On The Shelf: DC revives the Justice Society----again-----but messes up history-----again!

 To comic book historians, the Golden Age began in the late 30's with the introduction of iconic heroes Superman & The Batman ushering in the era of superheroes. Part of that Golden Age was DC Comics' 1st super-team, the Justice Society of America, which led DC's writers & artists to create tales of its heroes fighting the Axis Powers in World War II. During the Bronze Age, Hall of Fame writer Roy Thomas revisited this period with All-Star Squadron, which enabled the JSA to team with heroes from other publishers of the Golden Age, such as Plastic Man. The Squadron enjoyed a healthy five year run, segueing into the follow-up series, The Young All-Stars, which, unfortunately, faded after a couple of years. In between, Thomas created Infinity, Inc., recently adapted by Johns, James Robinson, and their writing staff for the CW's Stargirl, now in its final season (more on that later).

Fast forward to now.

Johns, who had written one revival of the JSA previously, in collaboration with Robinson, is reviving the franchise yet again for a new generation. Now, this is not as we're seeing in the current "Black Adam" movie, not even close. Johns sees a future, in the 31st century, where a new JSA would be an Earth-centric complement to the equally iconic Legion of Superheroes.

Johns' 1-shot special, The New Golden Age, released last week, sought to be a linchpin to the new JSA. 

Today's DC readers, however, have been flooded up to their eyeballs in Bat-centric events the last few years, and this is no exception. Johns takes a page from fellow scribe Tom King's playbook, hopscotching from one scene to the next with little rational context. The JSA, in any era, should stand on its own merits, but DC editorial can't have that. They need extra bells & whistles where none should be.

So a retired Selina Kyle (Catwoman) objects to her daughter becoming a hero, following in the footsteps of the Batman. Ok, that's understandable. Johns is revisiting an Earth-2 of the 70's, where Kyle and Bruce (Batman) Wayne were married, which is where today's DC editorial obsession with the Bat & the Cat began. However, we will see this iteration of The Huntress joining this new JSA.

Also, Johns is ret-conning into DC canon some new heroes that didn't previously exist, including women using the names of historical figures Betsy Ross & Molly Pitcher. Is this trip necessary? Meanwhile, Johns' pride & joy, Stargirl, returns in the miniseries, Stargirl & The Lost Children, a 6-issue series debuting this week, with the new JSA monthly soon to follow.

My brain still hurts from reading the 1-shot.

Rating: B-.

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Left out of our last review, we see another DC miniseries that is a little more palatable.

GCPD: The Blue Wall puts the spotlight on the Gotham City police in another attempt to move on from long-time commissioner James Gordon. In his place is Renee Montoya, aka the Question. The aesthetic of Blue Wall recalls past attempts to give some context to the police in the style of the 80's crime drama, Hill Street Blues, or today's Law & Order, where the cops are clearly the stars. DC's tried this before, but a late 80's miniseries, Underworld, was underpromoted, and, as a result, underperformed on the shelves. However, this resonates, especially if you can't escape reruns of Law & Order on the cable or new episodes on Thursdays.

Rating: A.

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It's true. Stargirl has fallen victim to the CW's grand makeover, now that Nexstar Media, owner of WTEN, has taken majority ownership of the network. The series finale will be on December 7, and, smartly, writer-creator Geoff Johns will bring some closure to the series, thus eliminating any chance the series moves forward elsewhere. Once Nexstar refills the CW's lineup with cheaply produced reality shows, a la the Discovery family of networks, CW's ratings will tank. Trust me.

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Someone asked on Reddit the other day if DC would do a tribute in the pages of their books for actor Kevin Conroy, who passed away last week from cancer at 66.

I think they will, most likely with books shipping to stores next month or in January. Conroy, the definitive voice of The Batman from 1992 forward, made his comics writing debut for DC back in June, and the 2022 DC Pride 1-shot is now being reoffered for free. Check with your local comics shops.