Incarnations
In the history of Astro City, three men have taken the identity of Jack-in-the-Box:
The first Jack-in-the-Box was Jack Johnson, who was one of the first African Americans to work in the toy manufacturing industry and design toys for the Whamco Corporation in the 1960s. Active from 1964 to his death in 1983.
His son Zachary Johnson, owner and CEO of Z.J. Toys, took the identity of Jack-in-the-Box from 1989 until recently.
Due to his wife pregnancy and visitations from three alternate future versions of his to-be-born child, showing him what his son might become if his father kept fighting crime and ultimately die, he left the role to his protege, Roscoe James, active from now on.
Future/alternate time line
Two individuals from the Jack-in-the-Box line of heroes come back from the future to try to “rectify” errors they see in history. One is a genetically mutated clown, the other is a deadly cyborg. Both of them hate crime with such a passion that they would rip a jay-walker’s limbs off because Jay-walking is a crime.
A possible son of Cracker-Jack advised him about these potential futures.