JUSTICE SOCIETY REVIEWS: LINKS

Thank you to readers who reminded me that I did not follow up my examination of the World War Two-era Justice Society of America stories with my usual collection of links. I always did that after similar items like The Celestial Madonna Saga, Panther’s Rage, The Kree-Skrull War and most recently Adam Warlock’s encounter with the Magus, Thanos and Gamora.

In addition to examining these WWII stories I added detailed ways that I would have script-doctored them for a more sophisticated age.

THE FIRST MEETING OF THE JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA (December 1940)

Gathered together for the very first time, the JSA members each share an introductory story about themselves (braggarts). The government informs them it has a vital mission for them in the next issue.

My Revision: Since it’s their first meeting I would have had the JSA – including the original female Red Tornado – recount their origin stories to each other. CLICK HERE  

FOR AMERICA AND DEMOCRACY (March 1941)

The government sics the Justice Society of America on the Greyshirts, a Nazi-sympathizing group sabotaging America’s industries in case the U.S. enters the war.

My Revision: I had the heroes acting as a team, not on individual missions and once again used the female Red Tornado instead of the awful Johnny Thunder. CLICK HERE

THE MYSTERIOUS MISTER X (June 1941)

A masked man calling himself Mister X organizes America’s criminals into guilds and unions to make them more efficient.

My Revision: I had the JSA acting as a team in 3 adventures against Mister X and used the Red Tornado again instead of Johnny “Jar Jar” Thunder. Plus I used Hawkgirl instead of Hawkman. CLICK HERE

THE JSA INITIATES JOHNNY THUNDER (August 1941)

Despite the fact that the JSA members have to bail out Johnny Thunder when he screws up all his Initiation missions they STILL induct him into the Justice Society of America.

My Revision: Red Tornado instead of Johnny and 3 separate tales of the JSA battling the major villains from this story. Hawkgirl instead of Hawkman. CLICK HERE

A MILLION DOLLARS FOR WAR ORPHANS (October 1941)

The JSA sells War Orphans to the slave trade in exchange for a million dollars. I’m KIDDING! The heroes use their powers in various ways to earn a million dollars for war orphans in Europe.

My Revision: Red Tornado instead of Johnny, Hawkgirl instead of Hawkman. Three tales of the JSA getting money while fighting the villains called the Generallisimo, Hotfist and assorted gangsters. CLICK HERE

TWO NEW MEMBERS WIN THEIR SPURS (December 1941)

Starman and Doctor Midnite join the JSA as they battle a villain called Dr Elba and his chemicals which cause and cure insanity.

My Revision: Red Tornado and Hawkgirl, 2 stories with Dr Elba and a 3rd with this issue’s underutilized Lightning Makers. CLICK HERE 

HEMISPHERE DEFENSE (February 1942) 

The JSA members take on high-tech Nazi weaponry as they try conquering nations in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

My Revision: I emphasized the high-tech weaponry and had all the Axis Powers involved to relieve the boredom of non-stop Nazis. Also, Red Tornado and Hawkgirl instead of Johnny and Hawkman. CLICK HERE

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS INTO THE FUTURE (April 1942)

The Justice Society irresponsibly plays hell with the time-stream by going 500 years into the future to get technology to defend America from the Axis Powers.

My Revision: Too lengthy for a brief synopsis. I did use Red Tornado and Hawkgirl again instead of Johnny and Hawkman. CLICK HERE 

THE JUSTICE SOCIETY JOINS THE WAR ON JAPAN (June 1942)

Wonder Woman joins the JSA as they battle Japanese armies which are using high-tech weaponry.

My Revision: As always, instead of individual missions the heroes fight as a team and I feature more specific military targets in California, the Aleutian Islands and Hawaii. CLICK HERE 

VICTORY FOR AMERICA AND DEMOCRACY (August 1942)

The JSA members battle Japan’s Black Dragon Society the same way they fought the Nazis’ Greyshirts a while back.

My Revision: Hawkgirl but no more Red Tornado since Wonder Woman has now joined the team. I have the JSA fighting as a team instead of doing solo missions. CLICK HERE

SHANGHAIED INTO SPACE (October 1942)

The JSA battles Nazi rocket scientist Graf Gootsden and a variety of hostile aliens as part of the latest Axis Powers scheme to kill our heroes.

My Revision: Hawkgirl instead of Hawkman, plus I streamlined the story as much as possible and kept the JSA together as a team. CLICK HERE 

FOOD FOR STARVING PATRIOTS (December 1942)

The JSA members – individually of course, despite it being a team book – smuggle food to starving victims of the Nazis throughout Europe. They also help Underground units with a few missions.

My Revision: I had the JSA helping victims of all the Axis Powers around the world, not just in Europe to relieve the boredom of non-stop Nazis. CLICK HERE

THE MAN WHO CREATED IMAGES (February 1943)

The JSA’s first-ever battle with their archenemy Brain Wave. The heroes thwart his various evil plans – one hero at a time, of course (sigh).

My Revision: The heroes act as a team instead of fighting Brain Wave in solo missions. CLICK HERE 

THE JUSTICE SOCIETY FIGHTS FOR A UNITED AMERICA (April 1943)

The JSA take on Nazi Fifth Columnists spreading hatred across America while trying to sabotage our war industries. Two of the villains are called Mr Fortune and Agent Z.

My Revision: The heroes act as a team plus I bring in the Italians and Japanese again to relieve the boredom of non-stop Nazis. CLICK HERE 

BRAIN WAVE GOES BERSERK (June 1943)

The JSA battle Brain Wave again as he uses his mental creations to commit robberies, carry out blackmail schemes and manipulate a U.S. Senator. His ace in the hole this time is a device which shrinks the heroes to about 6 inches tall.

My Revision: Hawkgirl instead of Hawkman, another JSA member instead of Johnny Thunder plus I have the heroes act as a team. CLICK HERE

INSECTS TURN TO CRIME (September 1943)

A supervillain calling himself King Bee creates an army of insectoid humans and leads them in a nationwide crime spree until the JSA – especially Starman  – devises a means of stopping him.

My Revision: To make more sense I make the villain a female called Queen Bee. Also no Johnny Thunder, etc plus the heroes fight as a team. CLICK  HERE

CRIMES SET TO MUSIC (November 1943)

A villain called the Composer kidnaps Hawkman and pulls off a series of music-related crimes, opposed by the JSA.

My Revision: I used the Fiddler instead of the Composer, Hawkgirl instead of Hawkman, Batman instead of Johnny Thunder and had the JSA act as a team. CLICK HERE

A MOVIE THAT CHANGED A MAN’S LIFE (Spring 1944)

The JSA battle the many criminal schemes of a Jekyll/ Hyde man who periodically turns into a super-powered being called the Monster.

My Revision: I clean up some of the mess inherent in the Monster’s origin. Plus Hawkgirl instead of Hawkman, no Johnny Thunder and the JSA fight as a team. CLICK HERE

THE MAN WHO RELIVED HIS LIFE (Summer 1944)

Hilariously typical Golden Age Comics disregard for the ramifications of time travel. Just to make one old man happy the JSA members change incidents in his life that centered around the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, Pancho Villa, World War One and the Prohibition Gangster Era.

My Revision: No time travel, my usual roster changes plus I have the old man send the JSA off in search of his buried Brinx Job-style loot before other gangsters can get it. CLICK HERE  

A CURE FOR THE WORLD (Fall 1944)

More Golden Age time travel hilarity with no regard for the consequences. The female embodiment of the Conscience of Man sends the heroes back in time to battle witch-hunters, luddites and others.

My Revision: HELLO! With World War Two still raging there was no need to go time-hopping to fight random intolerance through the ages! I had the JSA – as a team – battle small fictional nations allied with the Axis Powers. Plus my usual roster changes. CLICK HERE 

PLUNDER OF THE PSYCHO-PIRATE (Winter 1944)

The Justice Society of America’s very first battle with another of their greatest foes, the Psycho-Pirate, the villain who can control people’s emotions.

My Revision: I had the Psycho-Pirate already using his mystical Greek psycho-drama masks to give him maximum power. Plus my usual roster changes. CLICK HERE 

THIS IS OUR ENEMY! (Spring 1945)

Mister Terrific and Wildcat join the JSA. The Conscience of Man sends our heroes on more pointless time travels to fight Germans in the 1400s on up to the 1920s. Idiotic.

My Revision: I used the JSA’s Nazi foe Per Degaton as the villain along with his high tech troops. These battles took place in the present day, not the past. Plus my usual roster changes. CLICK HERE  

THE FORGOTTEN CRIME (Summer 1945)

The JSA unravel a mystery involving unsolved crimes and a wealthy American family, despite the fact that they’d be better employed fighting the war.

My Revision: I make it so that the wealthy family owns companies vital to the war effort to at least capture some of the nostalgic WW2 feel. Plus my usual roster changes. CLICK HERE 

MYSTERY OF THE METAL MENACE (Fall 1945)

The JSA members save the world from invasion by metal beings from Jupiter … in a series of solo stories, of course. (WTF?)

My Revision: The heroes fight as a team plus I clean up the storyline a bit. And I make my usual changes to the roster. CLICK HERE

THE LOST PSYCHO-PIRATE STORY  aka The Will of William Wilson (? 1945)

The lost JSA story about their second clash with the Psycho-Pirate. The story was never published but some art and other details have survived.

My Revision: I had the JSA fight as a team, had the Psycho-Pirate already using his mystic Greek masks, cleaned up the storyline to make sense and made my usual roster changes. CLICK HERE  

A PLACE IN THE WORLD (Winter 1945)

The JSA helps wounded and maimed vets fit back into society while fighting assorted gangsters.  

My Revision: I used Per Degaton again, rallying German, Japanese and Italian hardliners to his side in a violent plan to keep the war going. The JSA stop him as a team, with my usual roster changes. CLICK HERE 

FOR MY EXAMINATION OF THE 13-PART BLACK PANTHER STORY TITLED PANTHER’S RAGE CLICK HERE

FOR MY ARTICLE ON THE LIST OF ATLAS/ SEABOARD SUPERHEROES CLICK HERE 

FOR MY ARTICLE ON THE MAIN LIST OF CENTAUR COMICS SUPERHEROES CLICK HERE

FOR MY ARTICLE ON THE MEMBERS OF INFINITE HORIZON CLICK HERE

FOR THE AUSTRALIAN SUPERHERO PANTHEON CLICK  HERE

FOR MORE SUPERHEROES CLICK HERE:  Superheroes

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