JSA #1 is one of DC Comics‘ most highly anticipated new books for several reasons. Chief among them is a new direction written by superstar creator Jeff Lemire. The biggest selling point, however, is new line-ups for the Justice Society of America and their archenemies, the Injustice Society.
Variant covers by both Cully Hamner and Sweeney Boo teased some of the villains appearing in JSA #1. Some of the villains will be familiar to fans of the franchise. Others, however, are relatively recent creations, introduced into DC Comics within the past year.
Solomon Grundy
Named after an old English nursery rhyme, Solomon Grundy is a zombie with super-strength and invulnerability on par with Superman. Even if his physical form can be destroyed, Grundy always regrows and recovers to threaten the world anew. This cycle of rebirths leads to wildly varying personalities, with varying Grundies being dumb muscle, cunning combatants, and, in one case, a gentle giant. Grundy has repeatedly fought the JSA alone and as part of the Injustice Society.
Wotan
Introduced as an enemy of the Alan Scott Green Lantern, Wotan later became the archenemy of Doctor Fate and a foe of the JSA. Originally a prehistoric sorceress, Wotan mastered dark powers that enabled her to prolong her life and steal bodies. Currently inhabiting a male form, Wotan is also a skilled scientist and inventor.
Scandal Savage
The daughter of the immortal Vandal Savage, Scandal Savage had little use for her father’s continual battles with the JSA. This was largely due to his only viewing her in terms of her producing a male heir to his empire. Scandal had understandable issues with this, even ignoring her status as an out-and-proud lesbian. Beyond being a master combatant, Scandal also seems to have inherited a measure of her father’s healing factor and invulnerability.
Scandal was originally a mainstay member of the anti-heroic Secret Six. In more recent years, however, she worked with Catwoman, aiding her efforts to reform the thieves of Gotham City into an organized gang. Given that, it is unclear just why Scandal has joined the Injustice Society now.
The Fog
The Fog first appeared in 2023’s Wesley Dodds: The Sandman miniseries. Retroactively introduced as a dark mirror of the first Sandman, the Fog employed lethal variants of Dodds’ trademark sleeping gas. Given that The Fog died in that series, the villain pictured on the JSA #1 cover is likely a successor.
Doctor Elemental
Like The Fog, Doctor Elemental was retroactively introduced in a 2023 miniseries, Jay Garrick: The Flash. The bad doctor was originally Professor Hughes, Jay Garrick’s science teacher in college. It was Hughes’ twisted experiments that gave Garrick his super-speed, though the first Flash had no idea he was a guinea pig at the time.
Ironically, Hughes experiments proved the existence of the metagene and enabled him to extend his life. He cared little for these achievements, however, wishing only to acquire superpowers for himself. The best he could manage was to build an armored suit that allowed him to control fire, air, earth, and water.
Johnny Sorrow
Originally, Johnny Sorrow was an actor turned petty crook armed with a teleporter. However, an accident during a battle with the JSA trapped him between dimensions, where he attracted the attention of eldritch forces. Johnny Sorrow was remade into a ghostly figure, whose true face had lethal effects for those who saw him unmasked.
Red Lantern
The first Red Lantern, Vladimir Sokov, was retroactively introduced as a Russian counterpart to the Alan Scott Green Lantern in The New Golden Age #1. His daughter Ruby was later revealed to have inherited his powers, controlling the mystic Crimson Flame without a ring or battery. This makes her a counterpart to Alan Scott’s daughter, Jennifer-Lynn “Jade” Hayden. The 2023 Justice Society of America comics saw Ruby recruited into the JSA, in a bid to redeem the violent vigilante. It would seem, however, that this effort did not succeed.
Who is new the snake-themed JSA enemy?
The identity of the green-and-orange clad woman in the Cully Hamner cover is a mystery. The coloration and design are reminiscent of the cult leader Kobra. However, the Kobra cult has always been led by a man. Another possibility is Shiv, the archenemy of Stargirl, taking up her father’s Dragon King mantle as a Dragon Queen. Whoever she is, she is sure to test the new JSA.
JSA #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on November 6, 2024.
