Pop Culture Chronicles

JSA Chronology 1

I've decided that from time to time I am going to trace the history of the JSA from their beginning up until the new 52 began. This will be about the real Justice Society of America (mainly pre-crisis) and not the new 52 impostors. 

The first comic appearance of the JSA was of course in All-Star Comics #3 back in 1940, but the origin of how the team came together was not told until the 1977 DC Special #29. The book is so important that my very-good to fine copy is probably worth around $40. To give an idea of the era, the front cover has a blurb about a contest to be in the Superman movie (the one with Christopher Reeve). The slash page pictures the JSA line-up from the 70s revival of All-Star Comics being published at the time. 

The story is set in the winter of 1940 and the team actually comes together at the instigation of FDR who has heard about a number of mystery men appearing all over the country. They are just the ticket to prevent Hitler's planned invasion of England. So Batman, Green Lantern, and the Flash are summoned to Commissioner Gordon's office and then dispatched to Europe. They are later joined by Dr. Fate, Hourman, Sandman, the Atom, Hawkman, and the Spectre. Superman appears before the story is over. Both FDR and Hitler play prominent roles. I loved it as a kid when real people appeared in comics and I still love it when the stories told are historical fiction which interplay with real historical events. The editorial claim on a text page of the book is that Hitler really did plan an invasion of England, but for some unknown reason did not go through with it. The untold story is here. 

So here is a sample of retroactive continuity which Roy Thomas later popularized with All-Star Squadron, but I am uncertain whether he coined the term. Retroactive stories fill in some of the continuity gaps from bygone eras, this one telling of the JSA's formation. So obviously my reviews of the JSA chronology will include retroactive stories as opposed to a mere chronological publishing order.

The art by Joe Staton and Bob Layton is very good. The story by Paul Levitz (one of my favorite writers) is passable, but he is naturally a much better writer now than back then. Portions of the story are a bit juvenile by today's standards, but this was the era when kids still read comics. There is an over-reliance on Dr. Fate's magic to bring a second wave of heroes to Europe and to foil Hitler's unmasking of Batman. Hitler, in the original Earth-Two' s DC Comics, was a collector of relics which he employed for superstitious means. In this story the spear of destiny (which pierced Christ's side) is used to summon an army of Valkyries on winged horses to battle the JSA. This does fit Hitler's obsession with Aryan myths, but I would be interested to research whether he was truly superstitious. I've heard that horoscopes were a thing with him. I owe my being an amateur World War II buff to my reading of JSA and Invaders adventures in my youth.  

DC Special #29 was more recently reprinted in the 2006 trade paperback Justice Society, Volume 1, including the Neal Adams cover, but minus the text page.     

More Convergence Tie-ins

Here is a rundown of what interests me most regarding Convergence, weeks three and four this April: 

Week Three: 1980s characters versus Tangent and Elseworld's characters.

Adventures of Superman. The pre-crisis Supergirl will die if she returns to her own dimension and time. It would be great if this turned out to not be predictable and we didn't have to see her die all over again. I'm so afraid the "closure" of Convergence is just another dead end leading to more of the current New 52 status quo.  

Wonder Woman. versus vampires of Red Rain.

Justice League America. Elongated Man and the Detroit Justice League versus Tangent characters.

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes.

New Teen Titans. versus Tangent's Doom Patrol.  

Week Four: Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths heroes of original multiverse against characters of alternate realities. 

Justice Society of America. A chance to regain their youth, but not without cost. Are the JSA going to get the shaft yet again? 

Infinity Inc. versus post-apocalyptic Jonah Hex.

Detective Comics by Len Wein. Earth-Two Robin (Dick Grayson) and the Huntress (Helena Wayne) are still alive and determining who will be the successor to Earth-Two Batman who is still dead. Can there ever be a universe in which the awesome Golden Age Batman could live again?

Action Comics. Earth-Two Superman and Power Girl versus Luther and Stalin of Red Son.

World's Finest Comics by Paul Levitz. The Original Seven Soldiers of Victory.

Crime Syndicate. Earth-Three villains versus One Million universe's Batman and Superman. 

Blue Beetle. Earth-Four Blue Beetle with Captain Atom and the Question. 

Shazam. The Earth-Five Marvel Family and the Gaslight universe. 

Plastic Man and the Freedom Fighters. Earth-X heroes versus Nazis. 

While I'm looking forward to the return of these great retro heroes, I hope it isn't just to watch them fade into oblivion yet again.  

 

Convergence Tie-ins

It seems that fans of the pre-52 universe or pre-crisis multiverse are destined for disappointment if I'm correctly interpreting what I've been reading. It seems the heroes of previous worlds brought back for Convergence will only be brought back for closure. They will, it seems, be called upon to go back to their oringinal times and experience the same deaths, or be retconned out of existence, as before. And here I was hoping they'd be given another chance and that the 40 cities plucked from dead worlds and brought together on Telos would have a future. But it sounds as if it's the same old stuff like when the Golden Age Superman and Lois were brought back in Infinite Crisis only to die again. Just a nod and honorable mention of a past that is never to be again. 

I still hope I'm wrong. Like other fans, I would love to see the old and new multiverse exist side-by-side. But if DC does bring all these characters back only to wrap up their stories and kill them off again, I wonder if that is some kind of metaphor on DC's part. Maybe they're making a statement of how fans of the old DC must allow their old heroes to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Again, I hope I'm wrong. 

All that being said, here are the two-parter titles starting in April that interest me because of either a retro or Bat-Family connection:

Week One: Early 2000s characters [after multiverse ended with the first Crisis] versus the Flashpoint characters:

Superman by Dan Jurgens. Superman and Lois married and expecting their first child. Let me guess. They'll have to sacrifice a bright future together so that the New 52 can continue. I hope I'm wrong.

Batgirl. Stephaine Brown, Cassandra Cain, and Red Robin versus Flashpoint Catwoman. Will this be the comeback or the ultimate send-off of the two interim Batgirls? 

Nightwing and Oracle by Gail Simone. Will Dick Grayson and a still paralyzed Barbara Gordon take their relationship to the next level? Nightwing and Oracle versus Flashpoint Hawkman and Hawkwoman. 

Titans. Starfire, Donna Troy, and Roy Harper.

Justice League. Supergirl, Zatanna, and Jade at Jessie Quick's baby shower face a threat from Flashpoint Aquaman.

Batman and Robin. Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, and the Red Hood.

Week Two: 1990s characters versus the Kingdom Come characters:

Batman: Shadow of the Bat. Batman teams up with Azrael Batman.    

Justice League International. Collides with the Kingdom Come world. 

Catwoman. Versus Kingdom Come Batman.

Superboy. Connor Kent versus Kingdom Come Superman. 

Harley Quinn. versus Captain Carrot. What?!?!?!?

I'll put what interests me about weeks 3 and 4 of April in my next post. 

Batman '66

It's good to see the 1966 Batman back again. The Batman '66 comic is a concept whose time is long overdue. Never before has there been an ongoing comic series, or even a limited series, based on the Batman TV show with characters in the likenesses of the actors. Just the cover of the first issue with the Adam West/Burt Ward version of Batman & Robin is worth the price of the book. 

The stories leave much to be desired if you're looking for serious drama. They are intentionally campy, like the TV series. They are good for a chuckle and especially good comics for children (there are so few comics good for kids these days). 

In addition to the new comics, Mattel has released classic Batman TV series action figures. You can get a two-pack with Batman & Robin which comes with a batrope and a wall for them to climb. A photo of this toy was used for an alternate cover of Batman '66 #1, which was exclusively available at San Diego Comicon. Other figures in the series include Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman, and Joker. They are sold separately, as are Batman and Robin if you prefer to buy them that way. A Batmobile is also available. Another Batman figure in swim trunks with a surfboard has also been released, in homage to one of the sillier third season episodes.

While on the topic of toys, the high-end Japanese toy manufacturer, Hot Toys, has come out with Batman & Robin TV series figures as well. These guys are so realistic they're almost creepy, like wax museum figures. But we've come to expect no less from this company. While the Mattel figures are around $16 each, the Hot Toys versions are in the $250-300 price range. 

With all this renewed emphasis on the Batman series it appears that some of the licensing issues regarding the series are being resolved. Of course I'm thinking what most other Bat-fans are thinking. Can a DVD collection of the series be far behind? We shall see. 

Mission: Impossible

My family is currently enjoying the original Mission: Impossible TV series on Netflix streaming video. We started with the fifth season due to recognizable cast members and faster-paced plots than previous years. We've now completed that season. The fifth season is notable for having Leonard Nimoy, Leslie Ann Warren, and Sam Elliott together on the IMF team. This has led me to start researching the series and here are some things I learned:

1) Peter Graves did not join the cast until season 2, replacing Steven Hill as Dan Briggs, the original IMF leader.

2) Sam Elliott (Doug) was brought in to replace Peter Lupus (Willy) who contemplated quitting the show. Elliott was assimilated into the cast appearing in episodes alongside Lupus with Elliott listed as a guest star. Elliott's appearances in episodes without Lupus had Elliott replacing him in the opening credits. Once producers recognized Willy's popularity, Elliott was dropped and Lupus' complaints about his character's screen time were remedied.  

3) The Mission: Impossible comic book ran five issues in 1967-1969. Issue 4 had the only photo cover with Peter Graves and was the only issue featuring the Jim Phelps character. Issue 5 was a reprint of issue 1. The comic only coincided with the first two seasons of the show. 

4) During the fourth season, there was no female regular, but only female guest stars as IMF agents. The only recurring female agent was Lee Meriwether who appeared as Tracey in four episodes. She is loved by comic fans as Catwoman in the 1966 Batman movie.    

5) Barbara Bain, who played Cinnamon Carter in seasons 1-3 reprised her role for an episode of Diagnosis: Murder titled Discards in 1997. Both Bain and her character, Cinnamon, had earlier careers as fashion models. 

6) There was a revival series running on ABC from 1988-1990. Peter Graves was the only regular cast member from the original series, although Greg Morris (Barney) and Lynda Day George (Casey) reprised their original roles in guest appearances. Morris' son, Phil, was a regular on the revival series. The original series was on CBS from 1966-1973.  

Here are just a few more interesting facts: 

1) Female IMF agents appearing in multiple episodes include Barbara Bain (Cinnamon) seasons 1-3; Lee Meriwether (Tracey) season 4; Leslie Warren (Dana) season 5; Lynda Day George (Casey) seasons 6-7; and Barbara Anderson (Mimi) season 7.

2) Greg Morris and Peter Lupus were the only actors to stay with Mission: Impossible its entire run, although Lupus was absent for much of season 5.

3) Leaonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock on Star Trek) played The Great Paris on seasons 4-5, replacing Martin Landau who appeared in seasons 1-3.

Mission: Impossible is one of the true classics and a true original. It also had one of the best themes of all time.   

Not Your Father's Earth-2

When I picked up the first issue of Earth-2, it was not what I had been anticipating. I've waited about 27 years for a return of Earth-2 to the DC multiverse. It kind of happened in Justice Society of America, vol, 3, Annual 1. But now that the post-52 multiverse has been replaced by the post-Flashpoint multiverse, Earth-2 is no longer recognizable. I had hoped for an Earth-2 with a similar backstory to the one I had read about in the annual JLA/JSA team-ups in the 70s, and in All-Star Squadron, and in the original Infinity, Inc. But no such luck. Here are some notable differences between the post-Flashpoint Earth-2 and the original:

1) There is no longer a Golden Age (at least that I am aware of). There was no JSA fighting criminals and Nazis during World War II. No All-Star Squadron either.

2) The JSA members are much younger on the current Earth-2. I have no problem with that since the original members had become old men in tights. But I still long for the Golden Age era JSA & All-Star Squadron stories. I guess those days are gone forever.

3) The Huntress was Robin and Power Girl was Supergirl on Earth-2. I have no problem with this and so far I am enjoying Worlds' Finest. What I don't like is that the Earth-2 Batman is dead again. I was hoping to see a father-daughter relationship between Bruce and Helena Wayne explored. I guess this version of Helena is destined to be an orphan. Too bad.

4) The Big Three (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) are not part of the new JSA, though they were honorary members in the 1940s who subsequently showed up for an occasional JLA/JSA team-up in the 70s. I'd love to see the JSA with the Big Three.

5) Green Lantern is a homosexual. That was the last straw for me. I am sick of feeling that I'm the target of politically correct propaganda every time I pick up a comic. Everywhere you turn the agenda is shoved in your face. I removed Earth-2 from my pull list and did not buy the infamous second issue in which two guys are kissing each other on the lips and discussing a romantic getaway. This would never have happened in my day. DC's efforts to be all inclusive are succeeding in driving away more conservative readers.

Having been a near-lifelong fan, I suppose I am done with the Justice Society. I suppose that all good things must come to an end. All forms of media have now crossed the rubicon abandoning the wholesomeness that once existed. But at least I don't have to support them. And I still have the back issues of my favorite super-hero team. Long live the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths JSA. They'll be missed.  

Kingdom Come Influences

DC Comics' 1990s Kingdom Come series was not only influenced by DC's Golden Age history, but the series has been quite influential on subsequent DC projects. I'll first mention some of Kingdom Come's influence on the mainline DC universe and then I'll mention some of the Golden Age concepts that inspired parts of the series.

Kingdom Come's Influence:

Earth 22 - In the new and rebooted multiverse that followed events of 52, it was revealed that the Kingdom Come story actually took place on Earth-22. Of course now that the entire multiverse has been rebooted with the new 52, who knows?

Red Robin - The first character to don the Red Robin costume was Dick Grayson, formerly Robin, of the Kingdom Come universe. In this reality he was married to Starfire (now deceased) and their grown daughter is Nightstar. The Red Robin mantle in the mainline DC universe has never belonged to Dick Grayson, but the first Red Robin was Jason Todd in Countdown to Final Crisis # 17 where Todd dons the costume as he fights alongside the Batman of Earth 51. The current Red Robin of the new 52 universe is Tim Drake, another former Robin. 

Ibn al Xu'fffash - In Arabic this means "son of the Bat." It was revealed in Kingdom Come that Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul had a son. In the mainline DC universe he is the latest Robin, the boy wonder Damian Wayne. In Kingdom Come there is a romantic spark between Bruce Wayne's son and Dick Grayson's daughter. In Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 22, they are shown twenty years later with two children attending the Earth-22 Batman's funeral. 

Red Arrow - Roy Harper, the former Speedy, all grown up. He made his first appearance as Red Arrow in Kingdom Come # 2.

Maxine Hunkel - The altar ego of Earth-22's Red Tornado. Maxine's New Earth counterpart is the granddaughter of Mathilda Hunkel, the original Red Tornado. Maxine first appears in Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 1 and she adopts the name Cyclone in the third issue. It remains to be seen, as far as I know, what and where her place will be in the new 52 multiverse.  

Atom Smasher - The godson of the original Atom, Al Pratt. Atom Smasher was known as Nuklon in the first Infinity Inc. series.  

Wildcat - In Kingdom Come he is a man-panther possessing the spirit of Ted Grant, the original Wildcat. On New Earth the man-panther version turns out to be Grant's long lost son. He at first shares the name Wildcat with his father, joining the JSA in Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 4. Upon switching to the JSA All-Stars team, the man-panther changes his code name to Tomcat. It remains to be seen where his place will be in the New 52 multiverse.

Lightning - Jennifer Pierce, the metahuman daughter of Black Lightning, first appeared in Kingdom Come. Her New Earth counterpart was first introduced in Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 12.  

Blue Beetle - The Kingdom Come Blue Beetle wore an armored battle suit which I suspect might have served as inspiration for the Jaime Reyes version of the character in the mainline DC Universe.

Influences Upon Kingdom Come:

The Flash - The Flash of Earth-22 wears a helmet similar to that of Jay Garrick, the original Flash.

Red Tornado - The oringal Red Tornado of Earth-22 is Mathilda Hunkel, active and armed to the hilt in Kingdom Come.  

Bulletman / Bulletgirl - Formerly of Fawcett Publications, this duo was very popular in the 1940s. The Fawcett heroes were purchased by DC Comics in 1972. Of the notable appearances of this duo are Justice League of America # 136-138 and the Power of Shazam series in the 90s.

Living Doll - Appearing on Superman's shoulder in Kingdom Come #3, she is the daughter of Doll Man and Doll Girl, a Golden Age duo purchased by DC from Quality Comics. 

Phantom Lady - Another Golden Age character purchased from Quality, she appears in Kingdom Come as a literal phantom resembling Bettie Page.

Huntress - An African version of the Golden Age character, Paula Brooks.

Vigilante - Based on the Golden Age motorcyle cowboy, the Kingdom Come version is part robotic with a Gatlin gun for one of his arms. 

So there we have my rundown of charaters from Kingdom Come that I find particularly intriguing due either to their Golden Age inspiration, or to how they have subsequently inspired groups like the Justice Society and the Batman Family whose origins date back to the Golden Age.

The New 52 Review

The rebooting of the DC universe has so far been a huge success. DC Comics released 52 new first issues in a massive relaunch last September. In a prior post I had mentioned my reservations along with some enthusiasm for the new direction.  Now that we're five months into the new 52, here are my reflections:

Superman - I've always thought of George Perez as an artist and he is one of the best. But this book proves that he can also be an awesome writer. I like the fact that there is a lot of dialog. It takes me longer to read this title than any other, so I feel I'm getting more than just a picture book. It's deep and not fluffy. With the Daily Planet being purchased by Morgan Edge and the Planet staff adjusting to the mass media market, including Lois' promotion, it strikes a chord of reality with so many that have to constantly change with the times in the workplace. Characters, like Lois, must make hard ethical decisions in this book. The Clark and Lois relationship is back to its traditional formula. Clark likes Lois, but he doesn't seem to be on her radar, except as a co-worker. The exceptional art also makes this book worthwhile.

Action Comics - While relaunching Superman, in some respects Grant Morrison actually returns the Man of Steel to his roots. A younger and less experienced Superman whose alter ego, Clark Kent, is working for the rival publisher of the Daily Planet while getting to know Lois and Jimmy. I'll keep the Superman titles.

Supergirl- They haven't ruined Kara after all. The stories are great and you can sympathize with the character. I do wish she had a more modest costume though, especially in light of this character being a minor.     

Batman - With at least four relaunched Bat books and at least that many more Batman-family titles, I had to be financially responsible about which titles made my pull list. I began with Batman, Batman and Robin, Detective Comics, and Batgirl. I have so far dropped Batman and Robin and Detective Comics. I found both titles too gratuitously violent. I dropped All-Star Western for the same reason after just one issue. I don't mind some action in my comics, but with people being hanged, skinned alive, and knifed in the first couple of issues I'd had enough. I felt that this was gore for the sake of gore. Agreeing with several online reviewers, I don't think it was just me. If more of us simply stop purchasing when the product isn't doing it for us, maybe DC will get the message. Comics are too expensive for us readers to purchase anything that is short of awesome. 

As for the Batman title, I have been enjoying it up to the fifth issue which I did not feel moved the plot forward at all. It was good, however, to see Robin show up at the end and find out that maybe the little cuss has a heart in there after all and is concerned with his senior partner. The different format for the panels on several pages was also a nice touch, helping us to experience Bruce's surrealism along with him. 

Batgirl - I still think that if they were going to take Barbara out of the wheel chair that they should have done a hard reboot of the entire universe, wiping the slate totally clean. But so far the stories have been really good. I look forward to each issue because I wonder what's going to happen. I actually care about the character. This is how comics should be written. I'd heard about the great writing Gail Simone does and I am convinced. The art by Ardian Syaf is very good. And Barbara Gordon actually has a personal life. I like that.

Justice League - I love almost everything about this book--especially the team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. The witty dialog, the humor, the way characters are drawn and introduced, the plot itself. This book has everything going for it. If I could only read one DC comic a month, this would be it. 

Batman: Robin Origins

Not as famous as Batman: Year One was Batman: Year Three. The story unfolded over Batman # 436-439 (1989), written by Marv Wolfman with pencils by Pat Broderick. The origin of Robin (Dick Grayson) is retold in flashbacks, while the then-current continuity explored Batman's psychological burden since the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Batman is pursued by Grayson's current alter ego, Nightwing, as the two solve the mystery of who is slaying the gang bosses of Gotham. This all takes place as Boss Zucco, the murderer of Grayson's parents is being paroled from prison. Alfred refreshingly plays a key role in the story. 

Following this arc was "A Lonely Place of Dying" in Batman # 440-442 (parts 1, 3, & 5) and The New Titans # 60-61 (parts 2 & 4). The pencils in Batman were done by Jim Aparo and in Titans by George Perez. Here is the origin of yet a third Robin, Tim Drake. He actually appeared in the previous Batman arc, "Year Three," but the reader isn't clued in until "A Lonely Place of Dying." Drake doesn't make his first appearance as Robin until the concluding chapter in Batman # 442. 

Wolfman's writing has always been consistently good. I was especially struck by dated references to what was going on in the real world. As Two-Face contemplates his next crime in Batman 441, he considers blowing up the twin towers. This seems a bit eerie now. Although it was the Gotham twin towers, this fictional city was for many years considered the analogue to New York City in the DC Universe. Two-Face then considers stealing a double diamond pendant from Princess Diana which calls to mind yet another eerie tragedy. There is also mention of President Bush in issue # 440. Long as we're noting details, there appears to be a lettering blooper on page 14 of Batman 441 where Dick calls Tim "Jeff."   

This cross-continuity between Batman and the New Titans occured during the era in which Wolfman and Perez had made the Titans one DC's most popular properties. After the New Teen Titans had run successfully for four years (1980-1984) and forty issues, their new adventures were renumbered starting with issue 1 in a deluxe format, higher price, higher paper quality, direct-sale-only publication with the same title. The word "teen" was dropped from the title with issue # 50.

Meanwhile, the numbering of the former New Teen Titans series continued in a series called "Tales of the Teen Titans" (# 41-91) which reprinted the deluxe format editions for the newsstand crowd who couldn't afford the big bucks. Are you confused yet? It turns out that renumbering and relaunching is really nothing new.

Of course the Teen Titans have since been relaunched again for a series from 1996-1998 and again for a series that began in 2003. Drake has been the most recent Robin in the Teen Titans which will again be relaunched in late September. Since Damien Wayne is now the fourth Robin, Tim Drake is now "Red Robin" who will be fighting alongside Wonder Girl and Kid Flash.            

Batman: Year One

I collected a good number of the Batman titles from 1983 through 2003. I stopped reading, however, in about 1987. So now I'm catching up. Here are some of my impressions:

Batman: Year One - (Batman # 404-407, 1987). This story by Frank Miller with art by David Mazzuchelli redefined the Batman mythos. Here is the definitive post-crisis origin tale confirming Batman as the Dark Knight, distancing him further from the campy 1960s TV series and the 1950s sci-fi era. It's fairly consistent with Dennis O'Neil's run as Batman writer in the 70s and O'Neil just happened to be serving as editor during Miller's four-parter.

I can see where this story influenced the movie Batman Begins. We have police lieutenant James Gordon, before he was Commissioner, a good cop fighting corruption in a big city police department. Bruce Wayne has just returned after twelve years abroad preparing himself as the supreme crime-fighter and vigilante of Gotham. Also, like the movie, the police surround Batman in an abandoned building where he uses special technology to summon the bat population.

The gritty realism is what I've always liked about Batman since the O'Neil days. I prefer to see him fighting gangsters as opposed to members of his rogues gallery. In this story a highly trained, yet inexperienced Batman struggles his way through. The human element comes through in Gordon's relationship with his wife and his detective partner.  

This story, since reprinted in hardcover and various trade paperback editions, is one of the best Batman stories ever. I felt as if I was watching a movie while reading this truly suspenseful comic. I love Batman in any incarnation, but the Dark Avenger of the Night is how he was meant to be from the start. 

Now here is some good news. Batman: Year One is going to be a made-for-DVD animated movie released later this year.