Review: America vs. the Justice Society by Roy Thomas, Alfredo Alcala, Howard Bender, et al.

Roy Thomas never got his often-expressed wish of writing a Justice Society focused ongoing, but 1985 did see the release of the America vs. the Justice Society mini-series. This was collected by DC Comics in a trade paperback in 2015, but reviews of the trade led me to pick up the original issues instead, as the trade omitted Thomas's "skeleton keys," an extensive set of notes in each issue that explained all the references. I read it where it is set chronologically, between issues #12 and 13 of Infinity, Inc.

The basic premise is that a diary surfaces, written by Batman, that claims the JSA were converted to allegiance of Hitler right at the moment of their founding, and that they were secretly working for him during World War II. A congressional committee convenes a hearing to see if charges should be brought against the JSA. This pits Batman's two children against each other: Helena Wayne a.k.a. the Huntress swears to defend the JSA even if it means unmasking Batman while Dick Grayson a.k.a. Robin believes nothing should tarnish the reputation of his old mentor.

You might think there's some good potential for drama here (and the Dick/Helena scenes are probably the comic's best ones), but it turns out to be the Roy Thomasest Roy Thomas comic that ever Roy Thomased. Because how do the JSA defend themselves? By recapping their entire history in exhaustive detail. Like, literally most of this comic is various JSA members taking turns standing before a committee and reciting an issue-by-issue chronology of their previous cases. Like, why? Obviously in some cases, this is supposed to smooth out continuity issues (Thomas clearly takes care of a couple things that bothered him about the JSA's 1970s revival in All Star Comics, for example), but much of it is simply, "this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened," ad nauseam. There's also some finessing of the JSA's Golden Age continuity... but that Thomas had already done in All-Star Squadron, and so most of the Golden Age stuff here is actually just recapping retcons he had already written elsewhere! And I had already read!

Even the characters know what they're talking about is often irrelevant; there's a bit where Power Girl is recapping the 1970s history of the JSA, and Wildcat thinks to himself, "I left about that time... to work with kids instead of hoodlums for a change. No sense bringin' that up, though." Yeah, there is no sense in bringing it up! But you did it anyway, Roy Thomas!

The original case of the JSA is actually recapped three different times. Issue #1 gives the distorted version from the "Batman diary," and then the JSA tell each other the true version... and then in issue #2 they tell it to the congressional committee all over again! Why why why?

The eventual answer to the plot doesn't make much sense. Batman worked out that Per Degaton was going to steal a time machine in 1984,* but he had brain cancer. The tumor was making Bruce Wayne paranoid and so he couldn't tell the JSA... but his Batman half(!) knew he had to get the word out, and so secretly wrote the fake diary and asked it to be released in 1984 so that the JSA's attention would be drawn toward their past and thus Per Degaton at the crucial moment. Like, when that was all explained, all I could go was, "!?" It's the sort of thing that might fly in an actual Golden Age comic, but not in the year 1985.

I will say, actually, I have come to an appreciation of Per Degaton. When I first encountered him (in Crisis on Multiple Earths, Volume 6), I noted that his name was dumb but I kind of felt sorry for him. Now that I've encountered him again in All-Star Squadron and this story, there's something kind of awesome about this mediocre research assistant who keeps trying to conquer the world again and again, but every time his attempt to do so is erased from history so that not even he knows he did it. There's a great bit in issue #3 where the same panel of him going, "Funny, Professor! I dreamed last night I was ruler of the world! ≽sigh!≼ Wonder if I'll ever be anything but a lab assistant?!" and the professor replying, "Stop mumbling, Degaton, and wash these tubes like a good fellow!" is used three times in two pages. He's the kind of would be conqueror of the world I can relate to. (Maybe that's just because he has red hair.)

from America vs. the Justice Society #3
(art by Howard Bender & Alfredo Alcala)

The first issue (which is double-length) is pencilled by Rafael Kayanan. Apparently I've seen his work a couple times before (in The Children's Crusade and Chewbacca), but I can't say I remember him. He did make a good impression here: there's a lot of talking, but he does a good job with facial expressions, bringing the large cast of characters to life. I also liked Mike Hernandez's work on #2,† but I wasn't impressed by Howard Bender on #3-4; his faces are kind of weird, which is a big detriment in a comic mostly about people standing before a committee and talking.

The funny thing is, of course, that this was all pointless. The final issue came out in April 1985... the same month as Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, a series that would culminate with the rewriting of DC history so that Superman, Batman, the Huntress, and Robin never served with the JSA at all! Like most comics projects that emphasize continuity over story (something Thomas is always in danger of doing, but never so much as here), it ultimately is meaningless because the next retcon just retcons out this retcon.

America vs. the Justice Society was originally published in four issues (Jan.-Apr. 1985). The story was written and edited by Roy Thomas; pencilled by Rafael Kayanan (#1), Rich Buckler (#1), Jerry Ordway (#1), Mike Hernandez (#2), and Howard Bender (#3-4); inked by Alfredo Alcala (#1-4), Bill Collins (#1), and Jerry Ordway (#1); co-plotted by Dann Thomas; lettered by Cody; and colored by Adrienne Roy (#1) and Carl Gafford (#2-4).

* Issue #1 is set on November 26, 1984, a couple months before its cover date of January 1985. Interestingly, issues #1-11 of Infinity, Inc. were all set in December 1983, and #12 shortly thereafter, so there must be a big time jump in that series if Infinity, Inc. #13 picks up after America vs. the Justice Society #4.

† The GCD tells me he is the artist better known as Michael Bair.

This post is the seventh in a series about the Justice Society and Earth-Two. The next installment covers Jonni Thunder, a.k.a. Thunderbolt. Previous installments are listed below:

1. All Star Comics: Only Legends Live Forever (1976-79)
2. The Huntress: Origins (1977-82)
3. All-Star Squadron (1981-87)
4. Infinity, Inc.: The Generations Saga, Volume One (1983-84)
5. Infinity, Inc.: The Generations Saga, Volume Two (1984-85)
6. Showcase Presents... Power Girl (1978)