retro-the-best....: Apr 3, 2011

Sunday, April 3, 2011

[New post] The Justice Society of America: 'Five Drowned Men'

The Justice Society of America: 'Five Drowned Men'

dailypop | April 3, 2011 at 9:48 pm | Tags: captain america all winners world war two, dc comics geoff johns jsa, golden age comics, JSA, jsa justice society of america, Justice League of America | Categories: Justice Society of America | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-2td

The modern superteam comic book is taken for granted today by readers and creators alike, but back in the Golden Age of comics, the Justice Society of America made a landmark first in crafting how a title utilizing several superheroes from various solo books in a single comic. The line-up is simply staggering and has never been topped.

The Flash- the fastest man alive
Green Lantern- guardian of the emerald flame
Hawkman - reincarnated Egyptian prince and adventurer
Wonder Woman- Amazonian ambassador the world of Men
Johnny Thunder- unlikely youth with the ability to command an all-powerful genie of living lightning
Doctor Fate- arcane sorcerer of the eldrich realms
Doctor Mid-nite- champion of the weak and vigilante of the night
Sandman- two-fisted detective driven by visions of the mind to prevent crime
The Atom- the tiny titan with a powerful punch
Hourman- the brilliant chemist who utilizes untapped resources of power for his 'hour of power'
The Spectre- the embodiment of the wraith of God

For this adventure Superman and Batman (commonly printed on the cover but rarely in the actual comic due to the editorial mandate to avoid over-saturating the market with these iconic heroes) are active participants, giving the comic arguable its most formidable line-up ever.

A comic book that starred all of these characters in a single adventure required not only a brilliant editor, but a team of creators working both independently and jointly in what became the anthology method of storytelling. The team would meet at the beginning of the issue, discover a mystery and then split up into separate adventures only to reunite at the conclusion and fight one last donnybrook.

Four Drowned Men is regarded as a classic and as a comics fan it threw me for a loop when I first read it as the story did not feature a major super villain but instead centered on a quartet of fraternity brother made into amoral criminals by having their consciences washed away in a mystically imbued river.

The story splits off into separate chapters starring Hawkman, the Flash, Hourman, Superman, Doctor Mid-nite, Batman and Green Lantern as they attempt to stop the demented criminals in their madcap schemes. The real strength of the story for me comes from the idea of everyday respectable men turned into the most ruthless crooks around. Robert Kanigher (Sgt. Rock) and Gardner Fox crafted the script with a hearty helping from artists Lee Elias, Joe Kubert, Irwin Hasen and Frank Harry. It's a thrilling story and is a testament to the superhero genre that such a seemingly mundane plot could be transformed into a classic simply by way of superior storytelling. Additionally, editor Sheldon Mayer of course had a large part to play in making the series a success.

The common praise of team-up books like the JSA, All-Winners Squad and the Seven Soldiers of Victory is one of economics. In one book a kid got more bang for his buck and a chance to see his favorite heroes rubbing shoulders, even if only for a moment. While 5 Drowned Men remains one of my favorite JSA tales, it is by no means the only one that I would recommend. Once scarce comics read only by wealthy collectors, these gems have since been collected in bargain-priced editions.