During their time in limbo after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Justice Society of America were busted out for a charming eight-part story which served simultaneously as a fill-in project for several artists while DC ironed out plans to bring other heroes into its fold and as a try-out of sorts for the team since they were about to be brought back properly to the DCU. Perhaps with knowledge that the JSofA were soon to be revived in the pages of Armageddon: Inferno (see yesterday's post) the powers thought this might also be a chance to test the waters for a new JSofA series.
Impact Comics, a DC project which saw the revival (yet again) of the MLJ heroes was in the works and the artists all lined up when it hit a snag. To keep the talent happy the JSofA came to the rescue in a story by Len Strazewski set in 1950 just before the team split up for a while. The premise is a fantastic one and very much in keeping with the original spirit of the team as they'd been presented in the Golden Age. Five members were quickened to take part (Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern, Black Canary, and Starman) and the first four each got a single chapter / issue to themselves before they came into partnership with another member and then all of the team for the two-issue finale.
The threat is from a villain who stays in the shadows for the first few issues but is soon revealed to be Vandal Savage, abetted this time by Solomon Grundy. His plan is to draw down to Earth three constellations (Sagittarius, Andromeda, and Sirius) and use their cosmic power to help him gain control of the planet. There are many twists and turns, but this throughout is a sterling adventure with heroes who operate with a chipper attitude by and large and confident that the enemy can be defeated though victory seems far away at times. The tone and the action are very much in keeping with the spirit of the Justice Society of America.
For a closer look at the story check out this series of posts. Below are the covers, all done by Tom Lyle. The artists on the series are Grant Miehm, Rick Burchett, Tom Artis, and Mike Parobeck. The latter would go on to draw a very fondly remembered later series featuring the team. More on that next time.
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I bought the first two issues and the final one looks familiar. Cash was tight for me that year so I probably didn't have the impetus to complete the run out of nostalgia alone. I would like to re-read it now though.
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