| "The New Golden Age" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics | ||
| Publication date | November 2022 – October 2024 | ||
| Genre | |||
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| Main character(s) | Justice Society of America Huntress (Helena Wayne) Stargirl Red Arrow Green Lantern (Alan Scott) Flash (Jay Garrick) Sandman (Wesley Dodds) Legion of Super-Heroes | ||
| Creative team | |||
| Writer | Geoff Johns | ||
| Artist | Various | ||
"The New Golden Age" is a crossover event inDC Comics publications. Written byGeoff Johns, the story follows theJustice Society of America unraveling a mystery following theGolden Age heroes and villains and the untold stories that come with it. The story comprises an eponymousone-shot and the central storyline in theongoingJustice Society of America, as well as tie-inlimited series likeStargirl: The Lost Children,Alan Scott: The Green Lantern,Jay Garrick: The Flash, andWesley Dodds: The Sandman.
The event received highly positive reviews from critics.
In August 2022, DC Comics announced "The New Golden Age",[1] an event meant to reintroduce readers to theJustice Society of America and otherGolden Age characters,[2] as well as explore the past, present and future of theDC multiverse.[3]
The New Golden Age was expanded to three new six-issue miniseries:Alan Scott: The Green Lantern by Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey,Jay Garrick: The Flash by Jeremy Adams and Diego Olortegui, andWesley Dodds: The Sandman byRobert Venditti andRiley Rossmo. The crossover event is also part of the "Dawn of DC" initiative.[4]
In Star City,Green Arrow is training withRed Arrow as he tells her about the time when he andSpeedy were transported to the Golden Age of Superheroes and joined theSeven Soldiers of Victory, consisting ofVigilante,Star-Spangled Kid,Stripesy,Shining Knight, andCrimson Avenger. The two are approached by Jill Carlyle / Crimson Avenger, who states that Lee Travis needs their help. The three battle the Clock King and learn that Travis is still alive, but he is killed when the Clock King's time machine explodes.[5]
Meanwhile,Rip Hunter is informed that theTime Masters' capsules containing various missing Golden Age superheroes (consisting ofthe Thaddeus Brown version of Mister Miracle, theoriginal Aquaman who predates Arthur Curry, theLegionnaire of the Golden Age,Betsy Ross,Molly Pitcher,Ladybug,Quiz Kid,Salem the Witch Girl,Cherry Bomb,Harlequin's Son,Steel's great-uncleJohn Henry Jr.,Jay Garrick's daughterJudy Garrick, and the originalRed Lantern) have shut down, returning their captives to their own time.[6]
In an alternate timeline,Helena Wayne becomes Huntress to avenge her father Bruce's death. Meanwhile, theStranger killsDoctor Fate's 30th-century descendant, the present-dayKhalid Nassour meets withDetective Chimp andDeadman to exorciseNabu from his helmet, and the Justice Society search for the missing sidekicks.[7]
While searching for Doctor Fate, Huntress forms a new incarnation of the Justice Society consisting ofPower Girl,Solomon Grundy,Gentleman Ghost, Harlequin's son,Icicle II,Mist, andRed Lantern II. The Stranger transports Huntress to 1940, where the original Justice Society find her. However, Huntress is soon returned to the present and meets with Fate, Detective Chimp, and Deadman.[8][9][10]
Madame Xanadu informs the Society that Per Degaton made a deal with theLords of Chaos and intends to kill the original Justice Society. However, Fate summons alternate universe variants of the Society to stop Degaton. Afterwards, Fate travels to the 31st century to assist theLegion of Substitute Heroes. After they persuadeSolomon Grundy, Red Lantern II,Icicle, and Harlequin's Son to join up with them, the Society recruits Legionnaire, a young heroic version ofMordru. However, theLegion of Super-Heroes arrive to stop them, believing that Mordru will inevitably turn evil. During the fight,Eclipso bursts out ofWildcat. With help from Legionnaire, Huntress fires an enchanted arrow at Eclipos' black diamond. As Wildcat is restored to life and Legionnaire has Eclipso's black diamond locked away on Gemworld, the Legion of Super-Heroes hooks Legionnaire and Huntress up with the JSA of their time period.[11]
While investigating the missing sidekicks,Stargirl and Red Arrow discover that they have been kidnapped by the Time Masters and Childminder, who seek to protect them fromDoctor Manhattan's alterations to the timeline. Unable to return to their time, the sidekicks are instead adopted by various present-day heroes. Amidst this,Dan the Dyna-Mite crash-lands on an island in the Diablo Triangle and is mysteriously de-aged. Most of these missing sidekicks are held captive by a being called Childminder who is planning to sell them to theHourman android. After Childminder is defeated and Wing is sent back to his own time, the Hourman android states that the Lost Children cannot be returned to their own time due to paradoxical reasons causing them to be brought to Stargirl's time instead.[12]
In the 1940s,Sandman battles crime, guided by his prophetic dreams. He occasionally experiences nightmares, such as his father's experiences inWorld War I, but learns to overcome them. After investigating the theft of hisanesthetic gas, Sandman encounters a mysterious evil doppelganger of himself who he dubsFog. He then defeats him. Then he finds out that Wheeler Vanderlyle was behind what has been happening and manages to defeat him with Vanderlyle being shot byDian Belmont. After he meets Dian's nephewSandy Hawkins, Dodds is invited to join the Justice Society.[13]
TheFlash battlesDoctor Elemental while he and his wifeJoan struggle with their inability to remember their daughter [[Boom (comics)|Judy Garrick], also known as Boom. In flashbacks to 1941, the Justice Society battle robots, Doctor Elemental, and his creation Ro-Bear in Wutach Gorge. In the present, Jay learns that Elemental is Professor Hughes, a scientist who conducted the experiments that gave him his super-speed and created the robots as part of efforts to recreate Jay's powers. Elemental attempts to activate themetagenes of everyone on Earth before Jay stops him. While hiding in a cave after getting away, Doctor Elemental is approached by a mysterious person.[14]
Alan Scott is imprisoned inArkham Asylum for being homosexual. After escaping, he is involved in a train accident that kills his friend Jimmy, encounters the Starheart, and becomes Green Lantern. He then becomes an enemy and occasional ally ofRed Lantern (Vladimir Sokov), a Russian soldier who wields an artificial lantern ring.[15]
| Title | Issues | Writers | Artists | Debut date | Conclusion date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stargirl Spring Break Special | 1 | Geoff Johns | Todd Nauck Bryan Hitch Fred Hembeck | May 25, 2021[16] | |
| Flashpoint Beyond | 0–6 | Geoff Johns Jeremy Adams Tim Sheridan | Eduardo Risso Xermánico Mikel Janín | April 12, 2022[17] | October 18, 2022[18] |
| Title | Issues | Writers | Artists | Debut date | Conclusion date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The New Golden Age | 1 | Geoff Johns | Diego Olortegui J.P. Mayer Scott Hanna Jerry Ordway Steve Lieber Todd Nauck Scott Kolins Viktor Bogdanovic Brandon Peterson Gary Frank | November 7, 2022[1] | |
| Justice Society of America (vol. 4) | 1–12 | Geoff Johns | Mikel Janín | November 29, 2022[1] | October 2, 2024 |
| Title | Issues | Writers | Artists | Debut date | Conclusion date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stargirl: The Lost Children | 1–6 | Geoff Johns | Todd Nauck | November 15, 2022[1] | May 9, 2023[19] |
| Wesley Dodds: The Sandman | Robert Venditti | Riley Rossmo | October 10, 2023[20] | March 12, 2024 | |
| Jay Garrick: The Flash | Jeremy Adams | Diego Olortegui | October 17, 2023[20] | April 16, 2024 | |
| Alan Scott: The Green Lantern | Tim Sheridan | Cian Tormey | October 23, 2023[20] | May 21, 2024 |
On Comicbook Roundup,The New Golden Age #1 received an average review of 8.1 out of 10 based on 13 reviews,[21] the mainThe New Golden Age story received an average rating of 7.8 out of 10 based on 76 reviews,[22] andStargirl: The Lost Children received an average rating of 8.6 based on 59 reviews.[23]
Created byAlan Moore andDave Gibbons | |||||||
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