JSA – The Unholy Three

The sequel to the Liberty Files took three entire years to hit stands, causing many to wonder if it was ever going to arrive at all. In that time writer Dan Jolley and artist Tony Harris had refined their crafts in many ways, making The Unholy Three a different beast. In the interim, the pair had worked on Lazarus Five and were still putting the final touches on what would become their critically acclaimed series Obergeist. Whereas the Liberty Files was an exercise in placing time honored heroes into a hard-boiled world, the follow-up was tasked with the opposite endeavor. The Unholy Three is in essence an attempt to inject the superheroic qualities of the DC Universe into the world that Jolley and Harris had created. The quickest way to make this clear is by introducing Superman.

Wayne is pulled from his work bringing order to his city of Gotham, as we see him battling a half-big-half-human Harvey Dent before he is called back into service. The wet-behind-the-ears Clark Kent jars almost immediately with Wayne and Tyler, still sore over losing two of their fellow agents Charles McNider and Terry Sloane. The arrival of Kent does little to smooth these bumps, in fact Wayne takes an immediate dislike to Kent’s charming innocence. Tracking down leads to something called ‘The Trigger’ leads the team into conflict with a strange creature called the Parasite who can leach abilities and strength from its victims. In battle, Kent proves that he is far more than he appears to be and crushes the Parasite under a building in a fit of anger.

Kent and Tyler are almost immediately shocked and somewhat impressed by Kent’s display of power, yet he still has not earned his place at the adult table. After meeting up with legendary agent Sandman, Kent is snubbed in the mission’s next turn that would lead the team into a more subtle approach. As Kent and Tyler plot their next move, Kent shows his true colors and cuts off his fellow agents as he makes moves that are decidedly out of character for what readers would expect.

The two part story concludes impressively with Harris-designed versions of several characters including Hawkman, Red Tornado, the Flash and more. The finale is an all-out blockbuster fight for the future of humanity. It spells the end of one era and the beginning of another. At the time, Harris had openly spoken about not wanting to return to simply being an artists and was much more interested in taking a co-writer role in future projects. He and Jolley were both keen to explore more JSA stand-alone stories beyond The Liberty Files, but I really think that the sequel was sufficient in providing closure on the concept of a wartime pulpy Elseworlds JSA.

In the time since its publication, DC Comics has sworn off Eleworld or What If? stories saying that it diluted the market with over-exposure of key characters. I can’t exactly disagree, but the JSA Liberty Files and Unholy Three are still fondly remembered by readers. If anything, DC should focus their efforts into more standalone stories that serve as the perfect encapsulation of what their properties are capable of.