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Topic: Q For Mr. Byrne - Justice League Europe (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Eric Lund
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Posted: 01 June 2016 at 7:53am | IP Logged | 1  

The Justice League to me was always "The World's Greatest Super-heroes" That banner on the top really had an impact and the team with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, The Atom, Hawkman, and Black Canary.

Hard to beat that line-up of heroes.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 01 June 2016 at 8:15am | IP Logged | 2  

I met the Justice League here…

…in their third BRAVE & BOLD appearance. This set the roster in my head. The "lead" characters then at DC.

The Avengers were the same. Since I started reading with their first issue, it was that team that locked in for me -- even tho I didn't feel the Hulk really belonged there!!

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Mike Norris
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Posted: 01 June 2016 at 8:02pm | IP Logged | 3  

Yeah, I'm an  old timer, too. So the Silver Age line up is my JLA. Black Canary is where it stops for me. The SA additions are for the most part are updates from the Golden Age: Hawkman, the Atom and  Black Canary. The core is too: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern. I'm sure its no co-incidence that Julie  Schwartz edited most of those character in the late 40's. I've a feeling Aquaman, J'Onn J'Onzz and Green Arrow were "forced" on him. 

Hawkman joins in issue 31 and there are no new additions until Black Canary in issue 74.  There are guest stars like Metamorpho, Adam Strange and The Creeper but they don't join. Maybe the intent was to publicize their solo strips. The Spectre had a  brief solo run in the Silver Age but never got a JLA invite. even though he guested along with the JSA. Elongated Man didn't get in either. Neither did his "powers mate" Plastic Man.  Animal Man is another Silver Age hero who passed over. He didn't even get  a guest starring role. 
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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 02 June 2016 at 1:17am | IP Logged | 4  

I liked a mix of heroes who had their own book and others who only appeared in that team book.  A great Avengers line-up for me would be Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, the Vision, the Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel--something like that.  You got to enjoy their interaction, but there really shouldn't life-changing events for the three who had their own books.  The other four--this was where we saw their lives, their romances, their big moments.  It was a formula, but it was one that worked.

Same thing with the JLA, except everybody always had at least their own back-up series somewhere.  Green Arrow & Black Canary, Hawkman & Hawkwoman, the Atom, Aquaman, Elongated Man--they all usually had a feature in WORLD'S FINEST or DETECTIVE COMICS or somewhere, but I actually felt that their appearances in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA trumped their solo adventures.  Dick Dillin was a highly underrated artist and writers like Len Wein, Elliot S. Maggin, and Steve Englehart made the JLA a quality comic, an important comic where important things happened, but you could miss all the heroes' various back-up features.
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Eric Sofer
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Posted: 02 June 2016 at 8:08am | IP Logged | 5  

Mike Norris: "But is it the Justice League?"

No, of course not. My Justice League is the one in place around JLA #200 - the original team, but with Hawkman, the Atom, Green Arrow, etc.

But after things got screwed up with "Crisis On Infinite Earths", the Justice League HAD to crudely morph into an ugly amalgam of the Earth-1* Justice League and heroes from every other Earth (most of the Earths.) And again, someone decided that the Justice League had to be ridiculous and a mockery.

So - Batman, Black Canary, and Manhunter from Mars as "legacy" members.
Guy Gardner because every team needs a retread, and that's your Green Lantern.
Dr. Fate is Earth-2s contribution, and the deus ex machina for any story that the writers felt lazy about (and the Superman figure that could be left out, as Batman and Superman were omitted from the early part of the Justice League of America's run.)
Blue Beetle, Captain Marvel.were representatives from other worlds, and easily deconstructed into mockeries.
Dr. Light was the original hero from Crisis - gotta put in a Crisis hero!
Booster Gold was the first post-Crisis hero with his own book, and again, could be degenerated into a clown pretty easily.

How did they pick the "Legends" JL? Maybe they put names in hats and pulled 'em out? I don't know, but considering the attitude of the Justice League from the start, any sort of continuation, or even homage, was never going to happen.

And since I'm bitching about a bad team, here's the eight member Justice League I would've selected (notwithstanding Legends, which set it up.)

Manhunter from Mars
The Atom
Hawkman and Hawkgirl (Katar and Shayera Hol)
Green Lantern (Alan Scott)
Dr. Mid-Nite
Captain Marvel Jr.
Bulletgirl

Of course your choices will vary; but I feel that this group is serious enough, various levels of power, and representative of all the merged Earths.

(Edited for misspelling 2016-06-03 - ELS)


Edited by Eric Sofer on 03 June 2016 at 8:07am
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