The Justice Society of America is famous for two reasons. First, its appearance in All-Star Comics #3 marks DC’s earliest superhero group. Second, it’s the initial team of metahumans and mystery men in comic book history. Its inception in March of 1941 predates groups created at Marvel and other companies.
Unlike modern teams, the Justice Society didn’t battle superhuman villains when it started. It tackled a mix of blackhats both in the U.S. and abroad. Additionally, government agencies called upon them several times to help thwart enemies intent on disrupting American freedoms. Needless to say, readers received their money’s worth in each adventure written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Sheldon Moldoff.
10 All-Star Comics #4: The JSA Battled Nazis
The JSA didn’t get together for their first adventure until All-Star Comics #4. At the urging of the FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover, the team was asked to tackle several fifth columnists from taking down America from the inside. In other words, they needed to track and take down Nazis who infiltrated the homeland.
Rather than do this as a group, the Justice Society took on these tasks individually. At the end of the book, they came together again to defeat the spymaster behind the operation. The way this mission was handled set up the premise for future JSA adventures, with individual adventures bookended by the team gathering as a whole.
9 All-Star Comics #5: The JSA Went After Mister X & His Racketeers
The Justice Society didn’t always battle Axis forces during their initial run. They involved themselves in more domestic issues. In All-Star Comics #5, the team goes after several gambling racketeers led by the mysterious Mister X.
This issue had some historic moments. In the segment featuring The Spectre, the character killed the gangsters chasing him by throwing their car into a tree. In another section, Hawkman constructed a new Nth metal belt and set of wings for girlfriend Shiera Sanders. Though not Hawkgirl yet, she did help him with his assignment.
8 All-Star Comics #8: The JSA Fought People Who’ve Lost Their Minds
Racketeering and fraud were the JSA’s main mission once again. However, there was a twist as Professor Elba created a serum that made some of the gangsters act like animals while others experienced severe phobias. In a way, Elba was an early version of the Scarecrow.
The members of the Justice Society encountered these individuals. With the help of Dr. Mid-Nite and Solution K, the team went about restoring the gangsters’ sanity and exacting justice. In the end, Mid-Nite and the original Starman became official members of the group.
7 All-Star Comics #9: The JSA Traveled To South America To Capture Fascists
FBI Director Hoover called on the JSA once again to help root out factions that wished to destroy the U.S. In this adventure, the team’s members journeyed to Mexico and South America to capture fascists before they could cross the border.
Among the threats they encountered were German saboteurs in Argentina and Nazi propaganda agents in Chile. After the success of defeating these fascists, the JSA celebrated with their girlfriends at the Panama Canal, with the exception of Johnny Thunder who sent his romantic interest to the moon.
6 All-Star Comics #11: JSA Members Enlisted In The Armed Forces To Take On The Axis Powers
Things changed by the time All-Star Comics #11 was released in June of 1942. Wonder Woman had become the first official member of the JSA, though she was relegated to the team’s Secretary. In addition, America was fully ensconced in World War II.
Thus, for a short period, the team disbanded while its members signed up in various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. After helping defeat the Axis powers in individual adventures, a high-ranking general requested the team to re-establish itself to help the soldiers and sailors. For the duration of the war, the JSA was also known as the Justice Batallion of America.
5 All-Star Comics #12: The JSA Rescued Inventors From The Black Dragon Society
Eight inventors were kidnapped by members of the Japanese spy ring known as The Black Dragon Society. Its members wanted to take their inventions for their use. To prevent that from happening, the U.S. War Department called upon the Justice Batallion to assist.
The heroes encountered death-defying problems. For instance, Sandman was thrown into a flaming lake while Hawkman was shot and tied to the propeller of a plane with a bomb. Meanwhile, Johnny Thunder stumbled into the headquarters of the Black Dragon Society thanks to his genie. About to be killed by its members, his Thunderbolt brought the rest of the JSA to his location to rescue their haphazard member.
4 All-Star Comics #13. The JSA Battled Aliens Across The Solar System
Save for a journey 500 years into the future in All-Star Comics #10, the JSA remained firmly on Earth. This changed in issue #13. Attacked by German agents in their own headquarters, the individual team members were placed in rockets. Each of them was sent to a different planet in the solar system.
At first, they were unsure of what to do in those unfamiliar environments. However, since evil was the same across the galaxy, they found ways to defeat the respective villains. In turn, each JSA member received a gift that helped them fight the Nazis.
3 All-Star Comics #15: The JSA Encountered Brain Wave
Though each member of the Society had an arch-nemesis in their own books, the team wasn’t granted one in its two years of operation. This changed in All-Star Comics #15. It was in this issue that the villain Brain Wave was introduced.
In a story titled “The Man Who Created Images,” the team didn’t show up for their regular meeting due to mystifying cases. Through letters received by Wonder Woman, it was revealed that their issues all linked to one man, Brain Wave, who created three-dimensional images of what he thought about. The character was popular enough to make a reappearance two issues later.
2 All-Star Comics #18: The JSA Stopped An Insect Crime Wave
Insect hormones were what plagued the Justice Society in this issue. Apparently, a crime wave was in progress by people who had gained insect-like powers through this method. Even the accident-prone Johnny Thunder was shown hanging upside-down in JSA headquarters after eating a bologna sandwich infused with hormones.
In their adventures, the team members encountered men with termite-like strength, snail-like burrowing skills, and hornet men that hijacked airplanes. It turned out the person behind that was a mild-mannered exterminator who got mocked for his bug collection.
1 All-Star Comics #20: It Was The JSA Vs The Monster
In previous issues, members of the Justice Society rarely fought one villain. Normally, they took on people with a connection to the main criminal. In All-Star Comics #20 the focus shifted. Each member individually encountered The Monster. When they got together after their adventures, they came to realize that the villain was a single person who was a bit of a Dr. Jeckyll and Mister Hyde.
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