Justice Society - with or without these characters?

[MajorHoy]

Also, you shouldn't assume that everything that happened in the Golden Age is in continuity. On the contrary, you should assume that none of it is until DC specifically states otherwise.

This is the biggest problem right now, at least for people like me.
I know what was part of their past continuity, and I know what DC seems to have set up so far: that the members of the JSA disappeared from their HUAC-type of hearings in the early 1950s and haven't been seen nor heard from since, at least as far as Johnny Thunder is aware; and that almost nobody else seems to remember or have heard of them at all.
Until DC can explain what exactly happened; which members went missing (was it all the costumed members with secret identities who had been a part of the JSA, or just ones still active at that time); where/when the missing members have been gone to; or even if it's just Johnny Thunder who was removed from the Earth the JSA had been active on and finds himself trapped in a world he hadn't previously been living on, it's hard to say what DC may do about all this.
But if they, once again, try to pretend they're "bringing back" the JSA only to foist upon us a pseudo-JSA that only partially resembles the group many of want back, it unfortunately wouldn't be surprising. Just look at what Geoff Johns did with Barry Allen.

[astro@work]

It would be very easy to maintain *MOST* of the Golden Age continuity without Superman, Batman, Robin. Superman and Batman only appeared in one Golden Age story, and that could be solved with one time travelling adventure using the current modern versions.

The real problem is Wonder Woman, who was a member for about 2/3rd of the GA stories. That's where maintaining the integrity of the original GA stories in a modern continuity gets problematic. So do they sub in Miss America? The "Golden Age" Fury? Hippolyta? Nobody?

Honestly, when the JSA finally shows up I imagine none of the trinity will have been a part of it. At best there will be a sub for Diana. The JSA will be from Prime Earth and eventually the Earth 2 Power Girl will join up so they have a PG on the roster. (Current appearance in Deathstroke seems to be leading us there). The Silver Age stories won't still be in continuity because they'll be arriving in the present for the first time.

[MajorHoy]

I wonder if we should have a poll as a part of this thread?

[MajorHoy]

Don't know how likely they are to be included based on the recent announcement of their return in Scott Snyder's Justice League.

[Restingvoice]

When it comes to the Justice Society of America, do you prefer them with or without the following characters (all Golden Age/Pre-COIE Earth-Two versions)?

1. Superman
2. Wonder Woman
3. Batman
4. Robin
5. Aquaman
6. Green Arrow

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Most of them are already known to the public as JLA, except Robin, so I think put Dick Grayson on JSA since Didio apparently is so afraid he's getting older than Batman and he's not doing anything meaningful in Titans, just put him on JSA with Power Girl. They can be the Superman and Batman figure there.

[DrNewGod]

With all but 5 and 6, since they were never members in any of the Pre-Crisis versions.

[MajorHoy]

Most of them are already known to the public as JLA, except Robin, so I think put Dick Grayson on JSA since Didio apparently is so afraid he's getting older than Batman and he's not doing anything meaningful in Titans, just put him on JSA with Power Girl. They can be the Superman and Batman figure there.

However, the

Golden Age/Pre-COIE Earth-Two versions

were never a part of the Justice League of America.

[Lee Stone]

With all but 5 and 6, since they were never members in any of the Pre-Crisis versions.

However, I think there is now enough visual difference in the modern versions of the characters and their original depictions that they could work as JSA members now.

Green Arrow in his original cloth costume with the feathered hat and shaved face...
Aquaman with the classic yellow and green costume and short hair (and no tattoos, unless it's a small anchor somewhere we've never seen)...

If you think about it, they're now much more visually different than the Hawkmen, the Supermen, the Batmen and the Wonder Women were.

[MajorHoy]

However, I think there is now enough visual difference in the modern versions of the characters and their original depictions that they could work as JSA members now.

Green Arrow in his original cloth costume with the feathered hat and shaved face...
Aquaman with the classic yellow and green costume and short hair (and no tattoos, unless it's a small anchor somewhere we've never seen)...

If you think about it, they're now much more visually different than the Hawkmen, the Supermen, the Batmen and the Wonder Women were.

But aren't people missing the point that people liked the JSA as they were in the past? The more you change what/who they were, the less they become who we wanted back in the first place!

[CaptCleghorn]

But aren't people missing the point that people liked the JSA as they were in the past? The more you change what/who they were, the less they become who we wanted back in the first place!

Some of us liked the JSA as they were. Even if a traditional 1940s JSA membership was clearly preferred by JSA fans, that group is dying out and DC needs to expand that fanbase. Every group has membership fanbases differing. And the JSA in the past has many different meanings. All-Star original? JLofA team-ups? All-Star revival? Post Zero Hour revival?

[Korath]

But aren't people missing the point that people liked the JSA as they were in the past? The more you change what/who they were, the less they become who we wanted back in the first place!

And for those of us who never read the JSA ? Why should we suddenly have Superman and Wonder Woman and Batman aged thrity-five having been part of a WWII team ? Time-shenaningans ?

I think a lot of comic readers need to understand that times have changed. What was once great won't work at all today. This is clearly the case.

[MajorHoy]

Some of us liked the JSA as they were. Even if a traditional 1940s JSA membership was clearly preferred by JSA fans, that group is dying out and DC needs to expand that fanbase. Every group has membership fanbases differing. And the JSA in the past has many different meanings. All-Star original? JLofA team-ups? All-Star revival? Post Zero Hour revival?

But leave the past membership alone unless you need to make changes, like Wonder Woman no longer existing in the 1940s.

If you want a new, present-day JSA, that's where you should make changes, not in their history.

[CaptCleghorn]

But leave the past membership alone unless you need to make changes, like Wonder Woman no longer existing in the 1940s.

If you want a new, present-day JSA, that's where you should make changes, not in their history.

Everything with the JSA and DClock has to do with time reconstruction and tweaking of history. Changes similar to the removal of Wonder Woman (and Supes and Bats) as a result of COIE is repeating itself now. We all have our own ideas of what we'd like DC to do here and the posters pretty much have many differing opinions of what they'd want.

[Lee Stone]

But aren't people missing the point that people liked the JSA as they were in the past? The more you change what/who they were, the less they become who we wanted back in the first place!

Yes, I loved the JSA as they were.
But they should be allowed to have new members, just like the JLA.
Not allowing them to change makes them appear as a novelty item, and a relic of the past.

If new members can be added without contradicting All-Star Comics #3-57, I'm all for it.
As long as they're not heavily powered and fit the pre-Atomic Age era of comics (Ie: nobody's getting powers from cosmic rays or radioactive spiders).

I think characters like Liberty Belle, Midnight, Phantom Lady and Crimson Avenger would totally fit the team.

And depending on DC's stances on Black Canary and Wonder Woman, right now it looks like the JSA will have no women.
Unless they toss in Power Girl. But how are they going to explain a '70s addition character pushed back into the earlier phase of the team, especially Power Girl without Superman existing, yet?

I think Aquaman and Green Arrow could both fit, and there could even be a 'times past' story where one of them 'was' a member for that issue. Which would put them in the same standing as Wildcat and Mr. Terrific.

When you consider that All-Star was a quarterly comic, there's room for dozens of 'untold tales', as long as they don't contradict previous stories.
As we've seen with Roy Thomas' work.
"Previous stories' meaning All-Star Comics #3-57, and maybe #58 up through Adventure #466, not anything that came later, of course.

Then there's the 20 years where the JSA had their annual team-ups with the JLA.
About three years of that they had their own features in the revived All-Star Comics and Adventure Comics.
But surely, they didn't just sit around waiting for an inter-diminsional Crisis to come along so they could team up with the JLA all those other years...

[Restingvoice]

However, the were never a part of the Justice League of America.

I'm aware. I'm talking about the current condition.