Give me a razor-wielding midget dressed up as a kid, any day.
- — Starman
JSA #2 is an issue of the series JSA (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 1999. It was published on July 21, 1999.
Synopsis for "The Wheel of Life"
Scarab and the JSA members convene in the old Dodds estate, a mansion left behind by Wesley Dodds and Dian Belmont. Scarab tells them that an agent of Chaos known as the Dark Lord is seeking a baby who is destined to become the next incarnation of Doctor Fate. With the power of Doctor Fate, the Dark Lord would be unstoppable, which is why he needs the JSA's help. He has isolated the potential whereabouts of the prophesied Fate baby to either British Columbia, Tibet or Venice, Italy and will bear the birthmark of an Ankh. The JSA split into three teams to investigate each location.
Due to not being a member of the JSA yet, Star-Spangled Kid was impatiently waiting outside. When she decides to poke her head into the room she finds the JSA have left and Scarab is secretly conferring with the ghost of Kent Nelson. When they jump through a spatial rift, Courtney is torn between calling for help and following them. In a split-second decision, she jumps in through the rift after them.
Sentinel , Sand, and Wonder Woman (Hippolyta) head to Tibet where they run afoul of the Sons of Anubis again. They find the child in Tibet is not the future Dr. Fate.
In Venice, Flash, Starman, and Black Canary find an infant and fend off more mummy-zombies in the canals. But this child is not the Fate baby. While Jack holds the baby, it pees all over his jacket.
In Vancouver, British Columbia, Atom Smasher, Hourman, and Wildcat visit a hospital where a pregnant Jane Doe had been admitted. She had only recently given birth to a child bearing the birthmark of an Ankh on its right arm. But as they enter the room, they find that the new Hawkgirl has beaten them to the task. Hawkgirl grabs the baby and flies out the window. She doesn't get very far however. The Dark Lord appears and zaps the JSA members with a bolt of mystic lightning. Picking up the child, he announces himself as the sorcerer, Mordru.
Appearing in "The Wheel of Life"
Featured Characters:
- JSA
- Atom Smasher (Joins team)
- Black Canary (Joins team)
- Flash (Jay Garrick)
- Hourman (Joins team)
- Sand (Joins team)
- Sentinel
- Starman (Joins team)
- Star-Spangled Kid (Joins team)
- Wildcat
- Wonder Woman (Hippolyta)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- The Atom (Al Pratt) (In a photograph only)
- Batman (Flashback only)
- Dian Belmont (In a photograph only)
- Doctor Mid-Nite (Charles McNider) (In a photograph only)
- Hector Hall
- Hawkman (Carter Hall) (In a photograph only)
- Hourman (Rex Tyler) (In a photograph only)
- Mr. Terrific (Terry Sloane) (Statue only)
- Sandman (Wesley Dodds) (In a photograph only)
- Speed Saunders (In a vision)
- Spectre (Jim Corrigan) (In a photograph only)
- Star-Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton) (Statue only)
- Superman (Flashback only)
- Fate (Mentioned only)
- Gray Man (Mentioned only)
- Hawkgirl (Shiera Sanders) (Mentioned only)
- Kestrel (Mentioned only)
- Khepri (Mentioned only)
- Ted Knight (Mentioned only)
- King of Tears (Mentioned only)
- Dinah Drake Lance (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Canada
- Italy
- United States of America
- China
- Tibet
- Reting Monastery
- Tibet
- Tower of Fate (Mentioned only)
Items:
Notes
- This issues is reprinted in the JSA: Justice Be Done trade paperback and JSA Omnibus Vol. 1.
- The Dark Lord is revealed as Mordru for the first time in this issue. Mordru is typically found in the 30th century fighting the Legion of Super-Heroes.
- Scarab says that he has only recently returned to action. This return is explained in greater detail in Scarab (Volume 1).
Trivia
- The Ankh symbolizes Life in Egyptian mythology. Ironically, the symbol has also become synonymous with the character, Death, of the Endless.
- Starman makes reference to the film Don't Look Now in this issue. Don't Look Now was released in 1973 and starred Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. Its significance to this issue is that it takes place in Venice, Italy.
- Jack later says that the Flash "makes like Heston". This is a reference to the Flash using his super-speed to part the waters of the Venice canal, similar to what actor Charlton Heston did to the Red Sea when he played Moses in The Ten Commandments.
- This issue shows a photograph of Sandy as the Silicon Monster, an event that was featured in Justice League of America #113. This was originally a Pre-Crisis event, which is now considered as part of modern canon continuity. Batman and Superman from Earth-One both appear in flashback from this issue.
- There is a color-tinted photograph in the Dodds' estate trophy room showing the original Justice Society. This photo is based on the cover to All-Star Comics #3, the first appearance of the assembled Justice Society of America.
See Also
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