WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Doomsday Clock #2
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The Justice Society of America was left out of DC's Rebirth, but their Watchmen sequel comic is teasing the return of their biggest heroes. The second issue of Doomsday Clock isn't the first hint that fans have gotten so far, with Geoff Johns dropping several hints at the JSA's existence - and absence - in the first comic to begin DC's Rebirth relaunch. Add in the first Flash Jay Garrick's return to the DCU, only to be torn back out since he lacked a solid connection, and it seems it's only a matter of time. That time may be rapidly approaching, and JSA fans would be wise to start reading Doomsday Clock immediately.
That's an easy assignment to give, since the arrival of the Watchmen stars in DC's universe is entertaining enough on its own (and at least one Watchmen casualty has come back to life). But the first bona fide hints at the origins of Justice Society of America members comes not in that story of heroes 'out of time,' but in the newspaper clippings at the end of each issue.
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Assuming there are JSA fans who aren't up to date on Doomsday Clock, or some who skimmed the clippings and missed the hints, allow us to explain.
Alan Scott, The Green Lantern's Origin
The first up in the backmatter of Doomsday Clock #2 is, understandably, a bit less enthralling than the corporate Bruce Wayne/Lex Luthor intrigue. Even so, a steel factory being swallowed up in a raging inferno is legitimate news. The fact that the fire was green makes it a serious clue for fans of the original Justice Society. The man named Alan Scott, better known as the first Green Lantern.
There's more than just the color of the flames, too. The factory is singled out as belonging to a company called "All-American Steel," which is an overt connection to All-American Comics, where Scott first made his superheroic debut. The origin story of Alan Scott's powers have changed over the years, since they varied greatly from the larger 'Green Lantern Corps' mythology that would come later. In the first appearances of the Starheart - the cosmic concentration of energy that became the green energy he wields - it came crashing to Earth as a meteor. That meteor was later forged into a lantern, but the first outburst of its power was in the form of green flames.
Is this a hint that the Green Lantern has been born in the fires of a crumbling steel factory? Does this mean Alan Scott has found his Green Lantern identity and forged a ring in the Rebirth universe? We'll have to wait and see. But if he has a Justice Society on his mind, he's not alone...
Rex Tyler, Hourman's Chemicals Teased
For the next hint at a JSA hero, fans will need to look a little bit deeper. It's not in an article, either, but an advertisement printed in The Bulletin. The product being sold is a drug called Travodart, apparently intended to calm "unstable nerves in an unstable world." And at first glance, fans of the original Watchmen series are sure to spot the homage in the ad's artwork. The 'photograph' may depict a man and woman kissing on a tropical beach, massive sun setting in the distance... but it's a dead ringer for Dave Gibbons's vision of Night Owl and Silk Spectre kissing before a nuclear mushroom cloud burns them into dust.
The name of the drug may have some as-yet-uncovered meaning, but it's the manufacturer we would point readers toward. "Bannermain Chemical Co." isn't instantly recognizable, but it's the fictional company that creates the chemical Miraclo. The chemical that, once ingested by Rex Tyler, transformed him into the hero Hourman. The ad's fine print also seems to be doing some of the backstory, listing symptoms that resemble the withdrawal Tyler suffered through when he grew addicted to Miraclo.
And with the superhuman 'upgrades' to Rex's body lasting only one hour at a time, the warning that "muscle spasms" shouldn't continue a minute longer makes the reference clear. At this very moment, the chemist Rex Tyler may be inching closer to the chemical infusion that makes him a founding member of the Justice Society.
Not If The JSA Returns, But When
The wait for the JSA's return continues, but these clues must be a sign of something Geoff Johns has planned. That's yet another nod towards a mystery that began in the first artwork for DC Universe: Rebirth. The art depicted three hourglasses floating through space: one containing the Post-Crisis Justice League, one being smashed as the New 52/Rebirth heroes emerged into the spotlight... and a distant third. That hourglass, spotted at the time by fans of DC's Golden Age, contained the original JSA heroes; Jay Garrick, Doctor Fate, Alan Scott, Doctor Mid-Nite, and more. They were still locked away... but the fact that they were shown existing in the fabric of DC Comics history was a shock in itself.
Those versions of the characters had been written out of existence since the 2011 launch of the New 52. Some had been replaced with younger, re-imagined heroes in the Earth-2 series. But the legacy and history had been lost, despite Geoff Johns highlighting those very things as the reason why Rebirth was so desperately needed. And with the Earth-2 series being ended by DC, and the classic, original versions now apparently in need of rescuing... the suspicions began to mount.
DC didn't shy away from the speculation, confirming that the JSA heroes were included in the artwork for a reason. In the months since, more and more of the pre-New 52 canon has returned for Superman, Batman, and countless others. So the question is obvious: when is it going to be the Golden Age's turn?
For now, it's just one more reason to dissect Doomsday Clock like the rest of us.
Doomsday Clock #2 is available now.