Justice Society Newbie

[WeAreGoingToEatYou]

I recently finished reading New Frontier, and I'm really interested in learning more about the Justice Society. What books would you guys recommend picking up?

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

It's not canonical, either, but what the hell: James Robinson & Paul Smith's The Golden Age. It deals with the struggles of Green Lantern, Starman, Manhunter, The Tarantula, Liberty Belle, & Hourman (among others) during the post-WWII/pre-McCarthy years. I recall a guy here at CBR once saying that when he loans New Frontier to new readers, he also throws in this as a companion piece.

Try Amazon if a copy of the trade proves to not be available at a shop.

[WeAreGoingToEatYou]

Awesome, thanks a lot. I'll check it out.

[Shellhead]

I've been a JSA fan almost since I first started reading comics in 1970.

For a good look at JSA down through the years, I would recommend these trades/comics, in this order:

1. The Golden Age. It was published in the late '90s, but combines old-fashioned looking artwork with excellent modern story-telling.

2. Crisis on Multiple Earths, volume 3, which reprints the best JLA/JSA team-up ever, from Justice League of America #100-102.

3. Justice Society, volume 1, which reprints the first half of the '70s JSA run from All-Star Comics.

4. Infinity Inc., volume 1, #1-10. Introduces a whole slew of second-generation JSA heroes and pits them against some of the original JSA.

5. JSA: Justice Be Done. This trade has the opening story arc of the previous JSA series, introducing some even younger JSA legacy heroes plus a mixture of characters from each previous decade. If you don't read this, subsequent appearances of Doctor Fate will be even more confusing.

6. Justice Society of America: The Next Age. This is the first trade in the current JSA run, and introduces most of the current crop of legacy heroes, and again brings back various JSA members from previous eras.

Optional but strongly recommended: several more trades from the previous JSA run.

Darkness Falls
The Return of Hawkman
Fair Play
Stealing Thunder
Princes of Darkness
Black Reign

Strictly optional: Crisis on Infinite Earths, the trade which shows how the JSA of Earth-2 got merged into the same reality as the JLA of Earth-1.

[Melfice]

Thanks for the info on the trades. I'm going to add JSA to my pull list with issue #29 this month with the new creative team of Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges. I'm a fan of their Vertigo work and really looking foward to their take on JSA. I have never read a JSA title, but the chars interest me a lot lately and with the new team, its a done deal.

Also, I just found out about JSA vs. Kobra: ENGINES OF FAITH and the preview looks amazing to me. I will pick up #1 and #2 on Wednesday with my other books.

http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/comics/?cm=11893

[the4thpip]

I've been a JSA fan almost since I first started reading comics in 1970.

For a good look at JSA down through the years, I would recommend these trades/comics, in this order:

1. The Golden Age. It was published in the late '90s, but combines old-fashioned looking artwork with excellent modern story-telling.

2. Crisis on Multiple Earths, volume 3, which reprints the best JLA/JSA team-up ever, from Justice League of America #100-102.

3. Justice Society, volume 1, which reprints the first half of the '70s JSA run from All-Star Comics.

4. Infinity Inc., volume 1, #1-10. Introduces a whole slew of second-generation JSA heroes and pits them against some of the original JSA.

5. JSA: Justice Be Done. This trade has the opening story arc of the previous JSA series, introducing some even younger JSA legacy heroes plus a mixture of characters from each previous decade. If you don't read this, subsequent appearances of Doctor Fate will be even more confusing.

6. Justice Society of America: The Next Age. This is the first trade in the current JSA run, and introduces most of the current crop of legacy heroes, and again brings back various JSA members from previous eras.

Optional but strongly recommended: several more trades from the previous JSA run.

Darkness Falls
The Return of Hawkman
Fair Play
Stealing Thunder
Princes of Darkness
Black Reign

Strictly optional: Crisis on Infinite Earths, the trade which shows how the JSA of Earth-2 got merged into the same reality as the JLA of Earth-1.

Go with what the shell says. He speaks wisely.

[show name]

Black Reign I think is a must-read. I read it before I read any of the previous volumes and still had no problem enjoying it. Going through the ones before will probably enhance the experience, though.

[Paiute 1]

Hawkman Returns, Stealing Thunder and Princes of Darkness are all great reads in addition to those already mentined.