DC's "new" timeline revealed at NYCC

[MajorHoy]

I think its possible that the Ian Karkull story (which we've so far forgotten to mention on this thread) comes into play. Maybe they assumed that she still looked young because of exposure to Ian Karkull's energies? The same reason why the other JSA members physically still looked 40ish when they should have been pushing 70 by the time COIE came around. Though I don't remember now if Dinah Drake was an active hero when the JSA encountered Karkull. . . .

She wasn't.


That story (in All-Star Squadron Annual #3) was set around the time of All Star Comics #8 (December 1941-January 1942).

In the All-Star Squadron Annual's story, Roy also included reasons why Hourman and Green Lantern gave up their membership slots for Starman and Dr. Mid-Nite.

Black Canary's first appearance in a Justice Society of America story was in All-Star Comics #38 (December 1947-January 1948).

[bat39]

She wasn't.


That story (in All-Star Squadron Annual #3) was set around the time of All Star Comics #8 (December 1941-January 1942).

In the All-Star Squadron Annual's story, Roy also included reasons why Hourman and Green Lantern gave up their membership slots for Starman and Dr. Mid-Nite.

Black Canary's first appearance in a Justice Society of America story was in All-Star Comics #38 (December 1947-January 1948).

Interesting! Thanks for sharing.

Wait, were the Golden Age Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman also among the heroes' exposed to Ian Karkull's energies?

[MajorHoy]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing.

Wait, were the Golden Age Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman also among the heroes' exposed to Ian Karkull's energies?

Superman and Batman: Yes.
Wonder Woman: No.

Golden Age Superman, Batman & Robin, and at that point Flash (Jay) were "honorary members" (because they had their own self-titled comic books at that point). Wonder Woman wasn't introduced as a character until All Star Comics #8 and wouldn't become involved with the JSA until All Star Comics #11 (June-July 1942).

From All-Star Squadron Annual #3:



Note that Robin, Hawkgirl, Lois Lane and Joan Williams were also exposed to the time rays from Ian Karkull.
But why all the characters had greenish skin hues on two of the pages, I don't know. I'm assuming it was a printing error.

[DABellWrites]

It was actually sort of creepy.
But when they came up with retconning it so that the then "present day" Dinah was actually the daughter of Golden Age Dinah, they were trying to explain why a woman in 1983 looked like she hadn't aged in 35 years and for the past fourteen years had thought, talked, and acted like she was the same woman who had started her superhero career in 1947.

Dinah had never been a member of the All-Star Squadron in the past. She historically didn't make her first appearance until 1947, two years after the end of WWII.

That is true, but the JSA didn't "break up" until 1950. Dinah was still "active" until 1954. Hence why I stated sometime during All-Star Squadron. You can still make the idea work. Unless the ASS didn't break up after WW2 ended. By ASS, I mean the book. Not the actual team.

[bat39]

Superman and Batman: Yes.
Wonder Woman: No.

Golden Age Superman, Batman & Robin, and at that point Flash (Jay) were "honorary members" (because they had their own self-titled comic books at that point). Wonder Woman wasn't introduced as a character until All Star Comics #8 and wouldn't become involved with the JSA until All Star Comics #11 (June-July 1942).

From All-Star Squadron Annual #3:



Note that Robin, Hawkgirl, Lois Lane and Joan Williams were also exposed to the time rays from Ian Karkull.
But why all the characters had greenish skin hues on two of the pages, I don't know. I'm assuming it was a printing error.

Hmm...interesting.

I've never actually read the story so I didn't know this.

I guess in Robin's case, this explains why he was so spry in the Bronze Age and always looked to be in his thirties, even though he'd actually have been in his forties and fifties.

But Earth 2 Superman seemed to age almost as fast as a human in the Bronze Age. Ditto with Lois. And Batman for that matter...Bruce was definitely showing his age in his few Earth 2 appearances, even more so than most depictions of an ''older'' Batman.

[MajorHoy]

. . . But Earth 2 Superman seemed to age almost as fast as a human in the Bronze Age. Ditto with Lois. And Batman for that matter...Bruce was definitely showing his age in his few Earth 2 appearances, even more so than most depictions of an ''older'' Batman.

I'm not sure what you mean by "age almost as fast as a human" and "Bruce was definitely showing his age". If you're implying the grayer hair or facial wrinkles, well, that can easily start happening when a person is in their thirties or forties. I'm not sure how many other significant signs of aging they showed until much later on in their stories.

[MajorHoy]

That is true, but the JSA didn't "break up" until 1950. Dinah was still "active" until 1954. Hence why I stated sometime during All-Star Squadron. You can still make the idea work. Unless the ASS didn't break up after WW2 ended. By ASS, I mean the book. Not the actual team.

What you originally said was:

Sometimes, you gotta wonder why it wasn't retconed that Dinah I left for Earth-2 sometime during All-Star Squadron. She lost her memories of her daughter who was still on Earth-2 with Infinity, Inc. Who raised Dinah Drake? It could've been Wonder Woman since she was and Dinah were best friends originally and active members of the JSA.
Why she didn't age? Well, they age slower on Earth-1. Done.
This can work in an elseworld though.

Now, maybe I misunderstood you, or maybe you're confused, but there are a lot of problems with what you suggested.
First off, I'm not 100% sure where you're getting that Dinah was still active until 1954. The last issue of All Star Comics was #57 (cover-dated February-March 1951). The story of the JSA's disbanding (see Adventure Comics #466 in 1979) was set in 1951, and the 8-issue Justice Society of America series published in 1991 (which included Black Canary) was set in 1950.
As for Black Canary's solo-feature in Flash Comics, the last issue of that title was Flash Comics #104 cover-dated February 1949.
So, I don't know if there were references to Dinah still being active as Black Canary until 1954 were included somewhere that I haven't read, but if you know of specific issues stating that, I'd be interested in hearing them.

Also, All-Star Squadron as a comic book was published between 1981 and 1986, but only covered the years 1941 and 1942 in its stories. And as stated before, Black Canary wasn't included in the All-Star Squadron stories since she didn't become active until well after the need for the All-Star Squuadron had ended when WWII was over.

And as to when Dinah originally relocated from Earth-2 to Earth-1, I'm assuming it was because Wonder Woman (the lone female member of the JLA at that time) was no longer going to be appearing in Justice League of America because of the changes to Wonder Woman/Diana Prince in her own title. (And back then, DC didn't seem to have a lot of female costumed heroes other than those who were female counterparts of the male members.)

[DABellWrites]

What you originally said was:Now, maybe I misunderstood you, or maybe you're confused, but there are a lot of problems with what you suggested.
First off, I'm not 100% sure where you're getting that Dinah was still active until 1954. The last issue of All Star Comics was #57 (cover-dated February-March 1951). The story of the JSA's disbanding (see Adventure Comics #466 in 1979) was set in 1951, and the 8-issue Justice Society of America series published in 1991 (which included Black Canary) was set in 1950.
As for Black Canary's solo-feature in Flash Comics, the last issue of that title was Flash Comics #104 cover-dated February 1949.
So, I don't know if there were references to Dinah still being active as Black Canary until 1954 were included somewhere that I haven't read, but if you know of specific issues stating that, I'd be interested in hearing them.

Also, All-Star Squadron as a comic book was published between 1981 and 1986, but only covered the years 1941 and 1942 in its stories. And as stated before, Black Canary wasn't included in the All-Star Squadron stories since she didn't become active until well after the need for the All-Star Squuadron had ended when WWII was over.

And as to when Dinah originally relocated from Earth-2 to Earth-1, I'm assuming it was because Wonder Woman (the lone female member of the JLA at that time) was no longer going to be appearing in Justice League of America because of the changes to Wonder Woman/Diana Prince in her own title. (And back then, DC didn't seem to have a lot of female costumed heroes other than those who were female counterparts of the male members.)

1949? Hm. Maybe I'm misremembering something. I think I read it on her wikipedia page. Black Canary stories were until 1954, maybe that was an error at the time. Anyways, if the cover date for the last JSA is 1951, why is on DC Universe Infinite it's 1950? Unless I'm wrong on that too. My memory is ****.

Anyways, by ASS, I thought the JSA was active until their eventual break-up. I remember that was a reason why Infinity, Inc. formed. Because the old-timers didn't want or trust the younger heroes. I'll admit my ignorance.

[MajorHoy]

1949? Hm. Maybe I'm misremembering something. I think I read it on her wikipedia page. Black Canary stories were until 1954, maybe that was an error at the time. Anyways, if the cover date for the last JSA is 1951, why is on DC Universe Infinite it's 1950? Unless I'm wrong on that too. My memory is ****.

"Cover date" is not the same as "on sale date".
All Star Comics #57 was cover-dated February-March 1951, but it would have been on sale in December of 1950. (As for dcuniverseinfinite.com, who knows where their date comes from.)

Anyways, by ASS, I thought the JSA was active until their eventual break-up. I remember that was a reason why Infinity, Inc. formed. Because the old-timers didn't want or trust the younger heroes. I'll admit my ignorance.

By the way, why do you seem to be interchanging "All-Star Squadron" and "Justice Society of America" as if they are the same thing?

Think of the All-Star Squadron as like the U.S. Military of ALL American superheroes active during World War II. The Justice Society of America and its members were part of the All-Star Squadron, but not the only part. So were the Golden Age Seven Soldiers of Victory, as well as all the previously non-team-affiliated heroes.

It's like ice cream . . . chocolate ice cream is one flavor of ice cream, but not all ice cream is chocolate.

Back to the JSA. Traditionally, their last adventure would have been in that 1950-1951 time period. Then, in Flash #123 (cover-dated September 1961), Barry Allen (Silver Age Flash from Earth-1) somehow traveled to another Earth (Earth-2) where he met the Golden Age Flash (Jay Garrick), who Barry had read about in comic books but never before realized really existed.
In 1963, Barry again travels to Earth-2 (Flash #137, cover-dated June 1963) and meets other past members of the Justice Society of America.
At the end of that story,