History Comicbook / JusticeSocietyOfAmerica

* ActionGirl: Wonder Woman, when she was allowed to go on missions. Black Canary was always an ActionGirl. Red Tornado... not so much.

The CrisisCrossover ''ComicBook/ZeroHourCrisisInTime'' [[RocksFallEveryoneDies brutally killed off]] members Doctor Mid-Nite, Hourman, and the Atom (an act meant to both [[ExecutiveMeddling get rid of "embarrassing" older heroes and create some epic deaths for the big story]]), and wrote out Carter and Shiera Hall, the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl, by merging them with the Silver Age Hawkman, Katar Hol. Several other members were also aged to such an extent that they were forced to retire, most notably Doctor Fate (leading to the introduction of a new bearer of the mantle in the ''Fate'' series), Sandman and Johnny Thunder. The second revival, simply entitled ''JSA'', brought the team back together with numerous new members, [[BackFromTheDead resurrected]] Hourman (who retired and entrusted the mantle to his son) and the Carter Hall version of Hawkman, and eventually fizzled after 87 issues and yet another CrisisCrossover. It was initially written by James Robinson (and included his ComicBook/{{Starman}} in the lineup) and David Goyer. Robinson was later replaced by Creator/GeoffJohns, whose run on the book is generally considered the team's peak and is regarded as one of his best works to this day.

Over a decade later, superheroes were on the rise again and Franchise/TheFlash (the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] Flash, a totally different guy than the one in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII) discovered another Earth inhabited by the older [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] characters. Continuity had been invented by this point, so the explanation was, "All those JSA stories took place on [[AlternateUniverse Earth-2]], which has its own version of Superman, and everything from, uh, [[UsefulNotes/TheInterregnum circa-1955]] on is from Earth-1, which has the Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica. Superman versus aliens? That was Earth-1. Superman versus [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazis]]? Earth-2." Thus, every summer, the JLA and the JSA would [[{{Crossover}} team up]], in some of the few multi-part storylines of UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks. These were often titled "Crisis on Earth-Something", and involved the two teams responding to multidimensional disasters.

The ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths left the JSA relatively untouched (except that there was now only one Earth, where all the heroes lived), but [[ExecutiveMeddling DC Editorial wanted]] to get rid of the JSA. So, in the best tradition of the AssPull: "Suddenly, the JSA were attacked by a spell [[{{Ghostapo}} cast by Hitler]] in the last days of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, which summoned the [[TheLegionsOfHell demons of Ragnarok]] to [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destroy the world]]. The JSA had no choice but to create a [[TimeyWimeyBall hole in time and space]], and all go [[PutOnABus through the hole]] to fight demons." The JSA were caught up in a time loop fighting demons from 1986 to 1992, when they were released during the ''Armageddon: Inferno'' crossover. They had a flashback miniseries in 1991 and a short series in 1992 that was cancelled even before its first issue by more ExecutiveMeddling.

** The original members of the Justice Society included Franchise/WonderWoman and Comicbook/BlackCanary, but when the group reformed decades later, it included the daughters of both as replacements. (Wonder Woman was retroactively stated to be Diana's mother, Hippolyta.) Many of the men returned despite having aged (such as Jay Garrick, [[Franchise/TheFlash the original Flash]]). Some, like Alan Scott (Franchise/GreenLantern) and Carter Hall (Comicbook/{{Hawkman}}) had either de-aged or were immortal.

* MamaBear: Power Girl starts to become this to Stargirl sometimes, once absolutely ''snapping'' at Captain Marvel for butting in on their conversation about Atom Smasher's potential defection, coldly telling him "Whatever it is, Big Red. I think you better save it."

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: The Wizard's first appearance. He'd been out of touch for years learning his magical powers. When he returned to civilization, he learned of the JSA. He could not conceive of intelligent super-powered people using their powers for good for altruistic reasons, and assumed the heroes were actually [[VillainWithGoodPublicity running an enormous scam]], and he demanded to be cut in.

* ShipSinking: Stargirl & Billy Batson (thanks to different editors) and Stargirl & Atom Smasher (thanks to a plot twist that toyed with Stargirl's emotions, and later a RomanticFalseLead in Anna Fortune).
* SickeninglySweethearts: Hourman and Liberty Belle.

* OverprotectiveDad: Jay Garrick tends to be this around Stargirl -- he confronts the "is sixteen, but in an adult's body" Captain Marvel about his relationship with her, and suggests that a firefighter talking her up in another issue consider the age difference. The whole elder trio later forces Atom Smasher to let Stargirl down once and for all. Courtney does not appreciate any of these moments.
** Justified in-story: Jay's only (adopted) child died very young, and so he sees all of the young heroes on the team as his children, with Courtney as the youngest.

* BadassInCharge: Hawkman, once he became the chairman of the JSA in All-Star #8. Green Lantern was no slouch either during his one issue as chairman. He had the team raising funds for war orphans after going on a solo scouting mission over Axis-occupied territory.

* FanService: Power Girl's huge bustline makes her a recurring subject of "focus on bustline while she's flying towards us" angled shots, and she often suffers ClothingDamage. Kendra tends to get lots of ass shots and rocks a BareYourMidriff outfit and pants with a plunging waistline. Unusually, however, the entire rest of the female cast tends to be either modestly-endowed (the teenage characters) and/or full-clothed without even the form-fitting wardrobe normal for comics (Cyclone and Liberty Belle).

The team made their cinematic debut in the ''Film/BlackAdam'' live action film set in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse and starring Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, with Creator/AldisHodge as Hawkman, Creator/PierceBrosnan as Doctor Fate, Creator/NoahCentineo as Atom Smasher and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone. The team had its own AnimatedAdaptation in the WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies line, ''WesternAnimation/JusticeSocietyWorldWarII'' in 2021.

* ArchivedArmy: A comic has the JSA fighting what appears to be a band of villains out of history: UsefulNotes/{{Nero}}, Goliath, Captain Kidd, Cesare Borgia, UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan and UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun. It turns out to be one guy (a guard at a wax museum) masquerading as all these figures. However he succeeds in killing the entire male membership of the Society in that issue. [[ComicBookDeath They get better]].

* HistorysCrimeWave: The Trope Namer is in ''All-Star Comics'' #38 where the Justice Society of America investigate Gotham City murders claimed to be performed by historical villains. Though they turn out to be the disguises of an insane wax museum guard, he succeeds in killing every member in the issue except Wonder Woman, who has to use the purple ray to bring them back to life. The villains are Nero, Goliath, Captain Kidd, Cesare Borgia, Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Cyclone is described as having atypical depression, but what we actually see of her personality she hides this well. Still, her [[MotorMouth overly talkative nature]], hyper-focus on her fandoms, social anxiety, GenkiGirl nature, and tendency to overthink things strongly point to possibly also having ADHD.

* '''''Justice Society of America''''' Vol 4 (2022-)

The team is set to appear in the upcoming ''Film/BlackAdam'' live action film set in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse and starring Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, with Creator/AldisHodge as Hawkman, Creator/NoahCentineo as Atom Smasher and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone for the confirmed JSA members. The team had its own AnimatedAdaptation in the WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies line, ''WesternAnimation/JusticeSocietyWorldWarII'' in 2021.

* ''ComicBook/TheGoldenAge''

* ''Film/BlackAdam'' (2022)

The team is set to appear in the upcoming ComicBook/BlackAdam live action film set in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse and starring Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, with Creator/AldisHodge as Hawkman, Creator/NoahCentineo as Atom Smasher and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone for the confirmed JSA members. The team had its own AnimatedAdaptation in the WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies line, ''WesternAnimation/JusticeSocietyWorldWarII'' in 2021.

* ''Black Adam'' (2022)

** Hourman was initially an action-loving hero with many aspects, who took major issue with Atom Smasher's betrayal, and had feelings for Jesse Chambers. Fast-forward one year, and his entire personality seemed based around fawning over his wife Jesse, or screaming at Atom Smasher for betraying the team. Thanks to LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, his few appearances in the book could only consist of just that.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Membership includes all the Golden Age heroes, and all their descendants, and all their {{Sidekick}}s, and all their ''sidekicks''' descendants... and that's not even getting into all the ''reserve'' members.
** This got more and more derided by fans, who were practically ''begging'' the new writing team to drop the roster by several characters by the time Johns left the book. Of course, the new writers promised to not only keep most of the team around, but ''add'' one new character each.
*** The team split with ''JSA All-Stars'' sought to avert this, but each team still had one new character on it, with a standard plus-size team roster still fighting for space. Once ''All-Stars'' was cancelled, the cast of that series (minus Damage, who was killed during ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'', and ComicBook/PowerGirl, who left to join the new [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational JLI]]) rejoined the JSA proper.

The JSA, therefore, basically became a team of veterans and mentors for other heroes, as well as the starting point for many heroes in training. This gave the team excellent dynamics: young vs. old, cynical vs. idealist, etc. While its heroes were not as popular as those who form the Justice League, they were respected and admired by all proper heroes in Franchise/TheDCU as [[UrExample pioneers of the principles they stood for]]. After adding LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters in the form of other [[LegacyHero Legacy Heroes]], Johns finalized his decade-long run on the book.

* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: It sure is a good thing that Dr. Mid-Nite, a licensed physician, is on the team, because they seem to be the only team in comics that regularly has somebody suffer a near-fatal injury in every event. Averted with the ReTool with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters later.

* BadassNormal: This role is filled by Mister Terrific, the third-smartest man in the world (and therefore smart enough to know that "Working Out = Good"), Hawkman (who graduated to Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian with wings), and Wildcat, advertised as the man who taught self-defense classes to the JLA.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The Thy Kingdom Come storyline had [[spoiler: Doctor Mid-Nite regain his eyesight at the cost of being able to diagnosis medical conditions at a glance, ComicBook/{{Starman}} regained his sanity when [[InsanityImmunity he needed to be crazy]], ComicBook/PowerGirl learned the hard way that the ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis had [[YouCantGoHomeAgain caused her to be replaced with a double on Earth 2]], and Damage's face was fixed and he became increasingly vain.]] Luckily because StatusQuoIsGod most of those issues were resolved.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: Most of the inner turmoil in the JSA was caused by the original Atom, Al Pratt's, kids. Atom-Smasher was Pratt's godchild, and later, Pratt's son Damage (it's a [[ItMakesSenseInContext complicated story]]) betrayed the team by siding with Gog.
* BlessedWithSuck: Citizen Steel had superhuman strength... he also can't feel ''anything'', and has to wear a special suit because he can't control his strength.

* DivergentCharacterEvolution: Even though the Justice Society came first and the Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica was just a [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] update of the Justice Society, because the Justice League was more popular, it was decided that the Justice Society needed to find a new core concept to differentiate it from the Justice League. Several different ideas were tried such as being an AlternateUniverse equivalent to the Justice League, being a group of middle-aged superheroes, and being a group of senior citizen superheroes, until finally, they found a concept that worked sales-wise: a multigenerational family of superheroes training the next generation.
** This concept behind the team was explicitly abandoned by Marc Guggenheim.

* {{Flanderization}}: Hourman was initially an action-loving hero with many aspects, who took major issue with Atom Smasher's betrayal, and had feelings for Jesse Chambers. Fast-forward one year, and his entire personality seemed based around fawning over his wife Jesse, or screaming at Atom Smasher for betraying the team. Thanks to LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, his few appearances in the book could only consist of just that.

* RetiredBadass: All of them.

** When the teen supervillain Kid Karnevil attempted to infiltrate the Justice Society Of America, he did so by posing as a patriotic superhero named the All-American Kid. All-American Kid's costume and backstory were extremely similar to those of Bucky, the sidekick of ComicBook/CaptainAmerica.

* GirlsNightOutEpisode

* HeroicSacrifice: This one doesn't get used as often, but we've seen a few. Wesley Dodds committed suicide because his long-time girlfriend Dianne had died the year before, and because he knew that with the knowledge he had obtained, he was as good as dead anyway. Worse than dead, if Mordru's threats to him carried any weight. Before the end, he sent a warning to his old teammates about Mordru.

* PutOnABus: Doctor Fate in the previous run would vanish constantly searching for his wife, both to reduce the ponderous roster and to bring a major powerhouse out of the fight. Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Amazing Man, Magog and others have all done the same over time. Amazing Man has now finally been fully put there to clear out the roster a bit.

* {{Retcon}}: the team's various changes inflicted on it after ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths forced the removal of the Earth-2 Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman from the roster retroactively, among other changes.

[[caption-width-right:350:Ain't no school like the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks old school.]]]]

** The original roster was Franchise/TheFlash, Franchise/GreenLantern, ComicBook/{{Hourman}}, Sandman, ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}, [[ComicBook/TheAtom Atom]], ComicBook/{{the Spectre}} and ComicBook/DoctorFate.

The CrisisCrossover ''ComicBook/ZeroHour'' [[RocksFallEveryoneDies brutally killed off]] members Doctor Mid-Nite, Hourman, and the Atom (an act meant to both [[ExecutiveMeddling get rid of "embarrassing" older heroes and create some epic deaths for the big story]]), and wrote out Carter and Shiera Hall, the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl, by merging them with the Silver Age Hawkman, Katar Hol. Several other members were also aged to such an extent that they were forced to retire, most notably Doctor Fate (leading to the introduction of a new bearer of the mantle in the ''Fate'' series), Sandman and Johnny Thunder. The second revival, simply entitled ''JSA'', brought the team back together with numerous new members, [[BackFromTheDead resurrected]] Hourman (who retired and entrusted the mantle to his son) and the Carter Hall version of Hawkman, and eventually fizzled after 87 issues and yet another CrisisCrossover. It was initially written by James Robinson (and included his ComicBook/{{Starman}} in the lineup) and David Goyer. Robinson was later replaced by Creator/GeoffJohns, whose run on the book is generally considered the team's peak and is regarded as one of his best works to this day.

The comic book ''ComicBook/AllStarComics'', in 1940, was introduced as a standard anthology title featuring characters from other anthologies. However in the third issue (Winter, 1940), writer Gardner Fox introduced the Justice Society of America, teaming up the characters. '''Thus was born the world's first superhero team'''. The Justice Society was the TropeMaker for SuperTeam and because it was mostly for less-used characters, any character who got his own series would have minimal appearances, so [[Franchise/TheFlash Flash]] and Franchise/GreenLantern left when they got solo comics, Franchise/{{Superman}} and Franchise/{{Batman}} rarely appeared[[note]]They had their own books, and the publisher believed that including them would cannibalize sales[[/note]], and Franchise/WonderWoman was the JSA's [[StayInTheKitchen secretary]] and didn't go on missions until late in the Golden Age ''All-Star'' run. The team had a roster that changed from time to time, with characters leaving the team and others replacing them, until finally the lineup stabilized for the last two years of the book's run. The comic was canceled with issue #57 (February-March, 1951) at the end of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, with ''All-Star Western'' continuing the numbering.

The comic book ''ComicBook/AllStarComics'', in 1940, was introduced as a standard anthology title featuring characters from other anthologies. However in the third issue (Winter, 1940), writer Gardner Fox introduced the Justice Society of America, teaming up the characters. '''Thus was born the first superhero team'''. Because it was mostly for less-used characters, any character who got his own series would have minimal appearances, so [[Franchise/TheFlash Flash]] and Franchise/GreenLantern left when they got solo comics, Franchise/{{Superman}} and Franchise/{{Batman}} rarely appeared[[note]]They had their own books, and the publisher believed that including them would cannibalize sales[[/note]], and Franchise/WonderWoman was the JSA's [[StayInTheKitchen secretary]] and didn't go on missions until late in the Golden Age ''All-Star'' run. The team had a roster that changed from time to time, with characters leaving the team and others replacing them, until finally the lineup stabilized for the last two years of the book's run. The comic was canceled with issue #57 (February-March, 1951) at the end of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, with ''All-Star Western'' continuing the numbering.

The team is set to appear in the upcoming ComicBook/BlackAdam live action film set in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse and starring Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, with Creator/AldisHodge as Hawkman, Creator/NoahCentineo as Atom Smasher and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone for the confirmed JSA members. The team will also get its own AnimatedAdaptation in the WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies line, ''WesternAnimation/JusticeSocietyWorldWarII'' in 2021.

The Justice Society is mentioned by [[ComicBook/{{Hourman}} Rex Tyler]] in the first season finale of ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'', and makes a full appearance in the second season. The JSA also plays a prominent role in the live action ''Series/{{Stargirl}}'' series (which takes place on Earth-2 of the ''Franchise/DCLiveActionMultiverse'').