• HISTORY
• WHO'S WHO
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• Villains
• JSA CHRONOLOGY
  • 00 Introduction
  • 01 Pre-War
  • 02 Golden Age
  • 03 All-Star Squadron
  • 04 Young All-Stars
  • 05 Post-War
  • 06 Silver Age
  • 07 Infinity, Inc.
  • 08 Legacies
  • 09 JSA
  • 10 JSA
• JSI / EARTH-2
  • Membership
  • 00 Introduction
  • 01 Golden Age
  • 02 All-Star Squadron
  • 03 War's End
  • 04 Post-War
  • 05 Silver Age
  • 06 Infinity, Inc.-now
• ELSEWORLDS
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• LINKS
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JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA

JSA Elseworlds

This section covers JSA-related series which are (intentionally or not) "out of continuity." Listed alphabetically by title. Since the Infinite Crisis, some Elseworlds tales have been given their own Earth in the new multiverse. If so, this is noted in the header.

JSA Parodies

 

The Golden Age

4-issue limited series (1993)

After successfully transferring his brain into the body of Mister America in 1945, the Ultra-Humanite rises in political power and develops a way to create a "superman." He transplants the brain of Adolf Hitler into Dan Dunbar, creating a new American hero, Dynaman. "Tex Thompson" is betrayed by his wife, Miss America, who finds his journals and gives them to her old All-Star friends. The story references January 1950, when Alan Scott is summoned to the HUAC hearings.

Although this was an "Elseworlds" series, it's themes were powerful enough to make it into mainstream comics as well. The most prominent of these is James Robinson's continued development of Starman, which began here in The Golden Age. Other things introduced include the potential evil in Captain Triumph (1st post-Crisis appearance) and the fall of the Tigress. It features first-time DC appearances by some Quality heroes—Joe Hercules, "Stormy" Foster, Wildfire, Madame Fatal, Doll Girl; plus Red Torpedo, Neon, the Spider, Firebrand and the Red Bee; and and other obscure "All-Stars" such as Captain X.

The Golden Age Annotations

The Liberty File — Earth-40

+ JSA: The Liberty File

2-Issue Limited Series, Prestige format (Feb.-March 2000)

By Dan Jolley and Tony Harris

When narrated, the Liberty File stories are told by the Bat. You can read both series collected in one trade paperback.

STORY: 1942: In the days of World War II, an albino psychopath, Jack the Grin (the Joker), intercepts knowledge of a Nazi secret weapon. When Jack is apprehended, he escapes, bringing the plane and its American Agents down in Egypt.

U.S. intelligence calls in their operative the Bat (replacing Ted Grant) to team with the Clock (Tyler) and the Owl (McNider). In Africa, the Owl meets up with another agent, Canary (Dinah), whose cover is a nightclub singer. The agents run afoul of two free agents (Whispering Pete and Bob), and the German S.S., who are looking to keep Jack quiet. The Bat ultimately catches Jack and injects him with truth serum. He discovers that the Nazi's secret weapon is not a long-range bomber, as the Americans had thought. Instead, they confirm that Adolf Hitler has indeed been harboring some kind of "super-mensch." (#1)

The Bat and Clock next meet another agent, Terry Sloane (Mister Terrific) in Bern, Switzerland. While recovering from injuries, the Owl is attacked and killed by a Nazi agent called the Scarecrow. In the ensuing firefight, Sloane's fiancee, Eva, is also killed.

Hitler's super-mensch is revealed as a Martian, J'onn J'onzz. The Nazis brought him to Earth in 1939 and named him Johann. The Americans make their way to Hitler's retreat and meet their mole, Robin. Robin sends them after Hitler to El Alamein, Egypt. At the Suez Canal, the Americans prepare reveal their own Super-Man, but the Bat manages to save the day by engaging Johann directly and feeding him his thoughts. This triggers Johann's suppressed memories and he turns on the Nazis. (#2)

The next series, The Unholy Three reveals that the Americans do not perfect the nuclear bomb until 1948. Instead of bombs, it is the super-men that win the war for the Allies.

ROLL CALL: The Clock, The Owl (deceased), The Bat, Mister Terrific, Canary, Ted Grant (deceased), Johann (the Martian), Robin, Super-Man.

+ JSA: The Unholy Three

2-issue limited series, Prestige format (2003)

By Dan Jolley and Tony Harris

STORY: In 1944, following their infamous mission, Terry Sloane's hatred for the Bat over his fiancee's death was so great, he nearly killed Wayne in revenge. He later went to work for Tyler Chemicals.

1948: In Berlin, a rogue KGB agent called the Parasite tortures and kills Sandy Hawkins and Johnny Thunder for information. The J'onn J'onnz now works on the moon helping NASA construct a base. In Gotham, the Bat pursues Harvey Dent, who has been transformed into a half monster by Arcane's magic. When Bruce returns home, he finds Gen. Maitland waiting to ask him to return to service. They have prepared Clark Kent, Super-Man, for service, too. Bruce recalls his old ally, Rick Tyler, who has been researching a way to duplicate Kent's powers.

They're briefed about the Parasite and another Russian agent, Stalnoivolk/Steelwolf. When they arrive in Berlin, they find the dead bodies and enlist the aid of agent Shiera Saunders. The trail leads to Parasite, who has killed Steelwolf. They apprehend him, but another agent (Pemberton) is murdered, leaving them at square one. Kent visits Shiera again, asking her to call him by another name: Zod. (#1)

Zod reveals that he was sentenced at age 11 to the Phantom Zone on Krypton. Later on Earth, American scientists in the "Wormhole Project" freed him. The boy lived with the Kents, under government supervision. When Zod rejoins his "allies," they meet a deep cover agent, the Sandman. He tells them the Soviets have a trigger that can detonate every nuclear weapon across the globe. They're to meet the Lantern later at a social event for more information. Zod intercepts the intel then kills the Lantern. He knows that the "trigger project" produces a kind of radiation that can cripple him.

Dodds warns the others and the Bat calls all available agents to stop him from finding the trigger. From across Eurasia, the Atom, Mercury, the Hawk, Tornado and the Huntress respond. They converge on the city of Chernobyl, where another deep cover agent, the Star, fights Super-Man. Zod kills the Atom and the Hawk before Terry Sloane arrives with Tyler's own experimental super-serum. The Bat injects the serum and is transformed into a powerhouse. He and the Star manage to unleash the project's radiation on Zod, but activate the reactor (trigger) as well. Using the Star's cosmic rod, he, the Bat and the Clock combine will power to contain Zod and the reactor and send them into space, where he explodes.

Afterwards, the remaining agents recover and Bruce makes amends with Sloane. He's unsure what the lingering effects of the serum will be. (#2)

ROLL CALL: The Bat, the Clock, Super-Man (turned), Johnny Thunder (deceased), Sandy Hawkins (deceased), Shiera Saunders (deceased), Pemberton (deceased), the Sandman, the Lantern (deceased), the Atom (deceased), Mercury, the Hawk (deceased), Tornado, the Huntress, the Star, Mr. Terrific.

+ Countdown: Arena

The Bat's story continued when the evil Monarch collected warriors from across the multiverse. The Bat was chosen to do battle with counterparts from other Earths. He was bitten by the vampire Batman of Earth-43 (Arena #1) and turned into a vampire himself. (#2) Although he was reborn and attempted to lead the others to freedom, he was ultimately blasted and apparently killed by Monarch. (#4)

Unholy Three Microheroes by Jerome

Superman & Batman: Generations

Generations II, 4-issue limited series (2001)
Generations III, 12-issue limited series (2003)

In this tale, Superman and Batman, along with most other original Golden Age DC heroes, debut in the 1930s-40s and form the Justice Society. Their JSA lasts until the "Silver Age," adding members who normally would have founded the Justice League. The heroes who normally founded the Teen Titans become the Justice League instead.

The first Generations series did not deal with the super-groups, only the title characters.

ROLL CALL , JSA:
1942: Batman, Hawkman, Spectre, Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman (all their traditional selves) (Generations II #1)
1953: Atom, Green Arrow, Wonder Girl (a magical clone), Flash (Jay Garrick, retired) (#1)
1964: Flash II (Barry Allen), Batman II (Dick Grayson) (#2)

ROLL CALL, JLA:
1964: Supergirl (Kara Kent), Robin II/Batman III (Bruce Wayne, Jr.), Kid Flash/Flash III (Wally West), Wonder Girl II/Wonder Woman II (Stephanie Trevor) (#2)
1986: Flash IV (Carrie Allen) (#3)
1997: Green Lantern II (Kyle Rayner), BlackHawk (Janet Hall; granddaughter of the Hall's and Janos Prohaska) (#3)
2008: Flash V (Jay West), Nightwing (Clark Wayne), Cyborg, Green Lantern III (Hal Jordan) (#4)
21st Century: — Superman I (Clark Kent), Batman I (Bruce Wayne), Flash V (Jay West), Wonder Woman II (Stephanie Trevor), Green Lantern III (Hal Jordan), Blackhawk. (Generations III #2)