#jsa 2024

[ufonaut]

JSA (2024) #2

Written by JEFF LEMIRE Art by DIEGO OLORTEGUI Cover by CULLY HAMNER Variant covers by JEFF LEMIRE and LEANDRO FERNÁNDEZ $3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 12/4/24

Flash back to the events leading into the previous issue as the JSA investigates a break-in at the observatory of Ted Knight, the original Starman. How was the JSA separated, and where is the Tower of Fate? What caused the rift between Jade and Obsidian after the disappearance of their father, Green Lantern Alan Scott? And what is the Injustice Society of America plotting?

[sandy-castle]

So Gorgeous.

[spacetrashpile]

so everything i know abt dc (very little) has come from my mutuals' posts (mostly yours) and i wanted to say congrats on your special guy's return!!! but also i had a few questions! kid eternity's previous iterations were all boys right? is this the debut of a new one or has she been around a while? at first i thought they may have made her trans but then i realized how unlikely that was for a long-standing character, even a minor one. what's her backstory? does her canon coincide with any previous versions? (i'm vaguely recalling a post of yours with 4 versions of this character over the years.)

i'm probably never gonna read any of the comics myself but i think she seems really cool and i really like hearing about comic character lore, so if you're up for an infodump i'd love to hear it :D

HI THANK YOU I'M ECSTATIC. YOU'VE ALSO ACTIVATED MY AUTISM TRAP CARD WITH THE TRANS THING. AND ALSO THE OTHER STUFF BUT THE TRANS THING SPECIFICALLY.

So you are correct, all the previous Kid Eternity incarnations have been guys! And yes, there have been a couple versions of him across the years (four or five, depending on who you ask/how we're drawing lines). This is the opener image I made for my "all Kid Eternity appearances" spreadsheet (still a WIP) that I made, and I feel like that helps give a quick reference for him. (It's not full opacity, but unfortunately I no longer have the original file and can't change that.)

So, this new Kid Eternity seems to be an entirely new iteration of the character. One, she's got a new costume (though it's riffing heavily on the 90s/early 2000s version of the character), and two, everyone is pretty sure she's a girl, which is insanely exciting for me specifically. This JSA issue, which came out today, is her first appearance ever, and that page I've posted like twice now is her only appearance in the actual issue, since it happens right at the end. As such, we have no idea what her deal is, or how she lines up with Kid's past appearances. However, that means it's time to speculate wildly!

A quick note about the trans thing- you're right that making any longstanding character trans would be kinda crazy for DC, even a character like Kid who's had less than 100 appearances under DC's ownership, but if it was going to happen to anyone, I could see it happening here. One, Kid is wildly minor. Like I said, less than 100 appearances while under DC's copyright, and when you add in the comics from when he was owned by Quality Comics, he still doesn't cross the 200 appearances line. So while making a character that's existed since the 1940s trans would be kinda crazy, if you're gonna pick any character to do it to, you may as well pick one that everyone forgot existed back in the 90s.

Furthermore, Kid is a character who's played a lot with concepts of gender and sexuality. You'll notice that the two pictures in the middle of the above image feature Kid with long hair (and in the costume closest to the kid we saw in the new JSA), for one, but the second image is a cover from Kid's third solo, which was published under the Vertigo imprint. Vertigo was an imprint that DC started back in the 90s that focused on publishing adult content that wasn't necessarily suitable for DC's primary audience. This means stuff like sex, nudity, drug use, etc. but it also means a lot of queer characters and story lines were published under this imprint. Just to name a few, John Constantine/Hellblazer, the Doom Patrol, and Sandman are pretty famously queer characters/groups, and they were some of Vertigo's big names back in the 90s.

Kid is never explicitly trans in his Vertigo run, and no actual trans characters ever appear to my memory, but they do play with his gender just a bit (particularly, in my opinion, in issue 9, "Hysteria Knows No Gender", but it's not much, just a fun possible read). The comic also deals very heavily with homophobia and hate crimes in some of the last few issues, and don't shy away from the idea of queerness at all. (Genuinely, issues 10-12 of this comic are harrowing reads. Issue 10 deals with violence against women while issues 11 and 12 deal with homophobia and my god are they heavy.)

Also a point that has less to do with Kid and more with the comic itself, but still something worth bringin up- this is happening in JSA (2024), and the JSA has made a couple longstanding and/or much more important characters (in the grand scheme of things) queer in the past! Notably, Todd Rice (obsidian) (first appearance 1983) was revealed to be gay in 2006 and Alan Scott (the first green lantern) (first appearance 1940) was revealed to be gay within like, the last 5 years. Still no trans retcons to my knowledge (though I'm not super up to date on the JSA, so if I may be missing some important stuff), but that's still pretty notable in my opinion.

ALL OF THIS IS TO SAY that while Kid has never been trans before, this Kid being trans genuinely doesn't feel out of the question to me. I'm not gonna get my hopes up or anything, but hey, wouldn't it be cool???

Anyways, the other questions you asked! Like I said, we ultimately know nothing about this version of Kid Eternity right now, except what she looks like, and that she's in Hell (par for the course for Kid, to be quite honest.) Judging from which comic she features in and what her costume looks like, however, I think I can solidly say that the backstory they'll be drawing on is the 90s era backstory, so I'll give a quick rundown of that!

Kid's initial backstory, from the 1940s, boils down to this: Kid was a child on a sailing ship that ran afoul of a Nazi sub during WW2. Kid and the rest of the crew, including his grandfather, died and went to a place called "Eternity" (legally distinct Heaven). Upon their arrival, however, it was found that Kid had arrived about 60 years before his time. In return for the mistake, he is sent back to earth with new powers and a spiritual guardian from Eternity, Mr. Keeper. These new powers allow him to shout the word "Eternity" and call on any historical, mythological, or fictional characters and summon their ghosts to help him solve problems. The fictional characters fall by the wayside after a certain point because of copy right concerns, I imagine, but I have to bring it up because it's always comical. Shout out to the time he summoned Jean Valjean to talk a thief out of stealing a loaf of bread and when that didn't work he summoned Javert and then Javert and Valjean beat each other up until he sent them back.

The 90s backstory, which is introduced by Grant Morrison in a horror mini series, builds on this backstory with a few retcons. Most notably, Kid never actually went to "Eternity" or any sort of heaven. Instead, he went to hell, where he was picked up by a staple of the DC magical mythos called the Lords of Chaos (which are exactly as bad as they sound), specifically by the one who paraded himself as Mr. Keeper. He was lied to about what happened to him when he died, about what was happening to him upon his arrival in Hell, and was strung along to do the Lords of Chaos' bidding for decades before he was able to free himself in a really complicated series of retcons and dumb writing choices across about 20 comics written and released over about two decades so we won't get into the weeds of that part.

The Lords of Chaos are opposed by a group called the Lords of Order (who could've guessed!) who are very important to the Justice Society, primarily to Dr. Fate, a key member, because Dr. Fate is a Lord of Order possessing/manifesting through a human person (and a helmet). Not only that, but this new Kid has appeared in JSA volume 2. The first JSA came out in 1999, and y'know who appears (and dies but that's less important) in the first issue of that comic: 90s Kid Eternity! It's a part of this whole plot regarding agents of the Lords of Chaos and Order, and since the current plot of this comic has a lot to do with Dr. Fate, I imagine that Kid is being pulled from that original JSA comic to be introduced as a potential foil to the current Dr. Fate (a young man who seems to be close in age to this version of Kid) and/or as another wrinkle in the Everything that's going on.

ALL OF THIS TO SAY! We really don't know much yet, but Kid Eternity is literally one of my nichest favorite characters of all time, and I am beyond ecstatic to see them running around again (fun fact, post New 52 reboot in 2011, Kid has had a whole thirteen appearances, and 6 of those appearances weren't even in the mainline universe. It was dire out here!)

[fancyfade]

Jeff lemire fans are so annoying I made a review on locg pointing out how Jeff does not take into account Beth's blindness while writing her and they all wanna blame the guest artist...

[thebluemoo]

Okay this is a bit of a plea for help--

I picked up the first couple of issue of the New JSA book this week and I am just. So lost. ( that's not me trying to make a judgement on the writing, I'm well aware that my reading habits are why I'm confused). I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a good place to start reading background to help it makes sense. (Note, I decided that after extensive wiki reading the way to gateway into reading comics was just to read every Stephanie brown appearance and it's pretty have for them to include her in the big universe altering events so I am not read in on basically any major events following rebirth)

Essentially, I'm nor well versed in what’s going on in current DC continuity and I'm not really experienced with the JSA either, and I knew that going in but I figured that when I got lost, I'd go back and read whatever I needed to in order to clarify. I just. Don’t even begin to know where that is.

Am I shouting into the void? Maybe, but I’m gonna do it anyway

[browsethestacks]

Comic - DC's I Know What You Did Last Crisis #01 (2024)

Art by Dan Hipp

[greerbaiting]

if only in my dreams

Summary: Kara and Kal make the Kryptonian equivalent of cookies. ficmas day nine: cookies Rating: G Relationships: Power Girl & Kingdom Come Superman

.............

They had gotten the recipe from Earth-1's Kal-El. He'd offered to bake with them, but both Karen and Earth-22's Kal-El felt it was best if it was just the two of them. He had his Lois and his Earth. They only had each other.

Karen knew she had a family in the Justice Society if she wanted it. But there was something about watching Kal-El move around Ma's kitchen that just felt like home. He looked so much like Kal-L. Clark was great, and Karen enjoyed the time they spent together, but their Kryptons were different. And he was so young, so different from the cousin she'd known. Kal-El had the same streaks of gray in his hair, the same wrinkles by his eyes. 

And he knew what it was like to lose your adopted world. He knew what it felt like to not belong not only on this planet, but in this universe. 

..................

Read it on AO3

[somewherefornow]

JENNIFER-LYNN HAYDEN/JADE & TODD RICE/OBSIDIAN in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (1985)

[dailyhawkmates]

🚨| JSA #3

✏️ written by: jeff lemire

🎨 art by: diego olorteugi

"after sacrificing his reincarnation for one last life with the woman he loves, hell is the last place hawkman wants to be right now! with his allies at the tower of fate under siege by the injustice society, can he escape wotan's clutches-or is his goose truly cooked?"

— out january 1st, 2025

[smashpages]

Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Diego Orlotegui have been tapped for a new Justice Society of America comic coming as part of the DC All In initiative, as a DC core title. It'll feature classic JSA members and a younger Infinity Inc.-style team.

Read more

[6kate1bishop6]

if i was in charge of rebooting the dc universe i would simply make it good

[ufonaut]

JSA (2024) #1

Written by JEFF LEMIRE Art and cover by DIEGO OLORTEGUI Variant Covers by CULLY HAMNER, TRAVIS MERCER, and JEFF LEMIRE 1:25 Variant Cover by SWEENEY BOO 1:50 Variant Cover by JOHN K SNYDER III Foil variant cover by TRAVIS MERCER $4.99 US | 23 pages | Variants $5.99 US (card stock) Foil variant $6.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 11/6/24

Long-time fan favorite characters Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Jade, Obsidian, Jesse Quick, Hourman, Ted Grant, and Sandman are all back on the roster as DC’s first super team faces their greatest and most personal challenge yet. Will golden age ideals hold true in a world recovering from the events of Absolute Power? Or do they need a more hardcore approach to stand a chance against the new Injustice Society of America?

[sandy-castle]

We are getting a Sandy cover!

[spacetrashpile]

IT'S FINALLY DONE!!

If you've been following my blog for a bit, you'll know that I have fallen absolutely in love with Kid Eternity. For the last few months, this spreadsheet of all of Kid's appearances (under both Quality and DC Comics) has been my passion project, as I wanted an easy source for his appearances when I wanted to pitch the character to people.

Today, that resource is done, and you can find it right here! On the spreadsheet is a comprehensive list of every single Kid Eternity appearance under Quality Comics (his original company) and DC (minus a few reprints). It also includes an introduction to the character, multiple built in reading lists, content warnings for every issue, and more!

However, if you'd like a quick hits reference guide for Kid, I'll include that here too- under the cut you'll find every comic series where Kid makes a notable appearance in a nice list. Any bullet points that are in bold are ones I consider absolutely essential reading, and the italicized points are my personal favorites. Please look at the spreadsheet too, though. I spent a lot of time on it. Also, I'll be updating the spreadsheet regularly but not this post, probably, so the spreadsheet will be your best resource for future content.

QUICK HITS READING LIST:

Hit Comics (1940), Issues #25-60

Kid Eternity Vol. 1 (1946), Issues #1-18

Secret Origins Vol. 2 (1973), Issue #4

Shazam! (1973), Issue #27

World's Finest Comics (1941), Issues #268, #279-282

Adventure Comics (1938), Issues #491-492

Kid Eternity Vol. 2 (1991), Issues #1-3

Kid Eternity Vol. 3 (1993), Issues #1-16

Vertigo Jam (1993), Issue #1

JSA Vol. 1 (1999), Issues, #1, #47-48

Teen Titans Vol. 3 (2003), Issues #31, #67-74, #92

Teen Titans Annual Vol. 3 (2009), Issue #2

Titans Vol. 2 (2008), Issue #13

Vigilante Vol. 3 (2009), Issues #5-6

National Comics: Eternity (2012), Issue #1

Batman: Urban Legends (2021), Issues #11-13

JSA Vol. 2 (2024), Issue #3

[fancyfade]

Read jsa 4.

I wish lemire got Beth's personality more distinct and also kept in mind that she was blind when framing the evasion scenes

[trucywright]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: DCU, DCU (Comics), Justice Society of America (Comics), Doctor Fate (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Salem Nader, Karen Starr | Kara Zor-L, Jay Garrick, Courtney Whitmore, Khalid Nassour Additional Tags: Whumptober 2024, other characters don't do much. mostly focused on salem, salem also has a very distorted view on what others think, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Baggage, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Whump, Curses Series: Part 3 of Whumptober 2024

Summary:

"You try, you die. Just like Kent did."

Salem had warned the Justice Society, but no one's prepared for her curse injuring half the team, least of all Salem.

Day 3 of Whumptober: set up to fail / "I warned you."

Aka: Salem desperately wishes Kent were still alive and purposefully makes people hate her because she hates herself.