I think the allure of the Satellite League was the same as Morrison's Pantheon. Readers knew that we were looking at the heavy hitters of the DC Universe. I think a 'mandatory' lineup of at least 7 heroes 'on call', with a roster of a dozen or so, would be awesome. That way the reader would know that even if their favorite hero wasn't in that particular month's adventure, odds are that they'd be in next month's issue.
The satellite-era League was my favorite line-up for the team with a close 2nd being Dwayne McDuffle's team from the mid 200s. I think a revival of the satellite-era team could work with a few additions such as Vixen, Black Lightning, Dr. Light(Kimiyo), Apache Chief, & Isis(Geoff John's version).
[QUOTE=Jim Kelly;4674720]This reminds me of MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, where after a long conversation about THE LITTLE PRINCE, Andre turns it around by saying that he always thought THE LITTLE PRINCE was fascistic.
Yup every story for little kids when read by adults becomes a fascist statement. Because little kids are powerless and they want to be powerful, so they look to symbols of power to give them something to aspire to. Reminds me of Larry Tate's confession on BEWITCHED (which I've never forgotten) that as a little kid he wanted to rule the world, doesn't every little kid want that?
There's something very nasty in this, where adults take the genuine, innocent dreams of childhood and then crap all over them to make out that these fantasies are evil--and by association children are evil. No they're not--but adults are for mistranslating child fantasies as Nazi propaganda.[/QUOTE]
Very well said.
[QUOTE=Cap808;4676688]I think the allure of the Satellite League was the same as Morrison's Pantheon. Readers knew that we were looking at the heavy hitters of the DC Universe. I think a 'mandatory' lineup of at least 7 heroes 'on call', with a roster of a dozen or so, would be awesome. That way the reader would know that even if their favorite hero wasn't in that particular month's adventure, odds are that they'd be in next month's issue.[/QUOTE]
IMO, that was one of the best things about those issues - not knowing who would be in the lineup until you opened to see the Roll Call. And the dynamics between the different characters usually made it even more entertaining.
It was a brilliant era, arguably the best for the league... The writing was great, as was the artwork.
It would be great if it was to return, but sadly it’s best it doesn’t because too many people would turn it into a race/gender/political argument.
I’m just glad I was able to buy these issues when they originally came out and enjoyed them for what they were.
[QUOTE=NeathBlue;4678610]It was a brilliant era, arguably the best for the league... The writing was great, as was the artwork.
It would be great if it was to return, but sadly it’s best it doesn’t because too many people would turn it into a race/gender/political argument.
I’m just glad I was able to buy these issues when they originally came out and enjoyed them for what they were.[/QUOTE]
Sad, but true. Very well said.
[QUOTE=DrNewGod;4674404]The fixation on diversity has missed a point of why The Satellite League is a creature (that I much love) of its time. Yes, its (non) diversity is problematic. But so to is the notion that The Satellite League was a Big Powerful Institution on the side of The Man.
I think it no coincidence that the JLA began a decline right about the time that the utterly anti-institutional revised X-Men began an ascent. Yes, Claremont, Cochrum, and Byrne were writing stories better attuned to the tastes of the comic audience of the time. Still, some of the way people thought about Insiders versus Outsiders was changing.
The JLA was virtually a meta-societal entity imposing order all over the globe with accountability to absolutely no one but themselves, yet were characterized as being perfectly accepted, and even adored by the institutions of wealth and power. Even in the middle of the JLA's satellite run, big and powerful agencies of authority were beginning to move from the "hero" column into the "villain" column in a lot of popular media. IMO, over at Marvel, the Avengers side-stepped a lot of this. It seems to me that their creators understood early on what was making Hulk and Spider-Man work, and frequently showed the Avengers as walking a fine line with The Man, most notably with the creation of Henry Gyrich as a personification of Authority, and their official gadfly.
The JL toon, and its JLU successor, explicitly recognized this, most notably in the culminating plot of JLU S1. However, in doing so, the JLU gave away some of the Satellite League's mystique. Don't get me wrong: love me some Timm-Verse, and adore the Timm JL as its own thing. But it's not The Satellite League.
It's hard to recapture The Satellite JLA faithfully without casting them as allies of The Privileged. Alan Davis got awfully close with [I]The Nail[/I]. Still, it's tough to pull off. More to the point, that's probably not who the comics buying public wants to be their heroes any more, and it's certainly not who today's comic writers want to try to make heroes out of.[/QUOTE]
Superheroes have traditionally been on the side of law and order, and the status quo. They are basically extra-judicial police/military officers. Back in the Silver Age and Bronze Age, the only difference between Batman and a GCPD officer, or Green Lantern and an Air Force pilot, was that the heroes wore costumes, had powers and/or special skills, and operated outside (but not in conflict with) the formal structures.
Of course with the Modern Age, the notion of superheroes being vigilantes and rebels who operate outside the law and are in conflict with the powers-that-be came into vogue. But their fundamental goals were the same as those of the honest and well-intentioned agents of the status quo. They weren't trying to bring about a social revolution...they were simply trying to ensure that the system worked properly by working outside it (or rather, supporting it from the outside).
So honestly, this notion that superheroes ought to be social activists of some sort, or that they need to be left-wing radicals to appeal to modern audiences as opposed to right-wing conservatives as they were in the past doesn't really hold water. Fundamentally, their political nature (or lack thereof) has always been the same - albeit these days it has an 'edgier' coat of paint.
I've found that it takes no real effort to connect with characters that don't share my race, gender, or sexuality. Characters like Storm, Shadowcat, Mr. Terrific, Tim Drake, Cyborg, Nightcrawler, and Iceman have all echoed with me over the years. So have Superman and Flash Thompson.
[QUOTE=mikelmcknight72;4679201]I've found that it takes no real effort to connect with characters that don't share my race, gender, or sexuality. Characters like Storm, Shadowcat, Mr. Terrific, Tim Drake, Cyborg, Nightcrawler, and Iceman have all echoed with me over the years. So have Superman and Flash Thompson.[/QUOTE]
Same here, I'm a black man yet my favorite hero is Dick Grayson, who looks nothing like me. But at the same time, seeing Miles Morales and Afro-Latino New York as a whole getting such thoughtful representation in Spider-Verse gave me a special feeling that's hard to put into words. Diversity alone doesn't make a good character/story, but when done right its impact does an undeniable amount of good for a lot of people.
[QUOTE=Valentonis;4679262]Same here, I'm a black man yet my favorite hero is Dick Grayson, who looks nothing like me. But at the same time, seeing Miles Morales and Afro-Latino New York as a whole getting such thoughtful representation in Spider-Verse gave me a special feeling that's hard to put into words. Diversity alone doesn't make a good character/story, but when done right its impact does an undeniable amount of good for a lot of people.[/QUOTE]
Agreed. The Giant Sized X-Men #1 team we all know and love is a prime example of diversity and good writing going hand in hand. I'm hoping to see Thunderbird I back soon. There is absolutely no reason not to do it, and he was a character that deserves to be brought back and explored.
[QUOTE=NeathBlue;4678610]It was a brilliant era, arguably the best for the league... The writing was great, as was the artwork.
It would be great if it was to return, but sadly it’s best it doesn’t because too many people would turn it into a race/gender/political argument.
I’m just glad I was able to buy these issues when they originally came out and enjoyed them for what they were.[/QUOTE]
Nicely said.
I would say that, as a writer, you should work with the characters you want to work with and not feel dictated to by meeting certain numbers of representation. That being said, if you find yourself only really gravitating towards white characters, particularly white dudes, then maybe you should examine your own artistry and the roots of why you're gravitating towards only those character types. It doesn't have to be racist at all...more likely, it's a form of arrested adolescence where your desire to play with the toys you grew up with has blinded you to a lot of new and different toys that are equally amazing, if not more so. If you're a good writer, one who is willing to grow and change, then you should be able to see the value in these new toys and be able to incorporate them into the narrative alongside your favorite old ones.
A return to the Satellite League sounds boring to me. A new League that incorporates elements of the Satellite, Detroit, Giffen, Morrison, animated, etc. eras alongside characters who have little-to-no history with the League excites me. It's not brand new, but it's new enough to not feel like a cover band of an act you really enjoy.
It’s very telling that some folks on here have a problem with people suggesting that the Satellite era should be more inclusive. Why does that bother you guys so much? Comic continuity in superhero universes always had hidden history. Play around with that.
[QUOTE=Raijin;4706905]It’s very telling that some folks on here have a problem with people suggesting that the Satellite era should be more inclusive. Why does that bother you guys so much? Comic continuity in superhero universes always had hidden history. Play around with that.[/QUOTE]
LOL, have you seen the 5g comments? They essentially go hand in hand (and plays a good portion as to why the current comic book sales are in the state that they are, especially in the DC portion with their classic revival of Rebirth.)
I do like the idea of an orbital 'above it all' sort of base for the League, making it feel more like a global concern than a strictly America-based team, but, to play up the characters involved, I'd prefer it be tied to one of them in some way, such as being the Thanagarian ship that the Hawks came to Earth in, parked in Earth orbit. or something (giving those classic Satellite-era Leaguers a bit more prominence).