Normally, I do not write in the first-person, but when I saw that the Justice Society of America was going to be on DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, I had to make an exception.
Thank you to Chris Fedak and Sarah Nicole Jones for writing an episode about the JSA, my favorite childhood comic book team.
I first was introduced to the Justice Society when I found a stack of old comic books at a yard sale. The entire bag was for sale for a quarter, and I had to beg my mom to buy them for me.
She relented after unsuccessfully trying to get me to buy a Barbie doll instead. (Poor woman never could understand my love of comic books and cartoons, despite the fact that my many years of working for Disney and Warner Bros. animation paid the bills later in life.)
Over the years, I read new stories and reprints of old comics about the exploits of the Justice Society, a group in which the women were just as essential as their male counterparts…Black Canary, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Power Girl, Stargirl, Liberty Belle, Huntress, Big Barda and other strong women…characters who showed little girls that waiting for their prince to come save them was not nearly as effective as tackling the problem themselves.
As I evolved, so did they. They got older. They got retconned. They changed, and they persevered throughout the decades. They represented the best (and sometimes worst) in human nature, but regardless, they never gave up.
Tonight, DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW travel back in time to 1942 France to Nazi-occupied Paris where they run into conflict with the Justice Society… “the greatest single secret force this country has ever known.”
After a rocky start, Ray (Brandon Routh) does his best to impress the JSA (a great inside joke in that the comics’ Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt, was a founding member of the Justice Society). Unfortunately, Ray’s efforts result in Vixen (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) being put in danger. (The 1940s Vixen, Amaya Jiwe, is the grandmother of 2016’s Vixen, Mari McCabe, from ARROW and The CW Seed played by Megalyn Echikunwoke.)
New Legends team member, Dr. Nate Heywood/Citizen Steel, runs into his grandfather, Commander Steel (Matthew MacCaull), and a secret that Nate has been keeping from the Legends may come to light.
According to the press release, “The Legends discover a time aberration that threatens the JSA, but the JSA wants nothing to do with them or their help. Nevertheless, the Legends force their way into the JSA’s mission to intercept and seize a mysterious package.”
Related: See photos of the JSA in action in this episode
Could the aberration be a result of the Legion of Doom foreshadowed last week? Probably. John Barrowman (Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer) and Matt Letscher (Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash) are in tonight’s credits, and the Legion seems to be poised to revise history for their own evil purposes, now that the Time Masters are gone.
With Rip (Arthur Darvill) seemingly having sacrificed himself to save the world, Martin (Victor Garber) assumes the position as team leader, but Sara (Caity Lotz) appears to be the one driving the boat…er, the Waverider.
Expect a surprise for those who are unfamiliar with Garber’s work outside of television. Executive Producer, Marc Guggenheim has announced that Garber, a Broadway star and Tony nominee, will sing on tonight’s episode, “The Justice Society of America.” Other JSA members appearing tonight’s episode are Doctor Mid-Nite (Kwesi Ameyaw), Stargirl (Sarah Grey) and Obsidian (Dan Payne).
DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW also stars Dominic Purcell, Franz Drameh and Amy Pemberton. Christopher De-Schuster and Ashley O’Connell also guest star. “The Justice Society of America” was directed by Michael Grossman.
DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW airs tonight (October 20) at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW and on CTV Two in Canada.
Now, if you will excuse me, I will return to painting an old Barbie doll to change it into a Power Girl action figure.
