The JSA Hearings

"The JSA Hearings" from America vs. the Justice Society #3 (DC, 1985) by Roy Thomas, Howard Bender and Alfredo Alcala

So where did the Justice Society go in the 50s? Roy Thomas uses an elaborate Batman diary hoax plot that puts the JSA on trial to reveal the missing chapters of their careers, acting as a love letter to these characters as the Crisis on Infinite Earths loomed. It's a great comfort to me that even though DC was preparing to reboot much of their multiverse at the time, they still played its 50th anniversary for nostalgia, celebrating the past as it designed its future. It's particularly striking when compared to the most recent reboot, where it often feels like DC Editorial is actively trying to bury its past in the deepest of graves. The prologues of the original Crisis, if you can call it that, were celebratory projects like this mini and others about the Golden Age version of the trinity, and Who's Who. The New52's prologue was the dark, character-destroying vision of Flashpoint.