So as a fanboy of DC Comics, hearing the letters JSA makes me excited. As the superhero group to come before the Justice League, they’re a key part of DC Comics history. They’ve been shown in animated series, and even were part of Smallville during its run. But never have they been shown like they were in tonight’s Legends of Tomorrow.
That opening fight sequence was easily one of the coolest fight scenes in all of the CWVerse. Showing off all of what the JSA can do, and then some. From Obsidian darkening the area, to Vixen (the present days grandmother) using her amulet, to Dr. Midnite being able to see perfectly in the dark, it was awesome. Also though, showing that they were a true team, bonded by experience, and thus able to work as one. Rather than the Legends who at best wing it.
One of the funniest parts of the show was how the JSA treated the Legends. Remember, the JSA were rooted in the 1940’s in this take, so they acted accordingly. Hourman was the leader, and thought that Sara couldn’t be leader because she was a woman. Commander Steel and the others wanted them thrown in jail rather than hearing them out. To even just mocking how they always argue despite them calling each other teammates, it was fun stuff. Yes, it did get grating after a while, especially when Vixen said Palmer wasn’t a hero, when she barely knew him and his accomplishments, but hey, whatever.
The fun twist in the tale was that not only did the JSA not want the Legends help, but that Heywood is the grandson of Commander Steel. Their interactions really lent to the whole, “Never Meet Your Heroes” montra, but it turned into something rather touching. As Heywood himself had a condition that all but made it so he couldn’t be a hero, yet he wanted to show everyone, including his grandfather, that he didn’t need to be sheltered. Given what happened at the end of the episode, it looks like he’ll be given an upgrade soon.
Also interesting was the fact that the Legends needed to pick a new leader, and Stein got chosen. While at first he seemed to be a logical choice, his flaws soon reared themselves and helped show he wasn’t ready quite yet. Watching him both admit this, then nominate Sara to be leader was very cool, and showed that despite their arguing, they do really trust each other.
The main conflict was at times cheesy, the “Super Nazi” (most likely an interpretation of Blockbuster) was weird looking at times and seemed to be easily killed off, but it worked in context. The real takeaway is that Eobard is pulling a LOT of strings behind the scenes, and is willing to go to extreme lengths to get what he wanted. Including killing a certain character that I’m really sad to see go.
Some small hiccups aside, “The Justice Society Of America” did a great job of introducing the classic DC Comics team to the CWVerse. I hope they show up soon, as I want to see them again…and again…and again…
Todd Black
Todd Black is reader of comics, a watch of TV (a LOT of TV), and a writer of many different mediums. He's written teleplays, fan-fictions, and currently writes a comic book called Guardians (guardians-comic.com). He dreams of working at Nintendo, writing a SHAZAM! TV series, and working on Guardians for a very long time!
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