Back in 1940, eight sensational heroes united to create the world’s very first superhero team – the Justice Society of America! Now, 85 years later, we’re gathering podcasters and bloggers from around the globe for a month-long celebration in an event we’re calling… JSApril!
For JSApril, I made these hand drawn Justice Society of America Cookies. If you start at the top cookie and go around clockwise, the characters are Starman, Hawkman, Green Lantern, Black Canary, Flash and Doctor Fate.
Before I even began sketching out these cookies, I knew I wanted to do three things. First, since JSApril is celebrating the anniversary of the Justice Society, I wanted to use JSA members from the Golden Age of comics. I also wanted each character to be wearing their golden age costumes. Second, I wanted the heroes in action shots. I didn’t just want them standing around. Third, I wanted to create a comic book cover featuring my cookies.
I like to play around with using multiple cookies to make an image. For example, here are two sets I made for my husband’s birthday.
This set of four Gruesomes Cookies tells a story. Fred is spooked by the Gruesomes and runs away. He runs up to their giant Venus flytrap which proceeds to swallow him.
These romantic Winnie the Pooh Cookies use all seven cookies to form one larger image with the message – “You are Braver then you believe, Smarter than you think, Stronger than you seem, and Loved more than you know.”
Like these Winnie the Pooh Cookies, I wanted to create a circular pattern of the Justice Society and then make that into a comic book cover.
On the Internet, I found Limited Collector’s Edition C46. This is a Treasury Edition featuring the Justice League of America. Rob Kelly and Jennifer DeRoss covered this treasury edition on episode 46 of TreasuryCast.
The front cover of this Treasury Edition shows the Justice League of America by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.
The back cover, also by Adam and Giordano, is a mirror image of the front cover, but this time it features the Justice Society of America. This back cover is the inspiration for my cookies.
You can see the how Neal Adams and Dick Giordano’s image influenced my cookies.
I used the banner from All-Star Comics #3 because that issue featured the first appearance of the Justice Society of America.
I chose Flash and Green Lantern because they are the most popular JSA members. I chose Hawkman because he was the chairman of the JSA. I picked Doctor Fate because his costume is awesome and he is Shag Matthew’s (JSApril’s showrunner) favorite JSA member. I wanted a female character. Since Wonder Woman was the secretary and wasn’t active in many of the JSA’s early adventures, I chose Black Canary. I really like both Hourman and Starman’s designs. I liked Starman’s design slightly more, so I chose him for the final cookie.
I have Doctor Fate, Starman and Hawkman at the top. Each is flying off in a different direction. Having Green Lantern running didn’t look correct, so I have him flying as well. Flash is speeding off in the opposite direction. Black Canary looks like she is in a defensive posture covering while the boys have time to leave.
The center cookie is a Justice Society logo. This was really challenging because the JSA doesn’t have a consistent logo. Especially not in the golden age. So, I came up with one based on the various logos I found online. To make this cookie, I flooded it white just like the other six cookies. Then, I used three stencils that I created myself to make the logo. One stencil was for the white, another for the blue and the third for the red.
Starman & Black Canary Cookies
Though I’ve never read them, I knew that Black Canary and Starman had teamed up in two issues of The Brave and The Bold. So, I used the banner from one of those issues for the this image.
Later this month, the FW Team-Up Podcast will be covering Brave & the Bold #61 from 1965 featuring Starman & Black Canary – https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/show/fwteamup/
Here is the last cover I made. This one features Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Flash and Green Lantern. I used the banner from another issue of All-Star Comics.
I sent my Justice Society cookies to Shag Matthews. Shag has a amazing collection of action figures. So, he took some terrific photographs of my cookies with his action figures. I thought it was so cool that Shag had figures of all six characters I chose for my cookies.
These pictures are so much fun!!!
Throughout April 2025, join dozens of podcasters and bloggers as they each share their own unique tributes to the original and greatest superhero team! Every participant in JSApril is doing their own thing, so whether you choose to enjoy just one entry or experience them all, there’s something special for everyone! Get ready for an all-star month of beloved characters, fascinating insights, and incredible stories!
For a complete list of participating podcasters, bloggers, and what they’re each covering check out the JSApril webpage. You can also follow the action on social media with the hashtag #JSApril. Between the Pages Blog is on Pinterest, X and Bluesky.
