Today In The History Of Polt's Comic Book Collection
Today, we travel back 40 years to July of 1986 and DC Comics' special one-shot The Last Days Of The Justice Society Of America.
A lil backstory: in the 1940s, DC Comics published the JSA. By 1953 or so, the only heroes still being published were Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, all the others were canceled, including the JSA title. IN the very late 50s, they became publishing renewed heroes (in addition to the big three) with new powers, secret identities, etc. In the very early 60s, some of them banded together, like the JSA, but known as the Justice League of America.
The heroes met, but it was decided the new heroes (JLA) would be on Earth-1 and the older ones would be on Earth-2. Basically the same civilization, but in a different parallel universe and with minor diffences. But it didn't stop there. Over the years DC added Earth-3, Earth-4, Earth-5, Earth-S, Earth-X, Earth-C, among many many others.
Twenty years later, in the early 80s, the powers that be at DC decided it was all too much and too confusing (which while being incorrect was also just stupid). Their "solution" was the 12 issue maxi-series: Crisis On Infinite Earths. At the end of it, all the paralle universes were wiped out, except for 5 of them: 1, 2, 4, S & X. But this meant than now, there were 2 Supermans, Batmans, Wonder Womans (Green Arrows, Aquamans, etc, etc, etc) one from the Erath-2 of 40s and one more modern from Earth-1. And there were the older members of the JSA, now into their 60s or 70s and the powers the be (again, erroneriously and stupidily) decided those old heroes wouldn't appeal to the fans, so they needed to go away. Thus, the Last Days Of The JSA.
It wasn't a great story. Through magic the JSA (except for a couple members who DC had plans with) were sent to fight Surtur and his allies in the Norse apocolype Ragnarok. And then they died, they were reborn to fight on and die and be reborn and fight on...forever. Should the battle ever end, they were told, then Ragnarok would end and the entire world would die in flame.
Dumb stupid idea, dumb stupid story.
And that's what this issue is about.
Thankfully, a few years later, DC found a way to undo this (I don't remember how, I like to forget the entire crap done to the JSA at this time) and the heroes returned. For a while. Less then 10 years later, DC tried got rid of most of the JSA again, through 'actual' death this time in Zero Hour. But that's another story.
This issue which I own was a low point in JSA history, and frankly, a low point in DC Comcis history for making it happen in the first place.
POLT
