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  1. #1
    Mighty Member tib2d2's Avatar
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    Default Help me understand the Justice Society through the years

    apologies if my understanding is too simplistic, but is this correct?

    1941-1951 JSA was main earth's team of superheroes

    1951-1961 No JSA around

    1961-1985 JSA was Earth-2's version of the Justice League, with regular team ups between the JSA and JLA when the multiverse was threatened.

    1985-1991 JSA didn't exist?

    1991-1999 JSA was the main Earth's first superhero team, years before the JLA was formed

    1999-?????

  2. #2
    Ultimate Member sifighter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tib2d2 View Post
    apologies if my understanding is too simplistic, but is this correct?

    1941-1951 JSA was main earth's team of superheroes

    1951-1961 No JSA around

    1961-1985 JSA was Earth-2's version of the Justice League, with regular team ups between the JSA and JLA when the multiverse was threatened.

    1985-1991 JSA didn't exist?

    1991-1999 JSA was the main Earth's first superhero team, years before the JLA was formed

    1999-?????
    1941-1951- Correct, though later retconned that they had always been earth-2

    1951-1961- It was the decline in superhero comics at the time so they just kind of stopped showing up, but in continuity it was explained that they retired because of the red scare/congress trying to force them to reveal identities and allegiances

    1961-1985- Correct

    1985-1991, they were part of main continuity now but it was said they got trapped in a time reality or something. We mainly followed their kids Infinity Inc.

    1991-1999- I would extend this to 2011, and include the fact of how they were training and recruiting up and coming heroes

    2012- to now-Erased from continuity thanks to Doctor Manhattan, but thanks to Superman that’s been undone and they exist again. Last seen in Death Metal.
    Last edited by sifighter; 10-26-2020 at 10:46 AM.
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  3. #3
    Mighty Member tib2d2's Avatar
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    Thank you for your help!

    1985-1991, they were part of main continuity now but it was said they got trapped in a time reality or something. We mainly followed their kids Infinity Inc.

    1991-1999- I would extend this to 2011, and include the fact of how they were training and recruiting up and coming heroes

    2012- to now-Erased from continuity thanks to Doctor Manhattan, but thanks to Superman that’s been undone and they exist again. Last seen in Death Metal.


    During these times were they Earth-2 characters? Or aged out/past superheroes from the main Earth's golden age?

  4. #4
    Astonishing Member Tzigone's Avatar
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    1951-1961- It was the decline in superhero comics at the time so they just kind of stopped showing up, but in continuity it was explained that they retired because of the red scare/congress trying to force them to reveal identities and allegiances
    Just wanted to specify that was a much later add on. In the continuity of the late 1950s, the never existed (Barry read a Flash comic book with Jay Garrick) so Barry was the "first" Flash in that universe and same for Hal, Ray, etc. In the early 1960s Earth-Two was established as the world they lived on (along with an older Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc. as they were originally members of the JSA, too). Only later, after worlds were merged in Crisis on Infinite Earths, was the red-scare explanation given.

  5. #5
    Ultimate Member sifighter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tzigone View Post
    Just wanted to specify that was a much later add on. In the continuity of the late 1950s, the never existed (Barry read a Flash comic book with Jay Garrick) so Barry was the "first" Flash in that universe and same for Hal, Ray, etc. In the early 1960s Earth-Two was established as the world they lived on (along with an older Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc. as they were originally members of the JSA, too). Only later, after worlds were merged in Crisis on Infinite Earths, was the red-scare explanation given.
    No they definitely introduced the red scare later, but they established it in pre-crisis, I know because I’m reading it from the trade collection of All-Star Comics from their reintroduction in the 70’s where it was explained to Huntress, the earth-2 Daughter of Batman who died in Crisis on Infinite Earths, about what happened. But yeah the explanation came after the 60’s.
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  6. #6
    Ultimate Member sifighter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tib2d2 View Post
    Thank you for your help!

    1985-1991, they were part of main continuity now but it was said they got trapped in a time reality or something. We mainly followed their kids Infinity Inc.

    1991-1999- I would extend this to 2011, and include the fact of how they were training and recruiting up and coming heroes

    2012- to now-Erased from continuity thanks to Doctor Manhattan, but thanks to Superman that’s been undone and they exist again. Last seen in Death Metal.


    During these times were they Earth-2 characters? Or aged out/past superheroes from the main Earth's golden age?
    This ones kind of hard, see they were on the main earth from this period on (meaning part of Earth-Prime) and tried to make it seem like they had been here the whole time but stories like Infinite Crisis established that they were still from Earth-2, same goes for characters like Shazam or Ted Kord Blue Beetle, and that Crisis on Infinite earths kind of condescended them all into one earth. I guess an easy way to put it is, when reality warped because of Crisis it wrote them in.

    They have aged though, some of the original JSA are dead while others are still alive thanks to their powers. Also there was a whole thing with Zero Hour but that would only get more confusing.
    Last edited by sifighter; 10-26-2020 at 11:42 AM.
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  7. #7
    Astonishing Member Tzigone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sifighter View Post
    No they definitely introduced the red scare later, but they established it in pre-crisis, I know because I’m reading it from the trade collection of All-Star Comics from their reintroduction in the 70’s where it was explained to Huntress, the earth-2 Daughter of Batman who died in Crisis on Infinite Earths, about what happened. But yeah the explanation came after the 60’s.
    Apologies, then. I really had thought it came in COIE. My bad.

  8. #8
    Ultimate Member sifighter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tzigone View Post
    Apologies, then. I really had thought it came in COIE. My bad.
    It’s all good, reality warping and retcons can do that often. I probably would have thought the same if I didn’t have that trade collection.
    "It's fun and it's cool, so that's all that matters. It's what comics are for, Duh."
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by tib2d2 View Post
    apologies if my understanding is too simplistic, but is this correct?

    1941-1951 JSA was main earth's team of superheroes

    1951-1961 No JSA around

    1961-1985 JSA was Earth-2's version of the Justice League, with regular team ups between the JSA and JLA when the multiverse was threatened.

    1985-1991 JSA didn't exist?

    1991-1999 JSA was the main Earth's first superhero team, years before the JLA was formed

    1999-?????
    Great timeline and I have only one correction: The Justice Society of America premiered in 1940 (November, to be exact), which marks 2020 as their 80th anniversary. It's a shame that DC is not recognizing this in any manner.

  10. #10
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    I would end that era of the JSA at Flashpoint. After that, it was a couple of years, then the weird not JSA JSA from the nu52. Now...it sort of seems their back, mostly off panel. For what it's worth, it seems like it may be the pre-Flashpoint JSA back..in some form. Actually, now that I think of it, prior to Flashpoint, the JSA split into two teams, the main JSA, and the JSA All-Stars, and that was how it ended at Flashpoint, so I have no real idea what the current JSA is like.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by achilles View Post
    I would end that era of the JSA at Flashpoint. After that, it was a couple of years, then the weird not JSA JSA from the nu52. Now...it sort of seems their back, mostly off panel. For what it's worth, it seems like it may be the pre-Flashpoint JSA back..in some form. Actually, now that I think of it, prior to Flashpoint, the JSA split into two teams, the main JSA, and the JSA All-Stars, and that was how it ended at Flashpoint, so I have no real idea what the current JSA is like.
    Given the success of the Society in other media and that it has now been over four years since Rebirth kicked off, it's odd that DC has dragged their feet in returning the JSA in at least a mini-series set in current continuity.
    Last edited by Stingo; 10-26-2020 at 12:52 PM. Reason: Did not care for my post.

  12. #12
    Mighty Member tib2d2's Avatar
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    Ok then how about right now? Are they considered Earth 2 characters that are on Earth Prime now? Are they old Earth Prime characters and the JSA was a super group back in the day on Earth Prime?

  13. #13
    Ultimate Member sifighter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tib2d2 View Post
    Ok then how about right now? Are they considered Earth 2 characters that are on Earth Prime now? Are they old Earth Prime characters and the JSA was a super group back in the day on Earth Prime?
    Right now the history is that they are a superhero team back in the day on Earth Prime, now inspired by Wonder Woman (who is now immortal) and responsible for inspiring Superman as Superboy to put himself out in the public to be a hero, as depicted in Doomsday Clock. Of the original members who are still alive, they are old as can be and really only alive thanks to magic, while everyone else on the current JSA are legacies, the children of former heroes or new people in older costumes.
    Last edited by sifighter; 10-26-2020 at 12:49 PM.
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  14. #14
    Incredible Member Alphaxman's Avatar
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    So how should they be treated now? And just as importantly, how should their kids be handled? Will they and should they be forever stuck in WWII? Should the Limbo explanation come back? Should they all (along with Infinity Inc.) be trapped in some Limbo during the 60s only to be freed now? What about spouses? And what should be done with Huntress and Powergirl again?

  15. #15
    Astonishing Member Tzigone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alphaxman View Post
    So how should they be treated now? And just as importantly, how should their kids be handled? Will they and should they be forever stuck in WWII? Should the Limbo explanation come back? Should they all (along with Infinity Inc.) be trapped in some Limbo during the 60s only to be freed now? What about spouses? And what should be done with Huntress and Powergirl again?
    Mine won't be a popular opinion with JSA fans. I think they're best left on another earth that lives in the 1940-1970 timeframe. I do think they aren't exactly advantaged by being on the same earth as the JLA, but admittedly am not sure if they'd do better on a separate Earth or just be ignored altogether (kinda feel similar about Captain Marvel, who I like a good bit more than the JSA).

    But for me, I think it's more because they cause chronology issues, turn the silver age Atom/Flash etc. into people who took names without permission, etc. The chronology issues get me. First, I read long after the publishing and hated making Dinah Dinah's daughter (which many love, I acknowledge). Making Ollie twice her age later didn't help, but I liked the widowed story for their original meeting and would have been disappointed to see it gone, anyway. And worst of all, it was just kicking the can down the road, because as time passes Dinah as the daughter (or even granddaughter) of a 1940s heroine doesn't make sense. And I just can't buy the convoluted excuses for so many of them not to age that have been tried from time to time.

    If they'd let the JSA timeslide like everyone else, it would have been more workable, but most fans are not okay with that. They want the JSA active in WWII.

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