by Mark A. Perigard
Tuesday, February 4, 2003
Before the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers or even the Justice League, there was the Justice Society of America.
This group of masked adventurers made comic-book history in a 1940 issue of All Star Comics. They were the first superheroes anywhere to team up, and for the next decade, they fought crime, Nazis and super-powered menaces.
And now, more than 60 years later, your grandfather's superheroes are cool again.
Revitalized by a pair of writers who have put a new spin on team dynamics, DC Comics' monthly ``JSA'' features three generations of costumed champions blazing a new trail of heroism in an uncertain world.
Geoff Johns and David Goyer co-write a book that manages a superheroic feat of its own - winning the approval of longtime fans while attracting new readers by the horde.
``No one thought this book would do anything,'' Johns said. ``They thought it would be around for a little while, but for how long?''
What could have been a throwaway book spun off from the better-selling ``Justice League'' has turned out to be a hit for DC. The comic consistently sells about 45,000 copies a month, making it DC's fourth-highest seller, Johns said.
The current team consists of characters straight from the '40s - Jay Garrick, Sentinel (the original Green Lantern) and Wildcat - several second-generation heroes, including Dr. Midnite, Hourman, Dr. Fate and Powergirl - and several newcomers, including Star-Spangled Kid and Jakeem Thunder. Together, they face menaces ranging from Extant, an insane mastermind who can warp time, to Johnny Sorrow, a villain whose mask covers a face that can kill.
Some readers ``don't want to read about some guys in their 60s and I understand that, but part of the success of the current team is that they are truly multigenerational,'' Johns said.
``The whole theme is about legacy. It's not about putting on a superhero costume. It's about learning from your parents, from those who came before you,'' Johns said.
``These are the best characters in superhero comic books. And - I'm going out on a limb here - they may even be better than Superman or Batman,'' said Jim Beard, a 37-year-old museum store manager in Toledo, Ohio. Beard recently cashed in on his encyclopedic knowledge of the team and lived out a fan's dream by selling DC a short JSA story for a one-shot special.
This is the year JSA becomes a franchise. Next month, the two-part ``JSA: Unholy Three'' begins a World War II adventure. Dr. Fate spins off into a miniseries later this spring. ``JSA All Stars'' in May features separate but connected adventures of six current members with stories of their golden age counterparts, Johns said. If sales are strong, some of the characters could get their own titles. DC has also collected several story arcs in three trade paperbacks retailing between $15.95 and $19.95; a fourth is due in April.
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