Broken Frontier

Since their debut, the Justice Society has been home to both legends and future icons of the DC Universe. BF runs down the list starting from All-Star Comics #3.

The original Justice Society of America debuted in All-Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940/41) with a roster already in place (although DC did retroactively detailed their origin in the pages of DC Special #29, August/September 1977). Unlike their modern day successors, the original Justice Society was essentially a framing device, used to tie an anthology of solo tales together into a larger epic. The initial roster of the Justice Society was comprised of most of the popular "mystery men" characters of the Golden Age;

The Flash (Jay Garrick) – Debuting in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940), Jay Garrick gained the ability to move at superhuman speeds after inhaling vapours. The first chairman of the Justice Society, Garrick has served with virtually all incarnations of the team. Thanks to a decelerated aging process, Jay is currently active with the modern day Justice Society, serving as a father figure/mentor to the later generation heroes.

The Atom (Al Pratt) – First appearing in the pages of All-American Comics #19 (October 1940), Al Pratt did not initially have any super-powers. The diminutive strongman eventually gained superhuman strength and regularly appeared throughout the Society’s Golden and Silver Age adventures. During an early 1990s reformation of the Society, a magically de-aged Pratt returned to active duty, before falling in battle (Zero Hour #3, September 1994).

Green Lantern (Alan Scott) – From the pages of All-American Comics #16 (July 1940), came the original Green Lantern. Carrying a magical green lantern and ring, Scott briefly succeeded the Flash as the Justice Society’s chairman. Another fixture of the team, Scott has served under both the "Green Lantern" identity as well as "Sentinel." He is also one of the few remaining founders that are active with the current Society.

Hawkman (Carter Hall) – With an origin mired in continuity, Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940). The third Society Chairman, Hawkman’s currently origin story is that he is the latest in a series of reincarnations of an Egyptian Prince. Trained in the use of many ancient weapons, his greatest assets are a gravity defying metal and winged harness. Although not currently officially a member of the Society, Carter remains active in the superhero community.

Dr. Fate (Kent Nelson) – An occult hero that first appeared in the pages of More Fun Comics #55 (May 1940), Dr. Fate’s powers were toned down after his first several appearances as a member of the Justice Society. Although the character died in the early 1990s, his essence has frequently appeared from beyond the grave to offer mentorship to his successors.

Hourman (Rex Tyler) – The Hour-Man debuted in Adventure Comics #48 (March 1940), a scientist who invented a "miracle vitamin" that enabled him to gain enhanced strength for one hour. Over the years, Rex’s power source was often used as an allegory for drug addiction, before he was unceremoniously killed in Zero Hour #3 (September 1994). His death was eventually undone, with one of Rex’s successors using time travel to switch places at the moment of Rex’s "death."

Sandman (Wesley Dodds) – Initially an odd-seeming match for the Justice Society, the trench-coated Sandman first appeared in Adventure Comics #40 (July 1939). Armed with a gas-gun, Dodds was closer akin to the pulp heroes of the year. As the years rolled by, Sandman transitioned into a "superhero" costume, even gaining a teenaged sidekick and precognition abilities through dreams. Sandman was one of the few Golden Age heroes that was allowed to age, with his death leading to modern era revival of the Justice Society.

The Spectre (Jim Corrigan) – One of the darkest Justice Society founders, the Spectre, ironically first appeared in More Fun Comics #52 (February 1940). A murdered policeman resurrected to be the spirit of God’s vengeance, the bizarre Spectre was a longtime, albeit often distant member of the Society, with his successors frequently playing roles in the team (both as allies and antagonists).

All-Star Comics also established the concept of honorary Justice Society members. Given that the adventures of the Justice Society were initially anthologies of solo adventures, the roster was comprised of characters that did not have their own titles As characters that were given solo titles following All-Star Comics #3, they were removed from the active Justice Society roster and re-christened with "honorary" status. As such, there were two significant characters that were considered Justice Society founders, despite being honorary members from the start;

Batman (Bruce Wayne) – Appearing in cameos, Batman’s history with the Justice Society is convoluted at best. When superhero comics returned to vogue in the 1950s, DC recycled many of their Golden Age properties as new characters. One of the few exceptions was Batman, whose own title had continued uninterrupted through the 40s and early 50s. DC established that the Golden Age adventures of the Justice Society occurred on Earth-Two, a separate reality from where the then-current (now called "Silver Age") stories occurred.

As such, the Batman that was appearing in Batman, Detective Comics and Justice League of America was considered a separate character from the one who debuted Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). Following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985/86), DC’s multiple realities were condensed into one history, and this "Earth-Two" Batman was removed from continuity. With the recent Infinite Crisis (2005/06) and 52 (2006/07) books, it appears that this version of the character has been restored in an as-of-yet unexplained manner.

Superman (Kal-L) – Handled similarly to the Golden Age/Earth-Two Batman, this Superman has an added layer of complexity. At the conclusion of Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985/86), the character stepped away from reality, into a timeless "paradise" realm. Originally believed to be one of only four survivors of the "Pre-Crisis" continuity, the character appeared infrequently until Infinite Crisis, playing a key role in the restoration of "multiple Earths" in the DC universe. As such, it appears that in some way, shape or form, the Superman who debuted in Action Comics #1 (June 1938) is once again considered a founder of the Justice Society.