‘DC’s Stargirl’ Fans Will See More of the Justice Society of America This Season
DC’s Stargirl is bringing old school comic book heroes back to life on the CW. The new series, which tells the story of teen hero Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) and her stepdad sidekick, Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson), pays homage to the Justice Society of America. And as it turns out, fans will be seeing a lot more of the JSA as the season continues.
What is the JSA?
The JSA is a superhero organization that first appeared in DC’s 1940 comic book series, All-Star Comics. The very first JSA team consisted of eight heroes — Green Lantern, Flash, Hour-Man, Spectre, Doctor Fate, Atom, Hawkman, and Sandman.
After DC introduced the Justice League in the ‘50s, the JSA was established as a co-existing organization on Earth-Two. The team has seen a number of revolving superhero members, including Starman, Black Canary, and Johnny Thunder. And over the decades, the JSA has teamed up with the Justice League on many different missions.
In later comics, it was revealed that both Superman and Batman, who are honorary JSA members, founded the organization. Then, in JSA All-Stars Vol. 2, which ran from 2009 to 2011, a new JSA team was formed. This version included younger members like Stargirl and Wildcat.
How is it connected to ‘DC’s Stargirl’?
On DC’s Stargirl, Pat and his best friend Sylvester Pembroke, aka Starman (Joel McHale) are members of the JSA. Courtney finds a picture of the superhero team in Pat’s old things. When she asks him about it, he tells her that he often helped Pembroke fight villains with the JSA.
In the picture, which Pat says he took, Starman is clearly sitting in the front. But around him are a number of popular JSA members, including Wildcat, Green Lantern, Johnny Thunder, and Flash. In Episode 2, Pat confirms that Hour-Man, Hawkgirl, and Hawkman were also on the team. The picture is grainy, but it also looks like Doctor Fate, Sandman, and Dr. Mid-Nite are also there.
On the show, Courtney inherits Starman’s cosmic staff. The magical weapon chooses her, and then after learning about Starman and the JSA’s mission, the teen adopts her superhero identity as Stargirl.
Fans will see a lot more of the JSA during this season of ‘DC’s Stargirl’
In a recent interview with DC Daily, DC’s Stargirl showrunner Geoff Johns discussed the new series and its characters. He also confirmed that along with seeing more of Courtney and Pat’s team-ups, fans will get to see much more of the JSA this season.
“You do get to see the JSA in future episodes,” said Johns. “Both the new JSA and some of the older characters. We delve more into like who they were, and obviously what their legacies mean, their powers, how they use them.”
Johns created Stargirl and wrote the 199 DC Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. comic book series she first appeared in. Along with revealing that fans will get to see new iterations of heroes like Hour-Man, he explained that his ultimate goal is to try and keep the JSA’s legacy alive on the new TV series.
“But exploring all these legacies is not just about the costumes and powers, it’s about who these people were, what the legacy means, and how to carry it on,” he said. “We’ve tried to really honor and bring out the best in the comics and the lore and put it on-screen.”
