340 JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
new member also introduced at this time was Th e Huntress, the daughter of Batman
and his enemy-turned wife Catwoman. Th e JSA also had a short run in Adventure
Comics. Th e late 1970s brought tragedy to the JSA as both Batman and Mr. Terrifi c
were killed by villains.
In the stories of the 1970s, the members of the JSA were beginning to show signs of
aging, with lines on their faces and grey in their hair. While their Earth-1 counterparts
were in a “sliding-scale timeline” which let events that were published decades earlier
only happen a few years ago in continuity, the JSA was still tied to the 1940s, and while
they were still vigorous, their ages did have occasional eff ects on them. In the opening
pages of the fi rst issue of Infi nity Inc., it was reported that Sandman had suff ered from
a stroke. In that same issue readers were introduced to the newest generation of heroes,
made up of the sons, daughters, and protégées of the JSA. Put together by the Star-
Spangled Kid, Infi nity Inc. was formed, with their fi rst task to stop several members of
the JSA who had been brainwashed.
During the events of Crisis on Infi nite Earths, all of the parallel worlds were merged
into one, which had several ramifi cations on the JSA. First this meant that they and
the JLA lived on the same world and always had and this aff ected several areas of their
history. More importantly, it meant that those older heroes with exactly the same iden-
tities and origins as their newer counterparts —Superman, Batman and Robin, and
Wonder Woman—were no longer remembered by the world. At the end of the crisis,
Robin and the Huntress (who had also been forgotten) died, Superman went off to
another dimension, and Wonder Woman was brought by the gods up to Mt. Olympus.
Power Girl survived but had her origin changed several times over the next 25 years.
Soon afterward the remaining members of the team were trapped in another dimen-
sion where they worked to prevent the end of the world. It was thought that they would
be there forever, and they were mourned as if they were dead, but a few years later they
were back, stronger than ever. However, the 1990s were not the best time for the team, as
a villain brought them to their true ages, killing several members and weakening others.
With the exception of a few members who kept their vitality, the rest of the team retired
with several other members passing away over the next few years.
Th is was still not the end of the JSA. Th ose few members kept the team going and
acted as mentors to new generations of heroes, making JSA a multigenerational team
that included some who were the children of the originals or other 1940s heroes, and
others who were inspired by them. Th ese included new incarnations of Hourman,
Mr. Terrifi c, Starman, Doctor Mid-Nite, and Wildcat. In addition, after the events
of 52 , a new Earth-2 was created with a Justice Society whose membership is made
up of both classic members and members of Infi nity Inc., including the classic ver-
sions of Robin and the Huntress. No matter the line-up or the world, the JSA will
continue to be there into the 21st century to save the day.
David S. Serchay
