With Jeff Lemire saying he’s leaving the JSA comic as of issue #24, what’s to become of the Justice Society of America?
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
During a recent interview, writer Jeff Lemire basically announced that he’s leaving writing JSA as of issue #24, which is scheduled to be released In October.
While answering a question from reader NerdsRUs during an AMA interview, Lemire said, “Not announced yet, but what the hell, I’ll say it here. My run on JSA will end with #24.”
Personally, I’ve been loving his writing on that particular comic, not to mention his work on Absolute Flash and The Fury of Firestorm. The truth probably is that he’s now getting a lot of offers to write other comics that likely will earn him a lot more money than JSA has been, sadly. He’s been juggling JSA’s multiple groups, including the World War II heroes, the people from Infinity Inc., and also heroes from the recent Stargirl show formerly on The CW. It’s been my favorite incarnation of the team in a long, long time.
Lemire is also launching Crowbound with Dustin Nguyen for Image Comics as well as writing and drawing Minor Arcana from Boom! Studios and any Black Hammer books at Dark Horse.
He’s not lacking for comics to write!
Currently, he’s tackling one of the most powerful heroes in DC, The Spectre. From the preview descriptions for upcoming issues, here’s what issue #22 says: “The wrath of the Spectre has ravaged the JSA. As the dust settles, one hero will step up and take on the mantle of the Spectre, but will they be able to control its fury?”
Of course, the Spectre has had many hosts, including Hal Jordan briefly, Jim Corrigan, and others in recent issues. It’s reminiscent of Doctor Fate’s helmet, which has had several wearers in recent years. As to who will host the Spectre, I have no idea, but I’m sure it will be a great read.
NOW WHAT?
As of this writing, there has been no word as to what will happen to the monthly title. There are, of course, several options. DC could pick a new scripter to take over the book. If the sales don’t warrant JSA continuing, DC could cancel it, something the JSA has been familiar with for decades. Of they could even restart the title with a new number one, something comics have been famous for doing for years. We’ll see.
After all, they published All-Star Squadron with the younger JSA heroes for a while. They also spun off the children of the JSA into Infinity Incorporated. As a long-time fan of the group, I was truly enjoying Lemire’s balancing act with several “generations” of the team.
Personally, I want to see JSA continue. As to just who should take over the writing chores, I’m not sure. We need someone who can carry on the torch from Lemire in a cogent and enjoyable manner. Don’t just stick someone in there who cannot manage all these heroes. I want to see a level of quality that will bring in new fans and keep old readers like me buying and reading the book.
THE JSA CONTINUES TO FACE A DAUNTING PROBLEM
I’ve addressed the difficulty that the Justice Society has always faced—they are locked into a specific time period, namely the years of World War II. As the real life years continue to march on, that period continues to be farther and farther in the rear view mirror, and fewer and fewer people have any sort of connection to that event or that time.
The JSA are not alone in this concern. Marvel’s Captain America and the Invaders group have also had deep roots in that event, and it sure seems that all of them struggle to remain relevant to current audiences.
Granted, I didn’t live through that war. (I’m not THAT old, thank you!) But I’m a history buff who has always been fascinated with that time period and the stark contrasts between the different countries involved in the conflict. I do have to say, though, that the comics-related reason the JSA didn’t get involved in World War II never has quite rung true to me. But it worked in a pinch!
Maybe it’s just that I have a fondness for those “early” heroes of the time. My personal favorites include Doctor Mid-Nite (who has had several incarnations) and Hourman (another guy who has been reworked a time or two), but I am okay with a lot of the other JSA members such as Flash, the aforementioned Dr. Fate, and even Alan Scott, who has been rebranded as Sentry as well as Green Lantern. I did think it was a cool idea to take Wonder Woman’s mother and have her serve with the JSA instead of Diana.
I know several comics fans who find all this confusing. Which Black Canary are we talking about now? The mother or her daughter, who went to the Justice League? Also, some get confused with which Earth we’re dealing with even after the many Crisis events?
Lemire took all this in stride, and he has done a masterful job of making the JSA so worthy of a buy and a read each month.
Please, DC, don’t let all this great scripting simply fade into the past, much like the JSA has had to endure in years past? Keep the team advancing forward by finding at least a great writer who can manage all these various moving parts and keep selling the book to fans like me!
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