravity rod and then proceeded in an attempt to destroy the JSA. The eight issue miniseries proved successful enough to pave the way for another miniseries, Armageddon: Inferno. Starting in May 1992, the miniseries ended with the rescue of the Justice Society of America from fighting the endless battle of Ragnarok over and over again.

Vengeance from the Stars and Armageddon: Inferno proved successful enough that the Justice Society of America was once more given its own series in August 1992. Freed from years in limbo, the reformed group immediately went back into action. The Flash, Green Lantern, Hourman, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, The Atom, Wildcat, Starman, Johnny Thunder, and Dr. Mid-Nite numbered among the members appearing in the book's short run. Unfortunately, The Sandman, a charter member of the group, would play only a small role in this revival. With the first issue he suffered a stroke, so that he was sidelined for much of the series' short run. In addition to the members, Johnny Quick (never a member of the group, although he had appeared alongside them in All Star Squadron) and his daughter Jesse Quick also appeared in the series. There would even be a team up with the Justice League, although it would be the Justice League Europe rather than the JLA (Justice League Europe issue 48, March 1993 to 50, May 1993). Unfortunately The Justice Society of America failed to attract a significant audience. The title was cancelled after only ten issues in May 1993.

Fortunately the cancellation of their title did not mean the Justice Society of America was going to disappear from the pages of DC Comics for good.  Unfortunately, as stated earlier, Crisis on Infinite Earths had actually created more problems in continuity than it had appeared to solve. To repair the problems caused by Crisis on Infinite Earths and create a single, consistent timeline, DC Comics then published the miniseries Zero Hour. Published in 1994, Zero Hour was a crossover event in which a villain called Extant jeorpardised the time/space continuum. In the course of the five part story, The Atom, Dr. Mid-Nite, and Hourman were killed. The remaining members were aged by Extant back to their actual ages. The full impact of Zero Hour on the history of the Justice Society of America has yet to be fully explored. It is now known that a Wonder Woman was a member of the JSA (Diana Prince's mother, Hippolyta, travelled back in time as Wonder Woman and joined the group). Similarly, Dinah Drake Lance's daughter (Dinah Lance) assumed the mantle of the Black Canary from her mother, becoming a charter member of the Justice League of America.

Unlike the era following Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Justice Society of America has fared rather well since Zero Hour.  Before Zero Hour even took place, the Golden Age Sandman was already appearing in his own regular magazine once again. Sandman Mystery Theatre debuted in April 1993 and went onto a very successful run. Although the stories took place before the formation of the Justice Society of America, Sandman Mystery Theatre featured guest appearances by Hourman and Ted Knight before he became Starman, as well as a brief reference to The Flash.  In 1995 the one shot Sandman Midnight Theatre featured a crossover in which Wesley Dodds met the Sandman himself--Morpheus, Lord of Dreams and star of Vertigo's most successful title, Sandman.

In the Nineties The Spectre would also receive his own series. Unlike the previous series  (one in the Sixties and one in the Eighties), the new series would actually meet with some success. It would also feature occasional appearances by the Justice Society of America. Spectre #20, July 1994, featured interviews with JSA members concerning their spectral friend. Issue 57, June 1997,  told the story of the death of Mr. Terrific in flashback and the efforts of the JSA to capture his killer (the Spirit King). Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and Jim Corrigan, the host for the Spectre for nearly sixty years, was finally allowed to pass onto the great beyond. In the final issue of The Spectre, issue 62, February 1998, several JSA members attended Corrigan's funeral.

In November 1994 Starman debuted, featuring the adventures of  Ted (Starman) Knight's son, Jack. Throughout its run the Justice Society of America has played a pivotal role in the series. As Ted Knight is a recurring character, there have been several stories in which he has recounted his own adventures from the past, both with and without the Justice Society of America. Justice Society members have made cameos from time to time, including The Flash, Green Lantern, and Sandman.

In addition to these magazines, the Golden Age Flash has continued to be a supporting character in the pages of Flash, while the Golden Age Green Lantern (renamed Sentinel) also continues to appear in various titles.

If the time ever seemed right for a revival of the Justice Society of America, it would appear to be the late Nineteen Nineties. Dated May 1999, a nine issue "event" featuring the Justice Society took place. Called The Justice Society Returns, it recounted an untold World War II adventure in which the JSA battled the evil god Stalker. Featured members were The Atom, Starman, Green Lantern, Johnny Thunder, Wonder Woman, Sandman, The Flash, Dr. Mid-Nite, Hourman, and Hawkman. The Justice Society Returns was but a prelude to the real event of 1999 for Justice Society fans...a new Justice Society of America!

In the meantime the first team up in years between the JLA and JSA was featured in JLA issues 28, April 1999, to 31, July 1999. Green Lantern (as Sentinel), Wildcat, The Spectre, and Wonder Woman appeared.

Finally in the summer of 1999 came the event for which JSA fans have been waiting for years. That month DC Comics published JSA Secret Files #1, introducing the world to the new JSA, and JSA #1, the first issue of their new regular series. Like the Seventies revival of All-Star Comics, JSA features both old and new characters. Green Lantern and Flash are both part of the new group, having been charter members. Wildcat is also a member of the group, having either been a member of the original group or having joined later (at least sometime during the Sixties), depending on who you ask. Starman (Ted Knight's son, Jack), Black Canary (Dinah Drake Lance's daughter and charter member of the JLA according to the new continuity),  Sand (formerly Sandy, the original Sandman's sidekick), and Atom Smasher (The Atom's godson, formerly Infinity Inc's Nuklon) are other established characters who are members of the new JSA. New characters joining the group are a new Star Spangled Kid (Stripesy's stepdaughter), Hawkgirl (Hawkgirl's great-niece),  and Hourman (an android equipped with the original Hourman's memories). JSA appears to have been very well received and looks as if it is here to stay. It can only be hoped that JSA can repeat the success of the original All-Star Comics so that it has a nice, long run!

The Justice Society of America, The Justice League of America, The Seven Soldiers of Victory, and all characters, titles, and covers associated with them are trademarks and copyright DC Comics Inc. This site is not officially associated with DC Comics Inc. in any way, shape , or form. Cover images used on this web site are protected under the fair use principle of American copyright law for nonprofit, educational purposes.

 Unless otherwise stated, all text on this site is © 1999 T. L. Canote