Geoff Johns to Leave Justice Society of America with Issue #26

Geoff Johns has announced that he will leave Justice Society of America with issue #26 along with regular artist Dale Eaglesham. This comes mere weeks after the news of his departure from Action Comics at the conclusion of the “New Krypton” storyline. Johns has explained that stepping down from these franchises will allow more time and energy for scripting his highly anticipated 2009 projects like The Flash: Rebirth, Superman: Secret Origin, and Green Lantern: Blackest Night. Along with some other surprises. 

Read the entirety of Johns’ announcement on his forum. 

I type this announcement amidst a gaussian blur of tears. Hopefully muscle memory can find the appropriate keys. Geoff Johns didn’t script the first super hero comics I ever got my mitts on, but he’s certainly become the first name in caped heroics in the past few years. Especially at DC comics. Justice Society of America remains my favorite ongoing series from the Big Two, and though I’m excited to see the next chapter unfold for both Johns and the JSA, I dearly wish those paths didn’t have to diverge.

Thanks, Geoff, for two phenomenal runs with the JSA. Thanks for crazy Starman and sloppy joes, Nazi speedsters running through children, for Wildcat Jr., for the end of issue #7, pancake breakfasts at the firehouse, beach chairs in the war room, for creepy purple gods, for punching bolts of lightning.

Thanks for ensuring that there will always be a Justice Society of America.

Comments

  1. /wrists

  2. BOOOOOOOOOO!

  3. I’m sorry for fans of JSA and Action Comics. But I’m very excited about Flash: Rebirth. I sure hope he writes a Flash on-going afterwards. This news excites me even further. He’s not spreading himself too thin. I’d rather he continue producing good quality.

  4. It’s like when he left the Flash all over again…oh but wait, he’s coming back to the Flash.

    I’ll live. and he’s gonna continue kicking ass.

  5. I sounded like in the Newsarama article that he was returning to the flash.  I hope this means that he will be writing the ongoing, as I will need something to replace the awesomeness of this book.

  6. He returns to Flash with Rebirth in what February?

  7. He says the new creative team for Justice Society has never written the characters before.  

    Any guesses?  

  8. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *sentry cry*

    this sucks so much 

    my JSA will never be the same………….. 

  9. It’s not too late for him to retcon this announcement.  Stay strong people!

  10. BOLLOCKS!  Justice Society is my favorite book and this is really unfortunate,but Blackest Night and Flash Rebirth will make up for this.  I guess I’ll start reading his old JSA run.  Where should I begin?

  11. @CopaRamsey – Pretty much anywhere, really.  Accessible from most angles.  

  12. Even though I’m a JSA fan and am currently reading the floppies, I’m an even bigger GL fan and would rather have him focus his energy of the Blackest Night saga then have to juggle 4 books a month.  

  13. I’ll step back from the ledge and look on the brightside, at least I’ll be getting some good Flash stories soon.

  14. ROGUES’ REDEMPTION!

  15. Like I said on Twitter and in the forums, this is definitely bitter sweet news.  I’m going to miss him on JSA, but can’t wait to see what new and exciting things he’s going to do with the Flash.

    As for who will take over, I’m really hoping it’s going to be Tomasi.  He’s got a good handle on big groups of characters as we’ve seen in GLC, he’s got a bit more free time now that Nightwing is cancelled and he meshes well with Johns’ style.

  16. I think I could handle Tomasi on this book.  He’s one of the few other writers I really like right now.  Nightwing was fantastic.

  17. I was just starting to catch up too… DAMMIT!!!

  18. @gobo – I like the Tomasi idea.  Here’s hoping.  

  19. *hangs head in sadness*

    This has been my favorite book for a while, so I’m bummed about this. At the same time, there are only so many hours in the day, and Johns can’t write EVERY book in the DCU. Needless to say, whatever he writes, I’ll read. 

    Also curious what Eaglesham will work on next. His art was perfect for this series. 

  20. I think Eaglesham would be GREAT on the upcoming Adventure Comics.

  21. SAY IT AIN’T SO GEOFF!

    Sorry to hear this, but excited to see where he goes next. Long live the JSA! (And please, more Stargirl, Geoff). 

  22. i’m more pissed off about the action comics news

  23. I don’t read JSA.  I know I should but Geoff Johns leaving another book does concern me.  He’s leaving Action as well.  I guess Flash and Blackest Night are going to be taking up his time then thought.

  24. I’m most excited about Superman: Secret Origin.  

  25. I’m stoked about Secret Origin too.  I would even read a Cyclops story if Geoff Johns and Gary Frank were the creative team.

  26. THIS SUCKS. I disagree Edward. I more disappointed about JSA. Him and Eaglesham leaving is extremely sad news.

  27. I’ll probably be dropping JSA now.  (weeps softly to himself.)

  28. @scootB, yeah, that sucks balls too, mate

     

    i haven’t been this disappointed since last year’s christmas at the orphanage… this year will be different though

  29. THIS IS BULLSHIT. I AM OUTRAGED. I AM BURNING ALL OF MY JOHNS ISSUES.

     …

     Not really, but I’m bummed :/ Easily my favourite title! But I’ll follow Johns wherever he may go. 

  30. I wonder of the reason they put sop much story in the JSA Kingdonm special is so Johns can get the story done before he leaves the book.

     

    I’d keep reading the book if they put someone on it who could respect the characters but also tell challenging, creative, and provocative stories.  I actually think Morrison could write Justice Society pretty well.

     

    But  let me cease picking at Johns’ bones like a vulture and stop to acknowledge how rare it is for someone to have this kind of a run in this day and age.  Bendis on USM is the only one i can think of that approaches Johns on JSA in legnth and is still going.  That’s remarkable, and like USM, JSA/Justice Society has consistently been one of the best books around.  Looking forward to what;s next…

  31. I’m fairly new to the DCU but I jumped on to Green Lantern Secret Origin and was blown away. This is where I first discovered Geoff Johns. Amazing. I can not wait for Flash Rebirth and Superman Secret Origin. It’s like Geoff Johns is holding my hand and guiding me into the DC Universe. Excited is an understatement. 

  32. I like the idea of Tomasi writing JSA.  I really like his work.

  33. WHYYYYYY!!!!?????? WHENNNN!!!????? HOWWWW!!???? WHICH!!!????

    God damnit! Why is he leaving his titles? First it was Booster Gold, then Action Comics, now JSA!? Why is he doing this? He could cope with doing his other big events while sticking with JSA. Surely he could….This is getting ridiculous though. If I hear he is going to stop Green Lantern after the ‘Blackest Night’ then I give up.

  34. Mark Andreyko would be a worthy successor

  35. I kinda wanna see an unknown take over the book, not a complete unknown, but an up and comer who grows with the book or whatnot.

    Sigh. This makes me insanely sad.

  36. this sucks sooooo bad its insane!!! i started reading JSA when i was about 16 with issue 22 of the first series and was hooked, i have followed his phenomenal run ever since. maybe he’ll eventually write the book again, hopefully sooner then later.:(

  37. damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it. this is why we can’t have nice things. : (

  38. Damn it. Action Comics is my favorite book being put out right now and JSA is right up there with it. I’m a little depressed to be honest.

  39. Look at the body of work Geoff left on this book and where he leaves this team. Truly astounding. That anyone gives a damn about 70 year old heroes and the idea of the legacy of heroism TODAY is largely due to him and his collaborators (and also, greatly, to James Robinson and Roy Thomas before him). I’ll miss his work with these particular characters but look forward to what he takes on next (puh-leeeeeeeze Legion of Super-Heroes). 

    And hope that the editors at DC don’t botch this transition the way they have been doing so many non-Johns related titles of late.

  40. For me JSA took the place of JLA…If the succesion fails, I´ll be Team-Book Less. It feels an era it´s ending. Winick Left GA, Johns leaving JSA, Batman dies…Could this be the Final Crisis?

  41. Thanks……for the end of issue #7

    Hear hear. That’s one of the best (if not The best) issues of this JSA run. So sad to see him leave the book. Truly characters and a team that I knew nothing about before this run andd honestly they’re most all of them some of my favorite characters in all of comics. It’s definitely my favorite team.

    I really hope that the new creative team really captures the Family aspect of this team that i love so much. I’m getting honestly and truly sad about this the more and more i think about it…

  42. I just want to point out something.  Geoff Johns has been on this book since 2000, eight years ago.  he started on issue 5 of the book in the last volume and ran until issue 77.  This volume, he ends in 26.  That’s 98 issues.  It’s not exactly like he hasn’t been on the title for a while.

  43. Horrible news.

    I wish I was dead.

  44. With this news, I would also like to announce my departure from reading JSA.

  45. Horrible news indeed. JSA was constantly in my top three books since I came back reading comics and now it’s practically gone. I don’t know if anyone can fill the shoes, but i’ll definetly check out the first issue of the new creative team. It would be so sad to not have an A-List team-book in the DCU, what with the crappy quality of that JLA and all.

    But at least we get the Blackest Night, Secret Origin and Flash: Rebirth! The world has not completely darkened…

  46. Now that I’ve slept on it, I’m more excited than sad.  I want to see what kind of new and fun stuff Johns does next with other characters and what new directions some new/fresh (and hopefully talented) blood will take JSA.

    Of course if Loeb takes over I’m not going to be excited for very long.

  47. So he’s leaving a book I don’t buy (JSA) to focus on one that I definitely will buy (Blackest Night).

    I know it makes me a dick to say it, but…that’s awesome news. 🙂

     

  48. I hope he is headed to Legion and Jim Lee joins him. That would be awesome and make this a little less painful.

  49. Bummer. This has been my favorite book on the shelves these past two years. 

  50. The more I think about it, the more I like this idea of Tomasi writing JSA.  His Light Brigade graphic novel is probably the best evidence for his qualifications.  The soldiers are even reading JSA comics in the opening scene.  

  51. @PaulMontgomery: Tomasi’s the first name i thought of when i heard Johns was leaving too. but hes already written the JSA with the Magog special. Plus, I’m kinda hoping for one of the more indie guy that have been writing for DC recently like B Clay Moore(hes already written JSA Classified and the golden aged centered comic Battle Hymn), Rick Remender, David Hine(not exactly indie) or Arvid Nelson.

  52. When speculating about the new creative team, note that Johns said "they haven’t written for these characters before."  

     

  53. Well, hopefully they get good teams to replace him on these books. But this is good news for me, as the Barry Allen Flash is my favorite DC character of all time, so having him write that book is a good thing for me. Hopefully it will translate into a new ongoing Flash title, as the current one has been bad for too long.

  54. I like most of his writing, but has Judd Winick been annouced for anything?  I can’t see him doing this book.  But if he’s still under contract, he’s a possibility.

  55. I’m bummed. I just started to really see how great the Johns JSA is, and now I’m feeling like I was late to the table.

    Could the replacement writer be Brad Meltzer? I haven’t read his JLA, but I am a huge Identity Crisis fan.

  56. IMHO, while I love Tomasi, there are only so many team books one guy can handle.  He’s currently writing Green Lantern Corps and is slated to take over The Outsiders.  I just don’t see him fitting in a third team book, paticularly one with such a dence cast.

  57. He quits…i quit (unless i like the new team)

    And i’ll be on Flash rebirth!

  58. Didn’t realize he was taking over Outsiders… that plus the fact that it’s someone entirely new to JSA  seems to mean no chance for Tomasi

  59. NOOOOOOO!!  That book, I hate to say it, will immediatly collapse under the sheer weight of characters and subplots.  This makes me angrier then when Rucka left Checkmate.  Hopefully his last arc will give us a nice bookend to his run.

  60. another name….JMS….he annouced he was writing another ongoing DC book….gotta keep the rumor mill going

  61. Talk about going out on top! Sure it’s sad, but nothing last forever.

  62. Why does Geoff hate me so?  Seriously, everytime he draws me in, I put the books on my pull list, then he leaves and the book sucks again.  Then again, I did love his run on the Flash (and guh, was it awful when he left)…

  63. Geoff giveth and taketh.  

  64. @roadcrew1: JMS would keep the numbers up and i could see him wanting to write JSA. but i don’t know if i want him writing it. in my opinion, hes either good(never great) or very very bad. theres no middle ground with him.

  65. I agree….got into his Spidey run and it wasn’t that great….never really read any of his other work