|
BY THE END OF THE 1950s, DC had reason
to be happy. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman were as popular
as ever. Green Lantern, the Flash and other heroes from the
Golden Age had been successfully reintroduced. Now all they
needed was an encore, and Julius Schwartz was only too happy to
provide it.
Both he and comic fans who rejoiced at the rejuvenation of
their favorite heroes from the old days knew the next logical
step would have to be re-presenting the Justice Society of
America, the Golden Age's premier team-up book. And DC was ready
to oblige. Problem was, "society" just didn't have the
same impact as it did in the old days, so the editors looked for
a new term. "League" was suggested because of its
association with sports, and all the fair play and sportsmanship
that went with it.
And so the Justice League of America was born in The Brave
and the Bold #28. Like Showcase, The Brave and the
Bold was a tryout book used to gauge readers' interest in
new titles, and in the case of the JLA, the interest was
definitely there. Justice League of America #1 hit the
stands in October, 1960, and became a steady seller for decades.
The new JLA was definitely a team that knew how to nurture
its young talent; although Superman and Batman played their
roles, the most active members were the new Green Lantern, the
new Flash and the Martian Manhunter, as well as old sluggers
Wonder Woman and Aquaman. The early stories showed little in the
way of characterization, and there was even an annoying teenage
sidekick, Snapper Carr, who got his name from the fact that he
constantly snapped his fingers.
Despite that, the fans loved it, and the series grew to
become one of DC's powerhouses. It was a place where the old,
established heroes could offer the new ones a helping hand with
their own titles, and it was a stroke of genius from the
company's standpoint -- not only did a team-up book encourage
kids to buy different titles, it also reinforced the idea of
brand loyalty by bringing the heroes together in their own DC
"universe."
Just how influential was the JLA in comic history? Shortly
after the JLA debuted, Marvel assigned two comic-book veterans
named Stan Lee and Jack Kirby the task of creating a team-up
book that would rival DC's. The result of their efforts, The
Fantastic Four, would go on to create a few universes of
its own.
|
