Injustice Society

The Injustice Society, also known as a the Injustice Society of the World, is a fictional super-villain team featured inc comic books published by DC Comics. They first appeared in All-Star Comics #37 in November, 1947.

History
The exact circumstances under which the so-called Injustice Society of the World, or shorten as the Injustice Society, was formed have never been revealed. The group first came to public light in 1947 led by the Wizard. Along with the Thinker, Vandal Savage, the Gambler, the Brain Wave and newcomer Per Degaton, the Wizard planned to launch a three pronged assault on the Justice Society of America. The first part of their plan was to generate an army of criminals by liberating American penitentiaries. The second required disruption of the government and legal system through conquest and replacement of key figures with ISW-controlled androids. The final part was to capture and place on trial their collective enemy, the Justice Society of America.

Fragmenting into individual efforts, the ISW launched strikes are government facilities around the nation, each with his own private army of convicts. In additional to furthering their primary aims, the villains were each assigned to capture a member of the JSA in anticipated resistance. To ensure that the JSA showed up, the villains notified the heroes of their plans. In due course, Hawkman was captured by Vandal Savage and Dr. Mid-Nite was apprehended by Degaton. The Flash fell victim to his long-time foe, the Thinker and the Atom was snared by the Gambler. After an encounter at a government nuclear facility, the Brain Wave left the Green Lantern for dead at the bottom of a ravine. Hearing of Degaton's capture of Dr. Mid-Nite in Washington, Wonder Woman and Johnny Thunder left the JSA HQ to intervene, only to be captured themselves.

Bringing the JSA to trial before Judge Thinker, the heroes are quickly convicted for plots against evil and sentenced to death. The villains are thwarted however, when the Thinker was revealed to be the Green Lantern, not quite so dead as assumed by the over-confident Brain Wave. Quickly liberating his colleagues, the JSA turns the tide against the villains. All are handily captured save the Wizard, who flees into the street only to be captured by a group of children who idolize the Justice Society.

Not satisfied with this outcome, the Wizard abandoned his fellow members in prison and re-organized the Injustice Society a few months later with new, less megalomaniacal members including the Fiddler, the Icicle, the Sportsmaster, the Huntress and the Harlequin. After recruiting the Harlequin, the Injustice Society learned that Green Lantern's "enemy" had no intention of joining the group. Instead, they learned from a diary she dropped, she intended to betray them. Followed covertly by the Sportsmaster, the Harlequin alerted the JSA to the villains' plan only to be felled with the heroes when the Sportsmaster launched a grenade in the form of a lacrosse ball.

The Harlequin was thrown under a table by the blast and went undetected as the Sportsmaster lugged the JSA members out to captivity. When the Black Canary arrived later for membership induction, she found the ersatz villainess and together, the two were ambushed by the Icicle. Taken back to the Injustice Society headquarters, the two found the JSA brainwashed and working as slaves for the villains. Before they could join their comrades in slavery, the Black Canary revived the JSA and each member set off in pursuit of the individual ISW members, each of whom had targeted a national monument to steal. Unfortunately, the heroes had been subject to a post-hypnotic suggestion that would return them to a mindless state when they heard the snap of fingers. As each intercepted their target, the villains handily re-captured them and carted the heroes and the monuments back to their lair.

To determine who had committed the best theft, the villains planned to ask a large crowd of captured Americans to judge them. To make sure the JSA was no longer a threat, they were dropped in their automaton state into a deep mine shaft along with the recaptured Harlequin and Black Canary. Trapped in the bowels of the earth, the heroines worked feverishly to convince the JSA of their true identities. With constant urging, the two convinced Green Lantern to employ his ring, freeing the JSA from their stupor. The team then rocketed up the shaft and confronted the ISW, who had reached a murderous level of frustration with their captive judges. Surprising the villains, the heroes quickly rounded up the team. The ISW was deposited in jail and Black Canary was then inducted into the Justice Society.

After 1948, the activities of the formal organization as a whole are unknown. Many Society-members were active up until the 1950's, when they either retired or were captured. When some of the JSA heroes re-emerged to team up with the so-called "Super Squad", many villains became active again, though often in splinter groups such as the Crime Champions or the Injustice Gang.

In the 1970's, a few cases of the Injustice Society were recorded. When Earth-Prime comic book writer, Cary Bates found himself thrust into the Injustice Society's world, Cary contacted them to team-up and attack the JSA.

In another conflict, Icicle recruited Solomon Grundy and The Fiddler to form the short lived Injustice Gang. Though quickly defeated by the JSA/Super Squad team, this did not prevent Icicle from recruiting another "society" of villains to battle the JSA. This time the Injustice Society invaded the JSA HQ and managed to critically injure Hourman and kidnap Wildcat before being captured once again.

During one of the final cases, three members of the Injustice Society were intercepted by the spirit of Darkseid. The villains were taken to Apokolips to serve as Darkseid's strike force against the combined might of the Justice League, the Justice Society and the heroes known as the New Gods. Although the villains succeeded in resurrecting Darkseid, the dark lord turned on them and imprisoned them in a holding pit. After they were rescued, they joined the heroes to fight against Darkseid.

The Injustice Society has largely disbanded. Many of the original members are deceased or retired due to old age. Splinter groups of former members, including Injustice Unlimited or the new Secret Society of Super-Villains have formed, but the Injustice Society itself is defunct. However, a new group of the Injustice Society was formed around an elder foe of Starman.

Original team

 * Wizard, William Zard
 * Brain Wave, Henry King, Sr.
 * Gambler, Steven Sharpe
 * Per Degaton
 * Solomon Grundy
 * Thinker, Clifford DeVoe
 * Vandal Savage

Second team

 * Fiddler, Isaac Bowin
 * Gambler, Steven Sharpe, III
 * Huntress, Paula Brooks
 * Icicle, Joar Mahkent
 * Shade, Richard Swift
 * Sportmaster, Lawrence Crock
 * Wizard, William Zard

Modern team

 * Black Adam
 * Blackbriar Thorn
 * Count Vertigo, Werner Vertigo
 * Geomancer, Adam Fells
 * Icicle, Cameron Mahkent
 * Johnny Sorrow
 * Killer Wasp
 * Rival, Edward Clariss
 * Shiv, Cindy Burman
 * Tigress, Artemis CRock

Notes & Trivia

 * The Injustice Society was created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Sheldon Mayer.


 * As the Injustice Society were originally introduced during DC's Golden Age era, many of their exploits have been allocated to Earth-Two continuity. Following the events of the 1985-1986 maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Injustice Society's adventures were preserved in the new timeline.