Written by Joy Lyn Parohinog Francisco
The newest Justice Society of America comics has Helena Wayne as the central character and writer Geoff Johns tells why.
DC Comics releases the New Golden Age of Justice Society of America. Apparently, the world has one of the most mysterious and malevolent villains in the DC comics world yet. In fact, more than the typical master mind of a villain, this one gets to change the world’s history. On top of it all, the villain is capable of killing teams of heroes across generations.
One survivor of the future iteration of the group is Helena Wayne who is also Huntress. Yes, the daughter of the Dark Knight, Batman himself with the formidable Catwoman, Selina Kyle. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Johns shared his reasons why he believes that Huntress is the central character of the series. He said:
…she’s such an interesting legacy character because she comes from the most impactful superhero arguably ever, Batman and one of the most impactful super villains, and I use that in quotes, ever, Catwoman. I think that (it is a) dichotomy of it.
Geoff Johns Leads Justice Society of America With Helena Wayne
Possibly, Helena Wayne embodies the best characteristics of her parents. Growing up, the child that was Helena saw her father differently. Further, Johns explains:
…when she talks about her father’s legacy, everyone’s like, ‘It’s about fear and vengeance and darkness and this.’ And she’s like, ‘That was my dad. He was not like that. That was not who he was. That was not what he embodied.’ And for her to struggle like, ‘How do I carry it on? I assumed I would be about vengeance, but that’s not what I’m about.’
Bruce Wayne had a broken childhood and had to go through his psychological struggles. Growing up he envisioned a different Gotham City. However, the city has its own personality, all he can do is protect it. He couldn’t change it. Eventually, having Helena in his life, he prepares her for the harshness of the city. But at the same time, he prevents her from experiencing what he had to go through himself.
Geoff Johns Leads Justice Society of America With Helena Wayne
Image: DC Comics
As he showed Helena his skill in piecing clues together and discovering a solution, she is equipped with everything she needs to save the JSA.
The series will also show Helena’s journey to finding her definition of self. While she goes through finding a way to save JSA, she will also find her own purpose to pursue. Apart from coming to terms with how the world perceives Batman and how she knows her father, there’s her mother. Selina is not very keen on letting her daughter dip her fingers into saving JSA. Johns also cited a specific scene which he says is his one of his favorites:
…the argument between them (Selina and Helena) in the library where she’s saying, ‘How could you possibly work with these people? If somebody’s been murdered… if Dr. Fate’s been murdered, one of them had to have been involved and blah blah blah, and how can you trust them?’ And she’s like, ‘Mom, you don’t think I checked in?’ And they have this great argument where Helena says to her mom, ‘This is what dad did… dad did this with you.’
Geoff Johns Leads Justice Society of America With Helena Wayne
Image: DC Comics
Johns finds Helena Wayne most interesting as a character for the series. From what I can see in his description, Helena seems to be somewhat like Batman with his detective skills. However, she demonstrates she has a bigger heart with compassion to bring sides together.
The comic book is out and available now and League Of Comic Geeks has its review also up. The 32 page comics reflect a 93 score from 48 out of 52 readers liking it and rating it at an average of 4.2 out of 5 stars. The posted description is as follows:
THE NEW GOLDEN AGE, CHAPTER ONE: LEGENDS DIE TOGETHER TOO
A long-lost hero from the JSA crashes into our era with a grave warning…but it’s too late. A mysterious and malevolent enemy has invaded the entire history of the JSA, and an all-new team must come together to defeat it. But what deadly secret does this messenger from beyond keep? Where are they from? And why is all of this happening now? Only the Time Masters know…