National Comics made history on Nov. 22, 1940, when the publisher had its Golden Age heroes (minus Batman and Superman) gather for the first time in All-Star Comics #3. This not only marked the formation of the Justice Society of America as the first superhero team, but it also solidified the concept of a shared universe. Though this first iteration of the DC Universe later became known as Earth-2 prior to 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, this first gathering of the JSA still marked a major milestone that forever defined DC’s Golden Age mythology.
Now, almost a century later, Jeff Lemire and Gavin Guidry revisit this historic storyline in JSA #13. But instead of retelling the events of All-Star Comics #3 with a modern lens, Lemire and Guidry opt to craft a whole new story that fleshes out the events that lead to that moment. This means building on the storylines from the original 1940s comics, while incorporating developments from newer DC storylines to align with the continuity featured in New History of the DC Universe.
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To that end, Lemire and Guidry begin their storyline by introducing the core characters that made up that first line-up, but in a way that still builds on their histories from The New Golden Age storyline. This is most notable with Alan Scott, who is still presented as being in the closet in 1940 and talks in code with another (presumably gay) man. The other thing that’s great about Alan’s storyline is that Lemire and Guidry create a compelling noir-style mystery surrounding Alan’s friend Gordon. Better yet, this mystery may be connected to the other mysteries being investigated by Al Pratt, Rex Tyler and Wesley Dodds.
With Al Pratt’s storyline, Lemire and Guidry manage to surprise the reader by establishing that Nazis have infiltrated Gotham’s underworld. This may potentially be building on Per Degaton’s World War II history from The New Golden Age, and may even be teasing his first appearance in All-Star Comics #35. But more than Lemire and Guidry seem to be planting seeds for the future appearance of the JSA’s time-travelling villain, it reads more like meta commentary on the political crisis the US is experiencing in 2025.
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Though Lemire doesn’t give American Nazism too much focus in his script, it does briefly point out the dangers of far-right nationalism as an underground movement. How the JSA heroes react to this movement in the fictional world of the DCU will most likely be explored in later issues. Coincidentally, going this route would align with how their Golden Age stories were similarly informed by the political landscape of the 1940s. This wasn’t just a recurring thread in All-Star Comics, but in the JSA heroes’ solo adventures as well. Given how Lemire sets up Al’s storyline in JSA #13, it looks like he’ll be revisiting this idea with a more modern, yet still critical lens.
By far, the biggest highpoint of JSA #13 that more strongly leans into classic noir tropes is the storyline involving Rex Tyler and Wesley Dodds. What really stands out about this arc is how perfectly Lemire captures the dark, pessimistic tone of noir storylines, which would certainly please fans of Sandman Mystery Theatre. This is also augmented by Guidry’s artwork, which successfully captures the aesthetics of 1940s comic book art, while still appearing modern. His artwork coupled with Luis Guerrero’s colors also affords each panel a cinematic quality to it.
All in all, Lemire and Guidry’s “JSA: Year One” is off to a strong start. This is helped by the fact that the story is taking place in the 1940s, which allows for more grounded storytelling. Without the presence of the Silver Age heroes to complicate the timeline, this allows Lemire and Guidry to truly focus on the emotional core of the JSA as a team, and the real-world circumstances that inevitably bring these heroes together.
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