I had some friends but they’re gone,
Somethin’ came and took them away.
And from the dusk ‘til the dawn
Here is where I’ll stay.
“Friends” as sung by Bette Midler
Theme song from “The Last of Sheila”

Dan Didio of DC Comics has decided to “rest” the Justice Society of America, per a Facebook post quoted today by Newsarama. This settles, at least for now, why a JSA #1 doesn’t appear among the 52 reboot titles announced to start in September.

Personally, I am very disappointed. During the time when my DC Comics consumption had dropped to almost zero, I continued to buy any titles featuring the JSA — even when I’d given up everything else, including Superman himself. I still can’t tell you why the JSA has such fascination for me. It may be because I’m a continuity fan, and the JSA characters are some of the oldest pieces of continuity in the DCU. Superman and Batman we pulled forward again and again, but the original Flash, Green Lantern and other JSAers remained tied to the WWII era. Maybe it was the way the JSA acted as elder statesmen and exemplars for even such heroes as the Silver Age characters I grew up with. I’ve been reading DC since 1957, which means I probably identify with the JSA oldsters more than the most recent crop of teen heroes. ,aybe it is just the sense of family the JSA creates, with older heroes mentoring their legacies.

Whatever the reason, I’m sad that a JSA title won’t be part of the reboot. I had rather hoped for two titles — a JSA #1 set firmly in WWII to reestablish the DCU history from that era, and a second title (Justice Society Infinity?) featuring the modern day young legacies of those heroes being mentored by a handful of time-lost survivors (Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, and Ted Grant) who ended up in the 21st century, aged 60 or so. These three could become mentors for the new heroes, while the young heroes bring them into the modern day. The clash of cultures would be fascinating, since these JSAers did NOT live through the intervening years, but retired in the McCarthy era and were whisked into the present day soon after. The continuity problems inherent in the JSA could be solved, while still maintaining this group of great elder heroes for wonderful stories. Alas, it is apparently not to be. (I’d still trade I, Vampire and Voodoo for two JSA titles, sight unseen.)

Didio says that the lack of a JSA title doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of the characters, and I believe him — especially with the modern Mister Terrific having his own title, and Sgt. Rock’s grandson running a modern Easy Company. Blackhawks may have ties to their WWII counterparts, and the modern JSA characters could show up just about anywhere. (I know Power Girl is a terrible continuity killer, but I LIKE her, doggonit!) Even so, it won’t be the same. So let’s not give up on the JSA! DC seems to be listening more and more to the voices of fans. If you love the classic JSA and their younger counterparts, keep clamoring for a JSA title or two. I want my monthly visit with my old friends, and I’m not going to let anyone take them away.