JSA Secret Files #2

History

The issue arrived in September 2001 as the second and final installment of the JSA Secret Files and Origins miniseries, itself part of DC's late-1990s/early-2000s line of Secret Files companion one-shots that combined origin stories, profile pages, and short story prologues in the tradition of the earlier Who's Who and Secret Origins series. Writers Geoff Johns, David S. Goyer, D. Curtis Johnson, J.H. Williams III, and Will Pfeifer each contributed segments, with interior art shared among Javier Saltares, Ray Kryssing, Derec Aucoin, and Rick Burchett, and a cover by Stephen Sadowski and Michael Bair — the core visual team then defining the look of the main JSA title. Editorially, the book was shepherded by Ivan Cohen and Mike McAvennie with Stephen Wacker as assistant editor, situating it squarely within the tight JSA editorial circle of that era.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance of Victoria Sinclair, alias Roulette — creator of 'The House,' an underground arena where supervillains bet on drugged heroes forced to fight each other — in the short story 'Upping the Ante,' written by Geoff Johns with art by Derec Aucoin.
• Roulette's debut here directly sets up the 'Let the Games Begin' storyline beginning in JSA #27 (October 2001), making this issue the narrative prologue to that arc.
• The lead story, 'Breaking Storms,' written by Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer with art by Javier Saltares and Ray Kryssing, advances the Ultra-Humanite and Mordru subplots running through the main JSA series at the time.
• Sand experiences a vision in which deceased original Justice Society members warn of coming threats — a story beat tying into Johns's ongoing theme of the JSA's Golden Age legacy haunting its present membership.
• The 'Rumors and Facts' segment, written by D. Curtis Johnson and J.H. Williams III with art by Rick Burchett, focuses on D.E.O. Agent Cameron Chase and Director Bones; it was later collected separately in the Chase trade paperback (2011).
• The stories 'Breaking Storms' and 'Upping the Ante' were collected in the JSA: Fair Play trade paperback, and all three main stories were collected in JSA Omnibus Vol. 2.
• The issue also contains profile pages for several JSA villains including the Injustice Society, Ultra-Humanite, Solomon Grundy, and Roulette herself, plus a profile for Alexander Montez.
• Roulette went on to appear in animated form in Justice League Unlimited (voiced by Virginia Madsen) and in live-action in Smallville Season 9 and in the Supergirl TV series (Season 2), making this issue the source material for a recurring screen presence.

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