Find Doctor Fate. He can explain.
- — Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Helena Wayne's Future)
Justice Society of America (Volume 4) #1 is an issue of the series Justice Society of America (Volume 4) with a cover date of January, 2023. It was published on November 29, 2022.
Synopsis for The New Golden Age, Chapter One: "Legends Die Together, Too"
31 years ago, Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered. 13 years ago, Selina Kyle becomes the Catwoman. One year from the present day, Helena Wayne was born. 26 years later, Helena Wayne became the Huntress after her father was murdered to honor her father's memory. Doctor Fate had contacted her to meet after he had a disturbing vision of the Justice Society's future, they were supposed to meet to share the vision. When the Huntress arrived, she instead found the Falcone Family cleaning a crime scene. Defeating them with the help of Solomon Grundy, she later meets Ruby Sokov, the Red Lantern to discuss what happened. They were transported back to the JSA Headquarters, while being watched by Catwoman.
The new Justice Society gathered at the table, consisting of reformed villains and descendants of past villains. The team was formed by Helena after she convinced Khalid to recruit some non-standard members for the new team, with much argument by Power Girl. Later at Wayne Manor, Helena Wayne argued with her mother, Selina Kyle about Helena's desire to give the former villains and the villain descendants a second chance, which ended with Helena storming into the Batcave knowing her mother wouldn't follow.
Two days later, Doctor Fate's corpse was discovered mummified and stuffed in a coffin. Power Girl burst into a fit of rage at the team, when she started getting affected by Kryptonite poisoning before being shot in the back and killed. A stranger revealed himself as the killer, and revealed he accelerated time to speed up Power Girl's poisoning so she would be vulnerable. Gentleman Ghost attacked, but he rewound time to ring Jim Craddock back to life before killing him. The stranger then used his time manipulation abilities to slaughter the entire team, and was about to age the Huntress to death before Catwoman appeared and told her to save the Justice Society. Being thrown back in time, Helena Wayne's aging was reversed and she appeared in the JSA Headquarters in front of Johnny Thunder.
Appearing in The New Golden Age, Chapter One: "Legends Die Together, Too"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Helena Wayne's Future) (First appearance as Catwoman)
- Justice Society of America (Earth 0) (Flashback and main story)
- The Atom (Al Pratt) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Doctor Mid-Nite (Charles McNider) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- The Flash (Jay Garrick) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Green Lantern (Alan Scott) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Hawkgirl (Shiera Sanders) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Hawkman (Carter Hall) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Johnny Thunder (Cameo)
- The Thunderbolt (Cameo)
- Hourman (Rex Tyler) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Power Girl (Kara Zor-L) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- The Sandman (Wesley Dodds) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- The Spectre (Jim Corrigan) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Starman (Ted Knight) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Star-Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Wildcat (Ted Grant) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Wonder Woman (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Justice Society of America (Helena Wayne's Future) (First full appearance)
- Doctor Fate (Khalid Nassour) (Deceased) (Cameo)
- Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Doctor Mid-Nite (Charles McNider) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- The Flash (Jay Garrick) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- The Flash (Judy Garrick) (Cameo)
- Gentleman Ghost (James Craddock) (First appearance) (Also as a spirit) (Resurrected) (Dies) (Joins team)
- Green Lantern (Alan Scott) (Cameo)
- Icicle (Cameron Mahkent) (First appearance; dies) (Joins team)
- Hawkman (Carter Hall) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Harlequin's Son (Michael Mayne) (First appearance; dies) (Joins team)
- Hourman (Rex Tyler) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Johnny Thunder (First appearance) (Cameo)
- The Mist (Kyle Knight) (First appearance; dies) (Joins team)
- Power Girl (Kara Zor-L/Karen Starr) (First full appearance) (Dies)
- Red Lantern (Ruby Sokov) (First appearance; dies) (Joins team)
- The Sandman (Wesley Dodds) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Solomon Grundy (First appearance; dies)
- The Spectre (Jim Corrigan) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Stargirl (Courtney Whitmore) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Wildcat (Ted Grant) (First appearance) (Cameo)
Antagonists:
- Falcone Family (Helena Wayne's Future) (First appearance)
- The Stranger/Per Degaton (Earth 0)
- Un-American Activities Committee (Earth 0) (Flashback only)
Other Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth (Helena Wayne's Future) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Earth 0) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Dick Grayson (Helena Wayne's Future) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Doiby Dickles (Earth 0) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Gentleman Ghost/James Craddock (Earth 0)
- Gotham City Police Department (Helena Wayne's Future) (Cameo)
- The Harlequin/Molly Mayne (Earth 0) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Holly Robinson (Earth 0) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Icicle/Joar Mahkent (Earth 0) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Joe Chill (Earth 0) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Justice League (Helena Wayne's Future) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- The Flash (Wally West) (First appearance)
- Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) (First appearance)
- Superman (Clark Kent) (First appearance)
- Wonder Woman (Diana of Themyscira) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Justice Society of America (Earth-Two) (Cover only)
- The Atom (Al Pratt)
- Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson)
- The Flash (Jay Garrick)
- Green Lantern (Alan Scott)
- Hawkman (Carter Hall)
- Power Girl (Kara Zor-L)
- The Sandman (Wesley Dodds)
- The Spectre (Jim Corrigan)
- The Star-Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton)
- Starman (Ted Knight)
- Robin (Dick Grayson)
- Wildcat (Ted Grant)
- Wonder Woman (Diana Prince)
- Justice Society of America (New Earth) (Cover only)
- The Mist I (Earth 0) (First appearance) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Red Lantern/Vladimir Sokov (Earth 0) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Wayne Family (Earth 0) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Bruce Wayne
- Martha Wayne (Appears only as a corpse)
- Thomas Wayne (Appears only as a corpse)
- Bruce Wayne (Helena Wayne's Future) (Mentioned only)
- Bill Jensen (Helena Wayne's Future) (Unnamed) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Cosmo (Helena Wayne's Future) (Mentioned only)
- Frederic Vaux (Helena Wayne's Future) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Ghosts (Mentioned only)
- John F. Kennedy (Earth 0) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- The Mist/Nash (Earth 0) (Mentioned only)
- Orgham Family/"The Arkhams" (Helena Wayne's Future) (Mentioned only)
- Rag Doll/Peter Merkel Sr. (Earth 0) (Mentioned only)
- Rag Doll/Peter Merkel Jr. (Helena Wayne's Future) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Ruby Sokov (Earth 0) (Mentioned only)
- Salem the Witch Girl (Helena Wayne's Future) (Mentioned only)
- Vladimir Sokov (Helena Wayne's Future) (Mentioned only)
- Zombies (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Hypertime
- Flashpoint Timeline (Behind the scenes)
- Helena Wayne's Future (Unnamed)
- 2023
- United States of America
- Gotham City (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- United States of America
- 2040
- United States of America
- Gotham City (Cameo)
- United States of America
- 2048
- United States of America
- Gotham City
- GBS (First appearance)
- Gotham Museum of Antiquities
- Wayne Manor
- Batcave (Mentioned only)
- Gotham City
- United States of America
- 2023
- Timestream
- 2022/"Now" (See Notes) (Mentioned only)
- Multiverse-1
- Earth 0
- 1940
- 1951 (Cameo)
- 1976 (Cameo)
- "1991" (See Notes)
- United States of America
- Gotham City
- Crime Alley (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Gotham City
- United States of America
- 2009
- United States of America
- Gotham City
- Gotham Museum of Antiquities (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Gotham City
- United States of America
- Earth 0
Items:
- Bracelets of Submission (Cameo)
- Catwoman's Whip
- Cosmic Converter Belt (Flashback only)
- Cosmic Rod/Cosmic Staff (Flashback and main story) (Cameo)
- Doctor Mid-Nite's Goggles (Cameo)
- Green Kryptonite
- Helmet of Fate (Cameo)
- Hermes' Helmet (Cameo)
- Hourman's Hourglass (Cameo)
- Miraclo (Behind the scenes)
- Huntress' Crossbow
- Lasso of Truth (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Nth Metal
- Hawkman's Mace (Cameo)
- Per Degaton's Gun
- Red Lantern Ring (Flashback and main story)
- The Snowglobe (Cameo)
- Starheart (Cameo)
- Time Disc
- Wonder Woman's Tiara (Cameo)
Events:
Concepts:
- Anti-Crisis Energy (Behind the scenes)
- Crimson Flame
- Magic
- Metahumans
- Time Travel
Notes
- The JSA and Helena Wayne's stories respectively continue from Stargirl Spring Break Special #1 and The New Golden Age #1.
- The events of this issue take place around late November or early December 2022, at most a couple of weeks after the events of The New Golden Age #1.
- According to this issue, in the current continuity of Earth 0— established following the unknotting of the timeline and the rebirth of Creation— the murder of the Waynes is said to have occurred in 1991. However, this creates a major continuity inconsistency. Bruce Wayne is portrayed as being at least in his early twenties during the early 21st Century (the period generally associated with the Golden and Silver Age events within the reborn Prime Earth timeline), and in his late forties/early fifties in the present day (2022). Since Bruce was still a child at the time of his parents' murder, this would place their deaths in the mid-1980s— not 1991.
- This issue confirms that Helena Wayne is the one that Kent Nelson prophetized to be the "savior" of the Justice Society in The New Golden Age #1.
- This was first mentioned on Rip Hunter's Chalk Board in Flashpoint Beyond #0.
- This issue is reprinted in Justice Society of America: The New Golden Age and Justice Society of America: Gold Edition #1.
Trivia
- The cover of All-Star Comics #58 is homaged in this issue, minus the Robin of Earth-Two.
- The funeral of the Batman of Helena Wayne's future seen here is modeled on that of the Batman of Earth-Two as depicted in Adventure Comics #462.
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Justice Society of America series
- Images from Justice Society of America Vol 4 1
Recommended Reading
- Justice Society Recommended Reading
- Adventure Comics (Volume 1)
- All-Star Comics (Volume 1)
- All-Star Squadron (Volume 1)
- America vs. the Justice Society (Volume 1)
- Infinity Inc. (Volume 1)
- JSA (Volume 1)
- JSA (Volume 2)
- JSA: All Stars (Volume 1)
- JSA Classified (Volume 1)
- JSA: Strange Adventures (Volume 1)
- JSA vs. Kobra (Volume 1)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 1)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 2)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 3)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 4)
- Last Days of the Justice Society Special #1
