The JSA kinda went 'poof' with the new 52. Sure, Earth-2 is fun and all, but it just not the same. Of course, DC destroyed the JSA so Superman could be the first hero, but it doesn't have to stay that way. I have a proposition to bring them back without inter-universe travel or such.
The idea is simple, the JSA always existed. In 1940, the US government had film reels explaining the roles of their champions in the war, but decided not to release them when Dr. Fate, Green Lantern, the Flash, and Starman went missing on an island in the Pacific theater a month before the intended release of the tapes. Dr. Fate sealed the group in a pocket universe within a Japanese officer's katana to halt the progress of time in the universe for the group and for a sorcerer who had been about to summon an army of Oni to help Japan win the war.
My concept for a first issue of a miniseries to bring them back is as follows
THE MYSTERY MEN #1
Page 1
We see Joseph Rock putting on a tie in his apartment. He slips his dog tags into the breast pocket of a dress uniform, and we see photographs of his grandfather in WWII amongst other memorabilia. One photograph in particular depicts Sgt Rock's Squad posing together in Normandy, with a man in a business suit and fedora in the background. Cut to Joe Rock's car pulling out of the apartment.
Pages 2-3
We learn that Rock was headed to his grandfather's funeral, in Arlington National Cemetery. A military chaplain delivers a eulogy, and a 7 gun salute is offered in the elder Rock's honor.
Pages 4-5
After the service, an old man approaches Joe Rock. The man introduces himself as Wesley Dodds, a friend of Sgt. Rock's from the war. Dodds mentions that he and Frank Rock had saved each others' lives in Europe, and Joe inquires further. Dodds suggest they go to his house in Southern Virginia.
Pages 6-15
Dodds shows Joe through his estate, being careful not to look as he passes a window with a view of a grave "Diane Belmont". Dodds leads Joe into a parlor where they take seats. Dodds explains that he was attached to Easy Company as a MYSTERY MAN, a civilian contractor with special talents, comparing the mystery men to "Batman, or Superman". He explains that he had precognition and a knack for chemical warfare. Joe doesn't see what this has to do with Frank Rock, and says so. Dodds brushes off Joe, and continues to explain when he was attached to Easy Company, at which point we flash back to June 5, 1944. We see Frank Rock being cut down by machine gun fire from a pill box while rallying his men. We then cut to a younger Wesley Dodds waking up sweating on a cot, lying awake until woken to prepare to enter a C-47. Dodds puts on his business suit, fedora, and gas mask, grabbing his gas gun and parachute on his way to the airstrip. He boards an airplane with Frank Rock and some soldiers. It is shown the date is now June 6, 1944 We see the troops chatting as their plane crosses the English Channel. Dodds and the troops jump from their plane, engaging their parachutes as tracer rounds fly through the air. Dodds thinks on his loved ones, and muses "There is no land beyond God's law/ where tyrants rule with unshakable power/ tis but a dream from which the evil wake/ to face their fate, their terrifying hour". Dodds and the soldiers hit the ground, and end up in a small firefight with some German soldiers. They overcome the enemy, and continue, ending up by the pillbox from Dodds' dream. We see the muzzle flare of a machine gun, which dies off a minute later as gas seeps out the firing port of the bunker, cut to Sandman, holding a 'smoking' gas gun. We see a Nazi officer sneaking up on Dodds with a knife, only for him to be shot down by Frank Rock, who says that he's "returned the favor". We cut to the present day, with Dodds stting in the parlor with Joe Rock.
Pages 16-17
Dodds says that he has something to show Joe, and retrieves an old style projector. We see black and white film of American warplanes flying alongside Green Lantern, and then Dr Fate, as a narrator explains each MYSTERY MAN. The narrator continues as we see Flash, Starman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Sandman, etc. The narrator calls them the Justice Society of America
Page 17-20
Joe Rock is intrigued, he asks what happened to the JSA, and why he never learned about these heroes. He also wants to know why the current heroes are untrusted if they were so well liked all those years ago. Dodds explains that Green Lantern, Dr. Fate, Flash, and Starman went missing in the Pacific in 1940, on an island held by the Japanese. The U.S Government needed all the help they could get during the war, but they thought that the heroes may have gone rogue. They forced the remaining mystery men out of action after the war, and in 1947, they founded a covert organization called 'Checkmate' to keep tabs on former mystery men, other metahumans, and aliens. Dodds always wanted to clear the names of the other MYSTERY MEN, and even visited the island his good friend Starman disappeared on, but came up with nothing except for the sword of a fallen Japanese officer, which reminded Dodds of Ted Knight for a reason he could not explain. Dodds retrieves the sword, along with his gas gun, and tells Joe to take them, saying that he knew Joe had been in a 'slump' for a while, and that he wants Joe to find out what really happened to the JSA. He even offers to fund Joe's search with his fortunes from financing. Joe Rock retrieves an M-40 gas mask, a boonie hat, a holster with a pistol, and a desert BDU from his car's trunk. He promises to find out what happened for Dodds as he removes his M1911 from the holster replacing is with Dodds' gas gun.
Page 21
Joe Rock enters the parlor in the clothes he had retrieved, gas mask included, asking Dodds how he looks as a modern age Sandman. Dodds remarks that he looks "damn fine"
Page 22 Having returned to his apartment, Joe Rock sits in his full Sandman regalia, looking at the katana Dodds found. We see the flat side of the blade, featuring an image of Dr Fate, Green Lantern, Starman, and Flash closing in on a dark figure with raised hands.
**End Issue #1**
So, what do you think of my concept? Is the idea good? Would you read this? Do you even want the JSA back?
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