Ladies, gentlemen, and genderqueers:

The Justice Society of America.

Created in 1940, partly as a method of showcasing superheroes who did not have a starring role in any other monthly comics, it was the original superhero team. Composed of Hourman, the Sandman, the Specter, the original Atom, the Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman, the team grew and changed over the years. This was true even in its early days, as the Flash and Green Lantern would soon leave, replaced by Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt; while the Specter was only a nominal presence in the stories. Other early members would come to include Doctor Mid-Nite, Starman, Mister Terrific, and Wildcat.

As time passed and the JSA fell back from the spotlight, replaced by the more popular characters of the Justice League of America, these heroes nevertheless remained important to the history of the DC Universe.

Hourman Rex Tyler, like many other characters, would in time pass on his name to younger heroes, including his own son, Rick. However, I will always remember these heroes for how amazing the costume design is: the grim executioner's hood, fearsome even in yellow, combined with the hourglass clasp on his cloak. It sends a very clear message to criminals: time's up.

The Sandman's moniker would later be applied by author Neil Gaiman to an entity also known as Dream, or Morpheus; stories that would go on to draw in previously untapped audiences into the world of comics and graphic novels, and which continue to be the most recognizable symbol of Mr. Gaiman's talents.

Al Pratt's role as the Atom is remembered less for contributing to the name of a very different line of heroes, but rather for his more personal contributions to the superhero population. Father of Damage and godfather to , Pratt's tenacity was an inspiration both for the message that you don't need to be of heroic stature to be a hero, and for the legacy he has inspired.

Jay Garrick and Alan Scott were the original Flash and Green Lantern. The model they have served as for younger heroes is admirable, but even more so is the fact that they have remained as heroes throughout that time. Few things are more delightful than seeing the senior speedster running at impossible speeds, and indeed the fact that he is currently the only Flash makes him all the more remarkable. Meanwhile, Scott's dedication is no less admirable. Having lost both his own eyes (each was replaced in a different manner) and his daughter Jade within the past two years, he has continued to act in a heroic fashion where others would understandably seek time to themselves.

As for Hawkman, what more can be said of his courage and bravery than that he has no problem wearing that costume in public?

Johnny Thunder may not be recognizable to most casual readers, but his heir should be; if he's not, you need to get to know Jakeem Thunder. Arrogant, rude, foul-mouthed, and vengeful- Jakeem doesn't exactly come off as the most heroic member of the JSA. However, actions are often the truest mark of a hero: Jakeem is loyal to his friends, going to impossible lengths to help them, even when the powers of his Thunderbolt "genie" might be absent. Indeed, the Thunderbolt is one of Jakeem's friends, a partner rather than a servant or familiar.

As Dr. Mid-Nite, Charles McNider beat Daredevil to the punch by being the first "blind" superhero, and he did a better job of it in my opinion. Able to somehow see in the dark while blind in light, he plunged villains into darkness. Although the original died some time ago, the heir to his identity-- Dr. Pieter Cross --has proved his worth both as a superhero and as a skilled medical professional. Specializing in his fellow superheroes, although Doctor Mid-Nite saves lives more often through medicine than darkness-creating technology, he remains a superhero. Plus, he's a vegetarian with an owl for a sidekick.

Starman's legacy is as long as any other hero's, if not even more so. No less than ten people, including Ted Knight himself, have used the name; these have included his son, whose gravity-manipulating Cosmic Staff has been passed onto Stargirl.

Mister Terrific was Terry Sloane, "the Man of 1000 Talents". A super-genius and olympian-level athlete, his good nature was exemplified by his wearing of the motto "Fair Play". He's dead now, but the example he provided has inspired a new Mister Terrific, Michael Holt.

Ted Grant, or Wildcat to most folks, is doubly important. First, he is an amazingly skilled fighter who has singlehandedly defeated no less than seven supervillains at once, and with the use of only one of his arms and no powers of his own. Second, he's the one who taught Batman to box, and Bruce never really learned everything Ted had to teach him.

Whoops, forgot to mention Red Tornado. Well, there's a reason: "Ma" Hunkel wasn't an official member of the JSA, even though she came to meetings and was there at the founding of the group The archetypal eccentric in long underwear and a cape, Ma was a satirical character whose well-intentioned adventuring did indeed achieve the goal of stopping crime, although the manner of her victories was more consistently comedic than dramatic. Often mistaken for a male superhero due to her brawny physique and steel pot helmet, Ma went the way of most of DC's funny characters for a great many years. An android would eventually take up the Red Tornado identity, at first mistakenly believing itself to be the original; this entity would be destroyed in the same event that took Alan Scott's eyes.

Some of these people are easy to see in the above pciture, an upcoming cover displaying the new Justice Society of America, others are the latest heirs to a given hero's legacy. Seated around the table, clockwise from the bottom left of the picture:
-Jakeem Thunder
-the new Sandman, formerly Sandy the Golden Boy, and later simply Sand
-Mister Terrific
-the Flash
-Hawkman
-Doctor Mid-Nite
-Green Lantern Alan Scott
-Hourman
-And Stargirl on the table

Not seated are, clockwise from Stargirl:
-the new Starman, an unknown figure
-Power Girl, Superman's cousin from an alternate universe which no longer exists
-Either Nuklon, or more likely Damage in a new costume
-the new Red Tornado
-Obsidian: Alan Scott's son, who seems to have his control over darkness back
-Wildcat
-the new Liberty Belle
-and Commander Steel, icon of American industry

I love the diversity here. You've got characters young and old, rebellious and conformist, radical and conservative, gay and straight. The new Justice society is even more of what it once was: a family. A family of crazy people who fly around fighting crime and make horrible fashion decisions, but a family. They don't get along at times, but there's a history there that they can't deny, and any one of them would sacrifice their own well being for the others if need be.